Kawasaki Z550-1100
There's nothing quite so frightening as an out of control motorcycle. Riding along at 90mph, at one with the world, or as near as you can get whilst being shaken about by a howling gale, courtesy of the high custom bars and forward mounted pegs. Taking a car that seemed to be going backwards, coming out of its slipstream into a maelstrom as the soft as butter suspension suddenly goes into rapid decay mode. Old, tired Japanese junk that was pretty crap even when new if high speed frolics were indulged.
The next thing that goes down, the whole bike's leaping all over the shop. The bars aren't so much twitching as slamming from stop to stop, almost wrenching my shoulders out of their sockets. The bike oscillating across one then two lanes of traffic. Still at 90mph as I've suddenly gone brain dead at the controls - god knows what the cager thought, probably better than TV, confirming his belief that motorcycles were dangerous devices only indulged by the criminally insane.
Suddenly, I come out of the trance, grabbed every available control. For once the huge bars helped as at least they gave leverage. The chassis seemed about to fall apart as the discs screech and the transmission bucks against the engine braking. Some idiots recommend loosening one's grips on the bars (it works - Ed) but it seems more realistic just to get rid of the speed as fast as possible. I think death is near as the whole wreck turns to plastic under me and the wheels seem to be going in completely different directions.
The damn thing hopped off the road at about 40mph and did a lot of environmental damage to the countryside (something in its favour, anyway) and gave my groin the kind of battering you'd only get after taking on a group of Patpong pimps. I narrowly avoided being sick in my helmet, was happy to get away with a screaming fit.
Bear in mind that this happened the first day, almost on the first hard ride I'd had on Kawasaki's fine, all too aptly named, Spectre. Thus I formed an opinion of the custom four that was probably unfair but not that dissimilar to what might be experienced on any decade old Jap that had spent part of its life abandoned in a field! These grey importers will buy anything as long as the price is right and then try to tell you they are doing you a favour!
This particular early eighties Spectre was the 750 version, though it was also available as a gargantuan 1100. The Spectre can really be seen as deluxe version of the Ltd series, available in 550 and 750 form (which sometimes made it to the UK as official imports), and any minor differences in these models will have been submerged by mileage and wear.
Back to the 750. It came with soft suspension, which some 33000 miles had left soggy, the fork seals blown and the rear shocks something only a Superdream owner would enjoy. That would be bad enough but the thing weighed in at close to 500lbs and had a worn out shaft drive twisting the swinging arm every which way. Anyone who's hustled around on a seventies or early eighties big Jap four will know the scene, but at least the British stuff usually ran to beefed up chassis components, whereas the 55mph Yanks don't bother, just dump the thing when it becomes too dangerous.
Incredibly, the 750Ltd version weighed even more despite only running a rear chain drive, which at least did less damage to the stability compared to a worn out shaft drive - newish ones are a lot less intrusive, and clocking the antics of the back end an adequate way of gauging the real mileage (the one I nearly fell off must've done more than 60,000 miles despite what the clock said).
The finish was already blitzed so the cross country outing hardly added any more apparent scratches. Geometry changes to the stock Z750 were made by fitting longer forks, which means a more modern front end will sort out high speed stability problems... well, the stock Z750 was never anything to write home about so it might not be worth the effort. Better to get laid back and imagine you're on a Harley, when all the nastiness is merely excused as real character.
Neither was the Z750 engine the most reliable motor in the world, sharing most of its bottom end with the Z550/650 (which to be fair, were pretty tough). Camchain rattles, valve demise and small-end knocking being the most obvious areas of concern. Bear in mind that lots of GT750 engine bits will happily fit into both the Ltd and Spectre (which even shares the shaft drive), so a dying engine isn't a total disaster as long as the price is right and the dealer's not trying to off-load some old dog as prime meat - you wouldn't believe the antics we come across and the stories that readers send us.
Most engines made it past 25000 miles, some did twice that, but much more than that is pushing things. Vibration, engine noises and exhaust smoke are easily identifiable calling cards of such demise, but there are some bodges dealers indulge to get a machine out of the showroom, and the engine will run and run until it's absolutely worn out. It's quite easy to end up with a pig in a poke.
My example had a minor bout of all three afflictions, didn't really reflect its claimed 70 horses at 9000 revs (the Ltd has an extra 5 horses but didn't appear to have any less torque). The shagged shaft drive ran very hot (yes, there was some oil in there), a sure sign that it was dissipating an excess of power in frictional loses. No problem frying eggs on its housing and whine caused earache after an hour in the saddle. A check around the breakers turned up a low mileage shaft and all its universal joints (from a GT750) for £95 and it's even possible to convert them to chain drive (which might help improve on the appalling 40mpg lack of economy).
