80s motorcycles Archives

Motorcycles that Defined the 80s – Part 2

Continuing from Part 1, the latter part of the 80s saw bikes becoming more sophisticated.
They had more power, better technologies and designs.
Many became icons till this day.

We continue with the bikes from the best era – the 1980s. (Please click here for Part 1.)

The mid-80s on were sometimes called the age of exuberance and excess. Rather than describing it, watch the Miami Vice series from that time to understand what we mean.

Bikes gained even more power, more technologies, but also became more flashy.

Without further ado, here’s the conclusion of the Motorcycles that Defined the 80s

Bimota DB1 (1985)

Interestingly, the DB1 was actually commissioned by Cagiva. Ex-Ducati engineer and Bimota’s Technical Director Dr. Federico Martini designed it.

Since Cagiva was the owner of Ducati during that time, the DB1 used a 62 hp Ducati 750cc V-Twin engine. This model formed the base, the platform as the bike was also offered as the DB1J 400cc with 42 hp, DB1S with 72 hp, DB1SR with 82 hp and DB1R with 92 hp.

Just like the Ducatis to come, the frame was a chrome-molybdenum “birdcage” which hung the engine as a stressed member. The swingarm then pivots on the engine’s crankcase. Its all-enclosing bodywork seemed to have influenced Massimo Tamburini’s Ducati Paso later, which also went on to influence the 851, 888 and 900 SS

The DB1 was credited as the bike that saved Bimota from bankruptcy at the time.

Yamaha VMAX (1985)

Oh yes! Yes yes! You want a cruiser? The VMAX was the original powercruiser and was unbeaten until the appearance of the Ducati Diavel in 2010.

It was meant to hammer other bikes into submission at traffic light GPs and blitz the quarter mile. Superbike riders would give it a wide berth when it came to a straight-line fight.

That’s because while 750cc engines in superbikes of the time produced around 100 hp, the VMAX’s 1200cc V-Four punched out 145 hp and 112.7 Nm of torque! In fact, those numbers are on par with bikes today.

It remained pretty much unchanged until a revision in 2009.

Suzuki GSX-R750 (1985)

Oh what a year! The Suzuki GSX-R750 is one of the icons in motorcycling. It’s considered groundbreaking for its influence on how future sportbikes should look like.

It had an aluminium perimeter frame, which although was not new since it debuted in the GSX-R400 in 1984, but it’s so for the 750cc class. The engine was fed by four flat slide carburettors and produced 100 hp. Suzuki engineers decided on oil-cooling to save weight against liquid-cooling. Braking also was something new with dual four-piston front calipers.

Ducati Paso (1986)

The Paso is another bike we’ve written about a number of times, because it’s designed by that great genius Massimo Tamburini. This was the first Ducati he designed after he left Bimota — the company which he co-founded.

It’s funky design was well-accepted when during its introduction but it’s now one bike which Ducati collectors would pay a ransom for.

Suzuki GSX-R1100 (1986)

This bike was expected since the 750’s introduction the previous year. But what people didn’t expect was how awesome the new 1100 was going to be!

What truly made the bike popular was its power. The 1100cc, 16-valve, inline-Four produced 155 hp and 102 Nm of torque. That’s just 18 hp off the 1999 Hayabusa’s 1300cc engine!

Taking a Breather

Let’s take a breather before entering 1987. It was heaven for rock and heavy metal lovers i.e. me. But it was the year when we saw bikes that would reverberate the motorcycle industry until decades later.

You ready?

Yamaha RX-Z (1987)

Let’s start with this icon to get your attention! It was the most popular two-stroke motorcycle of all time in Malaysia, ever. Not even the TZM150 or 125ZR could supersede the mighty RX-Z.

Starting in 1985, the chassis came from the water-cooled RD125 LC YPVS, but fitted with the famous 20 hp, 133cc, air-cooled two-stroke, and mated to a five-speed gearbox. This was the start of the bike’s complete domination of Malaysian roads.

There were numerous updates down the years, including the addition of a six-speed transmission.

“The Boss” as its known after a famous advertising campaign by Hong Leong Yamaha or just the “Zed” continued to be produced and sold until 2011.

Many are still crying about its departure.

Honda VFR750R RC30 (1987)

While Honda won many times in 500cc GP, they wanted the WSBK (before it was known as WorldSBK) title, too. So, they came out with this!

The bike was meant to be a race bike from the very get-go, instead of walking the path of other manufacturers who modify their road-going bikes for racing. (It’s pretty much like what Ducati did with the Panigale V4 R this year.)

