1980s motorbikes, some of the best machines ever made.
Whoa dude! I know what you’re thinking… that’s a really inflammatory title, but hear me out! The 1980s was a golden age of motorbike development. The motorbike industry truly came of age in the 1980s, producing by the end of the decade some of the most beautiful, refined machines ever made. This was in stark contrast to the beginning of the decade where bikes were significantly slower; manufacturers in the 70s largely relied on engine size to achieve higher top speeds. But by 1979, the revolution of aerodynamics and streamlining motorbikes had entered full force. The fastest bike available on the market during the 70s was the Dunstall Suzuki GS1000CS (developed in ’79) with a recorded top speed of 154 mph. This was indicative of the huge shake up of motorbike design to come during the 80s. During the 80s, US motorbike manufacturers began to struggle — no longer could they claim to be the first choice in the motorbike market. This huge shake up of the dynamics of the industry and consumer preferences in the US, lead to the 80s being a rough decade for Harley Davidson which was not helped by a series of terrible management decisions by the company. This lead to sales in Harley Davidson, one of the previous market leaders, to decline rapidly within the space of a few years. The rise in aerodynamics and consumer demands for more sleek and clean-looking bikes lead to the 80s being the era of the road bike. There is a certain amount of giddy excitement in motorbike enthusiasts even today when a 1980s era motorbike arrives at a meet. So one can only imagine the level of excitement when the newly licensed youth of the 80s saw the exciting new import bikes that flooded the US market for relatively little cost. The amount that you needed to spend on a truly great bike in the 80s was significantly less than what you would need to pay in the 70s. The development of Japanese road bikes has arguably changed the motorbike industry forever with the youth of the 80s swooning for the sexy new imports that were more affordable. By the 80s, motorbikes had well and truly been established in the American psyche as being a pastime and a respectable mode of transport in their own right, rather than simply being something you own when you cannot afford a car. Let’s take a look at some of the bikes that are truly iconic of an era, one that produced bikes anyone would love to ride all night long. The 80s was certainly a flashy, faster and bigger is better decade, and the same can certainly be said about its motorbikes.
Honda RC30
Pictured under the main title, the Honda RC30 is one of the greatest bikes ever made. Owning this bike would certainly make you the most popular kid on the block as it was notoriously hard to come by, and extremely expensive for a road production bike at the time. Developed in 1983, there was only 3,000 models ever produced. They captured the imagination of many and have been the holy grail of collectors and motor bike fans alike. Produced in its famous red, white and blue colors, it’s little wonder it was a hit in the US market but retailing at $15,000 USD in 1990 ($28,640 in today’s money), your wallet had to be prepared to take a hit. But the Honda RC30 was not just a pretty face: at 748 cc’s and with the incredibly light frame (utilising technology previously reserved for race bikes such as titanium connecting roads), it was able to achieve a top speed of 153 mph. The RC30 has also been renowned among riders for its rideability with the use of a slipper clutch and some of the best brakes ever installed on a bike to make slowing down and cornering easy. It’s little wonder that the racing counterpart of this road legal bike went on to win two super bike world championships.
HARLEY-DAVIDSON XR1000
We can’t write a piece on any era of motorbikes without appreciating the famous all American motorcycle brand Harley Davidson. Harley Davidson is often celebrated by many but reviled by some. This polarising view of this brand has been a more recent occurrence and is more a reflection on the views of Harley Riders within the riding community as it is the bike itself. Whatever your view on Harley Davidson, we can all agree that the bikes are made with a commitment to quality and integrity rivaled by few. Despite the decline in popularity of Harleys in the 80s the company was able to launch a more than respectable bike in 1983: the XR1000. With the XR1000, Harley Davidson aimed to capture back some of the market it had lost to the newer import motorbikes. Harley went for a redesign and modernisation of their previously widely popular model the XR750, with the XR1000 possessing more sport-like characteristics utilizing a lighter frame. At the time Harley was only able to produce under 2,000 of the bikes due to manufacturing issues. After the 80s this model became extremely sought after by collectors all over America, partly due to its limited production and partly due to its combination of sport design elements into a traditional Harley frame.
KAWASAKI NINJA 900
The Kawasaki Ninja 900 was the first model of Ninja produced by Kawasaki. The Ninja franchise went on to be the most successful and recognizable line of motorbikes ever produced in history. The success of the original 900 model was such that it was produced from 1983 up until 2004. With a production lasting nearly 20 years, it was one of the longest production spans in the history of the industry. The Kawaskai Ninja 900 was applauded for its revolutionary design, its quick speed and its great looks as such it is considered the predecessor to all modern sport bikes. The price of the original Kawasaki Ninja 900 on release was $4,399 (just over $10,000 in today's money). It was this cheap price combined with truly revolutionary technology that made the high school kids of the 80s crazy for the Ninja. Unfortunately it was also this that has lead relatively few of the original Ninja’s to be left around for us to ride today, as most were ridden fast and hard and rarely put away. But frankly, who am I to blame the predominately kids and students that rode the ninja from having fun with one of the best bikes (if not the best*), ever produced. I know I would have done the same!
*Yes it is the bike that Tom Cruise road in 1986’s Top Gun. So there’s your proof.