The gearbox had a mind of its own in the taller gears, changing up on its own and sometimes becoming stuck in fifth gear. It was just full of false neutrals between first and third (another sign of high mileage). This made top speed runs complicated (I was already full of fear of its wobbles) but 120mph on the clock came up once and the ton was easily attained if the bouncing suspension and shaking bars were ignored.
Given the state of the suspension and the useless riding position, a safe top speed was 65 to 70mph. Annoyingly, top gear blitzed the bike with secondary vibes at this speed, which made it about as relaxed as playing Russian Roulette. Again, hitting on the breakers would turn up some adequate suspension for around a hundred notes and a new set of chassis bearings, flat bars, rear-sets, etc would result in a reasonable projectile as long as the engine was okay.
Of course, there is the odd immaculate Spectre on offer, but that means over two grand rather than less than a 1000 notes for the doggy stuff in the UK. They hardly ever fetch more than a thousand dollars in the States, maybe half that for the near rats.
All this adds up to the opportunity of buying something at a reasonable price and spending a couple of weeks sorting the bike out, with maybe an extra £200 spent in the breakers on top of the original price. After all that effort, you'd end up with a machine almost as good as a GT750! The low mileage, immaculate end of the market has some possibilities, especially if you hit on the States where they are about half the price here.
The Z550 Ltd's a much sweeter running device than the 750, but the best deal's the GPz550, especially the later model, which merged speed, handling and economy in a highly versatile package that the inbuilt limits of the custom genre just can't hope to compete with.
The Ltd made 55 horses at 9000 revs, weighed in at 440lbs dry and didn't really combine those figures into a startling on the road experience. Turning in no better than 50mpg, running out of puff at 110mph and preferring to go around corners sideways rather than sticking to a dedicated line.
For sure, stiffening up the suspension sorts out most of the handling horrors, the lower mass and power giving the chassis an easier time; the absence of a worn shaft drive stopping some of weirder antics of the 750 Spectre. Precise steering and high speed stability were, though, unknown attributes to the Ltd line.
As easy as it is to dismiss such devices as a pile of junk, the 550 has some useful qualities. Not least is a motor almost as tough as the GS series without any of the alternator or rectifier hassles...even if the earlier Z550's benefit from fitment of the later camchain tensioner, though it was never as bad as the suicidal Z500, the motor on which the Z550/650 series was founded (though to be strictly realistic it was the Jap market Z400 that defined the design).
Expect the engine to run to 40,000 miles even in total neglect mode. 60 to 70,000 miles possible with a bit of servicing and regular oil changes. Some have broken through the 100,000 mile barrier, usually with a bit of engine attention - at such mileages even the crank's bearings start going knock-knock.
The imports usually turn up with 20 to 30,000 miles on the clock, which means they have lots of life left. Those stored in fields for a while often suffer from carb and ignition hassles, leaving their engines full of flat spots. No, fitting newish GT or GPz550 carbs and ignition doesn't solve it, but if the engine's gone terminal then either of those motors can be shoehorned into the Ltd chassis, though the former needs some bodging around the gearbox area to fit a chain drive and the latter has a dangerous excess of power.
On the road kicks are limited by the riding position and the poor suspension but it rarely degenerates to the point where it could be described as dangerous, the lower weight making it much easier to fight into submission. The sheer lack of power and character become a bit mind numbing after a while, seems to revel in being ever so bland.
The good news is that some quite nice ones turn up for under a grand, which can be ridden straight off and improved as finances recover from the shock. That's okay, but don't let any of the arseholes in the trade rewrite history - in the context of UK riding these were pretty naff cycles when new and compared to modern bikes they are way off the pace. Don't pay silly money for an immaculate example (one was priced at a ridiculous £2500), buy a Zephyr instead.
Because of the way Harley ruled the American market, cubes were seen as king, so it was no surprise that a 1100cc version of the Spectre turned up in the early eighties. The one good thing about this monster was that it was based on the ultra tough Z900/1000 motor, which can quite happily breach the 100,000 mile barrier. By the way, there was actually a Z750 based on the original Z900 motor, introduced to the Jap market in 1973, the engine not to be confused with later and inferior Z750 efforts. The original 750 is very rare and expensive.
One of the reasons that the Z1100 Spectre engine's so long lived was that the shaft driven bolide was pretty nasty when ridden at speed through corners. The combination of a 100 horses and 550lbs of custom chassis didn't mix at all well on country roads. A peculiar and expensive form of suicide, some might say.
