The Strange History of Modern Classic Motorcycles 

You missed the Moto Guzzi V7. Its been in almost continuous production since the 70’s in one form or another and is still air cooled - it’s an authentic “old school” bike rather than a modern copy. The Bonneville is a modern bike with retro features, the Moto Guzzi is a retro bike with modern features.

Growing in the 60's in the North East of England and riding, or more often than not pushing, old British singles and twins, give me a modern retro any day. Reliability is priceless!

The thing with motorcycles is that is not just about pure performance. Its about celebrating the mechanical form. Its about the glory of sound, chrome, and gears. Its about SEEING the internal workings of the machine before your eyes. Thats why I love retro bikes.

Modern classics are just awesome. I love my street twin but I also want to get a Royal Enfield lol

I'm a victim of my own device. I can't go back because I never left. I bought my '67 Bonneville back in '78 for $400.00 had two smaller machines before that. Been riding for 48 years. You can't bend an oak. I really don't want a new bike, but, hey, that's just me.

I rode an old Bonneville from California to South Carolina in 1980, other than the seat feeling smaller every 100 miles, I enjoyed my coast to coast run. You have a great channel, keep up the good work.

You realy missed out on the Yamaha XS 650. It was one of the very first retros, and still very sourght after. Often retrofitted with a 270 crank, and bored up to 930 cc.

A very enjoyable, well researched and presented video, as are all your vids. I'm surprised you never mention my beloved Honda CB1100RS, or even the basic CB1100 retros, a homage to the original CB750.

Rode a ‘72 Honda SL350 from San Antonio, Tx to L.A.,Ca in 1978 and as I was just a kid it was nothing but Fun. Riding and sleeping out, living off very small money was nothing out of the ordinary back then. Oh to be young again!

And don't forget the Kawasaki Zephyrs of the 90s. The 550, 750, 1100. Great bikes with a nice 70s vibe.

I remember picking up my pre-ordered 2001 Bonneville on the day I got laid off. I'm still riding it to this day. Literally this day. It's my daily and I used it to get to work today. Love that bike.

Great video again. When you were talking about British Singles, you mentioned the BSA Goldstar and gave a picture of the BSA Rocket Goldstar, which is a twin! Either way great video as always!

The 1978 Yamaha SR 400/500 is the original Retro and also the original Motard The later SR 400 is like the ABBA revival revival band, they look virtually identical to the original impersonators

Kawasaki's Zephyr series were retro bikes, as were the Vulcan Drifters and the ZRX1100 and 1200. Not sure the Harley XLCR really fits into this category, as it wasn't evocative of any earlier bikes. And in the early 2000s, there was a huge cafe racer craze in Japan, which inspired the W650 and W400.

Being 70 I've owned many bikes in my life Two being Royal Enfield's One of the old 1956 vintage and a 2017 both demanding great maintenance but my " classic " W800 is proving to be a great machine pulling my sidecar effortlessly for the last 7,000 miles

Amazing insight, knowledge and depth as always. Every time I watch this channel I learn, and renew my love of motorcycles.

Honda GB500 is such a beautiful bike. I love it!

Great video. But I cannot understand how you can make a 20-minute long video about modern classic motorcycles without mentioning one of the main brands in this regard: Moto Guzzi. The Moto Guzzi V7 line in particular has been important for the brand and, although admittedly not as instrumental as the Triumph Bonneville, is a prime example of a modern classic motorcycle and as such certainly deserves attention.

While I do like actual retros more than modern retros, I would much rather ride a modern retro. ABS, EFI and big disk brakes are a wonderful thing.

Another great video, little brother. My current main squeeze is a 73 CB350. I'll admit I was gonna jump on the cafe racer bandwagon but I found an all original bike with 3500 miles on it for 2500 bucks! I just had to run a can of sea foam through it and ride. Oh and put new tires on it. It has been an amazing reliable bike. People don't realize how cheap they can get the real deal. I also found an all original 80 model CB650 with 2500 miles for 1800 bucks. I totally agree with you. It is so much better to just get the real thing instead of financing a replica.

