Yamaha RD sound is like music to my ears. I got my licence on an RD 125 (unleashing 16 hp uphill was great!) so this video stirred that special corner of my brain, fine vibrations, smell an’all.
Great video well done. RD400, what a great bike! A giant killer of the time. I would have included the XT500 as it was, and still is, a truly iconic bike which kick started (no pun intended) the whole Paris Dakar thing and arguably, adventure bikes as a sector.
@@bikerdood1100 haha... cut my teeth on a Titan 500, then followed that up with a GT 500.... not the 550 triple, the twin... basically a titan with the 550 bits.... then I had a 750 water buffalow magic ..
I believe I had the first Honda CB 500/4 in Dunedin. It was the Chestnut brown, same as the first one you featured. Great bike, incredibly smooth running and good for day trips two up. Unfortunately, not enough HP for me so I up-graded to the 750/4.
A lovely trip down memory lane. I didn't ride all these, but did ride alongside them and in some cases I coveted the ones I didn't own. The air-cooled RD400 was a well-kept secret on the UK market. The 250 learner license meant that the market for the 400 was limited... But it was quite a machine. Ridden solo, it was rapid. Smaller Laverda twins were vanishingly rare in the UK. You'd see the odd 750 twin, but rarely a 500 away from the track. I do recall people fitting what we then called "power pipes" to Suzuki triples. They sounded like a gaggle of badly tuned mopeds. Wonderful! A lovely parade of nostalgia-inducing bikes in this video. Chapeau!
Enjoyable little film.....don't forget one of the most innovative of 70's 500s......the CX500..... one of mine I've had for 30years and provides all day comfort and effortless high speed cruising.....like all 70's bikes though , shame about the brakes !
My vote (absolutely biased as I now own one and love it immensely) is the Honda CX500. Even though it is a Vee-twin, it is super-smooth at 110Km/h at 6,000RPM. A delight to ride.
Thanks again ,good vids. The 70s were the magic time for motorcycles . After around 35yrs of pushrod singles and twins it all changed very fast, it was dizzying. I had both the 500 and 400/4s . They divided my impressions evenly. The 500 was the long distance bike ,comfortable,giving a feeling of grandeur and quality. To my mind the 400/4 was more exiting. The first time I saw one it shouted Cafe Racer ,in fact I thought it was a unique special, and it felt quick ,probably due to the more peaky engine and less weight than the 500,and the looks of course added to the drama . It was also amazingly frugal . I obtained 65/70mpg touring France with my then new wife ( still going strong) fully laden with camping gear ect. Good bike the Suzuki 380, the 550 was definitely more in the shadows and was very thirsty.
I worked at a BMW dealership at the time the R65 came out. They were light weight, had nice power and sold well. They also had issues with timing chains and often needed them replaced. We had one R45 show up in the shop. It belong to a young lady from Switzerland who was riding it around the USA. By the time it got to us it had been thrashed to death. It had transmission issues, timing chain problems and the pistons didn't fit. Most of the parts interchanged from the R65 but she left with an R65 upgrade because that's all we had in the way of pistons and cylinders.
@@stephenmarshall3721 It had a piston rattle so yes, the pistons didn't fit. She may have over heated it but I have never heard of a BMW airhead over heating.
I did most of my riding in the 1970s on a Yamaha XS360, a 4 stroke twin with SOHC, and a 6 speed gearbox. It was pretty quick for that time, and I had a lot of fun on it.
Funny how I didn't realize the treasures I had back in the 70's....Norton 850 Commando, Suzuki GT 550, BSA 650 Lightning, Cl 350 and 450 Honda's, Harley's and Triumph's.....Great bikes
I had a Suzuki Titan 500 twin it was very reliable. I rode it across the country with no issues. Several times I rode a friend's Ducati 500 twin and it was fun, while it was running.
@@bikerdood1100 These were known as the Suzuki T500 with a letter at the end to denote the model year, mine was a T500M in a light blue metallic with gold pinstripes. A lovely bike with lots of character and a satisfying sound.
I miss my '77 cb500 and especially my 1976 cb550ss. I would really like to have the '66 SEARS (Puch) 106 I used as a dirt bike in the early 80's. It was in great shape till 14yo me got ahold of it.
I have a Suzuki GS 550 that rescued from under a tree. A surprisingly good bike in today's traffic. I wouldn't mind a ride on one of the two strokes though.