The 748cc, DOHC, V-Four used titanium conrods (piston connecting rods) — the first for a production bike — and gear-driven cams (instead of the usual chain or belt). Its firing order was also revised with a 360-degree crankshaft for the “Big Bang” effect to offer a broader spread of power. It also had a slipper clutch.

The engine produced 118 hp, and Honda sent it into battle for superbike honours.

And they were rewarded. Fred Merkel took the bike to the inaugural title in 1988 and repeated his feat in 1989, beating the Ducati 851.

32 years on and it’s still one of the best-looking race replicas ever!

Ducati 851 (1987)

Oh yes, another icon. The 851 was a groundbreaking bike for the Italian manufacturer. After languishing for many years with the air-cooled V-Twin, engineer Massimo Bordi pushed through his design of a liquid-cooled, 4-valve per cylinder, fuel-injected V-Twin. Yes, fuel-injected. At a time when all sportbikes were carburetted.

It took a few more years of development to be competitive in World Superbike racing but it finally broke Honda’s dominance and won Raymond Roche the 1990 title. It was to be the beginning of Ducati’s dominance in superbike racing.

Honda CBR600F (1987)

Again, another bike very fondly remembered by many.

The CBR600F was Honda’s first fully-faired inline-Four sportbike, along with its CBR750F and CBR1000F siblings.

Honda had wanted to build a sportbike which could be ridden as a daily bike, hence the bike’s more relaxed riding position and power characteristics. Many buyers took a liking to it right away and it sold more than most sportbikes of the day. It was so popular that it went to become the CBR600F2, CBR600F3, CBR600F3F4, CBR600F3 and finally the CBR600F3F4i in 2001.

The subsequent CB/CBR650 models use engines based on the Hornet thus do not share the same lineage as the original CBR600F.

Yamaha Virago 535 (1987)

Ah yes. The Virago was a simple, mid-sized V-Twin cruiser which was meant for the masses. It’s most unique feature was the shaft final drive, instead of the usual belt or chain found in cruiserdom. The bike, also known as the XV535 along with its smaller 250cc sibling made huge inroads in the Malaysian motorcycle market in the late 90s.

Yamaha FZR1000 (1987)

The FZR1000 was one of the powerhouses of the late-80s. Its engine made a mighty 145 hp during a time when traction control wasn’t even a conceivable concept. The bike laid down 0-100 km/h in 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 269 km/h.

Oh yes, it had a 5-valve-per-cylinder head, too. Yamaha called the project “Genesis.”

BMW K1 (1988)

The K1 wasn’t radical as motorcycles of the decade are but it was radical for BMW. The manufacturer wanted to show that they don’t just make bikes with Boxer engines, although the K1 was shaft driven.

While it the entire bike was covered in wraparound bodywork, it was a sport-tourer rather than a sportbike.

The 100 hp, 987cc, 16-valve, DOHC, inline-Four was fuel-injected controlled by a Bosch ECU with three-dimensional mapping, giving the bike a top speed of 240 km/h.

Ducati SuperSport/SS (1988)

The SuperSport name had been a mainstay in Ducati’s heirloom but this particular iteration featured a new bodywork, while using the 904cc, two-valve per cylinder, 90-degree V-Twin from the Pantah. The crankcase was derived from the 851. Using a dry clutch, it gave off that signature metallic rattle that Ducati fans have come to love. The booming exhaust note was another signature feature.

Initially available with a half-fairing (900 CR) a fully-faired bike, (900SS) which looked a lot like the 851 sportbike. Ducati also produced the limited edition 900 SuperLight (SL) in 1992.

Kawasaki KR-1 and KR-1S (1988)

Believe of not, Kawasaki did produce a monster two-stroke 250. But unlike their competition, it wasn’t based on a race bike as the manufacturer doesn’t one. Despite that, the KR-1 was the most powerful and fastest production 250 two-stroke. The 249cc parallel-Twin produced 54 hp and took the bike to 225 km/h, beating out more fancied models such as the Aprilia RS250, Honda NSR250R, Suzuki RGV250 and Yamaha TZR250.

The S variant had different colour schemes and components.

Cagiva Mito (1989)

As the decade came to a close, one bike stood out among the rest. Although not exported to the United States, the Cagiva Mito was famous and was the dream of every schoolboy everywhere else.

In fact, a young Valentino Rossi has one before he went on to become the famous racer he is now. He was given a Mito by Cagiva team boss Claudio Lusuardi in 1994 and wiped everyone on the track with it on his way to the Italian championship title.

The Mito went through a number of revisions, including getting a seven speed transmission. It also took on the look of the Ducati 916 in 1994, having been designed by Massimo Tamburini himself.