Nice vid, man. It gave me all the feels. When Triumph were making sport bikes, I wanted a Daytona. But I have to respect how they executed their change in direction. And I've always been a fan of Kawasaki. My first four bikes were theirs.

This is fantastic content!!! Please keep the retro-content coming, thank you...

As always, so amazed at the very relevant sales footage you have found of every model you spoke about - makes for a very professional review. Keep it up!! Graeme NZ - NB riding a RE650 Interceptor after 33years family life!! Then as well, I bought an R1200RT... early on had a 24yo '49 500 Speed Twin, Yam TX500, then a Yam XS7502D Triple. Still loving everything about motorbikes!!

What I got out of this was that the Z900RS was so obvious and so good, it barely needed mentioning.

Great video, man! I love all kinds of bikes. Although I own a W800, I am into many different styles. I been riding since I was a kid starting on dirt bikes and I love my Kawasaki. It's such a cool connection to the road with loads of character. Who gives a fk what trend or demographic owns a bike. The more riders, the better. Cheers 🥂

After losing my right arm in an rtc in the mid 90s I put a Yamaha XS650S alongside a lightweight Harley sidecar (remember the Aermacchi Sprint?) with a heel throttle on the right and a back brake on the left side. Thanks, John T. of Newton Abbot, Devon, England It went reasonably well, like 80mph downhill with a following wind, but the bores were worn and I never got around to fixing it. To get around the problem of white vans pushing me along in traffic (and they always came close enough to see the filling in my sandwiches) I bought a Beemer. A K100RS to give it its 4 valves/cylinder name, along with a custom frame with cup and ball fittings, and a brand-new, all-metal sidecar from a dealer in Russian motorycles. That was a tight setup and my own retro classic. 😄 Good for a ton "on the track" and elsewhere, she was my pride and joy!

The movie is Black Rain, for anyone who’s wondering.

Very interesting history. When you get down to it a lot of folks just are not interested in racing, especially on the street. They just want a practical, maintainable motorcycle that looks like a motorcycle instead of an escapee from a sci-fi or transformers movie. To my way of thinking the SR400, or even a similar with slightly less displacement, is about perfect for a street bike. Yamaha has since given up on that market but Royal Enfield seems to be making a very credible stab with the Classic 350. Pretty much a bullseye IMO. A little lighter weight might be good but I am picking at nits at that point.

I think you should of mentioned the 90’s Kawasaki Zephyr. It was clearly a look back to the past. Probably one of the first brand to do so. It mimics the original Z1 even more so than the current RS900.

13:24 I find it interesting that people always talk about the Z900 RS but never talk about the Z900 RS Café. They are very different animals even though they are the same. As stated below, I have the latter. I have the Z900 RS café. If I had to do it all over again, I would absolutely get the RS café version over the RS version!! You have to check both of them out side-by-side to see which one is right for you. For me, it’s the café version all day long!!

As always from bart, a thoughtful video that I can't fault.

This was a great review of bikes. I like the 90's suzuki sw-01 and the bathtub fairing. I can see the 50s influence.

Great vid, although I would pull up that the Triumph Bonneville wasn't their first stab at a retro. The Bonney was preceded by the Thunderbird. A 900cc Triple that was launched in 1995 and lasted for 8 years. I've owned one for 10 years now, with a few discrete additions such as TOR exhaust pipes. The attention it gets is unreal. And as for the Honda GB500. Such a good looking bike imo.

dude the zrx was such an amazing retro bike. started in 99, its the og

You made quite an in-depth video about Retro motorcycles, and yet you missed two of the most important (at least in my mind) unashamedly retro motorcycles from past decades. Well done for mentioning the GB 500, gorgeous thing (although you didn't mention the XBR 500 it was based on - clearly a bike with retro credentials). However back in the 90's there were the Kawasaki ZEPHYRS (550/70). These were bikes which obviously sold in quite large numbers as they were quite ubiquitous at one time. They clearly harked back to the old Kawasaki Z bikes -Z900 and ESPECIALLY the Z650. This was totally understood by everyone at the time. I believe it was THESE bikes that really made the point that there WAS a big market for retro bikes, in a time before the modern Bonneville. Triumph had only just "re-started" then and were focussed on the Trident, itself harkening back to the old bike. I like your videos, but I do think you present your own opinions as factual, when they really are just opinions, at times.

