Retro Motorcycles vs the Classic Motorcycles they're trying to copy 

The Kawasaki really hits the mark with its stunning build quality and gorgeous looks. Even the side panels are metal as are the fenders. The Classic model in red, green or blue are show stoppers. IMO it is by far the most correct looking bike of all them.

I bought a Kawasaki W-bike when I was in Japan in 1970. I brought it to the states and rode the wheels off of it. If you look up a photo of the BSA A10 you'll see that there is a much closer resemblance to the A10 than the Triumph. There was a W1 650 that was single carb. The W2SS was dual carb. There was also a W2-TT that had high pipes but was otherwise the same. They were very rare. When looking for parts I once went to a Kawasaki shop in Santa Monica where they told me that there was no such bike ever made and that I was lying. They even said that I had taken the side case off a BSA and engraved Kawasaki on it. Lol. Why would I do that? I think I saw 5 other W650s over the years. They didn't sell very well. They were pretty heavy and not as desirable as a Bonneville. My first bike was a Honda 50cc Cub. The first thing you did on that bike was take off the fairing. It was so gutless that the strong sea breeze where I lived would slow the bike ridiculously and it felt like you might be pushed backwards.

I'm over 70 now (and I still ride). Back in the 60's there were many talented writers working for Cycle, Cycle World, Cycle Guide etc. One article concerned the amateur road racers that rode the BSA Gold Star or similar bikes. They would gear these bikes so high that it was a challenge in first gear not stalling it or burning out the clutch. It was all about top end speed. Thanks for the video.

If you have a look at the history of the Kawasaki you find originally Kawasaki bought the rights to manufacture a bike on the BSA A10 configuration so yes it looks so much like a Trimph But you’ll find it is actually closer to the good old A10 bsa Which I think is a pretty looking bike also the earlier Kawasaki the W6 50 absolutely nailed it and I’m looking to buy one of those moment myself enjoy channel thanks very much. Michael

even as a confirmed Triumph man owning two Hinckleys and one Meriden I think that old Continental is the best looking of the era

Should have mentioned Reliability,, and retro's dont leak oil

I ran across a guy that had a Moto Guzzi with over 200,000 miles without having to have rebuilt the motor. That sold me on their durability.

