Iconic Motorcycles - Part 2
We continue with the pleasure of bringing you those works of art that dazzled us in the past and now make us proud of those times, when motorcycling was lived with the greatest freedom and manufacturers made every effort to be leaders in each category. Let's move on to what really matters to us with this second part...
BMW R 80 G/S
The BMW R 80G/S marked the beginning of the saga of one of the most successful trail bikes of all time, which continues to this day with the BMW R 1250 GS. Its advertising campaigns saw the fusion of a road bike and an off-road bike, creating what the Germans call Gelände/Straße (off-road and on-road).
But before the model went into production and became popular, there were already intrepid Germans who dared to try some enduro riding with the robust German machines. It was 1980, and in Spain we associated the concept of trail riding with Montesa's series of trials bikes with two-seater seats and better adapted for off-road riding; yes, the famous Montesa Cota 348 Trail. And of course, seeing a monstrous boxer twin-cylinder engine adapted for off-road use seemed strange to us.
Today we would say that the BMW R 80 G/S is a scrambler, and that was the case during its eight years of production, from 1980 to 1987. It was the first BMW specialized in dual sports and represented the beginning of Trail as we understand it today.
Yamaha RD 500
The heart of the RD 500 was a 500cc, two-stroke, water-cooled V-four engine. It featured the advanced Yamaha Power Valve System (YPVS), which allowed exhaust gas flow to be regulated based on engine speed, thereby achieving increased performance.
Power reached 88 hp at 9,500 rpm, a figure that may seem low by today's standards, but anyone who has driven 2-stroke engines can easily imagine the rage, fury, character and general bad temper that each and every one of them exudes.
It claimed a curb weight of around 170 kg. The two-stroke engine was compact and lightweight, making it much lighter than other sports cars of the time. Also notable is the quick-release gearbox, another legacy from the world of racing and competition.
The 1985 Suzuki GSX-R 750
It had a high-tech 130 hp engine, narrower than the previous inline-fours, and materials such as magnesium were used to keep weight to a minimum. It was basically a "watered-down" street version of the Suzuki GS1000R race bike. The flat-slide carburetors gave a quicker response to acceleration compared to vacuum carburetors. They also required the rider to be more gentle with the throttle. It was very fast in the hands of a skilled rider, but could be considered twitchy and even dangerous for inexperienced riders.
It entered the international market in March 1985, although it was first presented at the IFMA, the Cologne Fair, Germany, in 1984. The evolution of modern sports bikes began with the 1985 Suzuki GSX-R 750. It is a true classic.
Yamaha V-Max 1200
In the mid-1980s, Yamaha sought to break out and revolutionize the market, especially in North America, with a new model that would make it famous for acceleration in the quarter-mile (400 meters). The queen of acceleration was born. In the US, as there have always been speed limits (55 mph in most states), the power and acceleration of vehicles have taken precedence over their top speed. Proof of this are the great "muscle cars" of the 1970s with their large V8 engines that, above all, developed enormous torque that allowed for lightning-fast accelerations. In 1985, when the VMax 1200 was launched, Yamaha offered 145 hp at 9,500 rpm from a 1200cc, 16-valve, water-cooled V4 engine. But what stood out was its power and torque delivery, as the V-Boost was activated at 6,000 rpm, delivering a huge kick to the rider that catapulted the bike into a powerful stance, offering exemplary performance.
