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The RE5 was a disaster in many respects, and you nailed them all here. However, even though I’m not a Suzuki fan, I do consider the RE5 to be iconic in both design and statement, and therefore in a special a heroic failure category. My defence here is that there are still several still on the road, and they always draw a crowd. And as odd (in a ‘70s Sci-Fi series way) as the console undoubtedly is, it’s somehow necessary to complete the ‘out there’ look. And of course, they fetch more money when they’re present. So, I would argue, the RE5 is as necessary to the ‘70s motorcycle story as the kettle and Honda’s 6. Peace 🏴
The RE5 was a disaster in many respects, and you nailed them all here. However, even though I’m not a Suzuki fan, I do consider the RE5 to be iconic in both design and statement, and therefore in a special a heroic failure category. My defence here is that there are still several still on the road, and they always draw a crowd. And as odd (in a ‘70s Sci-Fi series way) as the console undoubtedly is, it’s somehow necessary to complete the ‘out there’ look. And of course, they fetch more money when they’re present. So, I would argue, the RE5 is as necessary to the ‘70s motorcycle story as the kettle and Honda’s 6. Peace 🏴
Been riding 55 years and this is something I work on still. Great information brother! Edit : Also here in western North Carolina i have an awful problem with knuckleheads mowing their yard grass into the roadway, why they put people in that kind of danger is beyond me
Worst bike? Check out the Brazilian built Amazonas 1600.
I had my RE5 for 8 years covering almost 50k miles. Comfortable over long distances and low forties MPG. But, every 18k miles the rotor housing cracked, requiring an expensive rebuild. When it ran, it was good.
1970 the year I graduated from high school. My third motorcycle was a CB750 k2. I loved that brown metallic with a gold stripe and an orange plastic emblem on the battery case. I got it to 110 mph once when you could a three mile stretch on California’s Hwy 1. The road sloped down then up with no other vehicles. I had a 1997 CBR 1100 I got to 110 also in Hawaii. But I would have traded two of those for my old 750. I enjoy your contents keep it up.God Bless.
There is one point I'd like to make; the Aprilia RS250 used the same engine as the Suzukis of the time, and really had no relationship at all to the race bikes. The road bikes were eqipped with reed valves, while the race bikes had disc valves. It is a tribute to all those Aprilia factory riders that they managed to make those bikes go so fast, because the disc valved engines were notoriously difficult to ride because of their hair trigger throttles. I had a KR1-S at the time, and it was a truly astonishing machine to ride. It was light as a feather and flickable beyond your wildest dreams. The brakes were astonishing, even on standard road tyres and I never found anything in its character was anything less than "knife-edge" sharp. It even looked achingly beautiful and I even took it down to the South of France on the train, just to enjoy my favourite roads on a truly astonishing bike. Unfortunately, even the very best have tendons that are easily cut, and the KR's weakness was absolutely TERRIBLE reliability. The pistons would seize at the drop of a hat, possibly more easily than even that, and they were not cheap to rebore or re-sleeve. On a £ per mile basis, I can't think of any bike I've had that was more expensive in repairs than the KR1-S, but I can also confidently say that I doubt that I'll ever get more smiles per £. As for your question; small bikes are no longer seen as an end in themselves, and the only reason these bikes were so rewarding is because they were 2 strokes. Even the very best of the 4 strokes of the period were just dreadful. I had various 4 stroke 250s in the 70s, and even managed to blag a ride on the Benelli on one occasion. They were all dull as dishwater. So what is the point of trying to develop a 250, or even 400 that, just because of the need to be a 4 stroke, simply isn't going to be that much cop? Better to build something that will be "interesting enough" to entice riders on to better things. And to be fair, the Europeans really do know how to make these small capacity bikes quite interesting. I know that the Uk hardly sells any of these smaller capacity modern bikes, so the perception is that biking is dying on the vine. But I do think that a lot of that is a UK perception, the UK economy is totally shagged, and the UK's youth simply doesn't have the money to live, let alone pay for a bike. I live in Spain, and work as a teacher. And I see that very large numbers of these smaller capacity bikes are bought, about 50% of my students of this age are actively saving towards precisely this capacity of bike.
