From oldies to youngtimers – these are our classics

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We reveal our absolute classics

The dream classics from MOTORRAD Classic

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For us, everything revolves around oldies and youngtimers, not just at work, but also in your free time. It goes without saying that the makers of MOTORRAD Classic have their very own ideas about the dream classic. Here we reveal our little secrets.

M.ichael pfeiffer

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The dream classics from MOTORRAD Classic.

Michael Pfeiffer, Editor-in-Chief, 52, has always had a weakness for special cylinder configurations. He can now also get enthusiastic about classic concepts.

We reveal our absolute classics

The dream classics from MOTORRAD Classic

…of yesterday

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Suzuki GS 550 E..

Unfortunately, I’ve never owned a SUZUKI GS 550 E, but I was enthusiastic about its no-frills look right from the start. The teardrop-shaped tank, the classically drawn bench with a pretty hump and, above all, the beautiful inline four-cylinder are a real feast for the eyes. In times of underseat exhaust systems or even bulging Underengine pots, the harmonious and straightforward Suzuki four-in-two calms the senses. Also nice: you can see where the GS is wearing the air filter and see which way the fresh gas takes through the carburettor and into the cylinder head.

It is also clear in which direction the burned mixture is disposed of via the manifold after ignition. And – my God – how easy it was to build a chassis at the end of the 1970s! Double loop, sob! Two struts, sniff! Telegabel, rabah! But stop now: I think I’ll look for a GS soon. After that came one design aberration after another from Suzuki. Just think of the terrible GSX models with square headlights. As an alternative, I also enjoy a Moto Guzzi Le Mans I, a Yamaha RD 400 or a beautiful Honda CB 500 Four. All motorcycles that are currently out of my reach. Unfortunately.

Suzuki motorcycles on markt.motorradonline.de

…from tomorrow

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Ducati 916.

Not yet really in the focus of collectors, but certainly no longer becoming less valuable: the pioneering Ducati 916. I still remember my first test drive with the sensationally designed V2. You would never have thought a two-cylinder would have this performance and a Ducati such processing. Here the proportions are right, the sound and engine power inspire, shape and color seduce. With the 916, the Italians drove themselves to the Olympus of sport motorcycle fans and conquered one world championship after another. Quickly secure another one!

Ducati motorcycles on markt.motorradonline.de

Gerhard Eirich

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Gerhard Eirich, 48, editor.

Gerhard Eirich, editor, 48, likes motorcycles with sound. He is particularly fond of three-cylinder and V4 engines, but he is also enthusiastic about some of the characterful V2 bikes and many of the poisonous 70s two-stroke engines.

…of yesterday

Helmut Dahne, Nordschleife, lap record – that’s all you really have to say to indicate which bike it is about: the posh racing replica Honda VFR 750 R beguiles with a dull, rumbling V4 sound and makes the heart of every two-wheel fan beat faster. Mine anyway – since it first appeared. I had a crush on the RC 30, but drove the X7. Instead, I have owned several VFR 750 Fs (currently a red 89), the civilian, yet beautiful everyday version, but I still miss the R.

The noble hits are only rarely offered, and when they are at low prices. From 1988 wealthy buyers could get hold of one of the only 3,000 copies built for 25,000 marks and enjoy the perfect workmanship of the beautiful Honda. The aluminum bridge frame was derived directly from the racing bike, the single-sided swing arm is a feast for the eyes and reveals the 5.5-inch wide rim on the right. A bike full of technical delicacies (titanium connecting rods, axle quick release fasteners, racing gearbox and much more), an eye-catcher painted in wonderful HRC colors, which is now increasing in value practically every hour. I keep my eyes open, by the way, also for one of the rare Ducati 851 Tricolore (a beautiful relic from the 16-inch era), a Kawasaki H2 (with the most beautiful rear end in history) and also a Yamaha XS 750 (with the beguiling Porsche-sounding triplet).

Honda VFR 750 R (RC 30) on markt.motorradonline.de

…from tomorrow

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Yamaha MT-01.

It was probably simply misunderstood by most: For fans of ultra-powerful macho bikes, the Yamaha MT-01 with 90 hp did not have enough image-enhancing performance. For lovers of sporty naked bikes, it was too heavy, too little sparkling. I like its ruggedly pounding, powerful bumper motor that cracks the 100 Nm threshold just above idle. The top-heavy bull can be shooed passably around curves, provided that you firmly grab it by the horns. And even the sound of the standard exhaust almost makes urban canyons collapse. A V2 dinosaur with clear cult potential.

Yamaha MT-01 on markt.motorradonline.de

Uli Holzwarth

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Uli Holzwarth, 48, editor.

