Antique Intrigue (continued)

Motorcycles were just a sideline for a large agricultural machinery firm from north eastern Italy when Francesco Laverda built his first bikes – tiny 75cc four-strokes- in the late 1940s. It was for three-cylinder Sportsters, that the firm became most famous. 1973 gave us the Jota. In the mid 70s, it was the fastest thing on two wheels, as confirmed in numerous production race victories.

Italy’s largest motorcycle manufacturer for much of its long history, Guzzi dates back to the closing years of the First World War when three air corp friends, Carlos Guzzi, Giorgio Parodi and Giovanni Ravelli, planned a bike firm. After Ravelli was killed in a flying crash, the other two adopted the air corps’ eagle symbol lin his honor. In 1920, Carlo Guzzi designed the firm’s first bike, the Normale. Guzzi’s horizontal singles evolved and were hugely successful in racing.

The greatest machine of all was the legendary 500cc V-eight, designed by Giulio Carcano. The bike was clocked at 178mph at the Belgian Grand Prix in 1957. Despite these feats, Guzzi unfortunately pulled out of Grand Prix racing at the end of the season, so the V-eight never really fulfilled it’s true potential.

Guzzi’s trademark transverse 90-degree V-twin engine design was first seen in an unusual 754cc three-wheeled mountain vehicle built for the Italian Ministry of Defense. In 1964, Guzzi revised the engine for a military bike, and realized the machine had potential for civilian use too. 1967 saw the introduction of the V7. Four years later came the most famous model of all – the 850 LeMans. Guzzi took a long time to produce a fitting successor to the original LeMans. Finally, in 1992, the Daytona 1000, a new generation sportsbike was introduced. Dr. John Wittner, an American dentist turned engineer is responsible for its design. The Daytona proved there was still sporting life in Guzzi’s V-twin format.

From producing knitting machines to bicycles to cars, NSU was one of the world’s largest manufacturers before WWII. The most famous descendent was the Supermax introduced in 1955. Honda based several bikes on this stable handling, excellent braking model.

The world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer was founded in October 1946, when Soichiro Honda set up the Honda Technical Research Institute in a small wooden shed in Hamamatsu. Aiming to provide cheap transport for a population hit by defeat in the Second World War, Honda first bolted army-surplus engines to bicycles. A year later, he built his own 50cc two-stroke engine, and in 1949 Honda and his 20 employees produced their first complete bike, the "Dream."

Of all Honda’s bikes over the years, the most important was arguably the humble C10 super Cub of 1958. Combining scooter-style full enclosure with large wheels and an engine placed in the conventional motorbike position instead of under the seat, the Super Cub offered convenience, economy and reliability. The CB450 signaled the start of Honda’s attack on the big bike market.

Modern day motorcycling arrived with the CB750 becoming known as the first Superbike. In the 1970s, Honda did relatively little to update the CB750, which translated into losing ground to newer rivals such as Kawasaki. Honda made less of an impact on the track than it did in the showroom, inspiring engineers to redirect their efforts. The Goldwing rerouted the firm. For many owners, the Gold Wing provides an entry to club runs, rallies and other social events.

Soichiro Honda had raced cars with some success before turning to motorcycle production, and knew competition could bring both prestige and technical knowledge. After expensive and embarrassing mechanical problems, Honda came out with a winner in 1986. The VFR750F became one of the most important bikes Honda has ever produced. Transitioning into the FL and later the R, better known as the RC30 – was essentially a road-going copy of the factory RVF racebike that had dominated Formula One and endurance competition. The new VFR750R was virtually unbeatable on both road and track. Hondas have maintained an excellent balance between power, handling and practicality.

The motorcycle division forms a relatively small part of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, a vast firm that produces trains, boats and planes. Kawasaki’s involvement with bikes began in the 1950s, when the aircraft division was looking for civilian work, and was stepped up when the industrial giant wanted to increase awareness of its name. In 1960, Kawasaki built its first complete bike, a 125cc two-stroke, and took over Meguro, Japan’s oldest motorcycle manufacturer, which had been making copies of British bikes including the BSA A7 parallel twin.

In 1969, Kawasaki released the 500cc H1, the first of the triples that would earn the firm a well-deserved reputation for outrageous high performance. Known as the Mach III, the bike had an unmatched power-to-weight ratio. The combination of an insubstantial frame, rearwards weight distribution and an abrupt power step at 6000rpm were responsible for introducing the words, "wheelie" and "tankslapper" to riders’ vocabularies.

The Z1 was released in 1973. Nicknamed the "King," Kawasaki earned a lasting reputation for horsepower and reliability. One of the outstanding bikes of the eighties was the GPZ900R, their first watercooled four. This "Ninja" model was immediately popular as it was hard to beat both on the road and in production racing. In the ultra-competitive nineties, it was some achievement for Kawasaki to produce a Superbike whose awesome powerplant produced speeds to blow away all opposition – welcome the ZX11, based on Formula One car-race technology, which ducted cool air from a slot in the fairing nose to a pressurized airbox. The faster the Kawasaki went, the deeper it breathed – with thrilling result.

