Great to see the Morini included. I had a3 1/2 Sport in the late 70s - bought new. It was probably the best bike I ever owned and an absolute delight to ride.
So many memories here . I had the Suzuki gs 550 , the kawasaki kz 750 , and the Yamaha xs 650 . If I had to pick a favorite bike of the 3 it would be the kz 750 . It was both beauty and the beast ❤
Awesome Video thanks...`i'm 59 now so the 80s was when i first started to ride bikes however me and my mates all bought 70s bikes, personally i had some really classic 70's Japanese middleweights my first was a Honda CB400/4 race replica with a full race fairing and drop handlebars factory standard, then i had a CB550 F2 also a metallic Blue Z650 and i have to say i loved all of them but i think the Z650 was my overall favourite, I regularly did 400 mile round trips on it and it was totally reliable and they were all easy to work on with just a basic tool kit and a bit of mechanic knowledge and of course the ubiquitous Haynes Manual and to me part of the fun of owning these types of bike was that you could work on them yourself..which of course is far from the case with the vast majority of modern bikes
I had the cb550f2 over revved once and bent a valve, removed it, placed it on a machined flat surface of a car engine block and gently tapped it with a small hammer until no light shone between stem and block, refitted and ran perfect after.☺️👍
Don’t laugh…. As a callow 17 year old I chose the GS750 (DB wire wheels model) in May ‘77 over the Kawasaki Z650. I’d just had a year on a KH250 so my loyalty was to Kawasaki. So what turned my head? BIKE Magazine tested the GS against the Z and the GS came out at, I’m pretty sure, 126 mph and the Z at 121 mph. Ahh the shallowness of youth. Plus a Suzuki dealer plonked a 50p on its edge on the fuel tank and started and revved it up. The coin never moved - I was smitten. Funnily enough the GS has never achieved any form of cult status for some unknown reason, whilst others of its era (let’s think GT750) have gone on to be worshipped and docket in value.
+1 After many smaller bikes, I bought a former racing 1980KZ650F1 that was put back on the road. After a few seasons of it racing for someone else, I got it for cheap and for ten years, I ripped that bike hard for forty thousand miles(full throttle/full brakes).. I didnt even realize how many trick parts were on my bike until a racer pointed them out to me. It all lead me to becoming a pro sbk racer. No wonder I blew so many people away with my KZ on the roads with it's torque and twisties prowess! It was an amazing machine that I very much regret selling.
@@PhilbyFavourites Hi Phil . I had. KH250 as well . Bought it in a pub on the Kings Road , London . Never ridden a bike before . I had to ride it back to Norwood South London . My heart was in my mouth .
My wife had a 550 Katana that she always says was a very robust and reliable machine. People I know owned all of the machines featured. At the time these were new there were some truly bad bikes available, though most of these are the bikes that set the pattern for modern bikes being so good. I remember friends who had the GS550s commenting that they were heavy on chain and sprocket use. That might be because they bought cheap parts that were available then.
Absolutely great video thanks so much for sharing back in the early 80s I had a 1978 Suzuki GS550B Blue with spoked wheels. I did a hell of a lot of touring on it it will always be my greatest bike and one that will always gave me some really great memories. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
In the late 70's I had a Honda CB 550k, then I '79 I traded it in for a CB650z which I had until '86 until I upgraded for the new VFR 750 H, I did nearly 60,000 miles on the 650 it was very reliable,I used it almost everyday in all weather conditions and was comfortable and handled very well 2 up..I found the 550 quite heavy on slow steering as the handlebars seemed quite straight , but very smooth running bike and sounded good too...great vids mate 👍👍👍
Great video. I had a GS400, a GS550, and still have a GS500 as a hack. I tried to get a test ride on a Z650 when I was on holiday on Isle of Man in 1977 with my CB250G5, but my Scottish accent made them think I wouldn't have bought it there, so I didn't get my test ride!