Great Story about failed bikes,may be you forgot the dnjepr👏🐗🦊🫠☀️🏍🏎🚘🔧⚙️🔩😘
Mate this is beyond words. My youngest has just bought his first bike, there are some very good on road-courses here in NZ but your video gives so much more and he now has the link. Many thanks. Oh it also shows the pure joy on being on a bike.
mate thats the best compliment i could get, heres to many mappy years riding for him. and im glad it all comes across in the video like i wanted. give him my best wishes, hope you will both climb aboard. we have quite a few subscribers in New Zealand it seems :-)
The hippo with bad case of diarrhoea had to be the best comment. Well done. Sorry, don't know how to spell that brown, smelly and runny word
lol, ok sometimes i elaborate :-) glad you enjoyed it mate :-)
Katana looks class
style is ageless :-)
GN 400 Suzuki chains sprockets 3000 miles back tires 3000 miles swing and bearings 7000 miles 6 volt electric couldn’t see where you’re going the xp360 and dr400 quite nice bikes as a play thing, but the GN was just abysmal. Enjoy your program Michael.
at least you had got a 5 candle power headlamp, my old Triumph TR25 only had 2 candles in there lol
I think your list is pretty good, a couple that aren't as bad but maybe deserve a dishonourable mention are the Suzuki Savage - about as savage as a slug - and the Honda FT500. This should have been OK with a 500 single cylinder in a street chassis, but with between 27hp and 335hp, depending on who you believed, it was always going to be the Flat Turd.
lol, at least the FT looked the business 🙂
Thos Niken things did find one tiny market. Support bikes for the Tour de France. Still occasionally see them there. Presumably for stability when following the riders really slowly up steep climbs. Not sure, though. Still never found that I can keep balance any better going slowly on my bicicyle than my motorbike.
someone just asked re that so cheers for adding, not something i watch to be honest 🙂
AH! I was wondering when the day would come when I found out the Yamaha Nikken had been dis-continued because of poor sales. Seems like it's today. Just...............WHY?????
maybe they finally realised the R&D money was never coming back? 🙂
"But it's all done in the best POSSIBLE taste!"
PMSL, memories 🙂
I heard myself saying fukin ell with each one while watching this. You have my like.
similar to my lasses response lol, i wish i had her reactions on video lol, i might get banned by youtube though lol
I had a Honda Dream 400AT, I was very happy with it, and is one of the motorcycles I owned I regret selling. Each to their own I guess.
if we all thought the same it would be a boring world mate, 🙂i just hated mine and thought the standard one was so much better. Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂
@@barebonesmc Great in winter with snow, could keep feet ready to catch if needed. Mostly A and B rods where I live with a smattering of single track with passing places, not the flattest of terrain I can add, found it was capable enough. Mind you I was coming from a Honda 200 cc Benly.
Isn’t the Niken what most of the photographers are using on the cycling tours? They are definitely using a big bike with double front wheels.
not something i watch so i cant say, but there isnt many similar, piaggio do a scooter with similar front but it is smaller
The new monster doesn't look monster enough but it handles and performed better than 821 and 1200 models . And that's why it is forgiven. But i love these old OG air-oil cooled monsters even the 797 which was pegged as a beginner bike in their line-up. I hope they can make a monster out of the 698 mono engine and frame in the future. That would be diabolical for a entry level bike❤💥😌😎🤌.
had a ride following an old Monster and the 600 mono (i refuse to call it a 698, its not lol) the mono took off like a rocket but did seem to run out of steam a bit beside the Vstrom and Monster but i dont know how many miles he had done so he might have been being gently
The Suzuki super six was the best and was the first manufactured bike with six gears. About 90-95 mph.