Small world! Stan used to service my 400/4 back in 77/78. Saw him racing sidecars at Brands a few times, absolute nutter...Little 400/4 was a revelation after my 250G5. So smooth, red-lined at 10000 revs and no bigger than the 250. Ah, memories. Cheers from a chilly Otford, Kent.
@@neilhurt1992 Hi Buddy, Stan who tuned the RD400 made Neil promise to never repair the engine himself, he had to take it back to him (secret porting expertise etc) Regards from a very cold Hull too.
Back in 1978 I wanted to buy a new RD 400, but Barry Smith (a three-time Formula III winner at the IoM TT 1979-81 and two-time FIII World Champion; he won in 1979 and 1981 - Ron Haslem won in 1980) advised me to buy the RD 250 instead. Barry was my local Yamaha dealer and his rationale was that the RD400 was very light at the front and prone to popping inadvertent wheelies. I went with the expert's advice and bought the 250; I was very happy with it.
I had the 1972 GT550 as a kid in the late 1970's. I remember it as a bike geared for highways with a 70mph speed limit rather than the 55. It had a decent kick when it went on the pipes, but you had to keep working the gearbox to keep it in that rpm range. It felt heavy and awkward at the time. Twisties took some concentration. That year had the drum brake on the front. The only bike that I rode that handled worse was the Kaw H2 750. That being said, I rode the he'll out of it. It never left me stranded anywhere, and after the 40-odd thousand miles I put on it I sold it for more than I paid for it.
I really like your choices in Canada we didn't see much of the Laverda or the BMW bikes you mention. The Japanese really were popular bikes here. I had two CB 500's and they were great bikes as were the Yamaha 400's. I had the opportunity to ride the Suzuki's you reviewed but they were a little more rare here. They were good bikes though. Thanks for sharing your video's bring back many memories.
Owned a 550 suzuki in 76, much friendlier than the kawa triples. Piper 3 into 1 fitted later had unbelievable sound, (someone once said it had an effect on your nervous system, similar to biting on tin foil) ... Killed performance though. Nice video.
Thank very much for the positive feedback, still struggled to get better exposure currently, views are a bit disappointing. We will soldier on and see what 2023 brings. We have lots of plans of course
@@bikerdood1100 I watch a lot of these types of motorcycle video's. Believe me it's not your fault your not getting views. You are probably the most professional of all of them. Your excellent. You just have to hang in there. I'm not stupid or sucking up to you. One day it will happen for you but you will have to do a few hard disappointing years. That's how it works. You are EXCELLENT. MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM DOWNUNDER AUSTRALIA.
In the early 70s my stepdad had an RB-350 for a little 350 I thought it was one bad ass bike he'd twist that throttle and it was hang on time, never got that feeling from any 4 stroke until I got my 88 cubic inch Fat Boy and twisted that throttle, they both had the same "I'm gonna leave your ass sitting in the street if you don't hang on" feeling. Those were the days for Yamaha 2 strokes.
Thanks for a great video. I rode or owned most of these bikes. It takes me back to the 70's when I owned the Honda 750 4 and a Suzuki 250 super six then also. My favourite you tube channel. The 500 4 had a fantastic exhaust note.
I bought a brand new CB 550 and my Army buddy bought a new GT 380. We rode a lot together. I was quicker and better fuel economy but he had the Windjammer fairing and I had only a handlebar mounted fairing. That made his a better highway tourer. I wish I had never traded it for a Harley.
Had a 550 fourK, 4 exhaust pipes, and I loved it! TY 100 tryres and it would corner at rediculous angles. I would have the same model again 45 years later! Followed it with a 850 Suzuki but I didn’t really get on with that.
Great choices! I think the GT380 is one of the best looking bikes of the era. Maybe second only to the Z900. Great sounding as well. Hard to think of a nicer noise than a 3 cylinder two stroke!
I owned quite a few 2 strokes back in the 70s. I bought a 76 RD400 with about 1000 miles on it for $300. The original owner knocked it off the stand while cleaning it in his driveway, and was afraid to ride it after that because the new-fangled high tech cast aluminum wheels might be cracked LOL! I never had any problem with it but my Suzuki T-500 was more fun to ride even though it vibrated and had weak brakes. More "character", I guess?
@@bikerdood1100 That's very true. Currently, at 76, I'm riding a 150cc scooter. It's great fun to ride, just don't go on major highways with it. 6000 miles in 2 years, so far.
