Jockney Rebel
12-01-2016, 11:09 PM
Amongst the biking cognoscenti there is a well used term to describe less than satisfactory examples of our chosen form of transport .These are known as Lemons
I have heard other descriptions of these unfortunate machines but we’ll keep it clean.
To qualify as a lemon a bike has to be, through design or lack of it, unable to perform adequately amongst its peers .Or be aimed at a faction of the market that just doesn’t exist or indeed be just an unreliable piece of crap.
Throughout the last 3 or 4 decades there has been plenty of these and in this column well be looking at some of the worst ones.
Now before I go any further and incur the wrath of the combined membership of the “I own one of those bikes and it’s alright “owners club .this is my opinion that just happens to be shared with a fair few others with more years experience than me.
I reckon there will be a few bikes that will surprise you in the list and maybe a few that you would consider to be worthwhile owning ?
Well that’s a personal decision and as long as you know the pitfalls and limitation s of your choice I say more power to yer arm and good luck .After all yours truly has spent too much time and money on a few of them myself ….some manufacturers whole product list falls into this category but to be fair most of those are designed for the territory in which their built… I cite Voskhod as one, great in Russia as a cheap get arounds but as far as exporting them to the West they’d have been kinder if they’d sent us a ballistic missile.
Fantic an Italian manufacturer that’s given us some great little 2 strokes but to unload the awful Fantic chopper on an unsuspecting public ?? An 8foot chop powered by your grannies lawnmower motor !
The worst thing about it was you couldn’t even outrun the people throwing things at you…..and believe me they would !
Its said that you get what you pay for and in the history of motorcycling cheap doesn’t always mean good value.
Come in CZ your time is up, some where back in the dark recess’s of time these bikes were modern…. yup that’d be about 1933 and its not because their from behind the iron curtain !! Because in contrast MZ managed to chuck out some fine bikes maybe not stylish but good performers in their own right
The Japs don’t get off lightly either …..
Honda’s CB500T with its one down five up and over the handlebars gearbox [it had a habit of seizing]and had naff styling. I mean, brown is for living rooms !.
Yamaha’s ill fated over complicated XS500 how can they market such a bike alongside a legend like the XS650 is beyond me ..
Kawasaki s horrific Z750 twin like the Honda mentioned before but even worse its almost like the two factories designers are one and the same bloke ..
Oh yeah and then there’s Suzuki…. hard to find lemons from their factory but releasing a rotary bike that’s heavier, more expensive and performs worse that its nearest stable mate in almost every area is some feat …
Enter the Brits, pioneers of so many motorcycling innovations yet doomed to failure because of short-sighted management and lack of development .I cite the deplorable build quality of anything British during the 70’s and the last minute dropping of BSA/Triumphs wonderful little 350ohc twins in 1970
And of course not forgetting good old Harley Davidson .. In my humble opinion the Americans backed the wrong horse on that one,my father had an Indian and there’s no comparison in my books.
The whole point here is that every one of these companies have given us some amazing machines but every now and then a true lemon slips through and that’s what well be uncovering.. stand by to be informed.
I have heard other descriptions of these unfortunate machines but we’ll keep it clean.
To qualify as a lemon a bike has to be, through design or lack of it, unable to perform adequately amongst its peers .Or be aimed at a faction of the market that just doesn’t exist or indeed be just an unreliable piece of crap.
Throughout the last 3 or 4 decades there has been plenty of these and in this column well be looking at some of the worst ones.
Now before I go any further and incur the wrath of the combined membership of the “I own one of those bikes and it’s alright “owners club .this is my opinion that just happens to be shared with a fair few others with more years experience than me.
I reckon there will be a few bikes that will surprise you in the list and maybe a few that you would consider to be worthwhile owning ?
Well that’s a personal decision and as long as you know the pitfalls and limitation s of your choice I say more power to yer arm and good luck .After all yours truly has spent too much time and money on a few of them myself ….some manufacturers whole product list falls into this category but to be fair most of those are designed for the territory in which their built… I cite Voskhod as one, great in Russia as a cheap get arounds but as far as exporting them to the West they’d have been kinder if they’d sent us a ballistic missile.
Fantic an Italian manufacturer that’s given us some great little 2 strokes but to unload the awful Fantic chopper on an unsuspecting public ?? An 8foot chop powered by your grannies lawnmower motor !
The worst thing about it was you couldn’t even outrun the people throwing things at you…..and believe me they would !
Its said that you get what you pay for and in the history of motorcycling cheap doesn’t always mean good value.
Come in CZ your time is up, some where back in the dark recess’s of time these bikes were modern…. yup that’d be about 1933 and its not because their from behind the iron curtain !! Because in contrast MZ managed to chuck out some fine bikes maybe not stylish but good performers in their own right
The Japs don’t get off lightly either …..
Honda’s CB500T with its one down five up and over the handlebars gearbox [it had a habit of seizing]and had naff styling. I mean, brown is for living rooms !.
Yamaha’s ill fated over complicated XS500 how can they market such a bike alongside a legend like the XS650 is beyond me ..
Kawasaki s horrific Z750 twin like the Honda mentioned before but even worse its almost like the two factories designers are one and the same bloke ..
Oh yeah and then there’s Suzuki…. hard to find lemons from their factory but releasing a rotary bike that’s heavier, more expensive and performs worse that its nearest stable mate in almost every area is some feat …
Enter the Brits, pioneers of so many motorcycling innovations yet doomed to failure because of short-sighted management and lack of development .I cite the deplorable build quality of anything British during the 70’s and the last minute dropping of BSA/Triumphs wonderful little 350ohc twins in 1970
And of course not forgetting good old Harley Davidson .. In my humble opinion the Americans backed the wrong horse on that one,my father had an Indian and there’s no comparison in my books.
The whole point here is that every one of these companies have given us some amazing machines but every now and then a true lemon slips through and that’s what well be uncovering.. stand by to be informed.