1980s Japanese muscle

The Katana had rivals for the big-bore title. Here’s a few to choose from...

Kawasaki GPz 1100

In 1981, Kawasaki took its by now venerable big four and punched it out another 75cc to create the GPz1100, a giant that summed up the early 1980s. Big and brutal in every respect, the first one was simply a beefed-up version of the Z1000, and the important thing seemed to be to make it faster, and not try to cope with any extra power. Price: £4000-£7000

Honda CB1100R/F

If you ignore the impossibleto-ignore CBX1000, which was a different kettle of fish altogether, Honda originally entered the muscle bike world with the CB1100R. This is a street-legal racer based on the CB900F. It raced in the Australian Castrol Six Hours races and in production series in the UK and won – a lot. A road-going race machine, it is a hand-built, track-refined tool built for one reason only – winning. Price: £6000-£10,000

Yamaha V-Max

Yamaha didn’t really embrace the muscle bike at first, with its XS1100 being far more touring orientated, even when it evolved into the FJ1100/1200. But in 1985 it came up with the utterly ridiculous V-Max. Even back in the day, the V-Max was a pretty over-the-top motorbike. Full power models are the most desirable, producing 145bhp. Price £4000-£6500. Add £1000 at least for full power versions.

Suzuki GSX1100E/EFE Before the Katana, Suzuki had the GSX1100E. It was very similar, with a less highly-tuned version of the TSCC engine. Styling was the antithesis of the Katana, too. Big and brash and covered in stick-on graphics, there was a square headlight and something that looked a little like a nacelle. It weighed 535lb, which was lighter than its rivals, and the forks went up and down and came with air preload. Price: £3000-£5000