I have resurrected early 70s Yamaha RDs, late 60s Kawasaki 500 triple, Yamaha 70sXS 750 triple, Yamaha XS 650 twin motorcycles. They were stock. They were sitting for years, that Kawasaki triple two-stroke was the toughest, the carburetors were lacquered shut. I had to soak them for almost a week.. I was surprised that it started because I expected the crank seals to be brittle.. I was also pleased that the Yamaha XS 750 triple still had second gear. They were buttery strong. All of them blew on those triple 750s and 850s sooner or later.. One of the Yamaha dealer mechanics I worked with actually could change the second gear parts that failed on a Yamaha triple by going through the clutch basket cover somehow. I never watched him do it but he never pulled the engine and split the cases to fix them.. so I got all of these bikes back up and running, I found rust inside the tanks, dirty carburetors, but at least they all turned over when I was considering buying them. I don’t buy bikes that the engine is frozen.. every one of these machines, once I got it running, new tires new battery in time fresh gas fresh fuel lines fuel filters air filters, oil, spark plugs, fork oil, wheelbearings, lube the brake shoe backing plates/cams, all the angles correct, lube the cables. Get them running, smooth idle.. they start right up. Then I take them for a ride. every time I ride one of those dinosaurs that I just resurrected, I wonder what the hell I bothered for. It feels old, outdated, low on power, it just feels slow and over its head if you push one through the twisties.. I am an experienced mechanic …I have won 6 road racing championships on bikes from this era, RDs, TZ 250, the single cam 750 Hondas, I have raced on those machines. I know how to get them running, how to set them up.. when I ride them I feel like, how could I ride this thing back in the day? I remember riding a resurrected Honda 450 from the 70s that a friend of mine had at the time. It was beautiful, it was so clean it was not actually resurrected, it was just maintained his whole life which it sat most of the time. I remember motorcycle magazines back in those days saying, we have reached a physical limit as to how much power we can extract from these engines, which is laughable today. But I remember taking that CB 450 twin out for a ride a few years ago, it felt like it couldn’t get out of its own way.. it was running correctly, but motorcycles today are so much better than they were just 15 years ago.. don’t lament the passing of those old two strokes and those early Hondas like the CB 350 twin. Those things were garbage. Camshaft eaters. I was a mechanic at a Honda dealership, I got so fast at changing the camshaft in those things, I could do two of them a day. And I went to work at 9 AM and I left at three before rush-hour every day.. I was a flat rate mechanic, so I think I got paid eight hours for each camshaft replacement. So I would work six hours and make 16 hours pay. Those were the good old days for working on motorcycles that weren’t that great. That was the pre-Harley tariff years. That Harley tariff changed motorcycling forever, and the market has still never recovered..Harley got president Reagan to put a tariff on motorcycles to save 600 jobs at the Harley factory. But nobody mentions the fact that within two years, more than 1100 motorcycle shops in this country went out of business permanently because of the tariff/high price on motorcycles, and the average number of employees at those 1100 shops was seven. What about those 7700 jobs that were lost. enough of that Anyway today’s motorcycles and cars, these are the good old days.. if you want to resurrect your dad‘s old motorcycle it’s been sitting for 25 years that’s one thing, but if you think you’re gonna resurrect something like the old CB 350 Honda twin and ride it around daily, good luck. I have never seen one of them with more than 20,000 miles on it with the original camshaft.. The 650 Yamaha twins weren’t that bad. You had to make sure you had a good ground connection between the battery in the frame or it would use the wire harness grounds and melt those tiny wires in the wire harness every time you use the electric starter because of a bad ground from the battery to the frame. I have replaced three wire harnesses on those motorcycles. Those harnesses back years ago were over $400, just for the harness..I would stay away from any Yamaha 750 or 850 triple. I would stay away from the first generation of the Venture royale. They all had weak second gears.. so did the first FJ1100 have a weak second gear.. not a small job or a cheap job even if you do it yourself.. those Kawasaki triples, were probably the worst handling motorcycle I ever saw at a race track for those that tried to race those evil things. A combination of skinny frame tubes, skinny swingarm tubes, skinny fork tubes, on wire wheels..They were horrible wigglers which caused the rider to crash, and they did not survive crashes very well because of how wide the engine was. The 250 triple, 350 triple, 400 triple were excellent handlers, but the 1972 350 triple with four main bearings on the crankshaft would burn the thrust washers on the primary gear side rod because the crank flexed too much. kawasaki fixed that-The 73 and 74 350 triples had six main bearings. But two-stroke crank seals get a old. and need replaced often..They not only hold oil in, but they have to hold/withstand compression as the piston goes down through the stroke and pressurize the crank case to force the charge up the transfer ports into the cylinder.. crank seals on two strokes are a weak link.. if I was gonna resurrect an old motorcycle today, I would go for a moto guzzi , BSA, Triumph,English royal Enfield, Norton, BMW. I would stay away from the old Jap stuff.. i’m just thinking of the resale value when you’re done .. you will get more for the British bikes than you will for the Japanese bikes, especially the Nortons and the Italian Ducati’s and Moto Guzzi‘s.. I never owned a British motorcycle. I have had four Moto Guzzi‘s. They are sound as the dollar used to be but they have their little glitches like weak relays and those damn oil pressure sensor switches. I’ve had to replace three of them. That is quite a heart stopper when you’re riding home at night alone on the interstate and that oil light comes on and you’re 200 miles from home… only to find out that it was simply a switch called a sending unit that senses oil pressure. if you want to resurrect a japanese motorcycle worth resurrecting, resurrect a Honda C 90. I believe Honda is still making them even if they increased the displacement, but they have made over 100 million of that motorcycle a few years ago they passed that landmark number.. There is a guy that travels around the world alone on his Honda C90.. he is a big celebrity in the motorcycling world in Europe and Great Britain because of it. He chooses the Honda C 90 because it is so reliable and no matter where it breaks down he can get parts for it The name of his videos is C 90 adventures.. those are my favorite videos on RU-vid.. his videos are not about the motorcycle, or himself, they are about places, food, Travel behind bars..

