Thread: Bike Porn - Regardless of the motor, Show off your "two wheeled" beasties

Yes agreed..

The period 1965 -75 brought huge transformation to the bike world. From about 65 we saw the emergence of the high performance little 2 strokes like the Yamaha YDS5 and Suzuki T20 - both 250 twins. I remember reading an article back then roadtesting the new 1971 Suzuki T250R Hustler alongside the Norton Dominator 88 or 99 (500 or 600cc) of the time, and the reviewers were shocked to find the little Suzi blew it away. Sign of changing times. Even the big heavy Suzuki GT750 waterjacket triple was hugely innovative with liquid cooling emerging in mainstream bikes. This development has featured in hell of a lot of makes/machines since. The 70s Suzi T500 Titan 2 stroke twin was simpler, not highly tuned at about 45hp, but it was quite a durable old girl. Mate had one in the mid 70s with umpteen thousand miles on the clock and you could hear the worn pistons hundreds of yards away when it started up. Ring-ding-ding-ding ... But he liked it.

One bike make that has to appear in any conversation of 60s-70s bikes is Norton. They made/raced machines for a long time - the Manxman etc - and by the 60s-70s had the big heavy Norton Atlas 750 cruiser, and the leaner, more performance oriented commandos plus others. Some good bikes there - like the SS Commando. Norton acquired their featherbed frames from some designer, used them in their race bikes, then adapted that technology to their later commandos. These 650/750 Commandos were often rated the best handling of the Brits, and the 750 twins good certainly move. Not comparable with emerging jap multis in the 70s but.

Looking back, I think that of all the classic 60s-70s Brit bikes I'd also choose a Bonneville. Especially that teardrop tank model. Don't know what years it was. Of all the Brits the Bonnie best defined the style for cool roadbikes for a generation - and to a fair extent it actually still does. If some modern 'naked', unfaring-ed road bike looks at all like a Bonneville - that's a big plus. Icon of its time, the Bonnie nailed cool..

Must jump on a new Triumph one day... Would be great to see one without an oil pool underneath it..