enjoying this thread Ken! i'm always amazed to think how far bikes have come, as anyone can see here! space age lookin things now,
how was the young aussie that did the freakish record jump in las vegas recently, same day as when evel kneivel died, then turned around and did the jump again! how good was that! looked impossible
and cheers Geoff, bikes were even bigger then, 40's and 50's then now I think, they have always been a really cheap ferrari
Yes Kearn, the old Honda 4's had terrible tank slap I remember it well!!!
Hi Ken, you would remember those old Kawasaki H750 triples of the 70's. People were convinced the frames had hinges in them as the frame flex was that bad.
What amazed me is that people were game enough to race them as well.
I survived my teenage years riding this - Kawasaki 500 H1 (1970)
A lot of guys didn't due to piss poor brakes & the fact they handled like a wheelbarrow(13% death rate, of ownership in NZ)
It used to spew plumes of thick blue smoke under accelleration, & man did it accellerate - wheelstand in 1st three gears
I think this bike would still keep up with a lot of todays moderate superbikes
I hear the new hyabusa is out in europe now? scary bike from description i heard - i thought they were power limited in oz for a while now? - friend has older unlimited one, its a low k's shrine now i think?
cant show mine from youth, they are embarrassing cheap 'rice burner rats'
The 2008 'Busa was released in Oz in November last year. There are now several running around Melbourne.
Personally don't like the shape mods to the tail.
Yes all 1999 & some very early 2000 models are unrestricted. All models after that are speed limited to 300klm/hr, but only electronically. A small TRE mod & they are back to unlimited performance. (which realistically is about 340klm/hr)
The speedo on the 1999 models does show up to 340klm. The later models have digits to 280 & marks to 300klm.
Mine is a 2004 model which has not been modified, so I am strill "restricted" to 300klm/hr.
Not really a restriction to worry about in my book.
Hi Ken, you would remember those old Kawasaki H750 triples of the 70's. People were convinced the frames had hinges in them as the frame flex was that bad.
What amazed me is that people were game enough to race them as well.
Cheers
I know that the Yammy 750 Virago frame snaps in 2.
I broke one riding down to Melbourne. I hit a deep pothole on a sweeping bend near Melton at 160kph and when it broke, it sounded like an explosion. I investigated the damage (it snapped clean thru under the seat!), looked safe enough, and kept riding it for several months before getting rid of it
ah the legendary kwaka triples! that culminated in the then mega famous late '70's 'water bottle' first liquid cooled beasts (EDIT: whoops that was suzuki, just remembered, but hey its a triple) - (now 'everything' is cooled on bikes!?) i test rode a few from shops back then, scared the s**t outta me, and yep try and keep the front wheel down was job, in a straight line
and cheers Louwai I dont know much anymore, just little tidbits of info i hear, but i do know the hyabusa has entered the halls of legend, as mega bike legend of all time!, top of the heap, thanks!
Last edited by fringe_dweller; 15-01-2008 at 03:02 PM.
Fond memories of the Suziki 750 waterbottle. Nice smooth engine but, typically for the times, a crap frame.
Most recent machine wa a Rickman Honda 750. I still have this but not in a ridable condition. Must restore it one day...
and cheers Louwai I dont know much anymore, just little tidbits of info i hear, but i do know the hyabusa has entered the halls of legend, as mega bike legend of all time!, top of the heap, thanks!
Yeah, the power is just amazing. I can't Full Throttle in 1st or 2nd at any speed. If I do it will stand up straight away. 140klm in 2nd, accellerate & it comes up. Full tank & leaning over the front. Still comes up.
Just after i first got it (young & stupid 3yrs ago) a guy decided he wanted to prove he's faster & I obliged.
Took off from the lights, was winding up in 1st gear, being careful to wind the power on gently but quickly. Got to about 8000rpm (about 110klm) still in 1st & figured I was OK now to crank the throttle all the way.
WRONG.!!!!
Front wheel came straight up.
Ever since then I only blast it on the track. (mostly )
We did a servey in the club recently. 70% of club members are over 40 & 20% are 30 to 39. The remaining 10% are under 30 with 50% of those not having a bike or a licence because they haven't figured out how to control their right hand as yet. Either lost the licence speeding or crashed the bike & were not insured.
Full cover for a 22yo is about $3k / yr on a 'Busa. I just renewed mine. Full cover with NO excess $329.00 Age & driving record help.
Bah, ill go with Kens original pic. Ive had a Triumph Saint and much later, a Harley Dyna, miss em both. You cant beat a Harley with ape hangers, now thats a wank, do it properly or dont bother at all ;-).
Great thread Ken,
If I could just work out how to compress stuff I would post some images, mean while T.E. Lawrence once wrote...
It's my usual satisfaction to purr along gently at about 60 mph, drinking in the air and the general view. I lose detail at such moderate speeds but gain comprehension.
When I open out a little more, as for instance across Salisbury Plain at 80 or so, I feel the earth moulding herself under me.
Almost the earth comes alive; Heaving and tossing on each side like a sea.
It is the reward of speed.
I could write you pages on the lustfulness of moving swiftly.
Ill give you that Ric, true, but you cop a lot more wind with ape hangers and an open face stack hat ;-). Monkey-on-a-barrel white line screamers are sure an adrenalin trip, but you got to appreciate Gregs line "It's my usual satisfaction to purr along gently at about 60 mph, drinking in the air and the general view. I lose detail at such moderate speeds but gain comprehension", sweet words indeed.
I remember it well!!!
), and it also came under the custom treatment. I've got pics somewhere of it customised 
)