Conclusion

Well, that’s part of the 80s. There were many more great bikes but we just don’t have the space to list them all. Tell us what you’d like to see and we’d try to feature them in the future.

(Please click here for Part 1.)

Motorcycles that Defined the 80s – Part 1

The 80s produced the most memorable and missed motorcycles.
It was a glorious time when manufacturers experimented with many concepts.
These concepts were actually sold rather than remaining in the factories.

(Please click here for Part 2.)

The 80s produced the most memorable and missed motorcycles, as much as those who lived through the era often reminisce everything about it.

Well, why not. The 80s was the real decade of experimentation by motorcycle manufacturers. By experimentation we meant that the makers actually produced and sold (or attempted to sell) those new concepts to consumers, rather than developing the ideas in their factories only.

Indeed, motorcycles mostly looked the same through the 70s despite technological advances. The fastest Z1 or CBX had round lights, beefy fuel tanks, long bench seats, exposed engines, dual shocks, skinny tyres, and steel tube frames — just like all other bikes.

It’s the after 80s that we have dual-sport/adventure bikes, sport-tourers, race-ready superbikes, force-induction bikes.

And those just the ideas that were accepted by consumers. There were so many others that were shunned, but they made sense in concept.

The 80s were also they heydays of the two-stroke. The lessons learned in the previous decade made the smokers as reliable as they were fast. And cheap.

Similarly, Grand Prix racing bikes also saw plenty of experimentation, resulting in some oddballs. However, we’ve covered this subject in an article called Ten GP Bikes That were Different, hence we won’t repeat them in this list.

Let’s get started with the Motorcycles that Defined the 80s. Before we get started about 80s music.

1. BMW R80G/S (1980)

There were two very distinct types of bikes in the 70s. One was for the road only, the other was specifically for off-road use. Road bikes were heavy and had short suspension travel to do any good off-road, but they had the range and comfort. Off-road bikes on the other hand had short ranges and were uncomfortable for long-range riding.

For example, the hallmark 1980 Suzuki GS1100 weighed 252 kg wet but was considered “light” at the time. The Honda XR500 weighed 137 kg but had a range of only 125 km.

That’s when BMW Motorrad decided to combine the two aspects in one motorcycle, resulting in the R80G/S. It was a breakthrough and it became not only the grandaddy of the current BMW R 1250 GS/GSA, but also for dual-sport and adventure motorcycles.

2. Suzuki GSX1100S Katana (1981)

Here’s another legend. The Katana was designed by ex-BMW design chief Hans Muth.

The bike signified a major change in motorcycle design. Where the fuel tank and seat were separate entities, the Katana’s joined both as a continuous line. It also started that single-seat look despite having two seats. But the most radical was the headlamp and surrounding panels.

Its looks were backed up by performance. The 111 hp, inline-Four, DOHC engine took the bike to 220 km/h, beating out the Kawasaki GPZ1100 (although the latter accelerated faster).

Certain markets though the Katana’s design was too radical at the time, but an example would cost almost as much as a new bike these days.

Suzuki would release the GSX750S Savannah with pop-up headlight the next year.

3. Honda VT250F Integra (1982)

The 80s was when Honda produced every conceivable type of motorcycle and introducing large numbers in a year. They debuted 15 models in 1982 itself! But it was the year when Honda became known as the V-Four company, the bikes identified by the “VF” designation.

But let’s take a look at the VT250F Integra. The engine was a 248cc, four-stroke, DOHC, four-valve per cylinder V-Twin. It produced a healthy 35 hp.

The bike showed how a 250 could also be regarded as a “serious” machine and had all the superb goodies such as Comstar rims with tubeless tyres, TRAC anti-dive forks, Pro-Link mono shock rear suspension, and Honda’s signature ventilated front brake disc.

Its design would go on to inspire the V-Three, two-stroke MVX250 and the single-cylinder, two-stroke MBX125. Some of the latter made it to Malaysia and holds a cult status.

4. Honda CX500 Turbo (1982)

The 80s were sometimes called the “Turbo era,” as it was the craze of manufacturers to fit turbochargers to their products. That was certainly true for cars, but it was Honda who started it with motorcycles, in the CX500 Turbo.

The engine was adopted from the transverse V-Twin of the CX500. But it wasn’t just the case of slapping on a turbocharger. The bike was the first to feature programmable fuel injection (Honda’s PGM FI).

But the manufacturer couldn’t overcome the turbo lag problem (no acceleration initially, then suddenly taking off due to air’s inertia through the turbo’s impeller), thus the bike was produced in this single year.