As a current 72 year old rider that's owned "a lot" of bikes. I don't remember fondly the old bikes of the 60's. Motorcycles were not get on and ride, they were see how far you can ride before your on one knee on the side of the road trying to get it running again. Hondas/Kawasaki/Yamaha brought in bikes that you could ride all day and not spend time "in repair." I've owned a W2TT Kawasaki as well Triumph and BSA in the 60's and early 70s. When the H1 came out we thought that was "reliable"....Modern bike are so much better, only someone that didn't live through those bikes could think they are "nostalgic" ....lol At this age I ride a nice reliable quick Harley V Rod Muscle that starts with every push of the button, and takes me on all day rides where ever I chose to go. And I know it will running at the end of the day!!! I may miss some of the "styling" of the 60's and 70's bikes but not the "experience" of actually owning and riding them.

No, the Kawasaki W is not made to look like a Triumph, it is a copy of a BSA. In 1960 the Akashi-based Kawasaki Aircraft Company acquired an interest in the Meguro motorcycle company, which had obtained a license to produce a copy of the 500 cc BSA A7

The Kawasaki W1 was based on the BSA A series 500 and 650 twins not the Triumph Bonneville.

The Kawasaki 650 from the 60's was a copy of BSA. I friend of mine owned a Kawa 650 in the 70's and I ride the bike one time up to 180 kmph. A really nice bike I think. He then sold the Kawa and got an older AJS 500. A great bike too.

Royal Enfield will be launching the Super Meteor 650 in India this year, with the Interceptor's engine in an enlarged Meteor 350 frame.

Yamaha did their first 650 twin as the SX650. Even today many are running. Review a few years of the years they produced Bart.

I love my W800 Cafe. It’s like a real friend to me and reliable. All around great bike. Sounds great too.

the super meteor you were talking about will be back with 650 cc engine and will be called super meteor. it has been testing in Indian highways for months now . A newer himalayan is also on the way soon

Great video! However, when talking about retro bikes, one of the greatest is consequently ignored, I have no idea why: the HONDA CB1100 EX! It's a grandiose tribute to the revolutionary four-cylinders that whipped the British motorcycle industry from the surface of our planet back in the '70, built in a quality only Honda can deliver. By the way, one of the most underrated motorcycles of the last two decades in my opinion.

The first bike I ever purchased was the 1971 Honda CB750 and it was an awesome bike. I think it was a better bike than the ones they made just a few years later with their updated engines. I also purchased a few years later a 1981 Kawasaki 1000 LTD. It was super fast and light. Although it was more unstable than my 1971 Honda CB750. The Kawasaki sort of scared me.

I've got 9,500kms on my new W800. It has a quality that's hard to describe. It's just a good basic motorcycle which in the pursuit performance numbers most riders and OEMs have forgotten this quality

Interesting comparisons between the old versions and new versions of some modern-retro bikes we all know today You mentioned Royal Enfield, perhaps you could have included the Bullet (and make a sort of triple comparison between the original bullet, the EFI models and the new Classic 350). Nonetheless, still a very good video!

The V7 Special of the 60's is the V750 Ambassador. It was sold as the Ambassador and then the Eldorado in the US market. The V7 Sport came out in 1972. The current V7 Special is really more retro to the V7 Sport than the Special. But if you want to get really technical, the current V7 is really closer to the V50/V65. I own a 71 Ambo/ V7 Special and a 22 V7 Special 850. They are two totally different bikes.

I had a Moto Guzzi 850. Didn't know when I picked it up that it didn't charge. It had a Bosch charging system and a Marelli distributor ignition. Rain would sometimes get the distributor wet. I took the generator to a dune buggy shop and they rebuilt it. It was a 6 volt VW bug housing with a 12 volt VW armature. They sold me a Brazilian Bosch regulator for around $13. The Guzzi shop wanted like $150. Every time I needed a part, even as simple as a throttle cable. had to take the old one in. "They came with three different ones that year". My Alfa Romeo was like that too. Needed a clutch slave cylinder "Crawl underneath and see which one it is". No thanks. The Guzzi shown is the small block that as I recall was originally a 500. I test rode one in Kansas or Texas or when it was new, considering trading in an RD400. It was horribly laughably slow. . Like Moto Morini, they came with Heron heads. Those heads are easier to make, but they require heavier pistons and the parallel valves don't flow well. Later ones ditched the Heron heads and make better power.

You may have mentioned that the Kawasaki W1 was originally a clone of the BSA A7, thus morphing in the future into the W650/W800 line of motorcycles. Great vid….

