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Pick your favorite iconic car from any decade....
- Thread starter Iridescentone
- Start date
I had one at 10 years old in 78... the bike was a MONSTER to me back then. I bought one is real bad shape with a clean title a couple years back that I've spent most of the time collecting parts for. Currently I am tearing down both motors... I acquired the 67 back in Nov. I had always intended to track one down after the CT1C was finished, but I couldn't pass up the deal. Once I get the 67 to a point, I'm back focused on the 71.
That Tempest is something. What was the drive train in the 421 Superduty model? Surely it wouldn't have been the stock trans-axle setup with that bigblock...or would it?
God I miss two strokes!
Anyone ever ride one of these '72 Kaws? Scary quick little bike, and I mean "killer" literally. Deadly power band surge, really had to keep an eye on the tach.
Anyone ever ride one of these '72 Kaws? Scary quick little bike, and I mean "killer" literally. Deadly power band surge, really had to keep an eye on the tach.
The RD250 was insane.God I miss two strokes!
Anyone ever ride one of these '72 Kaws? Scary quick little bike, and I mean "killer" literally. Deadly power band surge, really had to keep an eye on the tach.
Kids who wanted to go quick rode these because the cc limit for P plate riders was 250cc.
I got around on a borrowed RD250 LC for a while,
but it was tricked out with a race-bred TZ250 engine and a reinforced swing-arm. It was quick
These things consistently killed kids, or bent them badly outta shape. I lost one friend, in the Eighties, and any urge to stay in the game, not long after.
TZ250
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One of my customers just insured one of these last week. A 1972 Plymouth 'Cuda 340.
- Dec 21, 2007
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I had the 500. Scary quick and not a great handler. I popped my first ever wheelie (unintentional) when I test-drove it for the first time. Fun times.God I miss two strokes!
Anyone ever ride one of these '72 Kaws? Scary quick little bike, and I mean "killer" literally. Deadly power band surge, really had to keep an eye on the tach.
yup... it is THIS exact car, not just like it. The article is on the one in my shop. Invalid Link Removed
My customer is also the guy that owns the ZL-1... he has about 60 cars, must be nice
In the shop shot I posted you can see a green one in the mechanic area off in the distance. It was a 1973 Cuda that the owner wanted it 'upgraded' to 1970 AAR Cuda specs. It was surprisingly fast considering the other stuff we work on regularly.
Did anyone watch Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale this weekend? My boss was out there with 4 customer cars... one was a top seller from Saturday. It was the yellow Superbird 440/6 that went for $200k. The others were a red Super Bee and Gold GTX (both Hemi automatic cars)... and from Thursday a 2007 Saleen Mustang.
That RD250 is a descendant of my 1967.... mine is YR1, which became the YR2, YR3, then R5... and in 1973 switched from piston port to reed valves and it becomes the RD line. I'm completely rebuilding the engine, brakes, and suspension... all else will be left patina. My CT1-C is being built as a mostly street runner with custom paint... high compression, stage 2 porting, close ratio gears... will run exclusively on race gas.
Me too. Remember this little darling coming down the road? Sounded like a ski mobile. Always wanted one.
Saab Sonet 2
Speaking of bikes, heres a few pics of an old H1 I slapped together from parts. Such sweet burble!
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"...used a rear-mounted transaxle for better weight distribution, improving the car’s launch. Heavy-duty internals were packed into new, stronger cases, creating the unique and durable “Powershift” four-speed transaxle..."
Too cool. I didn't think the stock trans-axle could ever handle the 421. I had a '63 Tempest with a 326, 3-speed manual floor shift, non-synchro 1st gear. Even with the little 326 I was always expecting to tear up the drive train. Mine was was the same tan color as the one in your pic, which tells me that the resto is faithful to original color specs for '63. Is that right?
I remember those. A Mach III ? Was it painted gold? I never rode one but they were legendary from Day 1. A couple guys in my hood had them, they added a second front disc brake to help keep the front end down. That helped, but they were still a risky ride. It's remarkable that Kawasaki would take the concept to the next level with a 750 in '72. A street legal kamikaze death machine, but a totally thrilling ride. In '72 the Kaw dealer in my area sternly cautioned new owners about the violent nature of the bike before letting them drive away on it.
As I understand it, there were quite a few law suits filed. I personally witnessed a friend power shift into second gear. Not only did the front end go vertical, but the entire bike went airborn, back wheel off the ground. When the bike slammed down on him he broke his back and wrist, fractured his skull (no helmet), and took 90 stitches to his head as the streering damper knob sliced through his scalp. He almost died that night.
After that horrific experience I started wearing a helmet.
God I miss two strokes!
Anyone ever ride one of these '72 Kaws? Scary quick little bike, and I mean "killer" literally. Deadly power band surge, really had to keep an eye on the tach.
Oh, yeah, I remember those. Friend of mine had one when we were stationed in Michigan. I was lucky enough to ride his once (and once was enough on that no-handling pig), before he 1) flipped it over on himself, doing an unintentional wheelie; and 2) destroying it completely about a month later, trying to go around a curve (pine trees are hard). I was riding a CB450 Honda at the time (like this one). Wasn't as quick as the Kawi, and maybe not quite as fast; but it was plenty quick and fast enough. Went around corners much better, too.... The '06 883 Sportster? That's what I ride every day. Like the Honda, it does everything well enough. And with ME88 Metzlers on it - instead of the hard, greasy Dunlops Harley wants to put on it - it actually does handle like a real motorcycle...
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This will be white with blue interior just like it was when raced.
Me too! I did almost buy a V4 Sonett III. I love the 2 stroke version, but have never seen one in person.
Cool bikes, but their biggest issue was being treated like a handling bike when they are meant for straight line quickness and speed.
And with ME88 Metzlers on it - instead of the hard, greasy Dunlops Harley wants to put on it - it actually does handle like a real motorcycle...
My sister has one of those, she upgraded her tires as well, it handles pretty nice compared to her husband's big wide Harley (I don't recall the model, they aren't my thing)
I've spec'ed out Avon tires for both my bikes. Roadrider on the 67 and Trailrider on the 71
In the 80's I was constantly buying new bikes, then trading them in for whatever caught my fancy. In '85 I bought a new FJ 1100, which was one of the faster production bikes at that time (10.2 quarter mi w/pro rider). But it had a couple serious design flaws. Putting it into 1st gear caused a jolting slam, as the gear wasn't dog-ear'd. Lotta owners had warranty trans repairs at the Yamaha dealer. Worst, the bike had a baked in tendency to straighten itself up vertically in a turn during any braking maneuver. Not good.
That summer I added a new '85 RZ 350 to the stable. Not a fast bike at all. But with its two-stroke engine, light weight, and perfectly neutral frame geometry and balance, it was the most fun bike I've ever ridden. I think the RZ was one of the last street legal two-strokes allowed in the US. I miss this one.
That summer I added a new '85 RZ 350 to the stable. Not a fast bike at all. But with its two-stroke engine, light weight, and perfectly neutral frame geometry and balance, it was the most fun bike I've ever ridden. I think the RZ was one of the last street legal two-strokes allowed in the US. I miss this one.
It's been expanded to include cars, trucks, bikes....anything with an engine and wheels works here.
Feel free to contribute your fave, even if it's a little pink moped. We'll understand.
It's been expanded to include cars, trucks, bikes....anything with an engine and wheels works here.
Feel free to contribute your fave, even if it's a little pink moped. We'll understand.
