12-15-2013, 12:31 PM
(12-15-2013, 08:52 AM)OldF7Guy_imp Wrote:(12-15-2013, 04:38 AM)The ferret_imp Wrote: Yep, but in todays 415 pound, 180 horsepower, 9 second quarter mile times its a pussy cat lol.
I don't think anyone could have envisioned how far motorcycles would go, how light, how fast, how reliable. Simply amazing. I mean how far can we go from here?
I love at the end of the story where every mfg came and picked up their basket of parts and hauled them off but the Honda guys put the 750 back together in 2 hours, started it up and rode it home. That was great!
I was also surprised how far the mighty CB 750 had fallen in such a short time. Earth shattering in 1969. Also ran in 1973. Yet Honda continued with this same motor for another 5 years before bringing out a slightly better dohc model in 1979.
I have always felt Honda would err on the side or reliability instead of all out performance. Seems like they have always been like this or at least in my mind anyway. Kawasaki always seem to push performance more to the limit.
I agree, I have always been a fan of Kawasaki, I've owned Kawis and Hondas. But the Honda's always seem to be a little more "solid" than the Kawis. Kawasaki stakes their name and brand on performance, at all costs.
It was really evident in those early bikes, the H1 and H2 were absolute terrors in their time, but you had to be a good rider to enjoy the performance, or you could end up in a wheelchair. Even the mighty Z-1, which was a great all around bike, had it's flaw. The rear shocks, as mentioned in the article, would heat up and cause lots of problems.
The Z-1 was infamous for a speed wobble that occurred at around 120 mph, I experienced one, it was not any fun, probably was the scariest moment of my motorcycling career.