Of course, just as it's possible to learn to flick Harleys around as if they were mopeds, there's an acquired art to riding big, brutal Jap fours that involves turning corners into a series of straight lines and hanging off an awful lot. The main limitation of the Spectre's a total lack of ground clearance, amplified by mushy suspension going down on the stops when encountering an indecent series of bumps.
Were it not for the longevity and the gutsy nature of the engine, though it's never exactly free of vibration, the best reaction to the 1100 would be to dump it in the nearest canal; kill it off before it had a chance to do in its rider...but more probable is its use as a pose tool in town and an indecently quick way of burning rubber in the traffic light GP. And, it's worth noting that tyres and pads but rarely last 5000 miles - if you use cheap stuff you fall off pretty damn rapidly.
The mass, convolutions of the shaft drive and somewhat primitive combustion chamber design all add up to around 40mpg when ridden sanely; nearer 30mpg when the motor's thrashed and carbs or ignition are out of tune. Both of these can cause bad enough running problems to get bikes with over 30,000 miles on the clock slung to the back of the garage in disgust.
It's thus possible to find basically sound if corroded old Z1100's for less than a thousand bucks in the States, though anything decent that can be ridden straight off costs at least twice that. UK dealer prices go from £1500 to £3000, some of the stuff very dodgy indeed - a Z1100 with a bent frame or twisted forks isn't the kind of motorcycle you want to experience. Not unless you have a death-wish.
There's not much point complaining about crap suspension and corroded calipers, or even the dumb riding position - if it ain't been done already, anyone with more than a few brain cells left who wants to ride fast, will realise the importance of a chassis upgrade and hit the breakers for whatever's going cheap - basically, almost anything's an improvement on worn, stock components! Those who want custom looks or a mild cruiser will probably be put off by the high running costs.
It's more important to check over the electrical side of things, wiring shedding its insulation being normal on this age of Jap machinery - it can be amusing, what with a petrol tank with a predilection for rusting through come 75000 miles; sparks and gas can create a fast moving fireball. The only weak areas in the motor are the camchain and clutch, but both usually survive even an abusive first 50,000 miles. We know of Z1100 motors that have done over 150,000 miles and are still going strong. Enough said!
Although the UK suffered the overweight and underpowered Z400 four for a few years, the Japanese market had any number of variants, the most useful being the GPz400, which had the decency to weigh less than 400lbs and give out more than 50 horses. The engines were basically tough, lasting for at least 40,000 miles. Imports from Japan turn up for under £1500 with plenty of life left in them.
Yamaha XJ550/650/750
Both the XJ550 and 650 were vaguely popular in the UK but never really made a lasting impression. The custom versions turn up in grey importers, from places like the States or Oz, where they don't have much use for them any more. Prices in the States for stuff with more than 50,000 miles on the clock, but still running, can be pretty absurd - less than 500 dollars. By the time they get to the UK we're talking around £1250, and up to two grand for something really nice.
The reluctance of the Yanks to take high milers seriously might have as much to do with the way the electrics short-circuit as the motor becoming vulnerable to all kind of mechanical nastiness. Although it's easy to dismiss them as inspiring as a holiday in Bognor, they do have some virtues. Mainly centred on an engine, that when not thrashed (which is usually the case in custom clothes) lasts for around 60,000 miles.
Thereafter it becomes somewhat dubious, though the odd well serviced bike made it past 80,000 miles - the exception rather than the rule. High milers have nasty gearboxes, knocking crank bearings and a top end in the throes of a dance with death. Not just the old camchain blues, though that can be bad enough to snap the camchain and impale the valves on the pistons, but also flattened cam lobes and burnt out valves. Cracked cylinder heads, from a cack-handed reassembly, are reminiscent of those old eight bolt Triumph twin heads (oh, sweet memories).
The 550's least likely to die rapidly, the 650 most likely. It's important to bear this in mind because we've seen quite a few clocked examples, the corrosion and blemished paint explained by the dealers as resulting from the bike being stored for a couple of years (though this might not be a lie, they omit the reason why it's been abandoned). It's quite easy to blow serious money on something that a 1000 miles later turns out to be a rolling wreck.
A major benefit of these early eighties custom fours, is that they are better handling devices than most such horrors, though it obviously pays to swap the huge handlebars for something more in keeping with British riding conditions. The suspension seems more able to cope with the top heavy mass of the four cylinder layout, which is just as well as riding straight across a roundabout as an easy way of escaping the handling limitations just cracks up the ugly cast alloy wheels!
Of power and torque there is never an excess. Whilst the XJ550 Maxim managed only 50 horses it at least weighed in at a not unreasonable 400lbs, thanks to a chain rather than shaft drive. Although the 650 claimed 65 horses a lot of them seemed to be lost through its transmission and shaft drive, whatever forward impetus that was left muted by the 460lbs of chassis. The 750 nearly broke through the 500lbs barrier (again, shaft driven and it ran to a hefty bottom end capable of surviving the 900cc incarnation) and power ran to 70 horses.
