With stunning bikes, technical advancements and pivotal milestones, the 1980s was a vibrant period for motorcycling in Britain. Accelerating sales saw the decade begin with the old, twin-shock Universal Japanese Motorcycles and end with race replicas, fully-faired tourers and screaming strokers. Bike sport grew and had a bigger influence on what was being ridden on the road. Learners became restricted to 125s, and the Paris–Dakar Rally spawned a new class of road-going replicas such as the Africa Twin, the precursors of today’s popular adventure bikes. And on the street, hooligan ‘LC Johnnys’ evolved into Simpson Bandit-wearing ‘streetfighters’ and day-glo-bedecked road racers on GSX-Rs.

Having ridden and written about virtually every new bike since the 1970s, Phil West looks back at fifty motorcycles that were all hugely loved and lusted over during the decade that inspired a generation of bikers.

PHIL WEST has been a journalist since 1987. He has written for many magazines, including MCN, Bike, RiDE, Practical Sportsbikes and Motorcycle Sport and Leisure. Throughout his career he has ridden and written about virtually every motorcycle since 1970, visited and met key figures at all major manufacturers and interviewed figures from Barry Sheene to Charley Boorman. He has held a number of editor roles on Bike, Motorcycle News, Performance Bikes and MCN, and created and launched Bike Buyer and Biking Times. He has also written several books on motorcycles and lives in Peterborough.