Very entertaining video as always. I look forward to yours and Fort Nine videos the most.

Yes!! Well done. When you ask the question, “But, what if I just want a real motorcycle?” These Triumph-inspired retro bikes answer that question. For electric retro, the Harley’s LiveWire brand is bringing out the Del Mar model this spring has some retro lines. Cool design. Innovation comes from the upstarts, though, so expect some of those upstart brands that you covered to catch on.

So many great machines, Laverda had a long line of classics, SF750, 3CL 1000, JOTA, MIRAGE and more

I'm waiting for the scooter renaissance!

On a slightly modified Thruxton R I averaged 151.3 mph at Bonneville in 2021 and 11.6 ET quarter mile so adding a cam can perk the Thruxton R up a bit more.

I ride a 2001 daelim daystar w/ carb and a manual gearbox. It's great fun and it's true about what is said about old machines - they have a character and attitude.

I picked up my 2023 thruxton RS yesterday and I’m in love with it

Surprised you left out Norton, the twins, not the V’four

Right on Bart ! The only thing I can say is that you probably have enough content for 3 different videos.

I think the reason people like modern classics is because they're usually naked. We like to see things naked.

glad to see the shoutout to the sr400 and sr500. one retro thing for their time which they maintained through to 2021 was only having kickstart and after the first year in '78, having spoked wheels. my understanding is that at the time those were considered more retro features than modern

I have a Bobber Black. It being thick and heavy is amazing. I ride it in a huge city, Buenos Aires, and it zooms from semaphore to semaphore. They're also the most beautiful bikes ever.

I AGREE with you - As a rider of some 42 years whom has owned many motorcycles the whole retro bike thing doesn't really do it for me either - Having owned several original Triumphs when l was a young bloke (including TR6 T120 and T150) l went out and bought a T100 last year and felt the same disappointment - Even though l couldn't fault the bike in any way and indeed acknowledge the bike is technically vastly superior to the old OHV Units - It just still doesn't quite capture the true essence or character of the original bikes - The Brain said yes but the Heart said no - Therefore l decided to sell it and was lucky enough to pick up and restore an old 1986 Harris T140 - Gotta admit l'm so glad l did too - The beast starts up first kick and when it roars into life never fails to put a HUGE smile on my face 😁

I'm not sure if you got them in the US, but you missed out a couple of important models from the 90's. The Yamaha SRV250 (1992-1998) & the Suzuki TU250 (1994-2019). The Suzuki TU250 championed the look of 60's British singles for 25 years. The Yamaha SRV250 was more of a retro style bike with a V-Twin engine until they released the Renaissa that resembles the look of old Vincents.

You forget about the Triumph Thunderbird 900! Arguably the first modern classic and one done right.

Great video but you missed with the BSA 650. Wonderful narrow bike great for in town splitting lanes while hiway capable too. Only bike like that that is watercooled and retro. Love the bike. Sure hoping it sells well!!

Honda GB is back as a GB350 in japan and CB350 in India built to rival royal enfield's 350 bullet/classic/meteor and its a damn good motorcycle. Jawa and yezdi are back too in India- not sure how well known they are elsewhere

PS About the original Ducati 750SS: LOTS of guys wanted these, but they were a nightmare to maintain. They won a lot of races, but few street riders were interested in owning a motorcycle that had to be disassembled to perform a valve adjustment, which you were supposed to do every 3000 miles. Mind you, it took a REAL ironman to ride one of these 3000 miles on the street!