The 750, at least, exhibited a bit of backup in the form of some torque, which happily let it cruise along at 90 to 110mph without a lot of nonsense on the gearbox, though there are so many cheap XJ900's on offer, which have an even more attractive power output without much extra mass, that the rareness of the 750 version is easily explained.
The Japanese home market had the pleasure of a 400cc model, which in making 45 horses and weighing 385lbs seems a more competent device than the others - some have done as much as 75000 miles, as the motor was shared with the 550 and therefore a touch over-engineered. There was both a custom version and a more conventional model (similar to the UK 550), though both had inadequate suspension for hefty UK riders. There's no reason to pay more than a grand for one of these if they turn up in the grey importers.
Yamaha XS750/850
Yamaha's shaft driven triples have had a lot of bad press in the UK. Of course, anyone who makes a triple that weighs as much as a four deserves a kick between the legs. It wasn't so much its mild power output and excessive mass that pissed people off, more the way the 750's gearbox could explode and the myriad of engine problems. These were eventually fixed, by the time the 850 hit the market the triple was as robust as most fours but still far from a brilliant package.
Some of the UK examples turned in a sterling performance as touring machines and even some of the £200 total rats defied the critics by keeping going for tens of thousands of miles. A lot of bikes ended up with the deserved fate of a match in the petrol tank. The major benefit of creating the custom 750 Special was that the 520lb brute was so heavy and generally ill-suited for highway kicks that they were but rarely thrashed. The engine, in having a relatively easy time, lasted for over 40,000 miles before all the old hassles came back.
That's the good news. The bad news is that memories are short and some cowboys try to sell the Special for over two grand in the UK. It may look quite butch but any untoward engine noises or nastiness in the gearchange (with its shaft drive, never exactly smooth from new) should be taken as a sign that the motor's about to expire.
Or perhaps expire is the wrong word. Explode is perhaps more appropriate, a motor on the way out can quickly degenerate to a state where's there's nothing within the engine cases that can be salvaged. That's okay if you know about it and are only paying a couple of hundred quid for some obvious rat; but some of the imports are given a quick tidy and passed off as low milers at the kind of prices that would buy a two or three year old Jap 600 four (whose performance is in another league).
It's, anyway, silly to pay big money for one. Okay, they have a bit more torque than similarly sized fours from the late seventies but that's submerged beneath the excessive mass and recalcitrant gearbox. And, the shaft drive saves on the expense of chains and sprockets, but the gearbox explodes more often than they would need replacing! Just to make things really interesting, it is possible to bodge the gearbox back together but unless done using the upgraded parts it can go bang at any time. Of course, there's no way of knowing the real state of the engine's internals.
Handling and acceleration are insufficient to keep up with a good 550, though cruising at the ton is within its means - after doing something about the riding position and suspension. There are certainly some virtues to be found in this model, but the downside's so great that you really have to be careful what you're buying - find a decent dealer, willing to offer a year's cast-iron guarantee if you're going to chance paying anything over £250 for one! The 850 Special's a better bet than the 750, as most of the hassles were sorted but beware of anything with more than 40,000 miles on the clock.
Yamaha 650 Special
Yamaha's twins are a bit of a mixed bag. The XS500 handled okay but had a somewhat finicky and unpredictable motor. The XS650's engine was as tough as they come, though never exactly startling in its power output, but had a heavy chassis prone to speed wobbles. The TX750 never made it to the UK but combined the bad points of the smaller twins with little by way of compensation - it was a toss up which was worse the Kawasaki or Yamaha 750 twin!
The XS650 survived for a long time, the custom versions turning up in both the States and the UK. Grey imports vary between the merely reasonable (at £1000 to £1500) to the immaculate, low milers (£1500 to £2250). If you know what you're doing, it's possible to buy a really nice one for £1500, with less than twenty thou on the clock and in excellent condition. On the other hand, the same kind of money can buy something that's well worn, somewhat bodged and is going to have lots of minor hassles.
Although its OHC vertical twin engine's tougher than most, a few had piston problems and some high milers have a starter motor that mangles the crankshaft - use the kickstart after fifty thou, when anyway the starter's brushes are well worn. Better not to be totally sanguine about the mill as they are all old now and have probably been abused and neglected, despite the fact that the vast majority of them ran to more than 75000 miles. A 100,000 miles not unknown.