great bikes,i featured them here kzread.info/dash/bejne/nJuH0Kp7lLvJf9I.html 🙂 Cheers for watching mate. Ride Free 🙂
woa ive seen one of those BSAs in sweden not long ago. i thougt it was some homemade contraption made by an 12 year old.
lol, they do look like that :-)
Suzuki RSV 250 2stroke beast 86'-90'era motorcycle.Kawasaki ZR-1S 250cc 2stroke 88'-91'era and yamahaRZ,RD,&TZR all 250cc 2strokes72'-91'era motorcycles'!All these 2stroke 250cc's were at the zenith of the 2stroke 250cc engineering and therefore they have to be the most powerful and fastest 250cc 2stroke motorcycles ever made,i nearly forgot the italian brand Aprilia RSV 250cc 2 stroke m/cycle 1991-2012 era also very powerful and fast m/cycle.So there is my list of fastest 250cc m/cycles according to which makes & models were available here in Australia!ta.🇦🇺🏍️🛵🤔
thanks for your support 🙂Cheers for adding your bit too mate. I think with some maybe just the name tag is different, we never had a ZR1, but i am guessing it was the KR1 to us? enjoy the ride 🙂
You forgot the BSA rocket III, one of the worst motorcycles ever.
we will have to disagree there :-) but i am a bit biased on triples :-)
@@barebonesmc Oh come on. The bike had Amal carbs and Lucas electrics and leaked oil like a seive. It also had drum brakes and a 4 speed gearbox. Not exactly cutting edge stuff. It was supposed to be an attempt at making a "futuristic" bike, but what they debuted was a virtual antique.
OH! I forgot abut the hideous styling
For me it was the Honda CB 250n Superdream, in 1983 I topped 105mph i was 13 stone, and the learner legal was dropped to a 125cc just prior to my birthday! so I Ended up with a Honda H 100s which was a 2 stroke and could get me to 80mph, it just isn't the same ride..
great bikes they will find their place in time 🙂 Cheers for watching mate. Ride Free 🙂
Worst bike I ever had/rode was a Kawasaki GPz305… I love Kawasaki, but this bike was cr*p! The engine leaked oil from various places, the belt drive was ok, but the clutch was slipping and it was heavy for the power it made..which wasn’t a lot. Slow junk..
so many duff bikes, I had to stop somewhere though mate 🙂 Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂
After watching Allen Millyard's channel, I'd say the Norton Nemesis easily tops this list...
another one that never really worked lol, cheers for adding mate, have a great week
Another great video. I'de have to disagree on the Niken though, I mean I would never buy one, but mechanically they seem to be fine bikes. Also the front suspension looks more complex that it is, they have regular front suspension with two extra tubes (with no springs etc) which only help for balance/rigidity.
if we all thought the same it would be a boring world mate, 🙂 we should celebrate our differences more 🙂 it was all a bit of a laugh really, i do love anything on 2 wheels 🙂 oh, wait 🙂 Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂
@@barebonesmc No worries mate, it was just my two cents :)
@@GL0BETREKKER theres no just in there mate 🙂 your experience is as valid as the next, this was all just a bit of fun, and my gripes wont be the same as everyones, what makes a bike right for me wont be the same as for others, variety as they say is the spice of life 🙂
Your footage of the Suzuki rotary maintenance is “on steroids “, too many jumps, too fast and unwatchable unless of course you are on some kind of drug yourself ☹️
sorry mate, it was meant to illustrate the fact the maintenance is never ending 🙂 if i can dig it out i will link to the original in the community tab 🙂
@@barebonesmc Excellent, I will look forward to that 😊
X7. RLV196T on a good day just on a TON ! and i mean JUST.👍
head on the tank and arse in the air lol glad it jogged some good memories mate 🙂Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂
No specials? No 427 Ci Boss Hoss? 😂. That’s a bike with the “one way street” sign on the back instead of a number plate. Or a Bourget, Eddy Trotta or West coast choppers bike with those lovely 280-380 rear tires. “A Texas two tire truck” 😂
honestly, i got part way through and it got silly. I had to stop somewhere and in the end decided to split it up up several ways so there will be more. the next one will be the ugliest lol, but the custom atrocities will follow at some point mate 🙂 Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂
@@barebonesmc Oh yes they are hilarious. All show no go. Lots of shiny stuff to polish though. Keeps you off the couch because you’re not going to ride ‘m much. I guess you ride ‘m until your ass hurts. 30 miles or so. I watch a channel who sells these second hand. Fifteen up to twenty years old bikes. Not a scratch on ‘m. The softails have about 5000 miles on ‘m, the hard tails about 1500….. $60000 bikes going for 13-15K.
