famous / iconic / recogniseable bikes.

[BIG MAC]

I am not the upholder of good taste here Danny ...go for it...it's your icons list as much as mine lol!..XT500 is probably a bridge to far though...and the XL500 was a much better bike to be fair....but not Iconic as such....The original Red Rocket Elsinore...possible?
Again the gpz750 turbo was good but I thought the Unitrak bikes werent as pretty as their predecessors...but then I like the box eye fazer over the fox eye

[Oldgit]

Honda 400 Four pot.

[Tmation]

If I understand Lumpy's meaning, I think what the man or woman in the street would recognise:


Any Harley (thanks to Hells Angels, American Chopper etc)
BMW GS (thanks to Ewan and Charlie Longway round the bend stuff)
Old British bikes (a few on various TV programs/Films but most wont know what they are)
Vespa or Lambretta Scooters (as above)


Non Bikers wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a 400/4 and a Z1 and to joe public most modern machines are just brightly coloured noisy death traps

[fireblake]

Maybe the BMW S1000RR should be included.

famous? Recogniseable? Really?

That would be why they fitted the gimpy headlights, it's now recognizable from all the others.

[fireblake]

And what about the Plastic Maggot. Most Londoners would know what they are having to jump outta the road whenever one was on a mission.

[Lumpy]

I could also add the GPz750 Turbo which unlike amny other attempts did actually wotk and was cracking to ride

not in my memory it wasn't. The ordinary 750 and 1100 were and the twin shock 11 rode better than the unitrak. I did have an XS11 a the time so everything felt a bit rough. Also rough was the GSX1100EFE a truly horrible bike, the XN85 wasn't too bad but far too heavy, the Seca was okay, the KJ650 was actually quite nice, the 500T wasn't as good as the 650T but looked awful in it's own way and the XJ650T was horrible too. No production turbo bike worked particularly well or gave any advantage over an atmospheric bike but it was exciting at the time. The GSX1100 was a not bad bike and I hate Suzukis. The GS thouh was okay, the CBX thou too heavy but I would still kill for one, the Z13 was ridiculous and you definitely rode on it and not in it  , ah memories.

[GrahamB]

I have a 93 Fireblade which I can not bring myself to part with because I think it is such an iconic bike. Also got 2 FZ750's but not sure they should make the list? There's no mistaking their silhouette for sure. Big flat headlight, classic 80's Yamaha lines. Looks a lot like a 350YPVS with the fairing removed which is no bad thing.
 Has anyone mentioned the original slab sided GSXRs?

[BIG MAC]

Aha! great calls...CX500 turbo ...Urban Tiger Blade...yepp gets my vote..both very distinctive...Incidentally having owned an XJ650 back in the day (normally aspirated) it was a sweet thing to drive...well compared to my 650 Katana which replaced it after the Yammie went to heaven

[Lumpy]

Aha! great calls...CX500 turbo ...Urban Tiger Blade...yepp gets my vote..both very distinctive...Incidentally having owned an XJ650 back in the day (normally aspirated) it was a sweet thing to drive...well compared to my 650 Katana which replaced it after the Yammie went to heaven

The brakes on the 650 Katana were viscious when new, I remember.

[fireblake]

Mmmm Urban Tiger

[Gnasher]

Now this is what I call famous, Iconic and recognisable   

[Gnasher]

As is this

[BIG MAC]

[DryRob]

that yellow one looks like it'd give you some nasty burns on long rides 

[fletch]

lovely

[fletch]

sorry wrong pic in the last post lol

[Gnasher]

that yellow one looks like it'd give you some nasty burns on long rides 

That yellow one as you call it is an Yamaha OW48 YRZ500 when it appeared in on the GP grid in 1980 in the hands of the then world champ Kenny Roberts it just blow away the opposition and gave him his third consecutive world title.   

[Gnasher]

sorry wrong pic in the last post lol

Try this one not an original Z but the later Zephyr but still very trick 

[lardarse]

And what about the Plastic Maggot. Most Londoners would know what they are having to jump outta the road whenever one was on a mission.

CX 500!! Or it's "Superior" the CX650......TURBO!

Made me smile this, as the first bike I threw me leg over was a C50, with fairing removed. I was 11 years old and forgot to shut off, I found out the importance of gloves and not wearing shorts on a 'ped/bike...

Instantly recognisables?

C50/70/90

RD 250/350 LC

RD125/200/250/400

Hardley Capables

Plastic Maggots (CX500)

Triumph Bonneville

Norton Commando

GS500/750/1000

And my all time Favourite... Laverda Jota, in Tango Orange 

[Gnasher]

And my all time Favourite... Laverda Jota, in Tango Orange   

Like this or without the nose firing.
 
 

[lardarse]

And my all time Favourite... Laverda Jota, in Tango Orange   

Like this or without the nose firing.

Straight to Screensaver!

With the fairing.... Cor I love them....

[red98]

are we confusing famous with favourite,or is it just me
 
most famous has to be steve mcqueens bike in the great escape
most favourite has to be suzuki gt 250 x7 or honda cb400/4 super sport
iam lucky ive got both

[eiderrider]

FS1E followed by a stepthrough
but to joe public I reckon it's gotta be the sound of a twin pot harley, most would know what it was from 2 streets away.

[BIG MAC]

Those zeds are very pretty didnt know there was a zephyr that shape

[Lumpy]

lovely

oh it fair made me larf this one, blandmobile UJM