It is often said that a nation without history and without a heritage is pathetic.
This phrase is also very suitable for the motorcycle industry.
With the flood of industrialization, scale and socialization of large-scale production, the phenomenon of similar structure, similar technology and similar performance of motorcycle products abounds.
Obviously, this kind of homogeneity of thousands of people runs counter to the aesthetic needs of modern people to pursue individuality and maverick!
In this case, brands with unique memories and unique histories can integrate their own traditions and their own culture into motorcycles, thus casting a distinctive character and creating a unique charm that attracts riders!
Japanese Genre: The Impulse of Juxtaposition Four Cylinder + DOHC
Blue is better than blue. It can be said that being good at learning is a major feature of Japan, which is also vividly reflected in the motorcycle industry. Looking at Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Yamaha "four Big Kong", no matter which brand, there are single-cylinder, double-cylinder, four-cylinder and other displacement power units, models cover sports cars, street cars, adventure cars, cruise cars, off-road vehicles, scooters and so on. For such a large and comprehensive brand, what are their characteristics?
In fact, although the "Four King Kongs" are involved in all models, the best and strongest item of the Japanese genre is the juxtaposition of four-cylinder machines! Whether it is a supercar, a midweight sports car, or a street car, equipped with a liquid-cooled, DOHC cylinder head side-by-side four-cylinder engine, they are the most familiar with the best play!
Among the motorcycle brands in the world, Japanese motorcycles undoubtedly occupy an important position, but in the 60s of the last century, the image of Japanese motorcycles was not like this at all - the industry characteristics at that time were: the mainstream of Japan was a small displacement motorcycle, and in the field of large and medium displacement, Japanese motorcycles did not have much threat to Europe and the United States.
Since when has The Japanese motorcycle reversed its image, from small and medium displacement to large displacement, from nameless to motorcycle powerhouse? The industry generally believes that the symbol of this transformation is the CB750, Honda's side-by-side four-cylinder engine model introduced in the late 1960s. Many people believe that the CB750 not only established the image of Japanese motorcycles, but also a major revolution in the history of motorcycles, eliminating heavy motorcycles with large sizes, excessive weight and slow handling, and opening up the era of modern motorcycles with powerful power, light Mercedes-Benz and flexible handling.
The CB750 was the first mass-produced horizontal side-by-side four-cylinder motorcycle and is considered by many to be the first epoch-making superbike. Simply put, before that, the concept of "big car" was basically a large single-cylinder or two-cylinder motorcycle equipped with drum brakes; after that, the "big car" became a four-cylinder motorcycle armed with disc brakes.
Kawasaki added a fire to the side-by-side four cylinders, which is the DOHC cylinder head. In 1970, Kawasaki launched the Z1 R&D project (R&D code name T103). In the spring of 1971, the earliest Z1 prototype was finally completed, and the power unit was still a side-by-side four-cylinder four-stroke engine, but the displacement was expanded to 903mL to overpower the popularity of the Honda CB750, which made the Z1 the largest displacement motorcycle produced in Japan at that time, which greatly reversed the image that Japan could only produce small displacement motorcycles, which impressed the industry. What's even more surprising is that in order to fully surpass the CB750, Kawasaki equipped this four-cylinder engine with a DOHC valve mechanism to achieve high performance in the low-rev to high-rev range, and mass-produced motorcycles with DOHC valve mechanisms were completely rare at that time!
In September 1972, the Z1 was finally unveiled to American riders and went on sale in December of the same year. It was Japan's largest and fastest motorcycle in the 1970s, and its second-to-none acceleration and top speed made it a veritable "king of the road," delivering an irresistible and deadly allure to motorcycle riders.
Following the pace, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha quickly joined the trend of DOHC juxtaposing four cylinders, both holding together and competing with each other, setting off a huge whirlwind of Japanese motorcycles, and jointly creating a golden age of multi-valve, high-power multi-cylinder motorcycles.
Triumph: Side-by-side twin-cylinder British classic cars
The century-old brand Triumph motorcycle has successfully returned to the mainstream, ranking among the first-class arrays in the international motorcycle world, with various models of motorcycles, equipped with various types of power devices, including side-by-side two-cylinder, side-by-side three-cylinder, horizontal side-by-side three-cylinder, etc., and the models cover sports cars, street cars, adventure cars, classical cars, etc. However, the most classic is the classic car equipped with a parallel twin cylinder engine equipped with SOHC 8 valves. Taking the 2018 model as an example, there are a number of Models such as Street Twin, Bonneville T100, Street Cup, Scrambler, Bonneville T120, Thruxton 1200, Speedmaster, Bonneville Bobber and so on. These juxtaposed twin-cylinder machines, adhering to the glory of history, blend the performance, safety and comfort of modern motorcycles with the style, taste and history of classical motorcycles, bringing together a unique charm.