Actually the Kawasaki W800 that can trace it's lineage all the way back to the BSA A7 twin of the 1950's. After the Kawasaki takeover of Meguro motorcycles in the 1960's they ended up in possession of a licensing agreement with BSA to make a version of the A7. They then revamped the design in typical Japanese fashion and the result was the W1 Kawasaki a licence built revamped BSA A7 - which as you point out was the first of a long series of "W" series bikes all the way down to the current W800. Basically the W800 is a BSA.

Enjoyable vid. Some minor untruths in there. I personally find any of the modern retros lack a rawness and soul and character of the older versions, be it smoothness, lack if flywheel effect, whatever. I also think the older ones are a lot peppier, especially thru the gears, power to weight ratio, whatever. I have never understood the designers of the new Enfield twins. An utter bland top end (could be a Superdream Honda), and the "primary" and "timing" covers arse about tit. The original Enfield twins from 500 to 750cc were magnificent, physically large, looking engines. Some of the best looking twin engines ever. And then we have the fashion for 270 degree cranks in parallel twins which turns them into 90 degree v twins. At least the current W800 is still a 360 and a long stroke crank, unlike Triumph and Enfield.....

A "full english breakfast" is still english even if you order it in Tokyo,(Clarkson, 1998).

Never rode one of these new classics. I ride a 1967 Bonneville often. When I got to the US this year my old Wing had a dead battery. The Bonne started right up and I rode it til my new battery arrived. What a blast.

The z900rs looks really sweet. I feel like Kawasaki could've captured more of the essence of the Z1 if they gave the RS a longer muffler (or a 4-into-4, though that would add a lot of weight) as well as twin shocks instead of the mono shock. But it seems like they wanted it to look more modern, while also keeping the focus on performance, both of which they definitely accomplished.

My cousin had a Royal Enfield Interceptor in the mid-1960s. I remember dreaming about owning one. It seemed huge at the time. He blew it up one day racing a Pontiac GTO. One weird thing about the engine is that the cylinders are separate unlike other British twins. This occasionally caused oil leakage problems. Indian also sold the Interceptor in the USA with the Indian name on it.

I have and love the Interceptor from 2022 , it will stay with me forever .But that Z900 Kawasaki would look so cool in the shed parked up beside the RE 650 Interceptor . In my home country ( NZ ) I also have a 1966 Triumph Saint 650 ( TR6 ) I have not ridden it for 4 years thanks to the couf , but my Interceptor keeps the cravings at bay , I like your Daytona , it's very like my Saint . Great video as well Bart .

The Bonneville brushed aluminum exhaust is so gorgeous you have to see it in person. The new Royal Enfield meteor 350 is super smooth all the way through the rev range you would be shocked

The Gold Star came in in a number of configurations as per individual order. The Clubmans high spec was difficult to start if not set up correctly with it's GP carb with not tickover circuit! The "softer" specs were far easier to live with!

Some countries have different insurance and licence steps. Usually they split low power and cheaper bikes from the high power and more expensive ones at .... 48 PS. Which is the magic number that came up again and again when stating that the newer bike has less power. It's all about the money

I must be old, I own 2 of the bikes in this video. I have the Kawasaki Z900rs café, in green and white. I also have a Royal Enfield Interceptor. I love them both, they're different but I really like them.

Thank you for the research. It was interesting and very informative. Having been the proud owner of a 1967 triumph ,I now own a 2021 royal Enfield interceptor which I really like. It handles and sounds like my old triumph. With out the vibrations of course. The new triumphs are way out of my price range. The interceptor is fantastic value for the money. Again thanks for all the great old memories. Well done!

The reason some of these newer bikes have lower horsepower, specifically 47-48hp, is that in the UK (and some other countries), you can only ride up to a 47-48hp bike until you turn 21 years old. So if an engine is going to be, let's say, 53hp, they may as well limit it to the A2 license limit as that will make it available for a larger market.

You mentioned the super meteor, and not a lot of people would be going out to buy one, the irony here is that RE is going to produce a super meteor 650 probably next year

The BSA Gold Star was a race bike for the street, period. With the Amal GP carburetor which had no idle circuit, it wouldn't idle unless you held the throttle open the right amount. Tuned versions ran at almost 50 hp. Look up their record at the Isle of Man and elsewhere....

