The very first Honda CB500 rolled off the production line in Japan in 1971 to great acclaim. Physically smaller and lighter than its 750cc big brother, the bike did everything well and in 1973, in the hands of ace racer Bill Smith, took first place in the grueling 500cc TT Production Race. Urban legend has it, that the CB in…
If you stand still long enough, someone somewhere will Chop, Bob Café Race or customize any bike you can possibly think of and probably some you can’t. The recent trend to ‘dirt’ things up is producing some very usable looking bikes that look cool enough to separate you from the herd on the way to work and tough enough for…
In the early 80’s the 250cc market was going crazy. Every motorcycle manufacturer on the planet had a representative in the quarter liter class with an amazing 20 plus different models being offered from the top four Japanese manufacturers alone. Other manufacturers such as CZ, MZ, Cagiva and Morini were also on the scene, with Benelli even having a 250cc…
It may not have been the first flat four-engined bike in the world (that honor went to the 1938 Zundapp K800) but the Honda Goldwing is certainly the most famous. The two wheeled Japanese Shire horse burst on to the stage in 1974, hitting showrooms 12 months later and selling 13,000 bikes in the US in its first year. Considering…
In the early 80’s Honda brought out their line of laid back V- twins, in an attempt to cash-in on the ever-growing Cruiser market. The first models were in 500 and 750 guises, but the latter fell foul of newly introduced 45% import duty tax, which prompted a re-sleeving of the engine down to 700cc. However, once the levy was…
Within every genre of Custom Biking you will find slight variations to the original theme. Add a set of angled Z- bars and a short bench seat, and a Bobber becomes a Brat-style Bobber. Throw in some knobbly tires and renthal type bars and it’s a Brat Tracker. The variations are endless as long as people can make up names…
February the 7th 1965, not a date that history teachers would have battered into the minds of the nation’s youth, but if you were Beatles guitarist George Harrison it was a big deal. It was the day he had his tonsils removed. Perhaps more interestingly however, it was also mere months away from the launch of a motorcycle that would…