5. Yamaha XJ650T (Seca) Turbo (1982)

Looking like those bikes used in 80s “futuristic” B-grade movies and TV shows, the XJ650 Turbo was the tuning fork company’s answer. But instead of suing fuel-injection, it utilised carburettors. But it was also blighted by turbo lag issues like its peers.

5. Honda CX650 Turbo (1983)

To combat lag, Honda engineers bored out the CX500’s engine to 673cc, increased compression ratio (for torque) and lowered maximum boost pressure. The fuel injection was revised accordingly.

Still, the lag wouldn’t go away and only 1,777 units were produced.

Outwardly, it looked no different that the 1982 CX500 Turbo, except for colours and badging.

6. Suzuki XN85 (1983)

Suzuki didn’t want to get beat in the turbo game and came out with the XN85 in early 1983. The manufacturer claimed that the 673cc inline-Four engine (uncannily identical in displacement to the Honda CX650 Turbo’s) produced 85 hp, hence the bike’s name.

Although its power delivery was smooth for a turbo bike, it couldn’t match the outright grunt of bigger bikes. It was also unreliable and expensive, hence sold poorly. The replacement GS750ES went faster and was cheaper.

7. Kawasaki GPZ750 Turbo (1983)

This was known as the best turbo bike. It was also the fastest due to the engine which produced 112 hp. In fact, it ran the quarter mile in 11.2 seconds at 201 km/h, which was on par with the GPZ1100. It also had a top speed of 238 km/h.

Current collectors are still looking for this bike.

8. Yamaha RD350LC YVPS/RD350LC II/RZ350 (1984)

Oh boy, every schoolboy’s wet dream, including this one.

This bike was about racing, whether at full race events, clubs events and the streets without having to splurge on the big bikes. There were “RZ/RD cup” competitions in Europe, Canada, and the world over. They provided some of the craziest and gritty track action but some of the riders actually went to bigger things.

The bike was fast and could hold its own against the bigger bikes, given its lighter weight and chassis which was developed from Yamaha’s grand prix racing exploits.

It was also in this bike that Yamaha pioneered and patented the computer-controlled exhaust valve on two stroke engines which they call the “Yamaha Power Valve System” or “YPVS” in short.

Two-stroke engines typically work well in the upper RPM ranges and lacked low- and midrange RPM acceleration. The YPVS enclosed part of the exhaust port at lower RPMs and progress to being fully open at full-chat. That had the effect of providing back pressure to engine to produce more torque and wider powerband without sacrificing top-end power. This system was adopted to four-stroke engines known as the EXUP (Exhaust Ultimate Power Valve) beginning with the FZR400R in 1987.

Such systems were adopted by all other manufacturers, although they had to circumvent Yamaha’s patents.

The bike is still a hot collector’s item with active clubs around the world including in Malaysia.

9. Yamaha RD500LC/RZV500/RZ500 (1984)

Want to know what was the ultimate sportbike? This one, a genuine 500cc. two-stroke, V-Four sportbike. The name stood for “Race Developed 500cc Liquid-Cooled.” Yamaha released the bike to commemorate their success in 500cc World GP racing and based it off the YZR500 ridden by Wayne Rainey.

The engine uses reed valves instead of the rotary valves in the YZR500 but it too had dual crankshafts. Both are geared directly to the clutch, but the front crankshaft also drove a counterbalancer to smoothen engine vibrations. It also had the YPVS power valve. As such the engine made 88 hp and the bike weighed only 199 kg wet. The bike could hit a 238 km/h top speed.

A Japan-only special version called the RZV500R was also produced and it had a welded aluminium frame, compared to the mild steel frame of the standard bike. Besides that, the forks were adjustable for spring preload and air-assisted rebound damping.

Some were exported and modified for racing.

You don’t see an RD500LC running around these days, because they’re probably placed inside glass cases in collectors’ homes.

10. Kawasaki GPZ900R Ninja (1984)

The Top Gun bike! We’ve written about this bike at least thrice. Why? Because it’s still beautiful 35 years on and was the world’s fastest bike when it appeared.

The GPZ900R or more popularly called the “Kawasaki Ninja” (it was the first Kawasaki with the Ninja name) was the first production motorcycle to feature a liquid-cooled 16-valve inline-Four engine. It produced 115 hp and Kawasaki claimed a top speed of 243 km/h.

But magazine tests during the day found it to go even faster. One tester hit 262 km/h! It could even shame many current performance cars with it 10.55-second quarter mile run.

So popular was the bike its international production stopped in 12 years later in 1996, while the Japanese market saw it produced for a good 20 years until 2004.

End of Part 1

That’s it for now. We’re just up to 1984 and there are still so many more to go until 1989! What a decade, the 1980s indeed!