Dispatch riders loved the gs suzukis. Their cranks were bombproof and they did huge mileages and the gs1000 lump was a favourite for tuning and were heavily modified and often used at santa pod. Mine did over 100000 miles and it smoked a bit but i got it secondhand after it had been despatched in London. The 850 was great too with a brilliant shaft drive and i had a 750 in Australia with 50k on the clock. It lacked power but had cv carbs and standard exhaust. I had a z650 too of 1976. It went well and had slide carbs and 4 into 1. I thrashed it and it took it. Handling was not good however.
I had a GS750E, great bike. Unfortunately I crashed it into the side of a car. A friend of mine then bought it of me to try to restore it. He moved to Australia (from Europe). Somewhere during the voyage the container with the GS went overboard in a storm. Rest in Piece, you were a great bike.
That was a trip down the memory turnpike! I started on a 78 RD400. My boss at the time had a GS550, kitted out with a Windjammer fairing, and I test rode it...felt a little stodgy next to mt RD, but appreciated the smoothness and relative comfort . Though not my first choice, my second bike was a GS550 (long story involving a Kawi dealer that was marking up Z550A1s to ridiculous levels) . Bought in 81, it was a 79 still in the crate....bought it cheap and spent loads on mods. Ended up looking much like the blue/white one in the vid, but in red and white. Great bike! Replaced it in 82 with a GPz750. What really hit the nostalgia was that my best friend had a Kz650, a workmate had a XJ650, and a riding buddy owned a Moto Morini 500 (and a Kz550A1). Good times...
Great video full of nostalgia. I owned a XS650 and really liked it. Nice thumping engine with good torque and easy to ride, but wasn’t to be pushed too hard as handling wasn’t all that tight. Lovely machine to take it relatively easy on. I then upgraded to a XS75 which was totally different. Responsive engine, shaft drive and seemed very modern in comparison but again when pushed handling wasn’t great but in those days neither were the tyres or brakes. Now have a BMW GS 1250 and find it really good at everything (although probably not perfect at just one thing). I would love to own an old XS but probably viewing them through rose tinted glasses. Keep up the good work with the videos
I do enjoy riding old bikes, they can be mor3 involving to ride. The Japanese struggled to build really nice handling bikes back in the day. They were much better with engines. Things really came to a head in the early 80s with bikes like the Z13 after which they started to get the act together and not try to overwhelm the poor bike with massive high powered engines
I had several of the Yamaha 650 twins. They were reliable beyond any measure, fun as hell, and still one of my all time favorites. My blue 1973 TX650 is one of the most beautiful bikes ever made.
Unlike a lot of the people here, I'm only a recent convert to the GS550. Apart from a couple of small Hondas in the early seventies, when I was a teenager, I've always had British. When I wanted a cheap, second bike two years ago to use in the winter when I'm keeping my T140 away from the salt, I looked around and found a 1980 GS550L. Once I'd got it sorted, and undone the abuse inflicted on it by previous "mechanics", it's been a great little bike, and I've been using it all year round as an everyday bike.
Always the dark side of buying an older bike , you never know what surprises the previous owners have left for you. In my experience there is always something
Ive got a standard red Z650B1 as in the video,been half stripped down for nearly a decade,will have to get cracking and put it back together as values are rising on these bikes.I also had 2 GS550's and a GS750 back in the eighties,the 550 is my favourite of all the GS range. BTW the U in UJM stood for universal
I'm glad you included the Yamaha XS650. I really like that bike but I actually bought the smaller XS360 which was pretty good as well. Thanks for sharing this video!
I had two of the five shown and many more from the period. The SX 650 remains my favorite of 4 stroke bikes despite having owned 750 Hondas, a Bonnyville, and a Z 900. In the two stroke category I had several RD 350s but I liked the Suk T-500 best as an everyday midweight rider.
Ah, the drum brake which worked reasonably well. Replaced by the disc brakes which were fine in the dry. Nigh on useless (when they first came out) in the wet. One had to keep on pressing the brake levers to dry them out. I had the original Suzuki GS550 - cast wheels/disc brakes all round, and the later version, the GS550E. Unfortunately my original 550 nearly got totally wiped out when it was just 18days old - hit by a car while parked. Lovely bike to ride, I did nearly 750 miles in 2 weeks. Unfortunately the insurers decided to repair it but it was never the same. I got shot of it 8 months later. The GS550E was OK to ride but seem to lack the get up and go of the original model. I decided the 'E' stood for economy. Both in power and fuel. I originally started off on a Suzuki TS90T and that use to touch 80mph going down the local bypass, smoke pouring out the exhaust. I eventually finished with a SV1000SZ. Now that was biking!
