If you stumbled upon this blog, chances are you spend more time in front of the computer than watching TV. But that doesn’t mean we have miss out on the good things the boobtube has to offer. That’s the reason why torrents and YouTube are so popular nowadays.
As a rider, there was an episode that I have long been wanting to catch which was part of a series shown in the Discovery Channel. I wanted to see it way before I started blogging. In fact, a clip from that show was what I featured in my very first post here. The series is called “Greatest Ever” which ranks the Top 10 machines through thorough research and interviews from experts. They had episodes which featured Sports Cars, Tanks, Fighter Planes, Helicopters, Weapons and Construction Machines. I’d never seen any of those (they never interest me anyway). But the episode on Motorbikes is what I wanted to catch. I’ve only seen the segment for Vespa (which ranked no. 8!) and was curious what the panel said about the other bikes in the Top 10; who wouldn’t be?
The other day, I finally found the complete set of links to the other nine segments from that show and I want to share them here. The bike declared the Greatest Ever was a surprise. I thought it will be won by the Ducati but as it turned out, it wasn’t just about speed. The no. 1 barely does 40 kph, but it still was voted by the experts. Interesting, isn’t it?
I’ll be posting the video clips here and place the specs/stats of each bike featured as provided here.
Harley Davidson Knucklehead
Year: 1936
Power: 36 HP
Engine capacity: 1,340 ccm
Weight: no info
Top speed: 145 km/h
Rank: 10th
Power: 36 HP
Engine capacity: 1,340 ccm
Weight: no info
Top speed: 145 km/h
Rank: 10th
So are you really up to spending the next hour or so watching the remaining clips here? If so, let’s proceed with the countdown from no. 9 to numero uno!
Moto Guzzi V8
Year: 1955
Power: 68 HP
Engine capacity: 498.5 ccm
Weight: 150 kg
Top speed: 275 km/h
Rank: 9th
Power: 68 HP
Engine capacity: 498.5 ccm
Weight: 150 kg
Top speed: 275 km/h
Rank: 9th
Vespa (PX 125)
Year: 1977
Power: 8 HP
Engine capacity: 123 ccm
Weight: 106 kg
Top speed: 87 km/h
Rank: 8th
Power: 8 HP
Engine capacity: 123 ccm
Weight: 106 kg
Top speed: 87 km/h
Rank: 8th
Brough Superior SS 8
Year: 1923
Power: 25 HP
Engine capacity: 981 ccm
Weight: no info
Top speed: 128.7 km/h
Rank: 7th
Power: 25 HP
Engine capacity: 981 ccm
Weight: no info
Top speed: 128.7 km/h
Rank: 7th
Britten V1000
Year: 1993
Power: no info
Engine capacity: 999 ccm
Weight: 138 kg
Top speed: 303 km/h
Rank: 6th
Power: no info
Engine capacity: 999 ccm
Weight: 138 kg
Top speed: 303 km/h
Rank: 6th
This one’s impressive as the whole bike is built from scratch in a garage by just ONE man in the 90′s! Too bad, John Britten passed away at such a young age.
Triumph Bonneville T100
Year: 2001
Power: 64 HP
Engine capacity: 865 ccm
Weight: 205 kg
Top speed: 180 km/h
Rank: 5th
Power: 64 HP
Engine capacity: 865 ccm
Weight: 205 kg
Top speed: 180 km/h
Rank: 5th
Listen as Jay Leno comments on this bike’s one unecessary feature and heads on to deliver a punchline at the expense of Vespa. Vespa fans should not take offense though as Jay also does have a Vespa in his bike collection.
Y2K (o.k.)
Year: 2002
Power: 316.8 HP
Engine: Gas turbine
Weight: 208.7 kg
Top speed: 402.3 km/h
Rank: 4th
Power: 316.8 HP
Engine: Gas turbine
Weight: 208.7 kg
Top speed: 402.3 km/h
Rank: 4th
Honda CB 750 (K0)
Year: 1969
Power: 67 HP
Engine capacity: 736 ccm
Weight: 218 kg
Top speed: 200 km/h
Rank: 3rd
Power: 67 HP
Engine capacity: 736 ccm
Weight: 218 kg
Top speed: 200 km/h
Rank: 3rd
I actually felt bad for this bike since it was too perfect (speed, comfort, no vibration, etc.), it was deemed too boring.
Ducati 916
Year: 1995
Power: 109 HP
Engine capacity: 916 ccm
Weight: 201 kg
Top speed: 254 km/h
Rank: 2nd
Power: 109 HP
Engine capacity: 916 ccm
Weight: 201 kg
Top speed: 254 km/h
Rank: 2nd
Honda Cub
Year: 1958
Power: 4.3 HP
Engine capacity: 49 ccm
Weight: 65 kg
Top speed: 40 km/h
Rank: 1st
Power: 4.3 HP
Engine capacity: 49 ccm
Weight: 65 kg
Top speed: 40 km/h
Rank: 1st
Have you spotted the Vespas in all throughout the show? If you didn’t, try to notice the bald guy’s (Mat Oxley) background in his interviews the next time you watch any of these clips.
So, what have you discovered today?