Total Motorcycle Community Forums

I don't really look as good as I do in my avatar pic.

It sucks that not enough nakeds or other unconventional bikes sell in N.A. to support bringing some of these bikes over. I can see the side of the manufactures, they want to sell bikes, and if these type bikes don't sell, I can't blame them for not bringing them in. Bites looking at some of the cool bikes across the pond and not being able to even consider them though. If it ain't a cruiser or a sportbike, we have a pretty small appetite for it here.

We do get a few breaks in Canada that the States didn't/don't get. We got the RZ-500 in the 80's, and that thing was cool. We got the SV-1000 for a couple years longer than you did, I think, and we do get the CRB-125, another cool little bike. And a few more exceptions like that, but we generally get robbed of the same stuff as you.

BuzZz wrote: We do get a few breaks in Canada that the States didn't/don't get. We got the RZ-500 in the 80's, and that thing was cool.

I remember those! Those and the Suzuki 500 Gammas.

I used to see a few of those at Marcus Dairy(a huge bike gathering in my area) that were gray market imports.

All we got was the RZ350. I lusted after one at the local Yamaha/Honda dealer that was actually a leftover that they were trying to blow out back in the late 80s. Even at the clearance price it was more than a kid like me could afford. They even had a leftover CBX Six that they couldn't give away!

I had an RZ-350 (sadly, not until after it had been outclassed by the early GSXR's and such) and it was a riot. And still took more than a few hotshots by surprise. Not as many as my old RD-350LC's did though. The RZ looked racier than the RD, but those little RD's were demons at anything less than a ton. Great street weapons. I should have bet more bigmouths at more stoplights back then......

And I got to ride an RZ-500 a bit after it's prime too. It was still a blast though. Got to love a V-4 2 stroke..... truly cool.

BuzZz wrote:I had an RZ-350 (sadly, not until after it had been outclassed by the early GSXR's and such) and it was a riot. And still took more than a few hotshots by surprise. Not as many as my old RD-350LC's did though. The RZ looked racier than the RD, but those little RD's were demons at anything less than a ton. Great street weapons. I should have bet more bigmouths at more stoplights back then......

And I got to ride an RZ-500 a bit after it's prime too. It was still a blast though. Got to love a V-4 2 stroke..... truly cool.

My first bike was a RD200 and that little bike would pop killer wheelies at will....and sometimes on it's own. The only bad thing was that it would foul plugs at long stoplights unless I kept revving the engine.

Yeah the 4 banger 2-smokes sounded awesome. But my killer chain saw sound award goes to those nasty Kawi Triples. The sound of one of those with a pipe at full throttle going through the gears would literally make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

Wheelie machines beyond doubt. Ever try to launch even mildly quick with a passenger? No way to keep that front tire down with the GF sitting over the rear axle, but it sure was fun.

I never got a chance to ride a Kawi triple unfortunately, but they did have a nice rasp to 'em.

BuzZz wrote:I don't really look as good as I do in my avatar pic.

It sucks that not enough nakeds or other unconventional bikes sell in N.A. to support bringing some of these bikes over. I can see the side of the manufactures, they want to sell bikes, and if these type bikes don't sell, I can't blame them for not bringing them in. Bites looking at some of the cool bikes across the pond and not being able to even consider them though. If it ain't a cruiser or a sportbike, we have a pretty small appetite for it here.

We do get a few breaks in Canada that the States didn't/don't get. We got the RZ-500 in the 80's, and that thing was cool. We got the SV-1000 for a couple years longer than you did, I think, and we do get the CRB-125, another cool little bike. And a few more exceptions like that, but we generally get robbed of the same stuff as you.

We also got the proper 750 V45 Honda's in the mid 80's while our southern cousins had to make do with just a 700.