And there is the problem.....but I have seen a few for the 8-10k range so not totally out of the realm of possibility. But maybe if they depreciate more. If ever.Just a little reminder, this is the pretty (15 grand-ish) motorcycle the OP fell in lust with, we just need one at one-third the original list price.
... which might be a stretch because anybody who bought one of these, probably bought it to keep forever or turn a profit on.
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Similar to a Honda CB1100
- Thread starter mimico_polak
- Start date
Universal Japanese Motorcycle (UJM) is a US motorcycling media term for a general-purpose style of Japanese standard motorcycle that revolutionized the industry and made motorcycling in America more accessible during the 1970s and 1980s.[1] By around 1990 its popularity began to wane as the market fragmented into more specialized designs.
Trials
Well-known member
Heavy and fast, smooth and refined, mush brakes, cheap suspension that drags hard parts in corners and a generally tendency to wiggle and understeer. It was a wonderful era.
... first time I rode one of those, it was on deep sand for the first hundred feet and I was so short I had to take off and throw my leg over the saddle when it was moving, no ****
and it was fitted with a heavy Windjammer fairing, bike was a pig on sand
... first time I rode one of those, it was on deep sand for the first hundred feet and I was so short I had to take off and throw my leg over the saddle when it was moving, no **** and it was fitted with a heavy Windjammer fairing, bike was a pig on sand
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I wondered if the brakes are always like that. I nearly **** myself when I had a chance to ride one... respectably powerful, doesn't stop good
Mad Mike
Well-known member
Still is a wonderful era if you have one -- there are still millions of 40-50 year old UJMs rolling around the world.
It's not hard to find decent bikes in the $1-2K range, you could have a small collection of them for the price of 1 same vintage R75 or Duc750.
Trials
Well-known member
They were born that way.
Sad thing is we thought they were wonderful at the time because they were so competitive to the drum predecessors.
Brake lines should be immediately replaced with steel reinforced because they are like balloons.
Round pucks were atrocious lacking in area and if you don't have at least 2 hydraulic pistons pushing against each other, you don't have much for brakes.
'69 CB750 was the first mass market production bike with disk brakes. Head and shoulders above anything else commonly available at the time.
The four leading edge shoe drum brakes like Suzuki GT750s or Laverdas work well BUT they weigh a ton and a half. All that unsprung weight affects the handling and the turn in of the bike.
Sooooooo the Honda stopped better than anything else AND it handled better too.
So yeah, disc brakes were the cat's ass at the time.
The BEST of the big UJMs are the Suzi GS's.
The four leading edge shoe drum brakes like Suzuki GT750s or Laverdas work well BUT they weigh a ton and a half. All that unsprung weight affects the handling and the turn in of the bike.
Sooooooo the Honda stopped better than anything else AND it handled better too.
So yeah, disc brakes were the cat's ass at the time.
The BEST of the big UJMs are the Suzi GS's.
Mad Mike
Well-known member
That is an issue. 50 years ago shoe brakes were the standard, when disks appeared they were a giant leap forward -- particularly on street bikes. A lot has changed over the years and disc systems improved to what we have today.
The simplest upgrades are 1) change to teflon/stainless brake lines. I've seen tons of 70s era bikes with original brake lines, while they seem to last forever, they do swell swell under hard braking, and they get worse when they get hot. They also need to be bled every 2 years as they are slightly permeable to air. The newer stainless likes hold pressure better and they don't let air into the system. 2) Change to stintered brake pads. Many older bikes have solid rotors and organic pads. Both pad types work well in the dry, but stintered are grippier in the wet and bite a bit harder under hard braking. Many bikes can have aftermarket or donor slotted/drilled rotor options -- other than looks these don't make a huge difference on the street.
Trials
Well-known member
That might be the simplest, but an upgrade from balls to taper bearings in the steering head would make a huge difference, and I'd be tempted to just replace the front brake completely, there is only one.
... and DiD alloy rims
... and Ohlins rear shocks
... and flat bars
... and DiD alloy rims
... and Ohlins rear shocks
... and flat bars
Mad Mike
Well-known member
69 CB750 was disk brake
As for the best... that's gotta be a topic for a motorcycle forum. While I love them all, if I had to pick one for my garage, it would be a Kawi (take a guess on the model) -- I had one when when I was in my early 20s.
A few years ago I rented a Bonneville in Thailand, pretty sure it was made in Thailand. Totally anecdotal, but it had 20+k km, was down a few times, and lived a rental life. Rode perfectly, zero oil leaks, no clunks, nothing wrong with it.
Trials
Well-known member
You would know, if it was old vibrated and leaked oil since new it was built in England.
Chris-CJ
Well-known member
Modern Triumph's are cool bikes. Happened to be at a Motorcycle Show that featured Triumph Ducati, BMW, among others and I could not help but notice the difference in detail such as the quality of brake levers. The Duc and BM, were "quality".
That's just me... finicky
Here is the Kawi Z900RS with a paint job similar to the ZRX1200 and a bubble fairing instead of the squared off nose fairing of the ZRX1200
"be free from the gravity of expectation"
RonnieRev
Well-known member
1999 to 2005 Kawasaki ZRX
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