Some of the bikes creeping in from the States have loud pipes, bodged electrics and an excess of vibration. The pistons move up and down together, inspired by all those old British twins, but there's so much mass that most of the rumbling's absorbed. Only when running along above 6000 revs does the vibration intrude - pegs and bars are heavily rubber mounted but the petrol tank thrums away like it's about to burst its seams.
It never does, most of the XS's chassis is, er, excessive, made out of thick steel that lasts as well as the engine. The front guard might rust through but that's about it. Except for the expected rot hitting the silencers, but even these last for a long time if a bit of bodging's indulged, not falling off until most of the metal's turned to dust. Nonstandard components don't fare so well - horns, exhausts, even handlebars cracking up; but the rider's still well insulated from the sheer, insidious, raw forces of excessive primary vibration. Yamaha expended a lot of effort sorting out the effects of what is basically a flawed design.
Only recently have the Japanese, with the help of paring mass from reciprocating components, got to terms with effective balancers on big twins (that don't lead to excessive mass or power absorption) - the TDM850 being the most noteworthy example. The XS650 avoided balancers unlike their 500 and 750 twins in favour of sheer engineering finesse. At the time it was the only way to go and did a lot better than those old British twins which went into a self-destructive frenzy of vibration.
More likely to worry the rider is the way the bike switches into a high speed wobble that would leave even Speed Twin or Vincent riders frothing at the mouth. Real nasty, dangerous times. More so because at low speeds both the Special and the Custom felt well balanced and firmly planted on the tarmac. They could switch from a fine stability into a buckling bronco in a moment - and it might only happen once in a while, but once was more than enough.
In reality, the XS650 mill, in a chassis carrying so much mass (460lbs, a 100lbs heavier than the old Bonnie), was best suited to posing around town, where the gruff, torque laden motor really shone. Although it made a lot of noise (both exhaust and engine rattles), the actual acceleration that resulted was neither startling nor arm wrenching. Still, these days, they look pretty cool.
Top speed was rarely greater than the ton and economy stayed resolutely at 50mpg however mildly or viciously the throttle was applied. Consumables were reasonably long lived - tyres over 10,000 miles and as much as 12000 miles from a cheap chain and sprocket set. 1000 mile oil changes are recommended but valves rarely need to be set and the ignition can be left alone - the engine's well built and, at 50 horses from 650cc's, mildly tuned.
A good buy if speed ain't your ultimate dream, it's pretty hard to buy one that's still running that's going to blow up on you, but it takes a little knowledge to sort the real bargains from the mere reasonable buys. Also many standard XS650's are imported but they have just as vicious handling and tend to be ridden harder, so maybe the custom versions are the better buy for once.
Yamaha FZX750
The UK's FZ750 can still be a stunning bike to ride fast but was ultimately squeezed out of the market by the hot 600's. The FZX's a naked version of the FZ with somewhat ersatz styling that made it seem a poor man's V-Max. The engine was detuned for extra torque, which peaks at 6000 revs, whilst power was a miserly 80 horses at 8500 revs, although the same silly quartet of carbs was retained. Weight was a not unreasonable 460lbs, the slanted forward engine giving a lower centre of gravity than many of the old horror show Jap fours, though something like a CBR600 could run rings around it in the corners.
The extra torque gives the gearbox an easy time, just as well as that (and the clutch) was one of the few FZ750 weak spots. The riding position's a lot more relaxed than the styling might suggest without going as far as the usual custom cycles - in short, the FZX's dead easy to leap on for the first time and roar up the street with a manic grin rather than a shriek of fear.
Geared for winning the traffic light GP rather than relaxed high speed cruising, the FZX shifts extremely rapidly up to the ton, leaving many a race replica rider feeling cheated if not distraught. Handling's a touch heavy but reassuring, easily assimilated. Really high speed stuff (in FZX terms, over the ton) does bring in a bit of wallowing from the twin shock rear end; exaggerated if the rider's on the diminutive side but nothing like the terrible speed wobbles from old Japanese fours. Two-up, the suspension seems a touch on the weak side, causing the undercarriage to ground out when the cornering gets wicked. The brakes whilst powerful go finicky with age and wear, not to mention nasty British winters.
The 20 valve, DOHC, watercooled motor is basically tough - we know of FZ750 engines that have run to over 100,000 miles, some with the kind of minimal maintenance that would turn other bikes into terminal rats in half the mileage. FZX's tend to be thrashed a lot in town, which means frequent oil changes are more important than on the FZ but we've seen a couple still running strongly with over 60,000 miles on the clock. As mentioned, the gearbox and clutch are the most likely areas of concern, though the gearbox was never particularly slick. Watch out for clutch slip and an excess of false neutrals in the lower gears. High milers can also leap out of the taller gears, which can string the revs out but it's rare for the valves to hit the pistons.