My mate had an XS650 like the black one in the video and I had a Kawa Z750 twin in the early eighties. We used to ride all over Scotland on them, they complimented each other perfectly. I'd love to buy an XS now but good condition roadster models are few and far between, most of the ones on sale are of the 'US custom' variety (Yuk!) or have been butchered into 'flattrackers' or badly done home-made chops. ☹
The 750 twin was never a massive seller in it’s day , everyone wanted the fours back then, I expect it would make a good solid classic, if you can find one
Whoa, nostalgia city! When shopping for my second bike, I had it down to a choice between a Z 650 and a GS 550 for the same price. I wanted the Z, but it was leaking oil from the gasket, so I went for the GS. Served me very well! Third bike was an XS, but an 1100.
An excellent selection. All the Japanese ones could be seen on a regular basis with top boxes and radio-wearing riders along Euston Road, Bayswater Road and sitting around Fleet Street and Soho in the mid-80s. I even used both a 3 1/2 and a V50 as a courier bike back then... briefly even a 500 Camel. All lovely bikes and an excellent and evocative selection.
Very good video and great choices (although the Moto Moroni is really pretty obscure…IMO. One small correction: the XS650 crankshaft actually ran in four (not three) very large roller bearings - and yes, it is virtually indestructible. The XS650 is still extremely popular today with ratty old ones being resurrected into sparkling “new” ones all the time!
I’m quoting the bearings from online sources from tech mags. Is the Morini obscure? I’ve known of them since I was a kid and there are lots of videos on them
The big issue at that time was that of insurance, my first bike was a GT125, this bike was delivered to Wimbledon Stadium car park so that I could attend a Star Rider Bronze course, long story short I got involved with the Star Rider program later becoming an instructor with them. I passed my bike test in six months so the world was now my oyster, the problem was that as a helper/instructor I had now ridden pretty much everything from 50 to 250cc and none of them interested me, I had also had a go of some of my colleagues bikes including a GS1000, I was looking to get a CB400/4 or a GS550 when the wise words of my chief instructor came to me, “you pay the same insurance for a 400 as you do for a 1000, so you’re better off getting a 750?”, this was a fact in those days as insurance was banded by cc and nothing else, as soon as you left the GT380 for a 400 your insurance was the same all the way to Z1000.
As a 69 year old motor cycle tragic during that period I owned 2 xs650s only to have a 1984 Suzuki 650 Katana for 8 years. My best middle weight by far.Regards from Australia
Oh my god that first shot of the 550 is the exact model I bought new in 1980 FUF380V fantastic bike. Many thanks😁 Traded it in for a car when I got married 🤦
Yamahas XS650 was my favorite bike, the parallel twin engine was developed against the un-reliable Triumph engines - this bike was taken for customizing with very nice results....
I tested the XS650 in 1976 but found in a bit agricultural for longer trips and bought its big sister the Xs750 triple . Great bike but a bit jumpy .You had to be very thoughtful with your wrist .I traded it in after a year or two on an R80 .. Interesting that you didn't mention either the R50 OR R 60 BMW or the masterpiece of the time the R69S ( My favorite bike of all times ) ...Thanks for this video ..
Had the last of them in an 1982 Heritage Special. Beautiful bike that lasted until I crashed it 18 months ago with 142,000 miles on it. Bit smokey by then, but lovely sound and feel.
I had a Honda CB500 when they first came out - that was an incredibly smooth running machine; not a race machine, but excellent for a day trip etc. I craved more HP -
I loved my '82 KZ650 CSR! It was my daily year-round commuter for nearly 3 years! I didn't do much long distance riding, but the size and power were perfect for my 5'9" 250lb frame! I also LOVE the XS650, and I still want one, but the price of a good rider has gotten kind of ridiculous!
