The British factories still produced single and twin machines that competed successfully in Trials and Motocross contests: Matchless, Greves, Royal Enfield, BSA (Gold Star), Triumph (Trophy), But they were feeling the competition from manufacturers abroad: Husqvarna, Lito, Yamaha, Maico and Bultaco.
Then a series of films made an impact: ”The Great Escape” (1963) with Steve McQueen on a Triumph TR6, ”The Wild Angels” (1967) with Peter Fonda and Nancy Sinatra, and finally ”Easy Rider” (1969) with Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper. These films increased the sales of Triumph’s off-road models and started the craze for Easy Rider-inspired chopper rebuilds , especially of Harley-Davidson machines.
Towards the end of the 60’s the superbikes started to emerge in a steady flow: Harley-Davidson’s 1208cc Electra Glide in 1965, the 745 cc Norton Commando in a new frame in 1969, BSA and Triumph with their 3-cylindered models, the 740 cc Rocket 3 and Trident, and Moto Guzzi’s V7 Special in 1969. But then Honda unveiled the 4-cylindered 736 CB750 with its inline engine, overhead camshafts and disc brakes at the front. This model set new standards in the motorcycle world and became the strongest competitor to the European manufacturers.
Laverda’s twin-cylindered SF750 emerged in 1972, followed in 1973 by Ducati’s 750 Sport and Kawasaki’s 4-cylindered 903 cc OHC Z1. BMW introduced their 900 cc touring model R90 in 1975, and in the same year Honda responded to the ”cubic challenge” with their Gold Wing, a 4-cylindered boxer machine of 1000 cc. Moto Guzzi responded with their 844 cc Le Mans Mk.1 in 1976.
The 1970’s saw the dying gasps of the British motorcycle industry. Royal Enfield survived in India where their single-cylindered Bullet continued in production. Only the reconstructed Triumph factory survived as an independent company, and it was not until 1990 (and with new owners) that new models emerged bearing the famous names of Daytona, Trident and Trophy.
From the 70’s and onwards it was Honda that led the world as the greatest motorcycle manufacturer.
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