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Last Of The 305 Scramblers: The Honda CL77

June 06, 2023

If you wanted to go off-road with a motorcycle in the 1960s, your options were fairly limited to larger, slower bikes that were pushrod-driven and not all that much fun to drive.

Honda entered the market with the Honda CL77 in an effort to contrast the lackluster efforts of other manufacturers by adding a more modern up to date design with a smaller, but more rev-happy engine. The result? Between 1965 and 1968, Honda sold an incredible number of the Honda CL77s as a fun, lightweight road bike that could handle off-road trips too. It was just what America was asking for.

The Bigger Minibike: The Honda Trail 70

May 10, 2022

To those that grew up in the 1970s, and loved motorcycles, this meant amazing creations from the legends at Honda like the Z50 mini bike and its bigger brother the Trail 70. See, Honda knew they had a hit on their hands when the “monkey bike” that first debuted as a children’s ride in Tama Tech park was a hit with not only the kiddies, but the adults as well. Within a few years of this concept, the Z50 was a hit in not only the home market of Japan but in markets all over the world.

From Concept to Legend: The Suzuki Katana

April 19, 2022

When Suzuki dropped the Katana on the world in 1979, everything changed.
The 1970s saw the rise of the universal Japanese motorcycle (UJM), however, by the end of the decade, manufacturers and consumers were growing tired of this conservative design language. Suzuki, the creator of the fantastic GSX series of motorcycles and superbikes, decided to try a design experiment that would take the creation of their new motorcycle to an outside design firm.

Water Cooled V-Twin: The Honda CX500

March 08, 2022

For a company to make a splash in the motorcycle world, they either have to make a big claim or have a revolutionary new design.

Taking a place in the Honda lineup from 1978 to 1983, the Honda CX500 did a little of each. Rocking the nearly hyperbolic headline “First into the future”, they were actually pretty serious about having a new vision for what motorcycles should look like.

This article examines the history of the Honda CX500 from its development and initial reactions to its reception by motorcycle driving audiences.

The Motorcycle: The Unsung Hero of the Military

February 15, 2022

It is challenging to comprehend that battles were fought primarily on horseback just over a century ago when troops went to war. Today, countries could battle their enemies half a world away virtually with the press of a button, thanks to advances in technology.

Before World War I, technological advancements brought the motorcycle into military service, and it continues to serve in various capacities today. Though it could be argued that battles, if not entire wars, were won on the back of a bike, the motorcycle does not receive the credit it deserves for its loyal military service.