@@wolfdog7265 we have a saying 🙂 all show and no go 🙂
stupidest list ever! Never heard of BMW? You are a true knucklehead sir
The Megola was a German motorcycle produced between 1921 and 1925 in Munich, with a 5 cylinder radial engine mounted inside the spokes of the front wheel. No starter! The only way to start it was a running jump start, and stopping involved stopping the engine first. Amazing!
wasnt the advice, "if you need to stop, ride around in circles until you can proceed" PMSL
mmm .. maybe should have made it the 20 worst , i have a love / hate relation ship with my can am gs 2008 model , the electronics are a nightmare , and can am service is almost non existent , their workshop manual has so many mistakes its incredible , for the first few yrs they even got the tyre pressures wrong let alone the way u did your wheel alinement , i could go on and on but dont want to sound like im just bitching .. BUT .. when it works its a great bike once u get use to its strange handling .. another bad bike i have is the xs250 , slow as a wet week which is strange because the xs650 bike is great
I had to stop somewhere, but there is more to come mate though mate 🙂 Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂
I was working for BSA Group when the awful Ariel 3 was lunched. Just before its demise demonstrators were sent around the plants in the group in an attempt to get employs to buy one, at an amazing discount. Like the Ariel 3 this was doomed to abject failure but we got 30 minutes off work to watch one being ridden round and round in endless circles. Thanks for the memory and a laff.
thanks for your support 🙂Cheers for adding your bit too mate. Ride Free 🙂
Shit there the ones I can afford.
PMSL not the dodge then 🙂Cheers for watching and for the comment mate. Ride Free 🙂
@barebonesmc did once mate on the vstrom. Drink driver ended that.
@@brucerae5522 sorry mate, always sad to hear, hope all is ok now
What's not to like..... lmao, the only one of these I've actually seen in public is the Honda 400(Hondamatic). I actually like the way she looked but I'm glad there are folks in the know about today's bikes who can help steer me away from the trash & I do ask. I suppose that even the worst set of wheels will have those folks who made use of them & made it work for them. Like I made a moped suffice when I lost my license to drive. I made use of a POS for 3 yrs & she cost $1200 + $200 more for the aftermarket muffler & electronic timing that got me an extra 12 MPH so I could ride 42mph on the roads. IT was an awful thing I went thru on an awful pos moped but I LQQK back w/ a fondness that I got thru the time. Great video you've made for us.... I guess you saw most of these in your travels during those years but many of them never made American shores. Yes, I liked it...... 👍👍
thanks for your support as always, and even the bad ones have a place lol, and their champions 🙂🙂Cheers for adding your bit too mate 🙂
I rarely look down thru the comments section.... on most videos I do this & I'm not sure why channels get certain types of posts? It's the character assassinations that I do not like & I heard ya in the front end - you were getting ahead of it so I try to balance thoughts or draw a shot against myself. And it's alright b/c there's a big difference between healthy banter & going for a channel's throat. Most of the bikes you showed I wouldn't ever consider buying even if I had the money of Jay Leno..... it takes a lot to do these videos >> > kudo's for standing tall..... peace
@@user-dv7hb2sc9m i think i can honestly say i have fewer trolls than any other channel, its rare people arent respectful, even when we disagree :-) if they are, i try to put them off pretty quick n so it doesnt have chance to grow :-) have fun mate
You are very diplomatic, I must say...... great attribute & is lacking in many people. kudo's
Apparently the Boss Hoss had little good said about it. Also the reincarnation of the Norton from about 15 years ago allegedly had a howlingly awful build quality. Loved the dry humor.
so many bikes, I had to stop somewhere 🙂there is more to come though mate, i started, it got outrageous, so i have split it up 🙂 the Ugliest is the next one 🙂 🙂 Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂
A true rogue's gallery of duffers,almost enough to turn you off biking! Great vid!
