I reckon you’re right and it’s one reason Triumph have done so well with Classic style machines. Looking at the high proportion of bald, grey old guys at any bike night there’s a lot of bikers who were conditioned to the lines & proportions of 60’s & 70’s machines. I find many modern bikes look like they’ve been designed by an intoxicated plumber. Tail tidy? Don’t get!
My dream bike z650 c 1978 ? £1750 then , just out of reach for me . I bought a z750 twin secondhand . Ideal for touring but hardly a bike to set your hair on fire .
It’s a great ride even 40+ years after it was a new bike. This one is a ‘77 C1, a US model as the UK had to wait for the C2.
I totally agree. For my part I love the looks and lines of pre RD Yamaha two strokes, AS3 ,CS5, DS7 and R5 particularly. Sadly I no longer own any of these bikes.
Thank you. It’s a ‘71 CL 175. The paintwork & chrome parts are all the original. The photo flatters it a bit as there is, understandably, a patina. I ride it “like I stole it “ as the engine behaves almost 2 stroke like. And with the exhaust baffles long since rotted away it howls!
These CL175's get everywhere!! That one looks super, probably a bit better than mine, which is a 1973 K6 version
I don't think it's as clear cut as that. I got my first bike in '81 and passed the test in '82, progressing straight into Jap "superbike" territory with a Z1300 so, apart from a ride on a Z1B, I had no experience of earlier Jap stuff, let alone British produce, yet I bought a new classic Triumph twin last year and rate it as one of the best bikes I've owned for smiles per mile. Modern bikes are streets ahead of their ancestors in just about every department. Aerodynamic performance obviously dictates the design of fairings on high speed machines but that aside, styling is very subjective and purely down to personal preference. Just prior to retiring last year I contemplated getting another Z13, having a bit of a soft spot for them, being my first "real" bike but I just keep coming back to the fact that, as a ride, they're hopelessly outdated. Nostalgia is a powerful emotion but for me personally it isn't enough to justify owning one.