Torakusu Yamaha trained as a clockmaker before, in 1897, founding Nippon Gakki, which grew into one of the world’s largest musical instrument manufacturers. In 1955, Nippon Gakki established the Yamaha Company to build motorbikes, using machinery that had made aircraft propellers in WWII.

The first bike was a 125cc two-stroke since called the YA-1 or Red Dragonfly. The twin-cylinder YD-1 followed in 1957 and Yamaha bean establishing a reputation for quick, light and reliable two-strokes. The bike that brought Yamaha to the forefront of Superbike design was the four-cylinder FZR1000, which many riders regarded as the best Japanese sportster in the years following its launch in 1987.

Yamaha’s YZR has been the domnant 500cc Grand Prix bike of the modern era, winning six world championships between 1984 and 1993, providing the basis for the ROC and Harris-framed privateer V-fours. The YZR engine used twin crankshafts geared together, the layout actually more accurately resembling a W4. This format has also been adopted by Suzuki and Cagiva.

There is no greater name in motorcycle racing than MV Agusta, whose record of 17 consecutive world 500cc championships between 1958 and 1974 will probably never be equaled. In all, the small factory from Gallarate won 38 rider’s world titles, 37 manufacturer’s championships and over 3000 international races, as well as building the mighty four-cylinder roadsters that were arguably the fastest and most glamorous suberbikes of the 1970s.

The Meccanica Verghera motorcycle firm was founded in the village of Verghera towards the end of WWII by Count Domenico Agusta, the eldest of four brothers whose late father, a Sicilian aristocrat, had been a noted aviation pioneer. Domenico turned to bikes and in 1945 released a 98cc two-stroke that raced with instant success. But, it was the bigger classes that MV was most successful. MV had little serious opposition for long periods during the 1960s, but the so-called "Gallarate fire engines" were increasingly tested by the Japanese two-stroke challenge in the early 1970s. Ironically it was Giacomo Agostini, now on a two-stroke Yamaha, who finally ended the Italian firm’s domination in 1975.

(continued)

Bimota of Rimini, Italy, was formed by Messrs Bianchi, Morri and Tamburini in 1973. The name of the company is derived from the first two letters of each name. Combine their technology skills with the racing talents of Claudio and Gianfranco Castiglioni of Cagiva fame…Add MV Agusta, Morini, Ducati and Husqvarna into the picture and you have World Superbike Championship domination in the nineties. Attributed largely to the Ducati 916, rarely has a new motorcycle generated as much excitement as this bike did on its 1994 launch. Superb handling combined with fuel-injected, v-twin power made this an instant classic.

Michio Suzuki set up a business manufacturing silk looms in 1909. In 1952, problems in the silk loom industry led Suzuki to develop and sell a 36cc two-stroke engine, named the Power Free, which clipped to a bicycle frame. Followed by the 60cc Diamond Free, then a 90cc and the first complete bike, the Colleda.

It was a new generation 250 twin, the X6, that put Suzuki on the map in 1966. A year later, Suzuki entered the big bike market with the Titan, a two-stroke parallel twin with a top speed of 110mph. Transitioning with a disc front brake, electronic ignition, and name change, the GT500 became the Water Buffalo GT750.

In 1978, a big four-cylinder machine whose chassis was a match for its motor, became a landmark for Suzuki and the Japanese industry. The GS1000 was the first open-class bike that handled really well and was comfortable as well as reliable – but it was marred by ugly, angular looks. Two years later, Suzuki revamped to produce the GSX1100S Katana – named after a Samurai warrior’s ceremonial sword. The radical combination of nose fairing, low handlebars, humped fuel tank and combined seat/sidepanels gave a superbly raw, aggressive image.

The arrival of Suzuki’s GSX-R750 in 1985 had a huge impact on the design of supersports motorcycles. This was the first true-Japanese race-replica. Every component of the GSX-r was designed for high performance and low weight. Suzuki produced bigger versions and further revamps to reach the fastest production bike in America, the GSX-R 1300 Hayabusa.

What amounts to volumes on library shelves couldn’t find justice in this introductory space. The technological developments of engine, body styling and purpose-necessary improvements underscored the marques we now refer to as classic and vintage milestones. The bike is a metaphor for shedding constraints – of gravity and of society. Motorcycles have climbed and jumped and made their owners rebels for a day. They’ve moved faster than life. Each country has a long and colorful history, which is unique unto its own. Much can be learned from tracing the roots and following the stories that make up this two-wheeled history. We stand at the door of technology breakthroughs and ourselves are an important component of the developing picture. Below are suggestions to continue your study of the motorcycle, its evolution and cultural significance.

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