Great video . Most interesting ! It wold great to cover prices if these bikes in the secondhand market with the objective of recommending good value buys
@@eamonhannon1103 depends on your era of interest For 50s and 60s anything from AJS & Matchless or Ariel For later era bikes, anything from the early to mid 80s, later air cooled 4s for example especially from Suzuki and Yamaha are available for fairly low money. They are no where near as popular as the earlier machines
As a teenager in the 70s mid size bikes were all about two strokes. Four strokes were for your Dad. Things like the Z1 and GS1000 were desirable but not middle weights and out of our price range. We had Yamaha Rd350, 400. Suzuki GT 380, 550 and Kawasaki S3, H1.
Hi, i like your videos. Can you do a video on what ended up as the Yamaha XJR1300? So that would include the FJ1200 and the engines that originally gave birth to today's xjr1300?
I had the Yam xs and a Honda cb550k ..I seem to remember the guzzi was always tested against the Honda cx..and was usually better but the finish and reliability better on the Honda..kawasaki probably the best one of this lot.. just a really good looking and performing machine...cheers 🍻
Good video 😊 I had a GS550E. In Red 80'81 I think 😅 Long time ago. & I loved that Bike . Now I'm 63 . & Ride a 1999 YZF R1 love it even more Ride hard ride safe every body 😂😂😂😊
The late model XS650s were also known as Wobblers. Mine threw me off twice and I've still got the scars. Got a 76 Bonny instead and rode happily ever after.
Trochanteric steel left hip from '80 GS 1000, broke left collar bone and shoulder blade on '81 KZ 550-4. cracked two helmets down middle. 😐 over 30yr. riding since '72 oh yeah, broke right ft. on '78 RD 200 in Orlando in s curve. T boned on R5C 350 '74.
Two shoulder dislocations, broken AC joint, broke left leg and a torn ACL, and I worked in trauma surgery for 30years Have I ever considered stopping Never for one second, They can bury Me on my BSA (Saw it in a Hammer horror )
I noticed the GS550S never got these in Australia but we did get the GS550E and the XS 650 the flexy flyer the Z650 well a mate of mine had one of these and l rode my GT750 we did a trip from Sydney to Adelaide and we were cruising on 160 kph and no problems keeping up with me
@@bikerdood1100 They were fast in there day but l an not sure if they would be LAMs aproved because you mentioned they were 652cc were the maximum for a LAMs bike is 651cc
@@bikerdood1100 When l went for my motorcycle license back in the 1970s which l still have it is on my drivers license all l did was the inspector stood on the footpath and watched you ride your motor cycle up and down on a public road and that was it the actual driving test of hasn't changed at all you still have an instructor sit next to you in the car and you go for a drive and do have to demonstrate the various skills todo with driving l have taken both my children to do there driving tests and they have both passed first time
@@lesklower7281 looking at my son, his experience was that it was much easier to get a car license than a motorcycle license. Are they pushing young people away from bikes intentionally, he believes they are and I do think he has a point
Bit sad I know, But my favourite middleweights are Honda Deauville, Kawasaki GT 550, Honda 400/4, Honda 550 K4, Suzuki GS 450, Suzuki GT380 and Suzuki XN85. I also have a soft spot for the GS550. I have at one time or another had all these bikes plus many others.
the GS was the original Z designer's improved design. kawasaki said they didn't need it, so he went to see suzuki who were looking for a four cylinder engine. the only fault is the regulator rectifier, which is easily cured with a honda superdream reg/rec. 54bhp, 115mph (claimed), 55mpg, bucket under shim valve adjustment, roller bearing crank and big ends, in a superb duplex cradle frame with norton featherbed geometry. the points and slidecarb models are superior to the later CDI/cv carb models, (which also lost it's kickstart). the earlier model is so versatile that it can be tuned to give 60hp and 60mpg, which bizzarely will give you 138mph into the bargain! the only engine ever described as 'bombproof'. I did millions of miles on mine! edit / the later models can be retrofitted with a kickstart as all the machinings in the crank cases are still present, all that is needed is the kickstart assembly and a modofied clutch cover to accept the kickstart oil seal.