I just bought a 2022 Bonneville T 100 and let me tell you it’s the most incredible thing to experience! Just firing it up puts you in a certain trance. The sky opens up and a beam of light shines on you from the heavens. Bonneville T 100 is the “ Rolex”of Classics Cheers USA

Bart, Great video. Can you please review RE Scram 411? Is it equivalent to KLR650 in terms of feel and stuff?

The Bullet is the real deal, continuous production for 90 years, it isnt retro, it is a dinosaur! They are epic, you arent buying just a bike, its a piece of living history!

You nailed it. It's not all about performance. Motorcycling is about connecting with the machine and the road. The SV650 remains my number one. Classics are wonderful but who wants to deal with breakdowns?

The Honda GB500 name im Germany was XBR 500 . This was my first motorbike at 1988. Nice Vide amd beautiful biks

Initially wanted a Bonneville from misremembering a Norton from the first movie that made me want a motorcycle. Then saw the speed twin and wanted to buy one new but they were sold out and found a used 2016 thruxton and love it

Retro craze has passed me by. I've just hung on to the real thing, a 78 Bonneville T140V. Recently added a 1980 GS550L. Original and simple works for me.

People were still riding 60's and 70's bikes in the 80's and 90's, in droves. I had my 74 norton commando 750 in the early 90's.

When I was an Italian 16yo I was craving for the Aprilia 125 Europa (but ended up with the more reliable Honda NSR Raiden), then I liked the Ducati Sport Classic (the unfaired one), then the Truxton, and now I'm craving for the Kawa Z900RS... I can safely say I'm not just following a trend :D

I love the GB500 it honestly is one of my favorite bikes, I may be slightly bias. But other than the one my dad bought I have only seen 1 and it was in a museum.

Cool comparison. Have you done an episode on the Honda CB900 custom?

Very entertaining once again! But I missed the Thunderbird from the 90s, basically the betaversion of the Bonnevilles.

I'm not exactly a fan of retro motorcycles but I do like standards/nakeds bikes as I think they're excellent all rounders and nice to work on. My bike is a 2022 Moto Guzzi V7 850 Stone and although basic I don't consider it a retro.

Another way of looking at it is that many motorcyclists consider motorcycles that stick with the essentials to be truer than motorcycles that add a bunch of crap and pretend to be race bikes or spacecraft. My motorcycling heyday was the 60s and 70s. When bikes went off the deep end in subsequent decades, I lost interest. Now that bikes have regained some semblance of modesty and sanity, and have, in my opinion, become once again beautiful, I am becoming once again interested.

I’d like some if the original old bikes too but in Alaska where I am, there just isn’t any supply of old used bikes. In the lower 48 though I’m guessing one can still find old bikes which is nice.

I ride an Indian Chief Vintage. My kid asked "is that what motorcycles looked like when you were young?" I tried to explain to a 10 y/o that I had nostalgia for a time before I was even alive.

He forgot to mention the Thunderbird 900 cc bikes, the triumph put out. They really were like a modern version of the trident except they were in a mechanical pain in the ass. I’ve got a T160. It’s a nightmare but it’s beautiful. Also forgot the Ural.

Great Vlog, but I think you should have included the Yamaha 650 twin that pre dates the W650 & was really the first Japanese/ British bike.

Yay Bart!

The Honda XBR 500 came out in UK around 1986. This pre dated the GB500 by a long way. In fact I don't remember the GB... only the XBR

I miss my GB500. Honda couldn’t sell these when they were new. I remember seeing them still new in dealer showrooms 2-3 years after they were introduced. It was hard to sell a 500cc single for nearly the same price as the contemporary Hurricane 600.

Off topic: you rolled a lot of scenes from the race in the movie "black rain", a true masterpiece. It's interesting how the script writer decided to symbolize the challenge between the USA and Japan, making a gsxr and a Harley race, and letting the Harley (Usa) win through a dirty trick. The Japanese bike was faster and better, but the creativity of the western man stands as a game changer. This is the real main issue of the whole movie. Of course, that's the usual america self-apology, but in the end the confrontation between the two cultures is all in all quite genuine.

