Motorcycles From The Groovy '70s

By | November 9, 2018

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1970 Harley Davidson Electra-Glide

The 1970s was a decade that had a little bit of everything. There was the epic energy crisis that left everyone waiting in long lines to buy gasoline which was rationed. A driver could only purchase gas on “their day” which typically depended on the last number of their license plate. The U.S. was beginning to recover from the shock of the counterculture movement and a lot of social norms and political matters were under fire. Let’s face it... the '60s and '70s was a groovy era that left the good citizens of the U.S. with their collective heads spinning!

During the '70s, the original Star Wars was just one of the iconic movies released. The disco craze reared its funky head and muscle cars had friends competing to outdo each other.

In addition to epic movies, music fads, fast and furious cars and motorcycles had noticeably evolved into something pretty awesome and cool. Motorcycles weren’t just for cheap transportation anymore. Riders were making a statement with their bikes; maybe even beyond the then popular muscle car.

Don’t get me wrong... muscle cars have never gone out of style, but the motorcycle began to surpass them in design and popularity in the '70s.  

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The first motorcycle was invented by Gottlieb Daimler in 1885.

Motorcycle manufactures were in close competition in the '70s. The motorcycle had become something of a “toy” for riders and was a far cry from the original motorcycle. The first motorcycle was invented by Gottlieb Daimler in 1885 and is almost unrecognizable from what we think of today. This motorcycle boasted a state of the art wooden chassis and a whopping single cylinder engine! Nevertheless, Daimler paved the way for motorcycle manufacturers and the rest is history, my friends!

There is no way to specifically identify the BEST motorcycle of the '70s because, like most things, taste is relative and individual. The saying, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” comes to mind here. The list of awesome bikes literally goes on and on but below you will find some of the greats that come to mind.