On a side note anybody have that turbocharged one?

Want to buy 1998 4 banger Accord Alloy Rim, just 1, PM me.

Skunk2 Customer Service: 'Honda-Tech is full of nothing but a bunch of Bench Racers and nobodys.'
http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1356040

1969 CB750 is also considered very revolutionary, it pretty much sealed the fate of British bikes and established Japanese inline 4-cyl bikes as the standard format for superbikes for years to come.

NR750, are you kidding me?! Extremely overpriced, heavy, ineffective. Bleh.

1976 Yamaha XS 500
2-1 exhaust, UNI air filter, larger rear sprocket,
XS 650 rear shocks

Blasphemer! Off with his head!

Skunk2 Customer Service: 'Honda-Tech is full of nothing but a bunch of Bench Racers and nobodys.'
http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1356040

and even today, the CRF50 is the number one sold honda motorcycle.

CRF50 is a dirtbike brah. Sure you don't mean a C50?

1976 Yamaha XS 500
2-1 exhaust, UNI air filter, larger rear sprocket,
XS 650 rear shocks

The NR750 and CBX are rare and fascinating, but not really "legendary." The Cub is collectable, but doesn't strike me as legendary either despite being the cornerstone of Honda cycles. It's sort of like the Accord of the bike line - they sell a ton and it's a workhorse, but it's not special.

If you're looking for something to restore, any single, twin, or four from the '60s & '70s will fit the bill and keep you occupied. I've been wanting to restore an early '70s CL350 twin or early/mid '70s CB400/500/550 four myself. The small-bore stuff is fun to tinker with too; I had a '70 CT90 for a while that needed a little work but was fun to beat around.

Quote, originally posted by rd91sib18c5r »

The interceptor 750, first sportbike

That's highly debatable. It is a very good motorcycle, and won many races in its day, however it is nowhere as influential or famous as a CB750.

EDIT: as for answering OP's inquiry about a Turbo Honda, that would be the CX500 Turbo.

1976 Yamaha XS 500
2-1 exhaust, UNI air filter, larger rear sprocket,
XS 650 rear shocks

does the CRF50 have two wheels and an engine? yep, it's a motorcycle. and they can be street legal with some work...

That's not the issue here, man. I thought you were talking about Honda's best selling motorcycle globally. I'm pretty certain it isn't a dinky dirt bike for toddlers. I'm not debating whether a dirtbike counts as a motorcycle. I'm pretty sure that a Honda Cub derived motorcycle ("Dream" in Vietnam?) is the best selling motorcycle right now looking at the world as a whole.

1976 Yamaha XS 500
2-1 exhaust, UNI air filter, larger rear sprocket,
XS 650 rear shocks

how often would a 20 year old bike give my cbr a run like that?

Want to buy 1998 4 banger Accord Alloy Rim, just 1, PM me.

Quote, originally posted by Patman »

CX650t production numbers look promising, that and the fact that an 83' turbo bike made 97 horse how often would a 20 year old bike give my cbr a run like that?

Not much, considering it still runs good, which I doubt it would. The bikes are heavy, complex, and pretty pointless IMO. A modern 600 would rape it six ways from Sunday. If you want a cool muscle bike that can give modern "plastic" bikes a run for their money (strictly in a straight line) consider a Suzuki GS1100E, the ones with a 16 valve head. Jetting, filter pods and exhaust give incredible gians, and it has 108hp to begin with.

1976 Yamaha XS 500
2-1 exhaust, UNI air filter, larger rear sprocket,
XS 650 rear shocks

Quote, originally posted by Patman »

CX650t production numbers look promising, that and the fact that an 83' turbo bike made 97 horse how often would a 20 year old bike give my cbr a run like that?

I raced one of those cx650t with my si on the freeway and was dead even,
no way it would keep up with my cbr600f4i.

The turbo bikes of the eighties are not really considered great bikes... but they do represent a side note of Motorcycle manufacturing that took place in our market and as such have a great cult following.

Out of those listed above by far the greatest potential for dollar value gain will be the Kawasaki TC... for a good version it is already well over 10-15K. The bike was pulling mid 10's @ 550-575 lbs in 1979-1980 with friggen bias ply tires at about 4.5" in width... awesome

There really is no point in trying to make a 20 year old bike faster than a current sport bike. You'd be just throwing money down the drain just to beat something that is incredibly fast from the dealership. And even then, you'd only be able to beat a modern 600 in a straight line.

I suppose if you're someone who gets a kick out of doing stuff the hard way it might be worth it but I have to think the reason most people get vintage bikes is not to go race 600's. I could see trying to make you 80's 1000 cc bike faster just for the sake of making it faster. But not so you can race Joe Squid from stoplight to stoplight.

Skunk2 Customer Service: 'Honda-Tech is full of nothing but a bunch of Bench Racers and nobodys.'
http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1356040

I agree whole heartedly, there is no point other than to prove that it is possible, and to maybe put some squids in their place with an old school muscle bike Then again, that's what Vmaxs are for.

1976 Yamaha XS 500
2-1 exhaust, UNI air filter, larger rear sprocket,
XS 650 rear shocks

When athletes set records that still remain unbroken they are "legends", same thing

Want to buy 1998 4 banger Accord Alloy Rim, just 1, PM me.

When you're talking about athletes who have unbroken records, that is partially because human beings are basically the same now as they were then. It's not like men have been engineered to be twice as strong with half the weight. Sport bikes on the other hand are.

At best you can find something legendary because of what it could do at the time. But any performance bike from the 70's or 80's ain't even gonna come close to modern performance. Not without sinking significant money into it. Maybe if you could buy an old 500 cc GP bike, but in that case you'll be lucky if you can stay on it...

Skunk2 Customer Service: 'Honda-Tech is full of nothing but a bunch of Bench Racers and nobodys.'
http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1356040

That's for darn sure...

It'll cough you right off

Yesterday's bikes pale in comparison to a modern race replica not only in a straight line, but the handling is on a completely different order of magnitude as well. The engines are much lighter (better materials, cooling, and manufacturing techniques) and far more potent (powerful electronic fuel injection and ignition plus better cooling and high-tech materials), the frames are way stronger and more rigid to handle the cornering grip loads, and the suspension has been beefed up and refined to keep up with the huge strides in tire technology. Tires generate so much more grip these days and are more confidence inspiring with their handling characteristics than in decades past.

An old air-cooled supersport four running on small forks and dual rear shocks with bias ply tires and a faired headlight can still be as cool and fun to ride now as it was then, but it's nowhere near as capable on the track as a modern race rep, nor is there really a point in trying to make it so, unless you're bored and have more money than you know what to do with.