I suspect the roller bearing crank stems from their two stroke experience It should be remembered that a plain bearing is at least as good given a good oil supply and can result in a more rigid crank No that there’s anything wrong with the Suzuki bottom end of course For me it’s the fast that Suzuki built a bike that was in the same ball park as the European bikes in terms of handling Not quite but close, which is a fair amount better than the competition at the time
Those GSt50 were really great, so well built and the best of the 2 valve per cylinder motors. The kawasaki z650 custom of 1976 were lovely with slide carbs but the later cv carbs ran cleaner but didnt have the pickup of the earlier ones. You could hammer them but i agree the 650 capacity was best for kawasaki and in my opinion the Gs850 was the better choice for economy, torque and comfort. The gs1000 was heavy and the G was better in my opinion than chain drive.
Since you are doing middleweights......In 1982 or 84? I bought a new Kawasaki KZ750 M1 CSR. It was an inline twin 4 stroke. I had never seen one like it before and have not seen one since and that has kind of puzzled me for a long time. Do you think you could find some info on it and do a video on bikes that never really made it on the American market? Thanks and I have just subscribed.
The Guzzi V50 had a dodgy braking system whereby depressing the rear brake would apply the front electronically. However it had a tendency to make the engine cut out which at best was irritating and at worse downright dangerous. I test drove one and after it cut out every time I used the brakes, I decided to stick with my GSX400f.
Nothing dodgy about linked brakes it was a dodle to use. Non Guzzi owners used to go on about it but on the road you don’t notice it at all it’s not electronic either it’s hydraulic the only electrical element is the break light 🙄 Can’t comment on the cutting out Was the fuel on 😂 V50 had much better torque than a Suzuki 400 I have to say
It was integral hydraulic braking system with Brembo cast-iron disc twin at the front and and at rear,I had a v50 mark2 it was slower on acceleration low down than the Japanese 500s but had more torque than them ,the brakes were great for their time and stopped in the rain unlike the single stainless front discs of the jap rivals
@@barriehercock8612 mine was a Mk11, the front break used a cable to the master cylinder, which was a bit silly. But I replaced it with a conventional master cylinder. Those cast iron breaks were better than anything the Japanese fitted at the time in the wet. It out cornered them too. Top end power was modest but mid range was an awful lot better than any 400 four I’ve ridden
South Australia here: My father had a Yam 750 Special he bought in 73. He carried on about how great it was compared to the Yam 650's - but twatted on about how it compared to his 9 other British bikes - all Triumphs (according to him) except for his first Arial Red Hunter. His Yamahaha never broke down, from my memory. In short, he didn't understand the mechanics of the thing and couldn't follow a manual. But that 750 was something Special. ... Well, apart from mentioning watching the Grizzly Addams movie at the cinema as a kid, I'm finished.
@@bikerdood1100 As I said in the reply, it's the TX. New in 73 in Australia, so a 72 Model I guess. If I could show you a picture it would make sense, but it looks almost exactly like that TX picture in the reply. That's from 74, my father's from AU 73 had just a single disc at the front. That's the best I can do for differences.
@@CailenCambeul interesting as the TX had twin balance shafts so it was very smooth, had a bit of a reputation because it could suffer with oil starvation problems. Most likely occurred when ridden hard I expect
Hmm Optimism 🤔 Maybe 100mph in ideal conditions, fuel economy nearer 55 - 60 mpg imperial. I find a lot of people give vague estimates of economy without ever bothering to do the Math
Yep . Exact same here in Australia . The Z-650 was a Standout Bike at the Time , Morini's were Rocking Horse Poo an the Venerable XS-650 can still be seen in Cafe' Bikes and Choppers to this day . Basically unbreakable . Originally in a Shocker of a Frame unfortunately . Suzuki made the best frames back then . A notable bike from slightly later would be the XJ-650 Yamaha .