Apart from poor fuel economy (around 40mpg) and a consequent range of a mere 100 miles, the FZX's a pretty versatile machine that doesn't have any hidden nastiness. There are some available with less than twenty thou on the clock in the £2500 to £3000 price range. Higher mileage stuff can go for less than 2000 notes, more likely to suffer from tatty cosmetics or electrical rot than serious engine problems. About $2000 in the States will buy something in reasonable nick with loads of life left.
Yamaha Vee-Max
The vee-four engine hasn't made much inroads into the motorcycle game. Honda managed only to successfully sell their VFR750 on the back of massive development, the kind of money that you could set up a whole motorcycle company on. The major virtues of the engine type are smoothness and much more torque than an equivalent straight four. The downside's complexity, mass and the sheer amount of space the engine takes up, not to mention the cost of its expensive components and the awkwardness of their assembly.
Enter the Vee-Max, which in its excessive 1200cc capacity makes some minor sense of the vee-four genre. 550lbs of sheer madness. Derestricted it knocks out 145 horses at 9000 revs, though many are restricted to a miserly 100 horses, albeit at a mere 7000 revs with less torque peaking at lower revs.
The latter machine is easier to ride, as throttle wildness on the more powerful model causes wheelspin and tyre shredding...on the other hand if all you're interested in is winning the traffic light GP in town, why settle for less that the excessive muscle of 145 horses?
As far as we can work out, the Vee-Max has a tougher engine than some of the Honda vee-fours that doesn't need their religious maintenance sessions and can roar away for around 50,000 miles before the top end goes awry. Few bikes get close to that mileage, however, as they tend to be used strictly as point and squirt devices in the city. Even twelve year old bikes often have less than 25000 miles on the clock and many newer machines don't even break through the ten thousand mile barrier.
The major limitation on high speed fun's the handling; a concoction of weirdly specified suspension, excessive mass distributed poorly, back breaking torque and the kind of minimal ground clearance that'll rip manhole covers out of the tarmac. Inspiration seems to have come from the more outlandish Harleys and they respond to the same kind of brute muscle and low cunning. That is, it's pretty damn easy to kill yourself when abusing the throttle to excess.
The low mileage combined with relatively tough motors means they aren't a total disaster on the used market, though far from practical wheels, and there are any number, in varying conditions, available in the grey importers. An engine rebuild's such an horrendous proposition that it's best avoided; any motor with scarred screws should be viewed with suspicion.
As much as five grand's demanded for something in nice nick, which means both a near immaculate finish and a clatter free motor - if the engine has a rattly top end offer to put a match in the petrol tank, just not worth the hassle. They are much more popular in the States where the roads are much wider and straighter than here - prerequisite's for getting speed out of the portly Vee-Max. Doggy ones available for around 2500 dollars, twice that and more for decent machines.
Suzuki GS550-1000
The GS550, in stock or Katana forms, was one of the safest handling bikes around. The GS750, with some minor chassis mods and decent tyres wasn't far behind. Neither the GS850 nor GS1000 was exactly on the pace but it took a bit of abuse and wear to turn the handling really dangerous. A lot of this civility was lost when they went the custom route.
High bars, soft suspension and extra mass didn't really suit these already overweight fours. The custom appearance was laughed at in the UK but lapped up in the good old USA, where they were anyway a lot cheaper and the populace had more money. Luckily, Suzuki didn't really radically alter the steering geometry, a bit of mixing and matching via the breakers all it took to regain a semblance of handling fidelity. Don't expect miracles - these are old bikes - but they should be relatively safe if ridden with a little respect and thought.
Most of the UK GS models have now been well thrashed, crashed and abused. It's a rare day when a nice, well cared for, low mileage example turns up. There are many real dogs out there, prime rats that keep going despite monumental engine neglect and being thrown down the road a few times. The chassis is made from heavyweight steel components, enough excess metal to absorb most of the secondary vibes in the small models, though a GS1000 with 50,000 hard miles on the clock is an entirely different matter. The GS550's by far the nicest of the models but the 750 more useful in terms of extra power without the handling becoming really nasty.
It's worth the time and effort with the imports because the DOHC four cylinder motor, whilst heavy and lacking in power compared to rival efforts, was largely one tough old brute, lacking potential horrors such as quick demise camchains or rough gearboxes.
The GS550, in particular, being over-built and often lasting for more than a 100,000 miles. The GS1000 a touch weak in the clutch area, and possible to blow the crankshaft when tuned and abused a little, but nevertheless managing huge mileages when treated with the respect its excess of mass and power deserves. And the customs were so dire in the corners that they were rarely thrashed, much more likely to end up with a bent frame than a blown motor, though even the former can be straightened out without the metal fracturing. Spoke wheels are a better bet than the ultra heavy cast alloy jobs, which can crack up when the mileage gets close to a hundred thou.