The most famous juxtaposition of the twin cylinder is the British veteran triumph motorcycle. The 5T Speed Twin produced by Triumph in 1937 had extraordinary performance, and this car has an important historical position, which is considered as important as the CB750 introduced by Honda in 1969 with a side-by-side four cylinder. The "Fast Twin Cylinder" is easy to start, runs smoothly, has a top speed of more than 145km/h, and has all the sophisticated characteristics of a modern motorcycle. As a result, as soon as it was launched, it was highly praised by the media and enthusiastically pursued by the public, and it was greatly inspired and followed by competitors. Triumph has accumulated rich experience in parallel twin cylinders, for example, they have summed up the experience and believe that if a single carburetor is used, the 360 ° crank angle is more suitable than 180 °, and the side three-wheel 6/1 they developed is equipped with a 360 ° crank angle, displacement 650mL side-by-side twin engine, which also won the silver medal in the International Six-Day Competition.
Since the 1950s, Triumph has ushered in a golden age of overall prosperity. In 1953, the so-called "motorcycle film" progenitor, the first film to reflect the illegal motorcycle gang in the United States, "Speeding Car Party" was released, and the male protagonist Jonny was driving the "Thunderbird" of Triumph Company. The Thunderbird has been described as "exuding an elusive European mystique" that complements Jonny's cold temperament and rebellious spirit. The heavy metal smell of bare street cars, the roar of the juxtaposed twin-cylinder engine when sensationalizing the throttle, give people a very strong audiovisual effect, and the excellent handling performance makes Jonny more powerful, especially when cornering, thanks to the low center of gravity design, you can safely and boldly tilt the body!
In fact, since 1937 Triumph "fast twin cylinder" opened the prelude to the trend of parallel twin cylinders, until the mid-70s of the last century, the 360 ° crank angle of the side-by-side twin engine became the mainstream power unit of British motorcycles, Triumph, BSA, Norton, Ariel, AJS, Invincible and other brands, have launched various specifications of side-by-side twin-cylinder motorcycles, and even Italian, German, American manufacturers, have also been affected by the launch of many parallel twin engine models.
Moto Guz: Maverick horizontal V2
In recent years, another veteran Italian motorcycle, Moto Guz, has also developed smoothly, its influence has been expanding, and it has entered the domestic market. Their characteristics are very distinct, and the pedigree is highly recognizable, that is, the unique transverse V-type twin-cylinder + shaft drive. Whether it's the V7 or V9, whether it's Audace or Aldorado or California, it's all a combination of this structure, and there's no other branch.
In the 1960s, MotoGuz ushered in the first turning point in his career, and like many established motorcycle companies in history, it suffered the fate of resale. In 1967, a newly formed management group called SEIMM signed a contract with Moto Guz for the rental of production facilities and labor for up to 3 years. After entering the motorcycle field, SEIMM Management Group saw business opportunities in the motorcycle industry, generated the intention to acquire Moto Guz, and successfully acquired Moto Guz two years later. After the arrival of the new owner, the production and market strategy was quickly adjusted, and the production of unwelcome products was stopped and the focus was on the production of high-quality and inexpensive motorcycles.
At the same time, the company has also developed a new product, with The New 90° Angle V-twin engine designed by Carqueno. With its muscularly majestic shape, this exposed engine delivers powerful torque at low rpm and is very reliable, earning market acclaim and quickly becoming the signature classic symbol of the Moto Guz. The V7, introduced in 1967, is equipped with a newly developed V-twin engine with a displacement of 703mL. Strong power, smooth power transmission, high reliability, unique style, so that the V7 has achieved great success!
Technology products have no borders, V7 is not only widely popular in Italy, but also to pimp motorcycle-loving riders around the world. The machines are exported to overseas markets, especially fans in the United States and Germany, who are fascinated by this unique style of horizontal V2 machine, although they also have famous twin-cylinder models in their home country, such as Harley-Davidson and BMW. As a result, Moto Guz quickly launched the corresponding series of products, such as for the US market, successfully launched a number of versions such as Special, California and Ambassador, and successfully entered and occupied the US market. The V7 family grew, with the culmination of its glory being the V7 Sport, introduced in 1971. The Sport V7, with an improved engine and excellent frame, was particularly compact and sporty, while its elegant lines and excellent high-speed stability made it one of the best models of its time.