One of my fav street bike classics

[FastGame]

The quickest Sportster back in those day was 1969-70 1/4 @12.97 102mph, it was still beaten by the Kawasaki H1, Norton Commando and Triumph Trident.

In 1973 Motorcycle Mag did another test of all the top superbikes. The Kawasaki H2, Z1 beat them all and even tied for fastest lap time on the track...almost 1.5 seconds faster than the Ducati.

Here's the test and it list results from previous years.

http://www.kawtriple.com/mraxl/articles/1973 Superbikes/superbikes1.htm

 

[BusyLittleShop]

If you rode a Honda 160 the 305 Scrambler not only sounded cool... it was also quicker...

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: FastGame
The quickest Sportster back in those day was 1969-70 1/4 @12.97 102mph, it was still beaten by the Kawasaki H1, Norton Commando and Triumph Trident.

In 1973 Motorcycle Mag did another test of all the top superbikes. The Kawasaki H2, Z1 beat them all and even tied for fastest lap time on the track...almost 1.5 seconds faster than the Ducati.

Here's the test and it list results from previous years.

http://www.kawtriple.com/mraxl/articles/1973 Superbikes/superbikes1.htm


Wow! Now THAT'S a motorcycle comparo! You'll never see a cycle mag article today providing that many different objective categories and actually taking the time to conduct all those tests. The Honda surprised me...when the '69 CB750 came out, it was touted as being capable of 12.6 qtr miles...it had really slowed down by '73...the other big surprise for me was how quick the Norton and Triumph were...I had no idea they had bikes that were capable of running 12s back then...something they didn't mention was the year of the H2 they were testing...the '73 model produced slightly less power than the '72 model due to ever tightening EPA standards on two stroke engines, so the '72 model would've been slightly quicker if it was in fact the '73 model that they used for this test...and those times were about what I expected to see for the H2 and Z1...both bikes I was very familiar with...

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: BusyLittleShop
If you rode a Honda 160 the 305 Scrambler not only sounded cool... it was also quicker...

My dad made trips to and from Fort Bragg, NC to Dallas, TX on a Honda 160. Used his M1C paratrooper helmet as a motorcycle helmet. I have to find a picture of that young trooper in the Tennessee Mountains on that little Honda. Civillian clothes/Camo helmet.

 

[Lapham3]

My first was a '67 Suzuki 250cc 2 stroke twin-they called it X6 Hustler=where'd that name come from-a B-58? It did have 6 speeds tho. I'd run that on the highway on short 100-200 mile trips in summer and usually never see another scooter. Wish I'd kept it as a nice light and fast bike

 

[CT8]

Originally Posted By: Lapham3
My first was a '67 Suzuki 250cc 2 stroke twin-they called it X6 Hustler=where'd that name come from-a B-58? It did have 6 speeds tho. I'd run that on the highway on short 100-200 mile trips in summer and usually never see another scooter. Wish I'd kept it as a nice light and fast bike
I know the X6 ustler quite well . 2 of my friends had them. Rocketships.

 

[CT8]

I had a 1971 Kawasaki 500 H1. It had some handling problems,the engine was too far back in the frame and the exhaust pipes and engine side covers were easy to scrape which would turn to a slide off of the road. The frame was weak and the swing arm was too short. The brakes were good for a few stops before fading into mush The H1 could cruise at wot 120+ until you had to stop for gas. It wasn't slower than the H2 once rolling and the best part of the Kawasaki 500 was how it pulled once in its power band. Other than it took a licking and kept on ticking. While by todays standards the performance is really entry level. Until the Kawasaki 900 came out there wasn't really any bike that could out run the H1. No Norton Commandos, no Triumph triples, no Honda 750 nothing. The drag times didn't give truth to the acceleration the 500 had once in the power band. I survived 25,000 of idiot driving so it wasn't that bad . Trading to an Yamaha RD350 and with minimal work getting close to H1 performance made me realize the bad manners of the H1.

 

[CT8]

Originally Posted By: Blaze
I remember they called one of them "The Water Buffalo". Was this the 750?
Yep What is more interesting is Suzuki had a Wankel powered MC Failed to sell.

 

[CT8]

Originally Posted By: Spazdog
I guess it's all in the comparison.

The Z1 did not have the handling of the Italian or Brit-bikes but it had power. The CB750 had been a shock. The Z1 was pure devastation

In 1968, the Harley Davidson Sportster reigned supreme as the performance bike. The 1969 Honda was quicker, faster, more civilized and didn't dump oil all over your driveway. The Z1 was a knockout punch. It could nearly hit the Sportster's top speed in the 1/4 mile. It's top speed was greater than a lot of actual race bikes right off the showroom floor. No it didn't handle like a Ducati 750GT but a twist of the right wrist and any question about what the Z1 was is gone.
The Honda 750 was the catalyst that changed the M/C industry into what it is today. I was there. The Honda was unbelievable ,4 cyl, smooth powerful, reliable, it has a sealed beam headlight, It was WOW.

 

[CT8]

Originally Posted By: Blaze
The 1966 Honda 305 Scramblers...my gawd they sounded cool!

My friends Dad had one and when I was in 8th [1967] grade his son and I after school would take it out and ride it. With helmets and dark face shields on the cops would never stop us because kids didn't drive "big" Bikes

 

[CT8]

Originally Posted By: WobblyElvis
I had two RD350's a 74 and a 75. The Kawasaki triples 350/400 really couldn't touch them . They made similar power but were heavier and didn't handle quite as well but I thought the Kawasaki triples were better looking. Yamaha was very much into racing and the RD350 benefited from this. The crank/rods and pistons were straight from the racing bike. The frame might have been the same too. 9 out of 10 race bikes in the 350 class were Yamahas. No contest. They were actually quite a civil street bike. 1/4 mile in 14.1 seconds completely stock.
Those RDs were the cats meow . They handled great and with minimal mods would smoke any 350 . I had a 1975. did reed valves, Carbs and I don't exactly remember what else but they really ran great.