Why are CBs and KZs the popular ones.

[mustangflyr]

Another picture

Found another picture, This was taken at " Riding Into History" in St Augustine FL. That's my 1000ET in the foreground behind it on the left is some all around nice guy named Dennis Gage ( err Dennis the checks in the mail ?) and on the right myself.

[mustangflyr]

Last one this time.

This time another " Riding Into History" picture. Taken during a rest stop on the " Grand Marshall's Ride " this is Kevin Schwantz relaxing on my ET. The organizers ( Bill 7 you know who you are ) asked if Kevin could use it on the ride. Of course I said yes and all in all a great event.

[Big Block]

I remember when the Honda 750 came out, it was THE bike. Then the Z1 came out and it was THE bike. They had a lead time on the GS and I think that is why those are the bikes that first pop into peoples heads when they think UJM. For me the 4 exhaust pipe thing was pretty cool back then as well.
Myself, I think the GS is a lot better product as well it should be as it came out later and should be (and is) more refined. I still like the looks of all of them but as far as riding, I prefer the GS, it's just that simple and I prefer riding them rather than just looking at them.

[wymple]

I believe there are far more GS survivors than Honda or Kawasaki. I see GS bikes quite a bit, the others not so much. Rarity breeds value. It's the price Suzuki paid for being a better bike. Except for the wiring.....

[GS1150Pilot]

Hmmmn ... not sure there. I see as many vintage Hondas and Kawis here as I do Suzukis, and Honda engineering during those years was pretty fantastic.

[Nessism]

Honda is third on my list of desirable UJM's. Only Yamaha is worse, not that they made bad bikes, it's just that they focused on cruisers more than the others and didn't offer alternatives. Honda = heavy. Honda's v4's are another thing all together though.

[GS1150Pilot]

I don't find the CB900f to be that heavy-and certainly not compared to the XS11 I had. I think the Honda is nicer over the road than my 1150 was, actually-stock or modded.

[Rob S.]

As I sit here staring at Suzi, I can't help but recall my '71 CB350 and my '73 Z1. Each one had a fine metal badge, secured with two screws, on each side of the tank - "HONDA" and "KAWASAKI." Also bold stripes; the Z was a gorgeous two tone.

The 11E tank? One solid color, with a decal on each side. Same goes for the side covers. It's like they were trying to hide the "1100." I've had guys standing right next to her asking, "Is it a 750?"

There was no pretense, in 1982, that the decals were more aerodynamic than the badges - just cheaper. Remember the "750 Four" side cover badges? Of course you do.

The Honda and the Kaw were Cadillacs. The Suze wasn't even a Chevy. It was a Toyota.

PS - Is there a bot in the house?

[dpep]

PS - Is there a bot in the house?

Not anymore.
...

[oldGSfan]

I'm with you there Ed. Yamha had it in the RZ/RD sphere, Honda lost the plot IMO with the DOHC 750, I found it to be a lesser bike than the SOHC. Kawasaki always had the pizazz, going for the max performance and craziness with the triples. But Suzuki was the balanced one, in the end. Then the early to mid 80's came along like mullets - I watched friends buy 80's bikes like Secas, Visions, even XN85s, CX500 turbos, all the funky 80's bikes. None compared to the '82 GPz 750 I found for a friend during my USAF days in Texas. It was painted to match the Eddie Lawson. That 750 was better than my '82 KZ1000 in every way except grunt.

On a downer note, the guy I found it for was never stable on a bike. He dropped it during a safety class where you had to brake and turn when the light went green in the lane (or straight) you needed to take. He just didn't have any feel for machinery and when he sold it in Athens Greece, I was happy to see him leave motorcycling, turned out to be forever, which was/is good. I was also happy for the guy that he sold it to, and had a conversation with him at the 'auto hobby shop' the day he bought it. He rode off without a helmet after our chat, and 5 minutes later he died. I remember I warned him about the streets being made up of a lot of crushed marble. His head hit a curb after a high side. I felt so sad for his parents, far far away, hearing the terrible news. It shook me up and I hardly knew him.

Honda is third on my list of desirable UJM's. Only Yamaha is worse, not that they made bad bikes, it's just that they focused on cruisers more than the others and didn't offer alternatives. Honda = heavy. Honda's v4's are another thing all together though.

[Rob S.]

Not anymore.
...

Thanks for your kind words and thoughtful suggestions...wait a minute, I'm not a bot. Last I checked.

[Nessism]

I'm with you there Ed. Yamha had it in the RZ/RD sphere, Honda lost the plot IMO with the DOHC 750, I found it to be a lesser bike than the SOHC. Kawasaki always had the pizazz, going for the max performance and craziness with the triples. But Suzuki was the balanced one, in the end. Then the early to mid 80's came along like mullets - I watched friends buy 80's bikes like Secas, Visions, even XN85s, CX500 turbos, all the funky 80's bikes. None compared to the '82 GPz 750 I found for a friend during my USAF days in Texas. It was painted to match the Eddie Lawson. That 750 was better than my '82 KZ1000 in every way except grunt.

On a downer note, the guy I found it for was never stable on a bike. He dropped it during a safety class where you had to brake and turn when the light went green in the lane (or straight) you needed to take. He just didn't have any feel for machinery and when he sold it in Athens Greece, I was happy to see him leave motorcycling, turned out to be forever, which was/is good. I was also happy for the guy that he sold it to, and had a conversation with him at the 'auto hobby shop' the day he bought it. He rode off without a helmet after our chat, and 5 minutes later he died. I remember I warned him about the streets being made up of a lot of crushed marble. His head hit a curb after a high side. I felt so sad for his parents, far far away, hearing the terrible news. It shook me up and I hardly knew him.

I agree Tom. The KZ/GPZ 750 was based on the KZ650 which was about 50 lbs lighter than a Honda & Suzuki 750 of the same era. Those 16V engines made more power but it wasn't enough to make up for the extra bulk.

[GS1150Pilot]

I see only a 27 pound difference in wet weight between an '82 CB900f and an '82 GPz 750, and the 900 is quicker and just as fast.

[Nessism]

I see only a 27 pound difference in wet weight between an '82 CB900f and an '82 GPz 750, and the 900 is quicker and just as fast.

According to this article the KZ750 is 53 lbs lighter than a CB750F...

https://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/kawasaki/kawasaki_z750f-II%2080.htm

[GS1150Pilot]

I think there is a distinct difference between 1980 and 1982 for these bikes.

Look at the weight of the CB900f here:

https://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/Honda/honda_cb900f_82.html