Best bike for everyday road riding 1969-1984 ;o)

The ‘who can catch a Kawasaki’ GPZ900R. Might not have been the fastest in a straight line, but tended to be out front on the road and track.
 
I have nothing against Breganzies - No Doubt they are FAST Enough to win a Race with Patience ;o)

I was rather partial for the Honda 900F in the 80's.

The 900K Kawasaki Bike was over powered, WOBBLED and broke transmissions for me. A Suicide ride Very FAST and Dangerous !

Other words the 900K handled like SHIT compared to a Breganzie ;o)

No Doubt Kawasaki got better and Breganzies don't exist anymore ;o(
 
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A Good Friend lost his life riding a 900K - Yes he was riding FAST but the accident was NOT his fault. He was 19 years old ;o(
 
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1984 was the Kwaka GPZ900R. I never owned one but they did blow past me on the front straight at Willow Springs (like I was cruising) then the VFR 750R unbeatable in the corners and rockets down the straight. The VFR 750R was the bike to have for track days, they went like stink and nothing broke. A life time ago, fuck I'm old, Cheers Ron.
 
The ‘84 Ninja 900/GPZ900. My brother bought one new on ‘84, nothing could touch it.
Not real fair to compare a ‘69 of anything with each preceding year. Technology was moving fast with regard to
Power output.
 
Steve G. said:
The ‘84 Ninja 900/GPZ900. My brother bought one new on ‘84, nothing could touch it.
Not real fair to compare a ‘69 of anything with each preceding year. Technology was moving fast with regard to
Power output.
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If my memory serves correctly, the GPZ900R had a 16” front wheel for the first couple of variants. Then they woke up to themselves.

Or am I the one dreaming?
 
chrisk said:
If my memory serves correctly, the GPZ900R had a 16” front wheel for the first couple of variants. Then they woke up to themselves.

Or am I the one dreaming?
Click to expand...
Think you are right. I loved the slightly later 1000RX and that had both wheels 16”, pretty sure. I did 150mph on the Clay Cross demonstrator. Awesome bike. Am considering getting one, I have located one, just thinking ….
 
Back in the day, I went into the Kawasaki dealer and traded in my old Z1 on a GPZ900R. It was like getting out of a tiger moth and into a fighter jet.
I once did about 230kph on the GPZ with my girlfriend on the back. She excitedly told her dad how fast we'd just gone. He gave me a stinking look as if he wanted to kill me.
 
Never owned a GPZ900 - but I've built a couple of the engines for roadrace sidecars. In std tune they are very mild. It's almost frighteningly easy to get huge HP out of them with very little work.
 
Surely you educated her NOT to tell anyone about stuff like that Cam??!! :eek:

For Vic riders ...

Had a guy come up behind me on the Christmas Hills-Research road back in about 1984. I was wringing the SFs (SFC tune) neck on the twisty up hill and I knew the road like thew back of my hand, almost airborne past the Kangaroo Ground tower turnoff. When I braked late to stop at the T at the main road the guy who'd been up my arse pulled up and hurriedly looked across obviously keen to see what the fuk this thing he was chasing was - no doubt somewhat surprised. I was chuffed enough to see a GPZ900R.

If anyone knows this bit of road they'll know the up-down-up straight before Research. I was sure he would fly past on that section but I got enough on him late braking into the downhill right-hander to just hold him off before we hit the 60 zone and I was through racing. He screamed past on the downhill into Research. Just goes to show you how hard it is to actually overtake on road without a clear straight even if you've got the big horsepower. And clearly, a GPZ900R didn't handle like shit Ron!
 
GregT said:
Never owned a GPZ900 - but I've built a couple of the engines for roadrace sidecars. In std tune they are very mild. It's almost frighteningly easy to get huge HP out of them with very little work.
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Wasn't hard even with Z1s, Greg. We used to go from around 48-50hp at the rear wheel on our very conservative dyno to 85 by simply fitting them out with the std Yoshi/Moriwaki gear (big bore piston kit, cams, valves, springs, CR Keihins, exhaust). Built one for a customer's Rickman and had one race against him at Wanneroo (Perth WA) - he came past me at the end of the straight going about 50kph faster than me (reverse direction into the bowl - scary place!) and immediately threw it away under brakes - couldn't avoid him and I left the track doing probably 160 into the sand and scrub with him and his bike cartwheeling about 2 metres in front of me. Somehow I managed to ride it out and stop WAY down the hill - closest I've come to dacking myself on a moto. He never raced again!
 
Laverda SF said:
I have nothing against Breganzies - No Doubt they are FAST Enough to win a Race with Patience ;o)

I was rather partial for the Honda 900F in the 80's.

The 900K Kawasaki Bike was over powered, WOBBLED and broke transmissions for me. A Suicide ride Very FAST and Dangerous !

Other words the 900K handled like SHIT compared to a Breganzie ;o)

No Doubt Kawasaki got better and Breganzies don't exist anymore ;o(
Click to expand...
I once bought a new two year old leftover 900F at a steep discount, it was many years ago and I can’t recall the exact price, but I sold a 750F to buy it. I loved that bike, but I sold it a few years later to buy my RGS Executive.
 
chrisk said:
If my memory serves correctly, the GPZ900R had a 16” front wheel for the first couple of variants. Then they woke up to themselves.

