Early 1970s definitely a golden era of motorcycles. Who can deny that the Kawasaki Z1 or H2, the original SOHC CB750 and the Ducati 750 Super Sport of the era weren’t iconic? But the class of 1973 produced some great motorcycles that became classics.
From race bikes to mountain bikes, something came out in 1973. We’re all about to face the oil crisis, the height of the Cold War, and the boom of the era. disco. But for motorcycles, 1973 was the year that brought us true classics now turning 50.
BMW R90
Dear Hans Muth, thank you. Before Muth became BMW’s motorcycle designer, BMWs came in two colors: black or (occasionally) white. But in 1973, wow. The BMWR90S came out and showed us that BMWs can be fun with a two-tone matte finish, sports car performance and (gasp!) a bikini.
The R90S backs up that eye-catching new paint job with a larger engine, essentially the outdated R75/5 engine. It produces more power, more torque and more smiles, and the R90S has gone down in history as BMW’s first superbike. Although the 1973 version was beautiful, later versions came in Daytona orange, a color Muth created to celebrate the car’s victory at Daytona in 1976. Muth continued to produce the R65 LS, the R 80. First GS and then the future Suzuki Katana. sport bike, but the R90S could be his masterpiece.
Laverda 1000
We don’t hear much about Laverda these days, and that’s a shame. In 1973, Laverda made a serious wave with a gorgeous 1000 that could hit 135 mph. Laverda has put all of his mechanical engineering into a three-cylinder 981cc machine, including a very Kawasaki-like twin-cam upper design, to create a serious Z1 competitor.
Compared to today’s bikes, the 1000 was inferior, it had sketchy electronics and weak brakes. However, in 1974, Laverda updated this car with better brakes and forks, then the 1000 turned into Laverda Jota, the fastest production motorcycle of its time. Laverda has shown that brave pilots can bring a large, heavy, muscular bike to unrealistic speeds and survive to tell the story. The 1000 was so good, it remained in production until 1988.
Yamaha RD350
I used to have an RD350 and I can assure you that all the good points (and some bad points) of these bikes are true. There’s nothing like the growl of a two-stroke engine in the power range, the smell of blue smoke and the quick handling of RD-series bikes. Today, 39 horsepower doesn’t sound like much, but in 1973 it was a lot, especially when you factor in the bike’s super light weight of just 350 pounds.
The 1973 RD was a performance machine, comparable to today’s R6, and that’s not wrong because RD stands for “Race Development”. It evolved into the RD400, and then the RZ350, while the Banshee 350 ATV used essentially the same engine until 2012. For pure motocross pleasure, it’s hard to beat the RD two then about the ability to turn on the gas, strangle, press the traditional throttle. key and kick-it-to-life thrilling.
MV Agusta 500 Four
In 1973, street bikes were just part of the fun. There is also stiff competition on the track. MV Agusta is trying to maintain its winning streak despite great competition from new Japanese two-stroke bikes like the Yamaha YZR500, which was also a new model launched in 1973. Giacomo Agostini has made MV Agusta should be famous for winning consecutive world championship titles on Bamboo, aka MV Agusta 500cc Ba. But by 1973, it became clear that with a new rider Phil Read and more competition, MV Agusta needed a new bike.
The company worked with its helicopter division to create a four-cylinder four-stroke engine that seemed to fit Read like a glove. With two races left of the season, Read had already accumulated enough points to win the championship on his new 500cc four-cylinder, which he also won in 1974. The 500 Four looks stunning with its flat crank, and it sounds amazing.
Honda CR125
The CR125M was released in 1973 as a 1974 model and it made a name for itself in the mountain biking world. It’s hard to overstate how important this bike was to an entire generation of people who learned to ride and race (as above). RC125 copy above) on this light mountain bike. Honda as a company shies away from two-stroke engines, and Soichiro Honda famously said that his company would never produce a two-stroke motorcycle. But anyway, CR125 has appeared and brought smiles to thousands of faces during 34 years.
Some people attribute the 1970s and 1980s dirt bike boom to the Honda CR125 because it was cheap ($750 new), reliable, and easy to ride quickly. Of course, let’s not forget the CR250M Elsinore also launched in 1973. While that bike enjoyed success in races and also a long career, the CR125M was very popular and very good, Honda. produced it with only minor changes. until 2007.