@@bikerdood1100 . Yes . Hence I said , Later . Indeed the XS Triples were something of a Flop . They were actually quite good bikes though . Had a Loyal following . Here at least . Good Mile-Munchers . The Mighty 1100 was maybe the First Behemoth . That or the GL-1000 flat four
Good, if unusual and unexpected selection of bikes. Having owned both a GS550E back in the late 80s, and a (K)Z650B about a decade ago, both ridden for about 20k miles, I will say that the worst feature of both - Suzuki in particular - was their busy and buzzy engines, closely followed by a severe lack of cornering clearance. On the Suzuki, I just got used to scraping pegs, stands, exhaust and alternator cover constantly, where as on the Kawasaki I fitted custom made shocks about an inch longer than stock together with a firmed up front. That helped make it adequate, albeit still a little flawed. Fitting Lester cast wheels had a huge positive impact on stability. Both are beautiful bikes, though, but I have grown tired of inline fours and will not go back to either.
Those old motors we’re definitely wider than they should have been. The busy nature was fairly typical 4 I suppose Which probably explains why I’ve had more twins than fours over the years
Fine! One question, "5 more", does that mean there's another middleweight video already? Then some motorcycles missing in this video might not have to be named. I like the choice and would add the R45/R65 to the V35/V50. And as a second example of a smaller, but in this case also slightly older sister of a large machine, the Benelli 500 Quattro.
I’m not familiar with the Seca name as it wasn’t used to my knowledge in 5he UK, but I assume it’s the XJ model of the 1980s which I think was around 72hp, from memory and had a 900 bigger brother. It’s all too common now but most machines of this period seem to have been forgotten. It’s as if they think we went from 1970s bikes to water cooled monsters in one leap. It like the GPz550 we’re bikes that young guys converted back then but couldn’t afford. They were certainly well rated at the time but I would definitely regard as forgotten classics which could be a whole video series on its own come to think of it. In Europe it was replaced by the Diversion which with its 2 valve motor was a very different animal
@@bikerdood1100 Yes it was never Seca in the UK, It's separated from the custom version by use of Frame / Engine number starting with 4KO, Yamaha's attempt at a 4 Stroke RD LC, styling wise, Interesting features for the time shaft drive, alternator mounted behind the engine, giving a slimmer look. Love your content, eclectic, well put together, and every video I learn something new. Big Fan.
I had a Suzuki GS 750 which is one of the nicest bikes of that era, enough power even by today’s standards and handled better than any of its rivals…but I have to admit that the Z 650 is a far more attractive machine.
Had black GS 550 nice bike handled and braked well looked nice but found it a bit gutless , Kawasaki 650 was great bike loads quicker that GS handled well , test rode one and rode my mates 650 often , was going to get one but ended up with GS 750
The GS models were all good handlers, 850 shafty wasn’t quite as stable but the 550 was never going to be a torque monster those extra 100ccs on the Kwaker can make a big difference
The blue and white gs550 picture was never produced this is a copy of the early GS 1000s and the gs55o never came out withering the 1000s fairing . I am a former gs550 owner from NZ
Well I’ve not seen one either so it’s either one produced for limited markets, Japan perhaps or a one off. Don’t know which but it’s pretty so I put it in either way
I had the black '78 GS550 twin solid discs on the front. Great bike but only 2 things wrong with it very lean low jet as you had to wait for it warm up fully before you rode of or you keep stalling and the solid discs were terrible in the rain
My first '72 Norton Combat was bought new when I was 19 years old. I still have it. New well made parts are easy to get in the U.K. from several suppliers. Try getting parts for any of these '70's Japanese bikes. Not very likely. Back in the mid '70's a friend wanted to try my Norton and we swapped bikes for 30 minutes. He gave me his 500 Kawasaki. What a piece of junk as it was a waste of 30 minutes of my life riding that Kawi. I vowed never again. Just my opinion, I know lots of guys won't agree.
I agree about parts being readily available for British bikes (I've had a 78 T140V for 30 years, and you can buy virtually everything off the shelf), but, so far, I've been able to get everything I've needed for my 80 GS550L (with a 77 engine), from a Suzuki main dealer, or eBay traders. Service parts are pretty easy to find, but some stuff takes a bit more effort.
