In an episode of the legendary British cop show The Sweeney, indeed in "The Taste of Fear" one of the most legendary episodes, the bad geezers make their getaway on a bright vermillion Triumph Bonneville 750, taking potshots at Regan and Carter wiv' a shootah.
Back in 2018 I was lucky enough to purchase said Triumph Bonneville at auction, not knowing its history.
Ever since then we have become firm friends, though it is by now a rather drab shade of brown...
Here it is in action. The bike appears about halfway through, and you do have to endure some very curious background music in the lead-up.
I do think the director should have been encouraged to "leave it aht!"
This blog will catalogue my motoring history, for no better reason than motorcycling was the reason I do what I do.
Monday, 30 June 2025
Saturday, 21 June 2025
MV Agusta 125, 1970
Another brief preview of things to come: A beautiful MV Agusta 125 enjoying itself in the midsummer sun...
Friday, 20 June 2025
Kawasaki Z750s = Ichiban* (一番) among equals
I've got my paws, temporarily, on a modernish Japanese motorcycle, and very nice it is, too.
The Kawasaki z750s is something of a last gasp for traditional Japanese motorcycling. It is devoid of rider aids, ABS, catalytic converters and all that modern nonsense. instead it is a very poky 750cc DOHC liquid cooled four, producing a ridiculous 104bhp, and is a bit of a civilised sociopath. It goes like stink, but at the same time looks perfectly respectable.
When it was new in 2005, to keep its price down, the Z750 had a steel frame, non-adjustable 41mm forks and simple preload and rebound adjustments for the Uni-Trak system's single shock. It had six-spoke wheels shod with radials, an anti-tamper immobiliser equipped ignition lock, decent but simple instrumentation, an LED taillight at the back and a fuel-injected inline-four in the middle. This was a 748cc, liquid-cooled, 16-valve engine, essentially a sleeved-down Z1000 motor, which was in turn a version of the much sportier ZX-9R. It was also cheaper than a Honda 600 Hornet. There is a nose fairing, the seat is low enough for the shorter rider – at 5ft 10 I can get my feet flat on the floor with my knees slightly bent. If you stick your bum in the back of the riders perch you put much of your upper body weight on your wrists, but if you slide forward you can seriously feel the bumps as you are sitting over the shock absorber. My normal frame of reference for a 750 is either my T140 Bonneville or Guzzi V7, both pushrod twins, with the Guzzi the more powerful at 47bhp. The twin cam Z750s produces more than twice that. 104bhp (30bhp less than the Z1000), a ridiculous amount of power by comparison with the Guzzi, but the way the Zed's power comes in is fascinating, providing smooth power at low revs, and if you want more oomph, just roll back the throttle and there it is, absolutely buckets of it.
That's a 9/10 from me, and well worth a look...
More on the Z750s in the August 2025 edition of Classic Bike Guide magazine..
See you later, chums. I'm off for a ride in the sunshine.
Toodle pip!
*Ichiban: First or Number One
The Kawasaki z750s is something of a last gasp for traditional Japanese motorcycling. It is devoid of rider aids, ABS, catalytic converters and all that modern nonsense. instead it is a very poky 750cc DOHC liquid cooled four, producing a ridiculous 104bhp, and is a bit of a civilised sociopath. It goes like stink, but at the same time looks perfectly respectable.
When it was new in 2005, to keep its price down, the Z750 had a steel frame, non-adjustable 41mm forks and simple preload and rebound adjustments for the Uni-Trak system's single shock. It had six-spoke wheels shod with radials, an anti-tamper immobiliser equipped ignition lock, decent but simple instrumentation, an LED taillight at the back and a fuel-injected inline-four in the middle. This was a 748cc, liquid-cooled, 16-valve engine, essentially a sleeved-down Z1000 motor, which was in turn a version of the much sportier ZX-9R. It was also cheaper than a Honda 600 Hornet. There is a nose fairing, the seat is low enough for the shorter rider – at 5ft 10 I can get my feet flat on the floor with my knees slightly bent. If you stick your bum in the back of the riders perch you put much of your upper body weight on your wrists, but if you slide forward you can seriously feel the bumps as you are sitting over the shock absorber. My normal frame of reference for a 750 is either my T140 Bonneville or Guzzi V7, both pushrod twins, with the Guzzi the more powerful at 47bhp. The twin cam Z750s produces more than twice that. 104bhp (30bhp less than the Z1000), a ridiculous amount of power by comparison with the Guzzi, but the way the Zed's power comes in is fascinating, providing smooth power at low revs, and if you want more oomph, just roll back the throttle and there it is, absolutely buckets of it.
That's a 9/10 from me, and well worth a look...
More on the Z750s in the August 2025 edition of Classic Bike Guide magazine..
See you later, chums. I'm off for a ride in the sunshine.
Toodle pip!
*Ichiban: First or Number One
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