BMW's opposed twin is a classic engine concept from the primordial era, that is updated and still in production

18:13 you say that these electric retro bike companies aren’t really noteworthy, while playing footage of the RGNT, and it may be interesting to some people that RGNT just set a world record for the fastest electric vehicle on ice. I feel like RGNT is, while still relatively unknown, definitely one to watch (plus the best looking electric retro I’ve ever seen)

The Honda GB500 tribute to British cafe' bikes is no doubt the prettiest, the Kawasaki W650 just looks more like a Triumph than the modern ones and the Z900 the one I'd love in my garage.

I owned a Honda GB500. It was a good bike but was very hard to start especially in cold temperatures. A subsequent owner finally managed to get a carburettor fault fixed that caused the problems. I'd just assumed it was hard to start and got rid of it.

It's really kind of misleading to suggest that the design of the Kawasaki W650 has anything to do with British bikes, because it really doesn't, except insofar as prior to the W-series, Kawasaki had acquired a stake in Meguro, which had licensed the design of the BSA A7. The W650 was a modern version of the 1960s Kawasaki W1, W2, and W3, not any specific attempt to ape Triumph, and it's simply not accurate to state that Kawasaki "partnered with BSA" in any manner. By the time the W1 was released, in 1966, the Kawasaki and BSA motorcycles has significantly diverged. In the 1960s, motorcycles looked much the same all over the world, because the manufacturing technologies of the 1950s and 1960s did not really allow for much variation in what the finished product was eventually going to look like. Motorcycle design really didn't significantly change until the early-mid 1980s, with the development of perimeter and twin-spar aluminium frames and the application of the monoshock rear suspension developed in the 1970s for motocross to road motorcycles.

Think you missed the BMW R18, its one heel off a retro machine with that jitters from the engine...

now 60 years old and from Austria, i do remember there was a opposite trend in the 80´s against that time super bikes e.g. Z1300 . I understand that wave started with the thumpers as Yamaha XT500 , a new version of BSA B50. And yes Yamaha XS650 . Kawasaki did some years later the zephyr series 550 750 110 a 1st incarnation of the classic Z series , with wire wheels and the 500 / 550 still using the old engine of the GPZ . There are bikes the production never really stopped some may call it evolution e.g. Guzzi V7, Honda Super CUB. I think the Enfield goes in that direction . Beside that there are some bike which where just produced forever as the CJ750 a copy of the BMW R71- production at China Nanchang aircraft factory ended in the early 90`s. BR

You should make a video about SWM’s classic bikes

I love this retro & classy motorcycles. Triumph the best. but Norton and Moto Guzzi have a place in this history.

p.s. oil-cooled was '86 suzi 1400 'truder [4speed] v-2.

How do I actualy buy this book as a present please?

Moto Guzzi might have been first out of the blocks in 1989 with their 1000S. It was a direct copy of the 1970s 750S. The tech was basically the same and it wasn’t pretending to be a cafe racer. It was a sales flop for various reasons, but now the V7 range are selling extremely well. A 1000S is now a desirable classic!

