What is a classic japanese bike?

[500rider]

I should be finishing up my 89 Katana project soon so I was thinking about what my next project might be.  

I would like the next bike to be more of an investment so I was wondering what you guys think are the classic japanese bikes of the last 20 years or so.

Here's some of the ones I was thinking:

Katana 1100S
FZR Genesis bikes
Honda Hawk GT

A friend of mine fixes up old Nortons as a hobby.  typically he puts about 3 or 4 g's into them and can sell them for more than that.  I'd like to do the same kind of thing but I'm not really into Brit bikes.

Wadda you guys think?

[indestructibleman]

ok, so this is more like 30 years old, but i still kind of miss my first bike



1975 Honda CB550F.

the GS is a great deal more reliable though.

[jake42]

The big time classic bikes that get a lot of cash are the 60's era honda 305 Dreams.  I almost picked up the scambler version of one a couple years ago, but didn't have the 100 bones in my pocket at the time or it would have been mine.

jake

[davipu]

honda's sl series

[500rider]

Ah yes we all love our first bikes.  mine is the GS.

Cool pic BTW.

[500rider]

The big time classic bikes that get a lot of cash are the 60's era honda 305 Dreams.  I almost picked up the scambler version of one a couple years ago, but didn't have the 100 bones in my pocket at the time or it would have been mine.

jake

Yeah those are cool!

[Alphamazing]

A 1979 Honda CBX. Those things are gorgeous.

[aaronstj]

Anything from the Honda CB* series in the '70s is cool by me.  I love the looks of those bikes.  And you can get them supr cheap, too.

[jake42]

Restored Dreams will fetch a good bit o' cash.  Look at Walnecks Classic Cycle Trader or at //vjmc.org

Jake

[jake42]

I love these bikes!
They were called Monster Killers.


Jake

[Onlypastrana199]

1975 Honda CB550F.

I just got one of those for free....

[Blueknyt]

i like some of the older jap stuff, keep in mind, the GS is getting older every year, soon it will be classic.  bikes and cars unless WIDELY reconised as a classic(not all modles are) are kinda poor investments.  some make out, but many dont.  whats an endfeild bullet going for these days?

[500rider]

i like some of the older jap stuff, keep in mind, the GS is getting older every year, soon it will be classic.  bikes and cars unless WIDELY reconised as a classic(not all modles are) are kinda poor investments.  some make out, but many dont.  whats an endfeild bullet going for these days?

that's kind of what I'm looking for is what bikes would be considered classics now and in the future.  ie not just an old bike.  

For some reaon Nortons and brit bikes are undergoing a bit of a revival.  There was an article about this in the last CW magazine about the revival of the brit bike in NYC.  Back in the 60's the brit bike (Triumph I think) was made popular in the US by Marlon Brando.

The cool thing with Nortons is that you could actually build a brand new one with aftermarket parts.  Like I say though, my interest is in Japanese bikes.

[Jake D]

I like the old CB750 Super Sports.

Water Buffalo is cool too.

Who can find the link to the video of the guy chasing down the liter bikes on the Dragon on that vintage 2 stroke Kawi?  That bike was classic.

[RVertigo]

Some sources for ya':  (They go down from time to time...)

http://www.suzukicycles.org/All-Suzuki/all_suzuki_models.html
http://100megsfree4.com/honda/

Some great bikes in there...  I'm partial to pre-70's ones...  Although a few 70's ones are really great.

'69 Suzuki T 500 II Titan!  

[Jake D]

My cousin has a 1980 Katana (1500 cc turbo).

[500rider]

DOH!!!

That is one awesome bike.  Yep I do like those 80's Katana's

[pnaberhaus]

)A classic?.......a (stocK) Honda 250 (CL-72) or 305(CL-77) Scrambler.
I bought a new red/grey '66 CL-77 in August of 1966 for a bit over $700. I sold it in August of '69 for $300. Nice examples are trading in the neighborhood of $4-7K!  If I ever find a decent one for a price that's not absurd, I'm gonna buy it.

The price appreciation aside, I think a CL-72/77 is a classic 'cause it's good looking (something the Honda Dream is not, ), had decent performance, and helped Honda's respectablity and made inroads with the Brit bike crowd ever so slowly and grudgingly. Don't dispute this, I was there in '66-'67-'68-'69 with this bike. That first year, some bikers didn't take a "Jap" bike seriously. But three years later, with no oil leaks, no electrical headaches, no starting problems, no parts availability difficulties, the sceptics were slowly seeing the design beauty and build quality apparant in my bike. Yeah, it's a classic and I want another one!

[500rider]

Cool, thanks for including your experience with those bikes.

[pnaberhaus]

Rob,
Just like that except the frame, forks, r. shock covers, and centerstand were red, the early ones (mine) had single shoe f. brakes, and mine did not have that gawdawfull "guppy" silencer at the end of those lovely upswept twin pipes. I've got some old photographs of my '66 305 Scrambler, if I could just figure out a way to post them to this Forum. Anyway, thanks for the pic to show our fellow forum members what a "classic" looks like.