Forgotten Failures & Flops

[dr_bar]

What I don't understand is how a Canadian distributor could have the influence to axe a potential American product. For that matter, If he didn't like it, how did he get possession of the example?

What you don't understand is the history that Trev had with HD. He wasn't just a distributor, his company was the sole distributor of HD in Canada, he carried with him a fair bit of clout

He raced and won for many years riding HD's. A bad model in his eyes, could mean a great loss in sales. He took the bike out on their test track and when he brought it back he said not to run it and they listened. You tell me if he had a bit of pull with HD... His company, Fred Deeley imports gets a piece of every HD sold in Canada. That and being on the HD Board of Directors would help...

[moshee]

OK guys/gals, here is another one to stimulate the old brain cells. By the late 60s and early 70s, the Japanese invasion was in full force. In the U.S. the Honda CB350 (& later CB360) were selling like hotcakes. In those days, the CB350 was considered a middle weight bike and was ideal for in-city riding and for an occasional charge into the countryside.

The British responded to the success of the Hondas with the 1971 BSA Fury and Triumph Bandit. These were identical bikes save for cosmetic differences.

http://www.britbike.com/ubb/cgi-bin/ult ... 03267.html?

http://forums.cycleworld.com/eve/ubb.x/ ... rint_topic

With a 350cc twin engine, the bikes were rated at 34 hp with a top speed of 99.4MPH. They came with dual carbs and a 5-speed transmission.

I remember these bikes as they actually were shown in BSA/Triumph brochures and I wanted one. However, only a few were made and fewer yet made it to US shores and these were more like pre-production prototypes. At the time, there was a pent up demand for the bikes in US dealerships. However, BSA/Triumph was in financial difficulty and could not finance full scale production of the bikes.

It was another of those opportunities lost for the British motorcycle industry.
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1960 recession

[Cy Borg]

I'm suprised no one has mention the Suzuki RE-5 Rotary.

It was built from 1974-1976. It is my understanding that it almost bankrupt the company. They had huge hopes for it but the public never bought into it.

http://www.suzukicycles.org/RE5/RE5-Rotary.shtml

[Pongo]

I'm suprised no one has mention the Suzuki RE-5 Rotary.

It was built from 1974-1976. It is my understanding that it almost bankrupt the company. They had huge hopes for it but the public never bought into it.

http://www.suzukicycles.org/RE5/RE5-Rotary.shtml

I had a friend who had one of those in the mid '70s. What a monster it was. Initially he thought it was tha bees knees....didn't keep it for long. I wonder why?

[TechTMW]

I'd love to have a VX800 now!

I have one in my garage - - Blue, Decent condition w/ aftermarket pipes ... 33k miles ... you want ?? You pay for shipping




My contribution to the Failure Discussion - The Yamaha GTS1000 ... Wonderful Idea, crappy execution. Thanks for the lack of imagination Yamaha !! (Why haven't Yamaha tried the RADD designed front end on anything else?)

[moshee]

I'm suprised no one has mention the Suzuki RE-5 Rotary.

It was built from 1974-1976. It is my understanding that it almost bankrupt the company. They had huge hopes for it but the public never bought into it.

http://www.suzukicycles.org/RE5/RE5-Rotary.shtml

I was waiting for someone to bring up the Suzuki RE5 rotary. The first model featured an instrument cluster mounted inside a can shaped enclosure. Insertion of the key would rotate the cover and open up the can to expose the instruments. Talk about corny gadgets.

While the rotary was simple, magazines said the carburation was a nightmare. I can't say since I never saw an example of this beauty. In addition, the RE5 wasn't particularly fast with a 1/4 mile time in the 14s

http://www.suzukicycles.org/RE5/RE5-Rotary.shtml

That said, can anyone think of the other rotary bike which didn't make it beyond the prototype stage?
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[moshee]

My contribution to the Failure Discussion - The Yamaha GTS1000 ... Wonderful Idea, crappy execution. Thanks for the lack of imagination Yamaha !! (Why haven't Yamaha tried the RADD designed front end on anything else?)

Is this the bike?

http://www.ozebook.com/yamaha/yam5.htm

What was wrong with it in its execution?
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government grants

[Cy Borg]

That said, can anyone think of the other rotary bike which didn't make it beyond the prototype stage?

Actually, at least five manufacturers of varying sizes tested rotary engines, with Norton having several models. Read more about them here:

http://www.monito.com/wankel/motorcycles.html

I have no experience with any of them but find the brief interest in rotary engines interesting. It was the rotary engine that got Mazda noted in the US as an auto manufacturer.

[Pongo]

One somewhat un-nerving thing with the Suzy RE5 was if you snapped the throttle shut the initial engine braking would lock the rear wheel briefly then a sort of ignition override would kick in and you would sail on with no engine braking whatsoever.

Also the pokity pokity noise of the motor on tickover was not very attractive...very noticable when pulled up at traffic lights.

[moshee]

That said, can anyone think of the other rotary bike which didn't make it beyond the prototype stage?

Actually, at least five manufacturers of varying sizes tested rotary engines, with Norton having several models.

Wow, that really stimulated some gray matter. I never knew there were so many forays into rotary power for motorcycles. I forgot about the DKW and Van Veen and I never knew the Norton rotary actually entered production. Anyway, here is a good pic of the Norton.

http://www.motosolvang.com/bike_windows/1988_nr.html

Please note that the Norton is air cooled. Norton did not want to break tradition by coming out with a liquid cooled engine. However, overheating was one problem they had to contend with in their rotary's development.
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