0:23 that's my bike right there

@Bart Once again you’ve omitted the Honda CD175 1969 "K3" model (product code 302) which although it was a continuation of the previous model by the same name, it introduced the vertical engine and all-tube frame and some smaller body work changes that continued until the end of production in 1979. The Honda CD175 of 1969 is the first retro bike. Why? Because it was already out of date by the time it was introduced. It was therefore INTENTIONALLY looking backwards, being available only in blue or red (mine was blue) with its oversized and flared painted front and rear mudguards, chrome tank panels, and rubber kneepads, at a time when every other bike was clearly going for the modern sporty clipped chrome mudguards and painted and stripped tanks. Yes it was my first real bike (after my Honda C50), and the only bike I bought new. During the year I owned that bike, I rode it everywhere - to race meetings, on holiday to Devon, and on long tours all over the UK. No, I didn’t start picking up hot girls until I got my first gorgeous candy orange Honda CB250G5, but that’s another story. So, I got retro out of my system in 1976 - before I was 18! Been there, done that… 47 years ago!! And this is why I find this current retro craze so amusing. Not only are mostly hipsters riding their EFI liquid cooled heavy fakes to pose at coffee shops, for the most part they are only doing it because it’s the current fashion. I, and everyone else who bought a Honda CD175 at any point during the 1970s did so because we were individuals, failing to set a trend, but not being fashion victims either. OK @Bart because you’ve omitted the Honda CD175 from yet another video on retro and classic bikes (your only excuse is that they weren’t imported into the USA🧐😎😜), now you have to dedicate a whole video to this, the most important retro classic of them all - the one that REALLY DID start it all. Ride safe Peace

What about the triumph thunderbird 900? those came with the retro look before the bonneville did.

When the Yamaha XS-1 650 came out in the mid-1970's I thought it was interesting. But just a vertical twin. This was a few years before the emergence of their 750 triple and subsequent myriad of engine and styling advances (think Yamaha 550 Vision). But then in 1979 Yamaha released ther 650 Special which was an instant hit in the USA. I think it was precisely what is discussed in this video, namely that it was simple and inexpensive. Half cruiser and half-retro. It went that step further that the XS-1 needed at it's inception.

Honda’s GB 400 & 500 were two of the best looking bikes of all time.

Interceptor owner, daily commuter. It’s gotten a couple mods. It’s pretty much everything I need 99 percent of the time. However… I’m fairly keen on adding a Hunter to the stable and Ton Upping the living F out of it. Even though it’s less bike as it were. It’s not so much really about retro as it is about I don’t need or want much more than a motor a chassis a couple of tires and handlebars. Basic, good looking simple motorcycle. Oh and it’s affordable.

i had a yamaha SRX 400 , was grate bike , reliable fast enogf for most roads , grate for city ride and had a kick starter and had tha cool coffee racer look

Honestly that Suzuki SW01 looks really sick to me. I'd have one provided it didn't have some insane displacement size or wasn't insanely expensive. I do also like scooters though and the supercub and it reminds me greatly of them.

OK... I was a dealer for Honda and Suzuki in the 1980s, so I have some useful experience. The Suzuki SW was a modest seller in Japan, but it never came to the US or (to my knowledge) Europe. I saw one in Japan and, although the Suzuki guys LOVED it, not a single American dealer thought it could bs old in the states. Suzuki was smart enough to listen. Honda, not so much: the GB 500 was really pretty, which was good since all it did was sit on your showroom growing moss on the north side. Looked nice, didn't really handle all that well, was a LOT slower than a 500 Interceptor and vibrated more than buyers liked. Funny how things that are initially sales bombs wind up being "classics" in the future!

At one time the Big 4 offered modern retro bikes in the late 90's to 2000's but only a few "matured" riders bought them, the Kawasaki ZRX-1100/1200 Daeg, ZR-750S, the Honda CB1000, CB1100, Yamaha XJR-1100/1200 and the Suzuki GS500 and GS 1200, comes to my mind, reading some reviews at Cycle World magazine. Today only the Honda CB1000 is still being sold as of now........

I‘m missing the Moto Guzzi v7. For me the v7 especially in the Special version is the main competitor of the Triumph Bonneville and yes, for me it is eben more classic Witz its even today air cooled cylinders and its push rod driven valves.

Hey what about the mid 90's 900/1200 triumph trophy bikes. I own a 1996 900 triple triumph trophy. I love my bike and it is very powerful and rides like a dream. My bike is Pacific Blue and for riding two people. Has loads of power and with the six gear transmission close ratio gears . It is a great riding bike.

I bought a 2002 Kawasaki ZRX1200R Just because I loved the looks of the 1982 GPZs.