🙂Cheers for watching and for the comment mate. what were your favourite bits? Nothing could drive me from 2 wheels 🙂 Ride Free 🙂
I think my favourite dud of the clip was the CF Moto at the end... hilariously awful! 😊
You lost me at the Hondamatic. My BIL had one and it was a damn good bike. Not everything has to be a rocket ship.
if we all thought the same it would be a boring world mate, I hated it, and not just because it was slow. the standard one was just so much better IMO 🙂Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂
Hello mate. I love this! So many manufacturers have got it wrong over the years. The worst one that I’ve owned is the first Suzuki TL1000S. To put this into context I was racing for Suzuki Australia at the time with Phillip Island as my home track and got one for the streets. No matter what myself or even race team manager did to adjust suspension set up it was borderline dangerous in high speed corners. It sounded incredible, was quick in a straight line for its time, just lacked the ability to mildly push it through corners to a point where I had the chain come off the rear sprocket, mid corner. My team manager was an Australian Champion from the early to mid 80’s and his thoughts after he rode it were the same. It just spent more time in the shop than on the road until Suzuki admitted it had “a fault” and ended up replacing it for free with the R version. This was an improvement however only had a bandaid fix to the rear setup instead of a complete redesign that it required. So, for me the S was the worst bike I’ve owned in over 40 years. Keep up the awesome work you do and provide as it’s second to none and possibly why KZread is causing “happy days” for you. 👍😎🇦🇺
The TL S was a challenge lol, another great story mate 🙂 and cheers as always for the support
Whatever you say about the Ariel 3. The video proves it does function as such! 🤣
I cant believe what Nobby did on his :-) link in description 🙂
Does nobody get it? The Niken was especially designed for the Knights Who Say Ni. So how can there be any doubt about the proper pronunciation? 😁
No, it is an ex parrot, it has ceased to exist, and he is not the messiah he is a very naughty boy PMSL
The Morbidelli’s first version was indeed badly styled but as far as the rest goes I cannot really fault it. It did start as a hobby project and the decision to stop it before things became REALLY expensive was the right one. What is left is a wonderful dream turned into hardware.
Ill give you that one, in some ways 🙂, style over substance when the styling is so questionable is a strange balance though 🙂Cheers for watching and for the comment mate. Ride Free 🙂
Some aren't moto at all 🤣strange do you not mention the mammouth 2000
there is more on the horison lol, there is the ugliest next but the Munch Mammut is in another one I have planned 🙂, I had to stop somewhere though mate 🙂 Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂
I enjoyed this. I built my second ebike lad summer, and commuted 30 miles a day all through winter. I made some bizarre looking contraption to block the wind chill, and honestly, the front fairing on the BSA was giving me some funky ideas 😂 As it is, mine has a windshield and some plastic underneath the windshield, and it gets some funny looks. Great fun though.
love to see some pics mate, you can send them via here on the website, www.barebonesmc.com/contact
excellent analysis. indeed a very complicated subject. got me a few pointers i did not thought about, thx wider then "normal" tires are ... not my thing. and wider then factory tires on the same rim ... not a bright idea. modern rubber it so good that i think the normal rider should stick with the factory dimensions
glad you enjoyed it and it was useful mate, as you say, a complex subject, and one where small changes in size can make a profound difference in geometry when leant over in a corner 🙂
I liked the look of that Buell It must be me lol
if we all thought the same it would be a boring world mate, 🙂Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂
I had a good giggle listening to your description of these bikes.
glad i made you smile mate 🙂 that was the aim 🙂