In relative terms, it wasn’t so long ago that it was somewhat rare to see motorcycles on the highways and byways of middle America. Mostly, they were quirky oil-dripping British bikes or nefarious “love ’em or hate ’em” Harley-Davidsons. The truth is, 1960s America was car crazy. Even 16-year-old kids could afford cars and gas was practically free.
The tide began to turn, however, in the late ’60s when the avalanche of Japanese manufacturing technology hit America’s shores. Baby boomers had suddenly become a major purchasing force and motor vehicles evolved from practical and utilitarian to fun and exciting. In motorcycle terms, we all know what happened: four-cylinder overhead cam bikes from Honda suddenly became the new world standard for performance and reliability.…