An old man used to putt around my neighborhood on an rd 400 . At that time I was riding an 82 Yamaha maxim 550 yet I still loved that 2 stroke the old man was gingerly riding . I moved across the country and returned 5 years later . I saw the old man and asked him about his bike . He told me he hadn't ridden it in years and I could have it . Oh boy was I excited . I went to his house and it was outside behind his shed almost invisible because it was covered in weeds . I dug it out and brought it home . Unfortunately it was too far gone with rust and corrosion for my abilities to bring back to life . I still get jitters just seeing one on video . Your Ass My Ass Hondas Ass Yamaha
Sold our lady 2 stroke about a year ago, nothing quite like them, particularly at the smaller capacities where they are so much better than the equivalent 4 stroke
@@bikerdood1100 something inside me dies when I sell a bike even if I am upgrading . I pick up bicycles being thrown away and have no problem giving them away after I repair them . It makes me feel good . But selling a motorcycle never brings me joy . I have 4 bicycles at the moment that I will never sell or give away . They all have different functionality. One for style , one for road , one for freestyle and my wheelie bike . I'm injured so I only ride my freestyle bike on good days , ( maybe once every 6 weeks ) . And my wheelie bikes frame is about ready to break at the dropouts but I did a 5 mile wheelie on it back in 1998 so I can't part with it .
ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-b1FtZoaupnI.html Backstory ; I went to an international competition to spectate . Next thing you know my name is being called to enter veteran class ? I looked around and a fellow rider paid my entry fee . I placed 5th out of 12 in my class on a cheap Walmart bike . A month later these guys came to my city and gifted me a " proper " bike . If you notice in the video one bike I ride is chrome ( Walmart 40 pound bike ) , And the other is black ( custom 20 pound bike ) . The custom bike is so light it took me 6 weeks to get it down . It's worth about $1,500 . That's more than I paid for my motorcycle. - Charlie Patterson
I had a Honda CB350 twin , stripped bare to the absolute minimum . Yoshimura cammed , tuned to Dunstall two into ones , Magura clip ons and rear set pegs , single seat , no starter motor or centre stand . Front and rear guards replaced with fibre glass , running Dunlop K91 Red Arrows , raised gearing , but with standard suspension and brakes . Nonetheless this machine handled and flew. In Sydney in 1980 , this thing chewed RD 350' s and the rest , off the line and in a straight flat out drag ,opening up it's advantage to it's near top speed of a genuine 110 mph . In Canberra on the smooth bitumen roundabouts , it was unassailable .
had a 1975 rd 350 put on chambers low bars rear set pegs it was so much fun and the first year 400,s i street raced 2 at one time beat them both to next light that was 4 blocks away
@@felixalbion well it arrived a while later 1981 so the 750 is the more important because it saved the company from the disaster of the RE5 and provided an excellent replacement for the GT two stroke series
16 year old Dan bought himself a '72 GT380 in 1981 - these were REALLY cheap then, I believe I paid. $300 for it. Rode it to high school I did..Catholic school at that. Great bike. Did the job of making me notorious quite well and I never crashed it. Took the prettiest cheerleader for a ride, even. All you can ask of any bike, really. My buddy Rob Perkoski had the RD400, it was much faster. Aside from a few Hellish college semesters without, I've had bikes ever since.
If only you could ride bikes like that at 16 in England. In my fat it was 17 here and at 16, 50cc and 30mph But we had it good , my boy couldn’t anything as quick as a GT 380 until he was 19
I rode a mates GT380 back in the day.. and I had high expectations, having been aquainted with RD's. and other hot little 2-strokes fitted with spannies.... I was thinking.. hmm triple stroker, and thought it might be like a little H2 or Mach III. I was expecting the ring-ding-a-ding-waaaaa as it hit the power band.. but alas I was disappointed... there was none of hat crazy rush of revs.. I really didn't realise that a broad(er) power band was intended until I watched this....probably, If i had known that, I might of enjoyed it more... then again, at that age maybe not.. used to love that rush when a highly tuned stroker cleared its throat and hit the powerband, chucking gears at it whilst grinning like a maniac.
