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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: faffi on November 20, 2025, 02:04:04 AM

Title: Brilliant designs
Post by: faffi on November 20, 2025, 02:04:04 AM
The BMW airheads had the centre stand placed to make the bike sit balanced, allowing removal of either wheel without a jack; remove rear wheel, and the bike would rest on the front wheel, or remove front wheel and the bike would rest on the rear.

Title: Re: Brilliant designs
Post by: bronzestar1 on November 20, 2025, 07:30:39 AM
Quick-release body fasteners on an MV Agusta F4 750 I used to have, along with the one-piece tilt-up tail piece.  Had a BMW K1200S that used 5 lug bolts instead of one big central-locking nut for the rear wheel (didn't need that huge socket and breaker bar).


Title: Re: Brilliant designs
Post by: Wayne Orwig on November 20, 2025, 07:45:40 AM
My Kawasaki had a two-piece center stand. Push down the main part and it barely touched the ground, then push down the second part which 'jacked' up the bike in the air. Easy to use.
Kawasaki had a neutral finder. When you were stopped in first, you shift up, you are in neutral, never second. Once moving it easily shifted normally.

Title: Re: Brilliant designs
Post by: Moparnut72 on November 20, 2025, 08:50:26 AM
The V100's have the same feature on the shift mechanism. I had almost 5,000 miles on mine before I figured it out. Mine couldn't be shifted into neutral when stopped when it was fairly new unless the engine was shut down. It was probably this mechanism that needed to be broken in before it would function normally. I complained to the dealer about it, I was told all Italian bikes did that. It took about a 1,000 miles before the shifter worked normally. I sold the bike just short of 10,000, the shifting was still getting better and was by then pretty good.
kk
Title: Re: Brilliant designs
Post by: Dukedesmo on November 20, 2025, 09:03:28 AM


Quote from: Wayne Orwig on Today at 01:45:40 PM (https://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=124325.msg1913541#msg1913541)

Kawasaki had a neutral finder.

___________________ ___________________ _

As does my LM2 - one between, pretty much, every gear...    :laugh:


Title: Re: Brilliant designs
Post by: Antietam Classic Cycle on November 20, 2025, 09:29:25 AM
Hinged rear fender and under seat light on the V7 Sport.
Title: Re: Brilliant designs
Post by: Alfetta on November 20, 2025, 10:07:58 AM
My Kawasaki had a two-piece center stand. Push down the main part and it barely touched the ground, then push down the second part which 'jacked' up the bike in the air. Easy to use.
Kawasaki had a neutral finder. When you were stopped in first, you shift up, you are in neutral, never second. Once moving it easily shifted normally.

It's a super great feature.  I would love to have it on my V7, as finding neutral on this bike is a bit annoying...
Title: Re: Brilliant designs
Post by: drdwb on November 20, 2025, 12:43:13 PM
Glass oil level window, self canceling turn signals, speedometers/ odometers that work after 50,000 miles, built in features found on most Japanese motor cycles since the late 70’s.
Title: Re: Brilliant designs
Post by: bigbikerrick on November 20, 2025, 01:42:11 PM
My Kawasaki had a two-piece center stand. Push down the main part and it barely touched the ground, then push down the second part which 'jacked' up the bike in the air. Easy to use.
Kawasaki had a neutral finder. When you were stopped in first, you shift up, you are in neutral, never second. Once moving it easily shifted normally.

I also think Kawasakis neutral finder was brilliant. Their K- Tric ignition advance setup was pretty brilliant as well!
Rick
Title: Re: Brilliant designs
Post by: Bulldog9 on November 20, 2025, 02:34:10 PM
Glass oil level window, self canceling turn signals, speedometers/ odometers that work after 50,000 miles, built in features found on most Japanese motor cycles since the late 70’s.

My 78 XS 750 and 79 XS1100 had all these plus tip over shutoff protection. It all still works!

The XS 11 also had an electronic ignition and auto style vacuum advance which was odd 
Title: Re: Brilliant designs
Post by: clubman on November 20, 2025, 07:12:41 PM
The BMW airheads had the centre stand placed to make the bike sit balanced, allowing removal of either wheel without a jack; remove rear wheel, and the bike would rest on the front wheel, or remove front wheel and the bike would rest on the rear.

 
 One of my pet peeves about modern bikes is the  absence  of a center stand or even any way to add one. Had 3 airheads and routine maint. was a simple pleasure.
Title: Re: Brilliant designs
Post by: blackcat on November 21, 2025, 09:14:17 AM
Hinged rear fender and under seat light on the V7 Sport.

Not to discount the V7 Sport hinged fender but early 50's HD's (Panheads) and mid-50's Nortons (ES2's) had hinged rear fenders.
Title: Re: Brilliant designs
Post by: faffi on November 21, 2025, 04:36:51 PM
IIRC, the XS1100 and 750 also had fenders that could easily be moved upwards to allow easy rear wheel removal, although I may need to remove a couple of bolts first.
Title: Re: Brilliant designs
Post by: Moparnut72 on November 21, 2025, 07:37:08 PM
THe /2 BMWs had hinged rear fenders. The wheels were the same size and could be rotated front to rear and vice versa. Both had splines so both could be the driven wheel.
kk
Title: Re: Brilliant designs
Post by: Dukedesmo on November 22, 2025, 05:23:50 AM


Quote from: bronzestar1 on November 20, 2025, 01:30:39 PM (https://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=124325.msg1913539#msg1913539)
Quick-release body fasteners on an MV Agusta F4 750 I used to have, along with the one-piece tilt-up tail piece. 
___________________ ___________________ __________

Similarly the Ducati 916 (same designer) had this, makes fairing removal so simple and quick, shame they went back to fiddly screws on later models.
Also, though the battery is hidden behind the fairing, the + terminal is exposed through the RH cooling vent, meaning you can jump start it without removing any bodywork, simply by clipping to the + and a footpeg.


Title: Re: Brilliant designs
Post by: guzzi ride on November 22, 2025, 08:12:52 AM
Putting a hole with a plug in order to check the oil on an 08 Norge.   :shocked:
Title: Re: Brilliant designs
Post by: PeteS on November 22, 2025, 08:27:33 AM
The 1951 BSA A10 Golden Flash had a easily removable rear fender section plus a stand for the for the wheel.



(https://i.ibb.co/Y42hk3dt/IMG-0942.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Y42hk3dt)


Pete
Title: Re: Brilliant designs
Post by: Antietam Classic Cycle on November 22, 2025, 01:01:57 PM
I'm aware that Moto Guzzi wasn't the first to include a flip-up rear fender, but that still doesn't mean it wasn't "brilliant" in my opinion. Just not "innovative" or the first by any means. Anyone that has struggled with removing the rear wheel from a Loopframe Guzzi will understand.