Uli Holzwarth, editor, 48, likes classics from the 1970s and youngtimers. There is also space in his garage for motorcycles that do not necessarily suit the general public.

…of yesterday

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Honda XBR 500 S..

Actually, the photo above should show a Moto Guzzi Le Mans III. If there is such a thing as a dream bike for me, it is this racy Italian, who has been on my wish list for more than 30 years. Somehow it hasn’t worked out yet. Almost two years ago I was very close, but then the fickle provider pulled back at the last second. So it stays with the big dream for now. On the other hand, I have fulfilled one or the other little one. Although my choice is likely to cause some readers to shake their heads, because a BMW R 65 LS, for example, has never met the taste of the masses. An undisguised Yamaha XJ 900 N is also not necessarily one of the most exciting bikes that everyone is raving about. Anyway, I like bikes that maybe only I like.

However, I have really grown background of the Honda XBR 500 S, of which I own three. The silver one above is the trio’s jewel, with only 6200 kilometers on the clock. A wonderful single for the relaxed tour over the smallest of paths, which enchants me every time with its wonderfully muffled Boller sound. The best: An XBR offers great happiness for little money. A well-preserved Kawasaki GPZ 900 R costs more anyway. But it would be worth the money to me, because the 80s athlete is definitely one of my very narrow favorites. Likewise, the Kreidler RS ​​from 1978 (exactly, the one with cast wheels and disc brakes!), Because I was infected with the motorcycle bacillus in this 50s. Oh yes: I could also get weak with a Honda XRV 650, and there would definitely be a square in the garage for a Yamaha RD 350 YPVS.

Honda motorcycles on markt.motorradonline.de

…from tomorrow

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Honda VTR 1000 SP-2.

It doesn’t take me long to decide on the Honda VTR 1000 SP-2 as a future classic. From my point of view, Honda’s V2 superbike has always been beaten under value. Not on the racetrack, there are two world championship titles with Colin Edwards in the history books. But when comparing with the competition. But today it is no longer the backlog of points that counts, but the posh workmanship, the gear drive for the camshafts, and the reliability…

Honda VTR 1000 SP-1 for sale

Honda VTR 1000 SP-2 on markt.motorradonline.de

Werner "Mini" cook

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Werner Koch, 59, editor.

Werner Koch, editor, 59, with MOTORRAD and MOTORRAD Classic magazines since 1987. As a passionate racing driver from an early age, the trained motorcycle mechanic prefers to build his machines himself. That doesn’t mean that he can’t get excited about a favorite off-the-shelf classic.

…of yesterday

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Moto Guzzi V7 Sport.

My number one? Clearly the Moto Guzzi V7 Sport (1970). At Motorrad-Hiller in Stuttgart we converted one of the first V7 Sport to 850 cubic centimeters and really powerful. After that she was not only really beautiful, but also really fast. With a huge Grimeca double duplex hub, the classic "round motor" and an ingeniously designed double loop frame, the V7 Sport embodies the Italian tradition of building beautiful and fast motorcycles.

Tea Honda CB 92 Benly Super Sport (1961) was my first “big” motorcycle. Unfortunately, so vulnerable that a second one had to be purchased as an organ donor. With a sporty aluminum tank, beautiful duplex brake, the finely ribbed 125cc engine and converted to a telescopic fork instead of a short swing arm, the little Honda is still one of my favorites today – at least in terms of looks.

The Benelli 250 2C (1974), after the Honda CB 72 and Suzuki T 250, was my lightest 250 with a filigree, lively two-stroke engine and a great chassis. So great that I landed fourth in my first motorcycle race and finished in Hockenheim at the JuPo before the FKS 250 (Fritz Klager Spezial). That made up for the many small Italian shortcomings and sloppinesses.

Zundapp KS 50 Supersport (1970): The most beautiful 50s ever built. With a raised exhaust, chrome-plated buffalo tank and handlebar stubs, it was a real motorcycle that the whole clique was jealous of in the 70s. Also because the engine with the typical fan-shaped cylinder cover turned out to be a very strong fellow.

Moto Guzzi motorcycles on markt.motorradonline.de

…from tomorrow

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Yamaha SRX-6.

Yamaha SRX-6 (1986). By far the most beautiful air-cooled single cylinder, the Yamaha was voted "Motorcycle of the Year" by MOTORRAD readers in 1985. The lines of the tank, bench and double loop frame are a poem. In a few simple steps, the optics and technology were given the finishing touches – like with my own SRX-6, which incidentally had exactly this abbreviation (S-RX 6) as a mark.