Look for a slick gearbox, quiet top end and smooth carburation, the latter tending to gum up completely if the bike's stored for any length of time. The electrics are best described as nasty but those bikes still on the road should've been sorted by now - Superdream rectifier/regulator, rewired harness and rewound alternator being the solution of choice, though a car rectifier and regulator can also be used.
Some are bodged to the extent that the charging circuit's no longer connected to the battery, the latter charged overnight! Real bodgers run them with an auxiliary car battery in the top box! Beware, but they can be fixed for around fifty notes if you know what you're doing and can read a circuit diagram.
There are loads of the things still left in the States, the high mileage ones going for less than $500 and no-one will pay more than $2000 for a really immaculate example with less than twenty thou on the clock. There are some really brutalized GS1000's that run but go knock-knock and look like they've been thrown off a cliff but there are also plenty of bikes that have done less than 50,000 miles in reasonable nick though looking a bit faded and worn around the edges. They go for less than $1000, not a bad deal as the engines have plenty of life left in them. Some dross around but if you search around for a week or so some decent deals turn up in the private market (American motorcycle dealers are probably worse than those in the UK).
In Blighty the prices can be a bit hallucinatory. I've seen bikes for around £2000 that have obviously been bashed straight after spending half a decade sitting in a field. Sure, the motor still makes the right noises but if you tap the metalwork large lumps of filler falls out - and that includes the frame! Some people peddle them as modern classics, which is a bit nonsensical, they are just mediocre Jap fours with an engine build that was better than most. Not the most exciting motorcycles in the whole, wide world.
If you spend some time sorting the decent stuff from the dross, £1500 might just buy a GS750 with a good motor, a straight frame and decent paint from the more enlightened dealer. That will just leave the suspension, tyres and riding position to sort out. A really immaculate one will fetch close to three grand, which is just silly money. Around a grand in the private market should buy a reasonable GS550 or 750, with most of the suspension problems sorted and 50 to 60 thou on the clock (still plenty of life left if the oil changes have been done regularly).
Honda VF750/1000
Incredibly, VF 750 and 1000's are turning up in the grey import market, most of the original UK ones having died an early death. Outrageously ugly and complex, with the kind of dubious reliability and longevity that makes even some old British twin look inspired, only the desperate need apply.
A test ride that is merely a quick blast down the road might offer an excess of torque and a reasonably secure feel but the notoriously short-lived top ends in the watercooled vee-four motors make any long distance trip (about the only area where the VF's make any sense given their poor mix of mass and power) fraught with the possibility of terminal demise. If you must buy one make sure it comes with a decent guarantee (ie read the small print...).
Honda's solution to the cam troubles was to provide a tool for setting valve clearances properly (akin to asking the average backstreet bike mechanic to perform brain surgery) but camchain tensioners could still be short-lived, the whole engine dead meat in less than 20,000 miles. Not every VF expired rapidly, some made it past 50,000 miles but the chances of such longevity were equivalent to surviving a game of Russian Roulette - and with about the same degree of risk of surviving a used example.
Though handling was hardly dangerous it was never very nifty, so much weight not particularly well distributed, allied to weak suspension that aged no better than the motor, made for a loose and less than settled feel; steering accuracy only likely to inspire refugees from a worn out CX500 or the more manic of British commuters.
The brakes reacted to a UK winter with some vehemence, though not as bad as some old Yamahas, by now they are about due for complete replacement. Repairs rendered unlikely by the way the discs warp and calipers corrode into one solid lump. Alloy finish might just impress an Ural owner but the paint is well applied, only suffering from thinning down to the metal after the usual high mileage abuse.
Throw all this together with the fact that some of the imports from the States have spent hard time in open fields (presumably because something went wrong and no-one could find the inclination and energy to fix them) to end up with some real nasty bikes on offer.
One troubled soul masquerading as a motorcycle dealer refused to accept that the poor running with more flat spots than a 400 Bandit, heavy rattles reminiscent of a dying XS650 and cement mixer gearbox were signs that the 6000 miles on the clock was entirely false, reckoned that the engine just needed a few miles to warm up. The paint was okay, the alloy was a dull white and the discs were cracking up around their mounting bolts! Things almost turned nasty when a gentle kick to a silencer made it crumble and turn to dust.
He offered to let us ride off into the sunset for two grand instead of the £2500 sticker price, looked hurt when we burst into hysterical laughter. The good ones go for around a thousand bucks in the States, that buys something with about 25000 miles on the clock and reasonable chassis, but even with such a bike large expenses loom on the horizon.
