I well remember our next door neighbour owned one of the first Gold Wings in the U.K. in 1975

He also had at the same time one of the very first Laverda Jota's too - obviously a keen motorcyclist and a very up to date chap

For motoring he chose a Capri 3:0 GXL but that's another story

Anyhow as a youngster he happily showed me both bikes and described the differences of both and the fact that both were at the leading edge of their respective markets

Of course at such a young age, the Laverda captured my heart more easily but having seen this example for sale, and now of a mature disposition, I understood his thinking

Hence we snapped up this immaculate example as quickly as we could

For 1975 a Japanese manufacturer offering a 999cc Touring bike was a completely new experience and with a flat 4 engine, with 4 carburettors, shaft drive and discs bakes all round - this was high octane specification

Having said that 82 bhp crept out of this power house at 7:500 rpm (red line is 8:500 rpm) giving a zero to sixty time of 4.9 seconds and a top speed of 124mph

So a Touring bike with acceleration faster than any Ferrari or a Lamborghini of the period!

More over for such a big bike (of its' time) she has amazingly pure lines and is rather pleasing on the eye too

Having ridden her I can now understand why she lived in the garage with our neighbours other toys and definitely one to put in any garage