Yamaha motorcycles on markt.motorradonline.de

Thomas schmieder

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Thomas Schmieder, 46, editor.

Thomas Schmieder, editor, 46, is fascinated by the fact that motorcycles don’t drive in a vacuum. Which doesn’t mean the oxygen required to burn gasoline. But their social environment.

…of yesterday

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Triumph Bonneville T 120.

No motorcycle embodies the early "Roaring Sixties", the wild sixties, more than the Triumph Bonneville T 120. It came in 1959, in the midst of the moral turmoil of the post-war period, when workers could hardly afford a car and teenagers, especially in England, rebelled, Demanded freedom. Rock’n’Roll. It was the sports motorcycle par excellence, if it should run 120 miles per hour with its double carburetor, 193 km / h. A scandal! Okay, in real life it took some tuning – the birth of the cafe racers with clip-on handlebars, humped seats and raised exhausts, which were converted in backyards. And then the name, one of the most beautiful in motorcycle history. Sounds French, but it meant the legendary salt lake in Utah, where Jonnie Allen reached a sensational 345.45 km / h in 1956 with a slippery 650 Triumph twin.

The commercially available offshoot Supersport was born in the cradle. Today, the classic proportions of the parallel twin in pre-unit construction are more popular with the "Bonnie". The logical replacement for me is a Honda CB 450 Black Bomber: It appeared in 1965 with a dohc twin, almost 100 hp liter output, was absolutely reliable and permanently “dry”. And even before the "motorcycle of the century" CB 750 Four heralded a change of times in the motorcycle world: Good old England had rested on its fame, now cam Japan! Therefore I should like to remind you of the Yamaha SR 500, my first own motorcycle. From 1978 onwards, it brought an original English species back onto German streets ten thousand times, classless, full of character and affordable.

Triumph motorcycles on markt.motorradonline.de

…from tomorrow

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MV Agusta Brutale 800.

With many current motorcycles, it is difficult to imagine standing in front of them in admiration 20 or 30 years from now. Not with the MV Agusta Brutale 800. Sensual design language with one of the most beautiful exhausts since 1885! The rapid driving dynamics of the 185 kilogram three-cylinder (great!) Comforts the terrible throttle response, a case for connoisseurs and experts, still without ABS. The BMW R 1200 GS embodies the exact opposite. It stands on every corner, can do anything, can do anything. A modern, large XT 500. We will think back to many wonderful trips with her …

MV Agusta Brutale 800 on markt.motorradonline.de

Fred siemer

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Fred Siemer, 57, freelancer.

Fred Siemer, editor, 57, freelancer, doesn’t like anything that is too bitchy or too expensive to drive. Therefore, in addition to the BMW R 80/7, he also drives a Honda XBR 500 and NX 650 Dominator as well as a Yamaha FZ 750.

…of yesterday

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BMW R 80/7

Motorcycle historians will be as unimpressed by my choice as the disciples are by performance or design. I should add that I hesitated for a long time: The Triumph Speed ​​Twin 5T from 1938 came to my mind because Edward Turner, its ingenious designer, founded our idea of ​​motorcycling with it. Fast, primal, wild. Then the Guzzi V7 Sport came to mind, the harrowing beauty of which made me buy a motorcycle model for the only time in my life. For the bookshelf, it is still parked next to my basic philosophical equipment.

When reason crept into my considerations, the Morini 3 ½ Sport came into play, because it looks almost as great as the Guzzi, sounds better and proves that fascination doesn’t depend on price. Nevertheless, my choice ultimately fell on the brave BMW R 80/7, because honesty had now also been added to reason. Yes folks, I’ve owned this car for over 30 years and have known how well it suits me for at least ten years. It is not only forgiving when it comes to screwing, it is reliable not only when starting from cold and not only resilient when on vacation. My relationship with this motorcycle can be seen as solid through and through, and that’s why what has recently come to our ears bothers us: “It doesn’t actually look that bad.” No, friends, too late.

BMW R 80/7 on markt.motorradonline.de

…from tomorrow

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Honda CBR 600 F..

As a test editor of MOTORRAD committed to objectivity, from 1987 onwards I recorded the superiority of Japanese fours. And only gradually understood how much passion there is behind these high-performance, often lightweight constructions, how much they are fun to drive. Since then, everything that generates more than 100 hp per liter of displacement in fewer than four cylinders has been subject to compromises. Honda’s CBR 600 PC19 – it appeared in 1987 – floated far above all others with its splendid engine and magnificent chassis. It’s my tomorrow’s classic. Justice must be.

Honda CBR 600 F on markt.motorradonline.de

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