Suzuki were definitely trying to make their strokers more civilised. The thing about jack hammer power bands is that if does have the effect of making the machine feel faster than it really is. A smoother delivery will always feel slow even if in reality it isn’t. The problem with all those highly strung strokers is they were just that. Great on a short blast , bloody annoying on a long ride. Strokers at their best at 250cc or lower. Above that and their shortcomings really begin to show, shite fuel consumption for example. Once the fuel crisis of the early 70s hit the days of the big stroker as a major force in the market were numbered
@@bikerdood1100 Oh yeah.. very true, and I wouldn't choose to ride one now... but in my yoof... they were the thing. Smmoth and fast is where I am these days though... having said that, I ride a 95 blade, which was ahooligan back then, but actually feels quite sensible now.. good midrange, and fairly light, can get along at a fair ol nip if you keep the revs in the mid range.. but it is still a bit zip at the top and can get a bit flighty as you approach the (relatively low by modern standards) red line.. lifting its funny little unfashionable 16inch front wheel easily.
Hi, I wish that my bike would show up here. My first bike, was considered Japans first super bike. The Suzuki T500 Titan. It was introduced in the 60s as many of these were, and progressed into the 70s with upgrades to brakes etc. It seems a forgotten bike now.
The 500 twin was sold in the uk too Although without the Titan name. A do remember seeing a few in my area when I was younger. Nice simple little stroke
Only long term fault I can think of with those bikes is the fuel tank is prone to rust at the seem. Good solid machines. 250 is a bit too big for its capacity but a big comfortable bike by early 80s standards. And definitely better than the F
So I gave you a Like and Subscribe ... had 3 Honda CB 500 Four ... most beautiful Honda for me with the trumpet exhaust pipes ... the power came from 5000 or 6000 rpm's up ... the brakes were a bit "adventerous" as from time to time there came oil through the shaft seals on the brake disc.
The kawasaki z 650 was very good choice in the mid 1970s and it had the speed of 750, was very reliable, also looked a bit like a Z1 900, The z 650 was a good tight bike to handle twisties.
I was lucky enough to get on or two rides on borrowed examples and found them brilliant to ride. One of my best friends bought one to have as well as his Laverda 750 but found the 500 to have quite poor build quality and low availability compared to something like a decent Honda.
I always longed for an RD 350 or 400. They were at the time just out of my price range because I was an apprentice. I wish now they went back in production. However at the moment I have a 350 Jawa. It will have to do. Please don't laugh.
The RD400 was very light at the front and prone to popping inadvertent wheelies. Having owned a brand-new Jawa 250 back in 1963 and a very neglected 1970 Jawa 350 twin that I bought and refurbished in 1984, I certainly wouldn't laugh at you. The 250 twin-port single was 100% reliable, as was the 350 after I'd restored it. After 15 years of ownership, my then-wife persuaded me to sell it; I sincerely wish I hadn't!
I really enjoyed my Honda 500/4. I stupidly traded it against a 750/4 which turned out to be a huge mistake. I quickly traded up to a Suzuki 1000 which was a great bike.
I had a new RD400 in 1978 and it was a cracking bike. My mate had a Jubilee Bonneville 750 that was no faster......boy was he pissed. And my RD didn't leak oil.
I would like to see videos about UK Learner legal bikes of the 60's and 70's. I'm sure that comparisons of the 250's, 200's etc would be interesting and certainly bring back memories! The British bikes over 200cc that were generally stroke, whilst most smaller bikes were Villiers 2 strokes. Then there was the "Japanese Invasion" of the 70's, which compares the Honda 4 strokes against the sportier 2 strokes from Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki.
Interesting to compare these to the modern retro middleweights. Forty years later the CB650R to me seems like a headbanger compared to its ancestors and, for me at least, wildly fast. R Nine T looks great.
I never had the CB 500 but I did own the CB 550 and I think it was a far better bike to own then the CB 750. I remember when they introduced the 250cc learners law into South Australia in the mid to late 70s and the amount of learner who bought the RD 250 and either put the 350 or 400 top end on them to beat it.
I dispute your claims for the BMW R65, I owned one. In top gear as the speedo reached 70 a vibration came in that hit right in the groin, a half hour of this and the ability to stand and walk was massively compromised 🤪
Hmm I’ve ridden one and though not perfect I don’t remember harsh vibes, sounds a bit like a Friday afternoon bike. Variable BMW build quality, could it be
Ah those GS 750s bullet proof, well apart from that dodgy bulb eating regulator of course. but great performance and handling. Was it the best 70s super bike ?
