Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/213117
CN III ARCHIVES P86 BY LARRY LAWRENCE THE TOP-10 PRODUCTION ROAD RACE S tarting in the decade of the 1980s, motorcycle road racers were blessed for the first time with production motorcycles that worked well on the racetrack, but for decades before Americans were racing production machines to varying degrees of success. This list of the top 10 production road racers of alltime will be my attempt to rank them in terms of importance to America's racing history. I will exclude production racers; those motorcycles made specifically for road racing only such as revolutionary Yamaha's TD/TZ series, and instead will focus on street models, that with very little modification were raced to victory by road racers across the country. 10. 1962 Matchless G50 Dick Mann almost singlehandedly made the Matchless G50 a legendary production-based motorcycle in America. The last competitive single-cylinder in AMA National Road Race competition, Mann first rode the Matchless to victory at Laconia in 1962. The powers that be at the AMA were none too happy when Mann started showing signs of being dominant, so for a time it banned the Matchless, claiming its frame wasn't production, thus not legal. During the 1964 and '65 seasons the Matchless hit its zenith in America when Mann and Ralph White won seven of the 11 AMA Road Race Nationals held during those two seasons. 9. 1972 Kawasaki Z1 Kawasaki saw Honda's CB750 and raised them with its 900cc monster the Z1. Racers of the day report the bike didn't handle all that great, but once you hit the straightaway it didn't matter because it was able to hit warp speed. Images of Yvon Duhamel, Steve McLaughlin and Reg Pridmore trying to wrangle the Z1 were what made fans flock to Superbike racing. 8. 1950 Norton Manx Canadian Billy Matthews broke a barrier of sorts when he won the 1941 Daytona 200 on a Norton. It marked the first win of America's most prestigious race by a foreign-made motorcycle. On the surface The 1986 Suzuki GSX-R750 was easily the most popular and influential production road racer of all time. the 500cc Single shouldn't have been competitive with the 750cc (45 cu. In.) Harleys and Indians, but it had a more modern engine design, better handling frame and suspension and was, of course, lighter. The Norton might have made an even bigger impact on the American road racing scene had it not been introduced shortly before World War II which brought a four-year stop to racing. When racing resumed the Norton was once again a tough bike to beat. Ohioan Dick Klamfoth was the most dominant road racer in America aboard the Norton in the late 1940s and early '50s. 7. 1987 Honda 600 Hurricane When the AMA made 600 Supersport a pro class in 1987 it was Honda's Hurricane that was the undisputed king of the class. It was stunning how many riders went pro racing because of this motorcycle. Supersport grids were jam-packed and the Honda Hurricane won every race in the championship's inaugural season. 6. 1934 Indian Sport Scout In the early 1930s when the Great Depression led the AMA to move from prototype racing to Class C (production) racing rules, Indian responded by launching its legendary Sport Scout. Imagine a mo-