The word "Bonneville" still rings in my head!

Great video. I think it also would’ve been neat to see a comparison between the modern and classic Yamaha XSRs. Maybe for another day.

I rode a 69 Bonneville in the 1970/80s. I currently ride an 08 Thruxton that I’ve had from new. The Bonneville was awesome. But the Thruxton is much easier to live with and is comfortable in a wider range of situations - and it reminds me of my old Bonny. The Bonneville was the right bike for me when I was young. But the older me has been happy with the Thruxton.

I owned a 73' Z-1. Bought it from the original owner in 1988 and yes the thing was nasty quick! The engine power was way ahead of the suspension and and frame geometry technology of the time making it very spooky to ride on the edge! I sold it a couple of years ago for a good price but I miss it... I really like the new one, brand new and improved you know. Anyone want to loan me 13 large?! (simple vig, I'll pay you back? really!) Thanks for sharing.

Little note about my gold star I have just changed the gearing as I had it great for top end had to push start as 1st wasn’t up to it but now with straight cut 6 speed works well.

Just wanted to share that the Dax, Monkey, S.Cub, CT are priced more into the “small premium scooter” range; so, upwards of 80,000 Baht (~2,200 USD.) They are also only sold in Honda’s retro-lifestyle-sometimes-cafe-thingy dealers called CUB Houses. Some even have a zone dedicated to custom CUB-product motorcycles!

Great video. Would really like to hear (or watch!) your opinion on the Ducati Scramblers’ design, specifically the Nightshift (I bought one last month 😀)

The blue kawasaki Z900RS is a stunner

I had two BSA’s 66 Lighting ,71 Thunder Bolt,most miserable,ignorant,evil machines I ever loved,leaning to park on hill became extremely important,starting them was always a project,to this day I still would like another one.

Talked about the Meteor but not the Bullet? You can literally get a Bullet standard now and it'll look almost exactly like it used to look 70 years ago and have not identical but noticable thump

I'm the opposite, I just did a search on Enfield Interceptor, as I like the original bike and found out there was a new version, lol.

Key differences are the electric starter and ABS brakes on the modern bikes (which also accounts for the added weight).

In 1973 I was driving from Arizona to Iowa, my 650 triumph broke down. Denver was unfamiliar to me, along with other bike brands. I knew Triumph, BSA, and Norton. This Triumph repair shop wasn’t like anything I had seen in Phoenix (P & D Motorcycles.) It wasn’t lite, dark, and thick dust. An old railway building, it had an opening out back to railway tracks. A part of Denver’s historical railway system. The dark rooms where lined with English motorcycles. Triumphs, BSA, Nortons, and Royals. They seemed to be motorcycles from the end of the war to present day. Or at least 1960’s. They were arranged by brands, Triumph on one wall, BSA on another. So I spent time cleaning the dust off. It was out of this world. I was taken by the Royals, Meteors, 700cc, all of them.

When you said that the old scrambler didn't feel like it was feeling like it gave up it's power until you got up around 5-6ooo rpm. That is true but keeping these old bikes in that range too much was asking for those old bikes to start shaking themselves apart. You might get that power out of them but the more you did it the faster you headed to some maintenance to put them back together.

Very well detailed vid,excellent commentary and videography,thankyou for posting,Best wishes to you, from, Auckland, New Zealand.

I love this presentation! I am an older guy who has had MANY motorcycles. I recently sold my last two “go fast” motorcycles and purchased a Royal Enfield Int 650. I absolutely love it! Other than the modern brakes with ABS, the electronic speedo and tach and the EFI, it is a very simple motorcycle. Like my firs bike, a BMW r 75/6, I can work on this motorcycle. I have done my own valve adjustments and made some retro mods such as turn indicators and the tail light swap. This segment of the MC market is very interesting to me. I hope it isn’t just a fad and that manufacturers continue down this pure riding experience pathway. Again, thanks for this video. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

The 700cc Royal Enfield wasn't the "Interceptor", it was the "Constellation", the old Interceptor models were always 750cc.

My 2005 Honda Shadow has spoke wheels so I have retro flat tires due to inner tubes.

