The TOP FIVE Classic 1970s Motorcycles AS VOTED FOR BY YOU 

Having recently owned a LeMans 3 let me assure you that it’s the first iteration that people want not the first one you showed. The gorgeous orange with silver frame Jota is a no-brainier but surprised that the 900ss didn’t get an honourable mention.

When the first MG LeMans appeared at the motorcycle show I sat on it and fell in love. It was too expensive for me then. All these years later I sat on one but could not get my feet on the footrests. Old knees ankles and too much belly. Oh! Well. I have be content with my MG V7 850 stone which is just like a brand new old fashioned bike. PS a special mention for the first model Honda 400 Four.

I have 9 sheds full of bikes and parts. CX 500 was a great bike of the 70's.

I've never owned a Jota, in the early 1980's I bought a Laverda 1200 to comute between my home in Halifax and my work in Telford, the big Lav would do the 125 mile journey in 90 minutes, those were the days.

Can't really argue with that. I was in the Royal Signals in the Seventies, and one of 'The White Helmets' display Team had a Jota. He once blasted past me on the A1 South one Friday, on the way home for the weekend. Me on a humble Ducati 250 Mk3. I'll always remember the sight, sound and speed of that Orange Jota as it roared past was awesome.

On the bikes that you mentioned. I had a Jota 180 in the 70's. It is a fabulous bike that I took, amongst other things, touring around Europe. Today I have a BMW R nineT ... wonderful ... and the bike I like the best, although not a Le Mans , is my Moto Guzzi V7 850 ... full of character and charm.

RD350, keep it standard and well maintained and they are very fast and very reliable.

I've owned a Commando. The nicest bike of the 70's I've ridden was a Benelli 750 SEI. It wasn't fast but was super smooth with a sound track of iconic race bikes.

Rode my FS1/E to Cadwell as a teen. It hammered with rain during the meeting & as I rode out of the circuit there were several Guzzi LeMans all refusing to start! Ah the Jota, it got my vote. A Jota is a Spanish dance in triple time, smart thinking on Laverda's part. A bike so good it made us forget that Laverda also made combine harvesters & reserved the name 'agricultural' for BMWs...

Neighbour had a brand new orange Jota back in the day. When cold, first to second gear change sounded like the gearbox was trying to part company with the engine. Was still an awesome sight to see and hear.

I loved my nota back in the day. Rose tinted glasses made me own another one years later. That clutch was made for arms like Popeye.

I never had a 120 or 180 Jota but always lusted after one. So got an SFC 1000 when they came out and l could afford afford it. Did several long European tours 2 up and the motor never missed a beat. Same couldn't be said of the electrics and once the top yoke nut came (vibrated?) loose which lead to a change of underwear when I managed to stop the bloody thing.

I've owned all of them except the Suzuki. Even had a GP200 Lambretta (Italian). I currently own a LeMans an RD400 and a nice late MIrage. The Lemans is extremely reliable with proper maintenance and I owned 2 R90s's which were great bikes but the one I miss the most was my 81 Jota. I still have dreams I'm riding it. If I had to have one more bike it would be a spoke wheel Laverda 3C though.

Put the '79 Ducati 900SS at number 1 and remove the RD 350 and you'd have my top 5.😊

Great list - as a past z900 owner i can say with certainty the Jota was by far faster - better at corners and simply nothing better .....but the price

I had a 120 Jota back in the day. It was a good bike, but far too heavy. I traded it in for a new LeMans V. which did 40,000 miles with no issues. My Jota was fast but very thirsty!

I had a Jota 180 back in the 80s. The bike looked and sounded fantastic. However, I didn't think it was so fantastic after a long ride, due to severe vibration and prefer-to-go-straight-ahead handling. Perhaps I would have preferred the later Jota 120, which was supposedly less of a 'man's bike'!

