Motorcycle Classics

win a royal enfield

Retro classics are a part of the motorcycle industry we've kept a close eye on since the founding of this magazine in the summer of 2005. Over the years we've featured new model profiles of many of the big hitters like the myriad iterations of the Triumph Bonnevilles, Scramblers, Thruxtons and more, along with Royal Enfield Bullets, Moto Guzzi V7s and a host of retro models from other manufacturers. Triumph started with just one model, the Bonneville, when their modern version debuted at the Munich Motorcyle Show in September of 2000. Today Triumph builds a whole line of retros, so many, in fact, that they form their own category: Modern Classics. Ten models fill out the list, some with even further trim levels and special versions. The Classics have been such a…

on the market

Gold Wings from the 1980s aren’t too hard to find, but finding a really nice one is getting to be a bit more of a challenge. Ten years ago they were everywhere, but as they’ve become more and more affordable, it seems they’ve been treated with less care. We found two decent Aspencades in our search. The first was a 1984 with just over 70,000 miles on eBay, listed by R/J Performance in Ottumwa, Iowa, with a Buy It Now price of $2,495. The second is the bike you see here, which we found on Cycle Trader, listed by Mount Rushmore Motorsports in Rapid City, South Dakota. A 1985 model with just under 59,000 miles, it appears to wear its original paint. A few chrome bits like the brake pedal…

american gold: 1984-1987 honda gl1200 aspencade

Honda’s Gold Wing was flying high in the 1980s. The second-generation GL1100 model became the first factory full-fairing Japanese tourer in Interstate and luxurious Aspencade versions. Sales were booming; and the made-in-Marysville, Ohio, Wing avoided Reagan-era import tariffs. It is doubtful designer Shoichiro Irimajiri anticipated his 1974 shaft drive flat-four would evolve into the luxury liner it later became. The first production GL1000 Gold Wing was a sporty naked bike, but with many automotive features, like belt-drive overhead cams and liquid cooling — the first Japanese 4-stroke to use either. It soon became clear that the GL was less successful as a sport bike, but was capable of comfortably eating up vast distances on fast roads. Before long, owners were fitting large fairings for weather protection — often the Windjammer from aerodynamics…

contenders

Contender: Kawasaki ZG1300 Voyager XIII (1984-1986) and ZG1200 Voyager XII (1986-1989) Two very different engines powered the Voyager through the 1980s: adapting the KZ1300 six-pot motor allowed the Green Guys to dip their toes in the luxury touring marker without the development costs of a new engine. But in spite of digital fuel injection and selectable engine modes (revolutionary stuff for 1984), the dated powerplant was dropped for 1986. A new 1,200cc 16-valve inline four carved 137 pounds off the Voyager’s heft while offering similar performance. Said Cycle Guide of the XII, “It possesses that elusive combination of agility and stability, and teams it with an engine that provides a smooth, strong unbroken flow of horsepower with every twist of the throttle.” CG also chose the ZG1200 as their touring Bike…

take it to the limit

Two motorcycle documentary films, above all others, are considered classics today. On Any Sunday probably registered first in your mind as one of those films, but if you weren’t part of the motorcycle scene during the early 1980s you may not be familiar with the other title, Take It To The Limit, produced and directed by expatriated Englishman Peter Starr. Starr’s film focuses on what could be described as motorcycle racing’s Golden Era — the mid-to-late 1970s. Limit’s opening scene features an aerial view of the late Dave Emde riding a 1978 Yamaha XS1100 at speed on California’s Highway 150 along the Casitas Pass. The speedometer needle registers 130-plus mph before the film cuts to Kenny Roberts gracefully road racing his Yamaha TZ750, then cuts back to Emde on the street bike…

dream machine

Captivated by the MV Agusta 750S America in the late 1970s, Rick Fuhry wrote a letter to Hatboro, Philadelphia-based distributor Cosmopolitan Motors Ltd. Rick admits he was simply dreaming about the motorcycle but was curious about price and availability. On November 20, 1978, Lawrence (Larry) Wise of Cosmopolitan sent Rick a reply. “All the MV’s have been sold,” Larry wrote. “However, one customer who purchased several was unable to pay for one MV and we can now offer it for sale.” For $5,000, Rick could have the last MV Agusta 750S America in its crate that Cosmopolitan had in stock. In the letter, Larry said the motorcycle would be sold to the first person to either wire the money or place a 10 percent deposit. “At the time, I knew it was more…