Hi hope you’re fine very very nicely narrated and you have picked all good bikes around the world. even my taste matches with you. Thank you for this great video 👍👍👍

Had an old Guzzi decades ago, and learned to seriously dislike it. When it worked, it was fast, smooth, and comfortable. The rest of the time it was just an expensive repair job.

Interesting look back, but I feel one that was missed is one that isn't shipped to North America . When Honda introduced the CB750 it was a record breaker. It did everything well, and it didn't break down much. It had many good years in North America so you can imagine my disappointment when Honda decided to not bring to our shores the absolutely gorgeous new retro effort of the CB750, and that is the CB1300. If you look at it on RU-vid, I find it to be something that my old eyes to be shear beauty. Kawasaki did bring their 900 reincarnation to North America and good on them. Come on Honda, you're missing the boat.

It's difficult to compare horsepower between old and new engines. The original measure of horsepower started off calculated differently than we use now. Up until 1971, the term “gross” horsepower was most common. Now, people calculate horsepower by multiplying torque by maximum speed and dividing by 5252. A new bike rated at 65 HP would have been closer to 75 measured the old way.

I own a 1975 Kawasaki H1 750cc two stroke.......The only modifications are flat handlebars, a set of Denco expansion chambers, and custom air-cleaners. The exhaust note sends chills up my spine, and I would never part with it.....I have owned several bikes, and this is the only one that is an adventure every time I fire it up.....There's just something magical about it.

Something I noticed with most of the retro bikes based on the British bikes of the 50s and 60s is the that the modern frames just don’t allow the handlebars to be low enough- most of the original bikes have a much lower riding position so they don’t look anything like the modern bikes when you’re on them

I wish Motoguzzi would make a retro El Dorado. Most beautiful machine. IRemember an article in a motorcycle magazine about reliability. It said the moto-Guzzi's were more reliable than Bmw's.

I had a Norton Commando scrambler.

I keep looking at the Interceptors because they are retro-cool and inexpensive at the same time. If there is ever a decent dealer around the Atlanta area I may well add one to my garage.

I owed a BSA Gold Star DBD34. Beautiful bike which I tuned and run it on Castrol-R. I remember halcyon days in the 60's riding with my friend who owns a Vincent Black Lightning. Today's Gold Star? I dunno, it just doesn't do anything for me. Does it still whistle from the exhaust?

the reason many many bike are nonsensically pegged at 48hp is for A2 license in europe

The Kawasaki W1 was a licenced copy of a BSA A10 so not surprising it doesn’t look like W850 which was the successor to the W650 which was deliberately made to be like a late 60’s Bonneville. Interesting video - thanks.

A nice comparison but you've mixed images of the TR6 with the T100C. In fact, the 500cc T100C was Steve McQueen's favorite motorcycle and that was the bike that was successfully raced off road in the '60's

I remember back in Detroit during the "Energy Crisis" motorheads were unloading their built muscle cars for a Junker car and a Z1 Kaw. The Kaw gave them their speed thrill and beat anything on Telegraph or Woodward and the junker got them through the Michigan winter.

The W800 is by far the most beautiful retro bike, at least for me. Only one minor thing, no fuel gauge.

You seemed kind of meh on it but having ridden a W800 and met owners, it's a phenomenal bike. Super reliable, probably the easiest bike to work on yourself, it's one of the only 360 crank engines so you get a nice burbles through the bars and it has that old style vibration, stock exhaust sounds amazing, comfortable, torque woosh from 3000rpm is great, has a toolkit, centre stand, every bolt is 10mm socket or 6mm alen key.... it's just so simple and well thought out. Looking at a stat sheet fails to tell the whole story. It really is worth a ride.

It’s still hard to wrap my mind around the production numbers of the Honda 50/90/110 singles. One hundred f’n million!

The original Kawasaki W1 was basically a BSA A10 knock off, nothing like a Triumph. They had a great sound, weren't specifically a rocket ship of it's time, just a nice standard bike.

The Kawasaki W1 was almost a full copy of a BSA and nothing to do with a Triumph

The 1970 R.E. 750 Interceptor was a beautiful bike.

A friend of mine had an "original" Z1 in the same color scheme as the one in the video. It was bone stock and fast as hell. I bought a KZ1000 as soon as it came out but it was not as fast as the original Z1 without some mods. Also, another of out group bought one of the Z1-R of the era, it was even more hideous looking in person that in pictures and slower yet. Pictures just do not do how ugly that bike was justice.

