extended to 2X80MPH got me thinking about the term "sportbike". The term itself may have not been in general usage before it was "invented" in the US in the early 80's (I'd love to see the documentation to support that), but "sportbikes" most definitely DID exist long before that. There were most definitely "sportbike" versions of bikes that were already "sport bikes", such as the Dunstall Dominator (a custom built cafe racer available in the 60's, converted from the Norton 650SS and Norton Atlas 750's), the Dresda Triton (a cafe racer 'special' built using a Norton featherbed frame and a Triumph Bonneville engine), and countless others, which were the fastest ROAD bikes of the day in every way, not just in a straight line. They aped the racing bikes of the day with their clip-ons, rear sets, 5 gallon alloy or fibreglass racing tanks, hump-backed racing seats, swept-back exhausts with magaphones, and (sometimes) a full fairing. The Triumph Thruxton was available for purchase, which was a full-race replica of the winning "factory" 67 Triumph Bonneville Thruxton. Yes, if you were a millionaire you could buy an MV Augusta or a Gillera road bike but they were pigs and NOTHING like the factory racers. The Honda CB750 most certainly did NOT take the motorcycling world "by surprise". It was rumoured for years in the mid-60's before it was released. In fact, Honda announced the CB750 before a single model had been built, just to hi-jack BSA/Triumph's new triples which had just arrived in the showrooms. In one stroke, Honda killed that bike....everybody wanted the CB750, which couldn't hold a candle to the Tribsa triples for performance. (Daytona proved that).
that's OK OneTrack, I figured Matlock had to come on eventually(or the prune juice was gonna kick in) either way I knew you couldn't go on too much longer!!!Anyhow....I've gone WAY off-topic here and will surely incur the wrath of the Mods if I don't knock it off. (You let us old geezers in here.... :Flip: )
Hey, what about these FZ6's, eh?
), Triumph was limited to 500cc because their bikes were OHV. H-D, otoh, were permitted to race their 750cc bikes because they were Side Valves. A good big 'un will always beat a good little 'un. When Triumph finally got their 500cc "Daytona" model to thrash the 750cc H-D sidevalves, the Rule Makers decided to limit the OHV bikes to 350cc. When rumours started circulating that Triumph had their T90 350cc bikes going almost as fast as their 500cc bikes, H-D promptly purchased Aer-Macchi, whose 350cc bikes were pretty much the fastest 350's on the track. When H-D found that the Aer-Macchi had a propensity to hand-grenade on the long ovals, they whined to the American Rule Makers to open the class right up so they could race their big OHV bikes. Triumph/BSA showed up with their triples and kicked ***. Of course it was the last time either the Brits or Yanks won anything there, as Honda came on the scene along with the other Japanese brands and the rest is....well....history.
Heh heh....well, here's a little more "perceived" history for you:- The only reason that Harley was "manhandling the Brit bikes for more than a decade" was that under the AMERICAN rules (we will win, dammit, no matter how much we have to cheat
Edited to add: Who's Ray Clayborn? Did you mean Cal Rayborn?
My favouite is:
"No matter if you have Winter in your hair, as long as you have Spring in your ar*e"