Or am I the one dreaming?
Click to expand...
Yes, 16” front wheel, as well as some kind of antidive valve within the front forks. Both turned out to be bad ideas, although Moto GP did adopt fully 16.5” front wheels . I note that one of my former bikes, the Ducati 750 Paso adopted 16” front and back which was also a bad idea.
 
Max said:
Think you are right. I loved the slightly later 1000RX and that had both wheels 16”, pretty sure. I did 150mph on the Clay Cross demonstrator. Awesome bike. Am considering getting one, I have located one, just thinking ….
Click to expand...
I uncreated one of the first 1000RX ( Red) and we stood and looked it at like it was a spaceship- it was so futuristic..or so we thought. Went like stink, rumoured be able to get up to 155 on the A41 in Watford before the Levesdon roundabout…🤫 Dirty rotten cheap at the moment- if you are looking at one beware of Tappety rattle from top- little cam followers used to scuff up and wear but not all of them were affected.
 
Paul Marx said:
OW31?
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OW 31 / TZ700 / TZ750 .......Yes , you`ve got my vote Paul ....... a bike which won the Daytona 200 race eleven times in a row , ( `74-`84 ) , and which was , as Ron says , offered to the public ...... Yamaha had to offer them for sale , firstly in order to make them eligible for Formula 750 racing in 1974 , and then they became available for general sale thereafter .......

Suzuki and Kawasaki presumably made the required number of TR750`s , and KR750`s ....... but they didn`t produce them in the numbers that Yamaha did , nor offer them to the public ........

And yes , you do see them being ridden on the road , both in Europe and North America ........ With licence plates fitted even ........


IRTA founder and ex racer Mike Trimby said in `74 he tried to get hold of one to race at Daytona that year but couldn`t , so took his TZ350 instead ........

However , arriving at Daytona Beach and sitting by the hotel pool overlooking the beach , he spotted a guy riding a TZ700 up and down the beach , posing on one ....... not a racer , but just a punter who had gone out and bought one just to ride up and down on ....... Trimby said he felt like going over and strangling the bloke .......


I`ll go for a Steve Baker rep ........ like the Roberts / Romero speedblock design , but red instead of yellow ........

( I think the OW31 designation was in 1977 applied to the works mono-shock development of the TZ700/750 , and was the one that didn`t try to spit you off at anything over 165 mph ... ) ......
 
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rocketonarail said:
OW 31 / TZ700 / TZ750 .......Yes , you`ve got my vote Paul ....... a bike which won the Daytona 200 race eleven times in a row , ( `74-`84 ) , and which was , as Ron says , offered to the public ...... Yamaha had to offer them for sale , firstly in order to make them eligible for Formula 750 racing in 1974 , and then they became available for general sale thereafter .......

IRTA founder and ex racer Mike Trimby said in `74 he tried to get hold of one to race at Daytona that year but couldn`t ........ however , arriving at Daytona Beach and sitting by the hotel pool overlooking the beach , he spotted a guy riding up and down the beach posing on one ....... not a racer , but just a punter who had gone out and bought one just to ride up and down on ....... Trimby said he felt like going over and strangling the bloke .......

And yes , you do see them being ridden on the road ........ I have seen them with licence plates fitted .......

I`ll go for a Steve Baker rep ........ like the Roberts / Romero speedblock design , but red instead of yellow ........

( I think the OW31 designation was in 1977 applied to the works mono-shock development of the TZ700/750 , and was the one that didn`t try to spit you off at anything over 165 mph ... ) ......
Click to expand...


Of course with the capabilities of the OW31 recognized, this thread is as read , motorcycles available to the general public, which was definitely NOT the case in most countries on earth, and definitely NOT street legal.

A current garage resident at my household, with me as long term caretaker,,,,,is in fact in my garage at all only because WSB homologation entry rules dictated strict public availability at the local dealership. A unicorn nonetheless, #42-50 into North America in 1989.
No such rules needed to be followed in the old Gran Prix events , so only ‘works’ and satellite picked teams got access to such gems as the TZ750 .
 
Steve G. said:
Of course with the capabilities of the OW31 recognized, this thread is as read , motorcycles available to the general public, which was definitely NOT the case in most countries on earth, and definitely NOT street legal.

A current garage resident at my household, with me as long term caretaker,,,,,is in fact in my garage at all only because WSB homologation entry rules dictated strict public availability at the local dealership. A unicorn nonetheless, #42-50 into North America in 1989.
No such rules needed to be followed in the old Gran Prix events , so only ‘works’ and satellite picked teams got access to such gems as the TZ750 .
Click to expand...
Do I understand you`ve got a OW31 in your garage .... ? ....... I`m jealous is an understatement ..........

I know they are not the obvious choice ..... but Ron did say offered to the public ......... which they were , many private entries in club races up and down the country will testify to that ....... and some did make it onto the road .... see below .....

.... Not one for the daily commute though ..... and I reckon my Mirage made more smoke than that , easily ......... :) ..........

 
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