Great video! 👍

My wife has a 2019 Supercub, and I picked up an all original, one owner '82 Passport. Same color scheme as my wife's. They look so similar and my wife can jump off her new one straight on to the older one with no problem and ride away.

The Kawasaki W-1 was practically an unlicensed copy of the 1940s-1950s BSA A7/A10 500/650 NOT a Triumph. These were non-unit construction (separate engine/transmission. The A65 was the first unit construction engine from BSA. I bought a W-1 in July of 1965 in Texas. My first "big twin". The next year I bought a 1966 BSA Spitfire.

Royal Enfield had a feature that no one else had. Not dedicated second shift lever that puts it directly into neutral. Not sure why they did this. Was neutral hard to find? Is it useful in some other way?

My old dad was a "ton up boy" in the 50's. His best bike was a BSA A10 Gold Flash. I asked him why not a Gold Star, easy he said, the single was temperamental, vibrated badly, expensive and most of all a pig to start. He reckoned he could get 1/2 a mile down the road by the time a Goldie started. I could relate to all that as my early days saw the change from kick to electric start.

Hey Bart, no love for the Honda CB1100 EX?

The Royal Enfield with the 850cc conversion is the bike!

Nice narrative on the Enfield, but the truth is (1) RE statically balanced the cranks on all the 750 TTI's, so they were vastly smoother on the road than the BSA/Triumph (2) contemporary road tests will show that the TTI was faster in the 1/4 (3) I don't see anybody nicknaming the India-built Interceptor "King Kong" (4) I was an actual OWNER of a '70 TTI and it was a super machine - had an automatic neutral finder lever on the trans, the trans was bolted to the crankcase so no primary chain, had brakes as mediocre as a Bonneville.If I had it again the only thing I'd change other than hardened valve seats would be a 4LS Suzuki front drum brake.

A really cool alternative to vulnerable original old bikes. Greatings from Germany

I may have to buy a Honda Dax or CT 125. The first motorcycle I ever rode was my Grandfathers CT 70. I probably did 100k laps around his pasture on that thing when I was 8 years old. My grandfather's love of motorcycles (RIP DuWayne) is why I love motorcycles. Inow have fond memories of being absolutely terrified riding pillion on his 1985 Goldwing as he hauled ass on that bike. I have that bike now, but it hadbeen sitting outside for a decade befor eI got it. I would like to restore it, but Ido not think many of the body and electronics parts needed are available. It will probably end up as a naked GL1200. If I could order a CT 125 with the conventional clutch and transmission of the Grom or Monkey, I would already have one.

Triumph & Kawasaki have both made the same mistake with their retro efforts. They should have had upswept pipes, that would go a long way to making them look lighter and leaner, also, what's wrong with 4.00-18 on the rear and 3.50-19 on the front? That would help in getting the proportions right.

Very nice video, I love your channel. However I must say that the interceptor was not intended for the American market it’s just where it sold the best, wich is why it became this California icon. Have a nice day.

For me, it would be the Z900RS, I would prefer the Z1 of course I remember racing them with my Suzuki GT750. the reason, it's got plenty of that "Retro Vibe" it has plenty of touches that tell you it's a Retro bike without ramming it down your throat, I love retro, the looks but not the performance & if it's a bike then for me it's all about that performance, & it performs beautifully, this is going to become as much of a classic as the Z1, partly to what you said, "I'd rather have the Triumph" I think a lot of people will & that's why I would have this, you can recognise all the small things that make it retro but the performance is all modern. I'm currently building a Ford GT40 replica, it's not really a replica it just looks like one from the outside, I have everything out of an Audi R8 going into it so under the skin it will have that beautiful V10 & all the things associated with a modern high performance SportCar, I don't really think they warrant SuperCar status, but maybe I will turbo it at a later date if it's a bit slow. I build Cafe & StreatTrackers for pleasure & pay I used to use 60s/70s bikes but the Trendies have sent the prices beyond the reach of a great many people, even though they can't ride them for shit, now I'm using 80s/90s & even some 00s & some turn out pretty well, obviously, they don't have that look of the 60s but they do have that Vibe you can see what I was going for & I think that is sometimes better because I'm not trying to pass it off as an OG Cafe bike, but what a Cafe bike would look like today, I modify all my builds both externally & more importantly internally I don't build the kit based CX500 that looks exactly the same as every other CX500 & has 1980 performance & breaks, they were never more than mediocre when new, mine are not for the faint hearted or for those that need "Nanny Systems" these are real seat of your pants stuff, my 1972 GT750 does the 1/4 in low 8s & my 91 Genesis is just as fast but corners far better, both are Gassed as is my RGV500 but taken off when I do any classic racing. With regards to bikes being heavier, that's down to buyers & governments, all these "Nanny Systems" add hundreds of pounds to the weight of even the lightest of bikes & thousands to the price, the ABS alone on a Triumph weighs in at 105lbs that's the weight of my beautiful wife, imagine what taking that off does to your Power to Weight ratio, even the Works Racers turn them off & if they don't need them on their Screaming Demons why does little Jimmy on his 125? I won't build a bike for anyone that needs them, I'm not going to lighten the entire bike, cut a new gearbox then leave all that useless "Nanny" shite on it, it would be like you had a passenger every minute of every day on it. An excellent presentation once again.