It has got to be a Moto Morini 350 sport drum from 1974, the best looking and best handling bike of the 70s, or an rd 400f in red and white, both fun bikes.
They are indeed. Interestingly although the Guzzi V 50 was never seen as a sporty bike it was a bit quicker over the 1/4 mile than the RD400, Used to have a big list published by MCN in the 80s of all their test figures made for slightly surprising reading. Not that the RD is a slouch
Those Bing pieces of aluminium floor sweepings and cheap condoms on the BMWs are the worst excuses for a fuel/air mixture device I have ever had to work on
l owned two Honda 400 Fours from about 1986 to 2014 ( the first one ) .The second was a box full of bits l bought in the 90s .Finally made it as a working bike about 1999/2000 ! Sold both in 2014 ! Great bike the 400 Four ,cheap insurance ,tax and very good fuel !
@@rt2255 that's what we all thought at the time but looking back i don't think they were that great. When I was 17 and rode a 250 (suzuki hustler) most of my mates were the same age and also rode 250s, mostly RDs and X7s with the odd super dream (someone has to ride at the back) but a few guys we knew were a little older and a couple of them had 400/4s and I remember very well that they were a lot slower than the 250 2 strokes and weren't that reliable either.
@@sambrooks7862 put close to 50k miles on mine never had on part failure. Yes 2 strokes faster but none lasted that long. Sounds like the ones you buddies had were lemons or something. No 250 was quicker 350 2 strokes until 80 then i pulled up and went by. Honda 400 four was bullet proof.
OK, I'm sure yours was the best bike ever built but the truth is that they were no better than anything else around at the time and you're wrong about how quick they were, out of about 30 guys that regularly rode together the only 250s who weren't faster than the 400/4 were other 4 strokes. Just to be clear, I never said that I didn't like them, when I was 17 the 400/4 was my dream bike but I couldn't afford one!
I'd have a T500 or GT500 Suzuki, both of which I owned {also had a GT250, GT380 and GT750} There's a lovely T on eBay right now but I baulk at coughing up six and a half grand for a very simple, although hardy machine.
I had a 250t hustler and I've always wanted to get my hands on another one but but it's 40 years since I owned mine and it was over 10 years old then, the only thing that's stopped me buying one is that I'm sure if I rode one now I'd be really disappointed because what I thought was eye watering performance when I was a teenager would probably feel on a par with a mobility scooter now?
What about a five 50cc unrestricted 70s moped video with the Suz AP50, Yam SS/FS1E, Honda SS50, Gilera 50 and you must have the Fantic Captain America chop all with pedals.
@@bikerdood1100 . Indeed . I loved my Two-strokes though . Had THREE out of 7 Bikes total . Two RD's , 250 Air-cooled and 350LC , AND a GT-750 . I modified both the 350 and the 750 . Best Bike I ever had WAS the BMW K-100 . You can tell WHERE the Money is with those , but the GT would compare in MOST respects . My (K) Z-1100 A (shaft) was decidedly cobby by comparison .
A damming comment Have you ridden one ? A lot of the comments about the bikes performance are based on the German market bike which was retuned to give just 27hp. Some of those models make it to other markets for some reason
Is there any chance of you doing a video on motorcycle tyres to tell if different types of tyres make a genuine difference for bikes around 700 cc down. Thanks. I trust your judgement.
@@bikerdood1100 Ok, your opinion, I found the 400f to be moore fun than the 500 even if the 500/550`s were among my fav bikes..I had great fun even on the smaller 350f and for some reason mine was one of the fastest >400-bikes in town Stock exept for a 4-1 system and no airfilter. The small 4-cyl made 107mph on the speedo with me sitting upright, 112 if I "flatted out".
The American interest in cars over bikes is a long standing one What it really needs is a famous person younger people can relate too Seeing old farts on Harley’s isn’t likely to make them attractive to younger riders The attitude of parents also doesn’t help at all
there was nothing wrong with the Cb 400 4. 37 hp did ok i owen 1 i wish i never sold it My dad had a cb 550 4 you did buy a 400 for quickness you brought it because it was simple and never gave any problems
Mechanical porn at its best. Three bikes I've owned on your list here and would have loved having the others. My RD was the 250LC (2nd hand) . Your videos should come with a health warning. My wife is very suspicious as I've started to drool and apparently making strange noises. Just off to check how many pennies I have in the savings account before getting on to a well known auction site. Thank you for making a man of a certain age. Remember his youth.