Best and worst Major brands

The best and worst some of the biggest vintage bike brands

Oh lord, the crap I intend to catch on this. I’m going to look at some of the biggest Japanese vintage motorcycle Brands (and one American) and best I have found with each of them and my biggest issues with the brands as well. Well, lets have it. Remember these are my personal opinions. Don't take it too seriously.

• Yamaha! Let’s start with my bread and butter, my Favorite brand, my chosen bike to ride. Yamaha produced its first motorcycle in 1955 and I’ve loved most of them. Yamaha is well, like that kid in school that’s kind of slow. He has some ideas that look awesome on paper and then they crash and burn. At the same time once he learns something he’s like Rainman. For instance, Yamaha produced strictly two stroke motors from 1955 through 1967. That’s 12 years of just building two strokes and nothing else all while Honda and Kawasaki are mass producing the crap out of four strokes. So Yamaha does some research and releases the XS1 its first four stroke and it was awesome! So now Yamaha is going to throw most of its hats into four strokes and they create the TX models that were Bombs, not the bomb, bombs, grenades. The TX models only lasted two years 73 & 74. Yamaha was quick to scrap that idea and just kept pumping out those XS bikes. The brand has always been this way and lack R&R on many of the models they pump out to try to keep pace with the game.

  
  

  Yamaha pros: Longevity (most bikes), Innovation, fine tuning and loyalty.

  
  

  Yamaha cons: Poor research and development, Slow to reach outside the comfort zone, Cheap fixes.
• Honda! Let’s say this, I’ve owned a couple Hondas and you cannot beat their longevity period! Honda motors opened the motorcycle segment in 1955. They’ve been the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world since 1959 and they’re very proud of that claim. Honda has and always will be an extremely dependable brand. Honda motors are built to closer tolerances than any other motor around. Honda is the people’s bike it’s a bike brand that any average person would feel comfortable going and buying. They’ve owned that niche with the slogan “you meet the nicest people on a Honda”. My issue with Honda Isn’t dependability or manufacturing specs, it’s a failure to evolve. Honda mass produces everything from lawnmowers and go-kart motors to mountain bikes and solar panels. I just feel like they have become so generalized and generic that the motorcycles lack any identity. Honda is like the Walmart of motorcycles, Jack of all trades; master of none.

  Honda Pros: Dependability, family friendly, targets the average person, and very high engine tolerances.

  Honda Cons: Generic, lack of innovation, focus on mass production rather than uniqueness.

  
  
• Kawasaki! The NAVMC club will have my head for this. Kawasaki began exporting bikes to the US in the mid-60s after being originally rejected for being low on power. In 1968 Kawasaki releases the H1 Mach 3 which finally put Kawasaki on the map. Kawasaki sold the life out of three cylinder two strokes while also developing the KZ models throughout the 70’s making a name for themselves on the street and on the track. Kawasaki to me has always been more of a race bike company. Focused primarily on the higher performance and fine tuning to get a bike to produce maximum performance numbers but with this attention to detail they seem to miss the markets and struggle by not producing the quantity of bikes to really compete with their competitors. Also, I’ve noticed in my own experience that Kawasaki at times uses questionable materials for certain parts for instance using lesser grade metals for engine components. I.E. spacers and bushings

  Kawasaki pros: High performance, some of the fastest bikes out of the crate, Innovation

  Kawasaki cons: Lack of production, Questionable part choices

  
  
• Suzuki! Suzuki is the real rainman of motorcycles. Producing nothing but two strokes from 1955 to 1976 (21 years) Suzuki caught a lucky break when east German grand prix racer Ernst Degner defected to the west in 61 and brought news of combining the boost port, the expansion chamber, and the rotary valve. A year later and Suzuki had won the 50cc class World road racing Championship. After applying what I like to call the two stroke triangle. Suzuki began mass producing crazy fast machines on the road and the dirt. Suzuki has quite possibly the fewest models within the motorcycle brand of anyone. That’s because when they could make something run and run right, there’s no need to fix if it isn’t broken. Personally, I like Suzuki, I like the fact that they don’t change things that don’t need to be changed. I like consistency and Suzuki is the epitome of consistency however, the lack NOS parts, and aftermarket parts is the biggest downfall for vintage Suzuki’s. While they are out there, they don’t seem to be as abundant as the other brands.

  Suzuki Pros: Consistency, Two stroke innovation, Performance

  Suzuki Cons: Lack of NOS and Repro parts.

  
  

• Harley… Dear lord. Lets look at the actual bike, They sound awesome, and look great too as they really step up their styling game every year. They’re (for the most part) not the best for longevity and the violent vibrations caused by mister potato head can eventually rattle bolts and parts loose making for a long day when you lose a shifter lever in North Carolina. Harley seems to be the “American dream” Don’t get me wrong, I like a nice Harley, I really do, their biggest downfall? Their loyal customers. Yep, the American people are the biggest fault with Harleys. Where do I start? The greater than thou is a good starting point, the fact that people can be such jerks because your bike isn’t the same as theirs amazes me.  The aftermarket selection, Harley may have quite possibly the largest aftermarket selection of any motorcycle brand. How is this bad you might ask? Because, people with no mechanical skills whatsoever often buy Harleys for the name. They want a new S&S carb and intake so here comes the Red Loctite and an impact. The bolts get cross threaded and it’s a nightmare. Harleys aren’t bad bikes, they’ve been in business for so long for a reason, but their customers really make the name for the bike.  Harley’s are cruiser bikes, theyre not sport bikes, they’ll never go as fast as a sport bike or handle as well as one, stop pretending. I can’t tell you how many Harleys I know of that sit in the garage, never being ridden, tires rotting, batteries draining, getting ridden once a year in the local toy ride, but they’ve got a Harley. Those, those are the Harley riders who ruin it for the others. I know plenty of great Harley guys who ride all the time and they don’t care what you ride as long as you’re not a jerk. It’s the better than everyone else guys who really ruin it.

Harley Pros: Sound, Comfort, styling

Harley Cons: Longevity, dependability, CUSTOMERS

In conclusion, every bike brand has its faults, nothing I say even matters. What does matter is the single rule that applys to all motorcycle riders throughout the world, Don’t be a jerk just ride. It doesn’t matter what you ride or what style you ride. I’ll ride with you any day of the week.

•