The true precursor to the meteor 350 is the lightning 535 which was created by Royal Enfield India, which was then followed by the thunderbird 350.

Excellent video. Very well written. Nice!

The current Guzzi is actualy a tribute to the V7 Sport from the early-1970s, not the original V7. The Sport was a serious (for the day) cafe-style bike, the original V7 was a tourer which evolved into an iconic tourer/police bike (CHP and LAPD in particular). Those old Gooses were unburstable but not very fast; the motor-patrol guys really felt the difference when the Kawasaki 1000s took their places. But, if you were ever in Italy, you didn't want to try to outrun the Carabinieri; THEIR Guzzis were really special, and FAST!!

A brand and/ or model I haven't seen you cover yet, and I have one of these, is the Russian made Ural motorcycle. Mine is the Retro model, yes it's called that, and it has a sidecar. I bought it new in 2014 and it is made off the original specs of the 1940's model. At the end of the war Russia occupied East Berlin, found the BMW bike factory, packed it up lock stock and barrel, shipped it to the Ural mountains mid- Russia, and rebadged the war era, Nazi staff vehicle, BMW with sidecar, as a Ural. That's the story I heard anyway. I would love if you included the brand in your show, and especially my Retro model.. It's a great bike, lacks power, but has torque in spades. Thanks Bart Michael

Ancient Wisdom holds that if you even look at an old BSA kickstarter wrong, it'll break your ankle.

I always thought the Kawasaki W1 looks more like the Norton Commando than a Bonnie. it's got that weird Y shape cover on the right side like a Norton or a BSA.

Nice sampling. I understand that the W1 Kawi. was more inspired by the BSA 650 Lightning of the era, v. the Triumph Bonnie. The 700 R.E. of the 60's was the 'Constellation' (earlier version was the 'Meteor') v. the later 750 Interceptor. The Meriden Triumph single-carb. 650's, TR6's, came mainly in 2 versions - 'TR6' Tiger & Trophy - Scrambler 'C' & Road bike - 'R'. Their silencer & their placement were the biggest clue as to which was which. The single carb 650's stayed in tune more easily than the twin carb Bonnevilles. The single carb had about the same torque as the twin carbs & only slightly less top-end HP. Same applies to the BSA 650 Lightning v. the single carb 650 Thunderbolt. Norton had single & dual carb 600, 650, 750 & 850 models too. Thanks & Ride on!!

Yep the earlier Kawasaki is a dead ringer for the BSA A10 and not the Triumph of the time. Not great that you keep saying the Kawasaki looks like a Bonneville..it doesn’t! Great vid, thanks

Great idea to do comparison. I have to say in the real world I ride a tr750 when it was my daily ride i did most of little fiddles eg electric ignition change the primary side gearing. It did 11 seconds standing quarter. But on the street would take out all the modern models.

The common denominator of the Indian remakes, e.g. Royal Enfield, BSA, Norton, is excess weight. The designers assumed that no buyer would care if the remake was grossly heavier than the original. For example, the new Gold Star weighs almost 100 pounds more than the DBD 34. Buyers may not care about this detail...until they find themselves on a twisty lane.