I'm 67 years old riding fast bikes since I was 17. So I rode, rode with or against these bikes. RD350 I can't argue with. Air cooled I would probably pick an RD400 or very early 350. I have a 1980 RD350LC in the garage but that's 1980.. Norton Commando, wonderful but I specialise in Norton Dominators, with a 750cc Cafe racer and a cdoncours 650SS içn the garage, OK they are 1960s bikes. Now where your showing gets interesting is with the Italiens. In that period I rode ba Ducat-i 900 Darmah, but tricked up with twin spot endurance racing fairing, Red Red Red paint. It was quite fast, would hold with my mates 900SS. Very SOOOOTH, tucked down behind the fairing you could do London Marseilles in a day. Mainjtenance a nightmare, I was shimming desmo Cangear to 0° every 5000 miles. You split the cases and there were shims everywhere. Tyhis was a hand built motorcycle Shimmed to perfect-ion. Handled well but a bit long, not as fast to flick as Norton or Yamaha RD. Now how does that compare with Jota or LeMans. I rode both of them, mates bikes. The Laverda, beutiful, I tell you Girls loved it, they dribbled about it. However, so tall. I'm 5 foot 11 this is a very big bike. Going fast B roads my Ducati was so much easier to ride. Probably faster. Guys were winning production races all the' time on Jotas, they were heros, i cant do that. Le Mans... It is low and long like the Ducati, easy to ride. Side my side riding my 900 Ducati v 850 Lemans similar power similar torque similar Sooooth. On a track I think my Ducati had an edge. The shaft drive gearbox was slow, the power delivery a bit more crisp, less engine wobble. However, Gussi maintenance so much simpler if someone offered me...

Jota, two hands to work the clutch and the other two to work the throttle, and like riding on a plank.

JOTA ! 3 CYLINDER ENGINE, PERFECTLY BALENCED ENGINE , AND PERFECT STYLING.

The 1974 750 Sport Desmo(SS) is in fact The worlds most sought after factory sports bike. The Jota is not even a close second. Look up the relative prices.

As a five year old kid i rode a little Orange bicyckle,but in my imagination it was a laverda 1000 3cyl,i made a beautifull engine sound myself😂

l owned a Moto Guzzi 850 LeMans in l think 1978 It was the first incarnation, bikini faring and no Mk number...It is the LeMans. During the same time l had friends who owned Ducati 900 SS bevel drives and Laverda Jotas... BiMotos were also around...if one could afford the price tag!

I had a jota back in the 80s. Great sounding bike 180 crank. Sadly got written off.

BMW R series, more an appliance than a motorcycle, like a plough although the plough has better looks.

A 1973-1975 aircooled Yamaha RD 350 (with 39HP) to go from 0 to 100 Miles/h in 6 seconds 🤣 Guess you must have been thinking of from 0 to 60 mph ? /or from 0 to 100 Kilometers /h. ?

Damn. I identify with every word ... except 'Kent'.

For me the top two were just dreams in my youth! but could not afford, I now ride a V7 (850 lump of 2019) Moto Guzzi great machine, prob better than the Le Mans in time but basic unlike most of the things that manufactures produce today!

From the short sound clip , I think the trident sounds better .

Surprised Ducati wasn't on the list

Jota v Trident? Jota and it is not close. Why no Ducati 750/900SS or even more exotic 70s dream machines like the MV Agusta 750 and Münch 1200 TTS-E (th most expensive, powerful and fastest production bike of it's day)?

Phil Phil Phil Class 👍

No Z900/1000s? very odd.

wot no 900SS ?

Your viewers have great taste, lusted after all of these bikes when I was young and still do today. Still waiting for my dollop of Cannelloni and chips. As for the BMW R18, my nips are so sore from rubbing my jugs on the tarmac whilst going around corners ❤‍🩹Another classic video filled with classic bikes. Cheers Phil.

All great bikes! I have my Guzzi for blasting around and my airhead for touring, although the Guzzi can tour too! I’ve ridden a Jota, yeah fast for its day but hefty compared even to a Guzzi. I regret not buying an immaculate RD400 in yellow with All Speeds for £275 back in the day!