Left: Norton vintage TT magazine ad
Top right: Norton Commando engine detail
Bottom right:: Kawasaki W650 1999
cars simply bearing famous names, and
the original classic or vintage models
meticulously, or otherwise, restored. In
one case the owner is buying a modern
bike with a classic name, in the other, a
real classic, in both name and make.
There are of course exceptions. For
example, replicas like those produced
for a specific purpose such as racing.
The other survivor of the glory days of
British motorcycles, is Triumph, and they
of course stayed in England. What about
A.J.S. Matchless, B.S.A, Velocette, and
others? Maybe that is to come. One of
the interesting aspects of the re-born
Triumph range of three, and four-cylinder,
water-cooled engines, in 1991, is it was
pointed out they were heavily influenced
by Kawasaki’s GPZ900R. Ironically, one
of the first models openly called retro
is very likely the Kawasaki W650 vertical
twin, which looked very much like a
Bonneville clone. It certainly looked,
and sounded like a ‘Bonnie’. Kawasaki did
build a 650 parallel twin as long ago as
1967, but in August 1999 I was handed the
keys to a W650 four-stroke eight-valve
SOHC parallel twin, with twin carbs, and
spoked wheels, with a Kawasaki badge
on the tank. It looked so much like an
original Bonneville, it even had the rubber
gaiters on the front forks. This was a real
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