Honda 650 Nighthawk
There are two versions of the cutely custom Nighthawk. One based on the old OHC mill, that started out as a 350 four but is better known in the UK as the CB400 and 500, the latter perhaps the best of the bunch. Whilst the OHC engine ain't a total pile of junk it's far from high tech with a poor combustion chamber shape, naff primary drive, often short-lived camchain and the usual awkward gearbox. 50,000 miles is pushing the design to its limits (all versions are so gutless that they tend to be thrashed), especially in the 650 model where components are stressed close to their limits and secondary vibes are as bad as on the old CB750.
The other version of the Nighthawk has a DOHC mill similar to that in the CBX750 and CB900. This is tougher, smoother and a bit more powerful, therefore the one to go for. This engine usually lasts for more than 60,000 miles though the usual camchain hassles means it will need a new tensioner and chain around 30,000 miles; a mileage at which some of the OHC 650's need a complete top end overhaul.
Performance ain't exactly startling in either instance but ridden on the throttle they can shift quite well up to the ton, when anyway the handling goes a bit odd. It's never really nasty just the result of worn suspension conspiring with the custom stance to muck up the weight distribution, leaving the bike shaking at either, or both, ends depending on the angle of attack and the particular obstacle course offered by our wrecked roads.
For mixed, sensible riding either bike ain't bad as long as you don't mind abusing the throttle and can adapt to the horrors of an old Honda gearbox (particularly in the case of the OHC model, which can also blow its clutch if excessive wheelies are indulged).
There's little compensation on the consumable front, the modest power output doesn't mean brilliant frugality. The old OHC mill showing its age with a mere 40mpg even under mild abuse (the later model does 50 to 55mpg) and rubbing out even cheap and nasty tyres or chains in less than 10,000 miles. Frequent maintenance's and oil changes are also necessary on the OHC mill, though the tougher DOHC engine can withstand both neglect and abuse to a much greater degree.
Though the Nighthawks were popular when new in the States, these days they are the butt of jokes and available from $500 to $1500, depending on condition and mileage. Those hitting the UK vary a lot, from near rats around £1200 to really immaculate steeds at £2500 - those are sticker prices in dealers, punters can bargain them down 20 to 30% or demand an extravagant trade-in on some old dog. The odd nice DOHC model turns up on the private market for around £1500, which is almost a good buy.
There are also 700 and 750 versions of the DOHC engine, which are basically more of the same and nice enough if you're into custom cruisers. The 750 was dirt cheap in the States even when new and lots, still in reasonable fettle, turn up for around a thousand dollars. UK prices are in the £1250 to £2500 range, the latter buying a low mileage, immaculate example. Engines become a bit dodgy after 40,000 miles if they have been abused but 60,000 miles is certainly possible.
Yamaha 600 Radian
The Radian, fortunately, is based on the old XJ600 mill, their toughest aircooled motor that charged through 40,000 miles, usually managed more than 60,000 miles and occasionally broke through the 100,000 mile barrier. The motor ain't without some blood and guts, making the Yam shift faster than most 550/600 cruisers.
Top speed usually ain't more than 110mph but some contortions and favourable conditions can add 10mph to that. Handling is adequate, again better than most cruisers, but inferior to something like a GPz550. The forks a touch spindly and the twin rear shocks go loose after the first 10,000 miles of abuse. The former need gaiters to avoid the penance of six monthly fork seal replacement.
Whilst handling isn't as reassuring as a Ducati, it's far from dangerous, maintaining a reasonable line however rough the road turns and however weirdly the suspension reacts. Thanks to a combination of relatively low centre of gravity (for an across the frame four) and good steering geometry. It's one of those bikes a relative novice can leap upon without killing himself off rapidly.
Perhaps the only area of real concern, with bikes with more than 15000 miles on the clock, is the front brake. It can turn quite vicious and violent once some wear gets into the system - air in the hydraulics, sticking calipers and even discs that crack up. Happily, there's a useful drum brake out back and an excess of engine braking.
Styling is superior to most Yamaha efforts without completely ruining the comfort or high speed dynamics; paint finish's surprisingly good, some eight year old bikes that have done as much as 20,000 miles still looking nice. Immaculate ones can fetch as much as £2500 in dealers, though most go out of the door for around two grand. The private market turns up the odd old rotter for around a grand but £1500's needed for something with a bit of useful life left in it.
Whilst the engine is tough, and makes some nasty noises when something's on the way out, the electrics are a touch inflammatory - batteries can be ruined in short order, switches corrode and short out, lights blow, etc - but the first 15000 miles is usually trouble free. Luckily, most components can be sourced cheaply from breakers.