The Retro Motorcycle you didn't know existed
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- Опубліковано 6 січ 2024
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Today we're looking at the strangest, least successful retro motorcycle ever: The Suzuki SW1
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3:27 Once again you’ve totally missed the ACTUAL first retro motorcycle. And at this stage, after telling you three times before, I’m almost reluctant to repeat myself - again.
But here goes one more time. The Honda CD175 was OBVIOUSLY the first retro motorcycle - according to the very same criteria upon which you are relying here.
So, please check out the Honda CD175 and finally give this bike the credit it truly deserves.
Yes, I am somewhat biased because my very first real bike (after my 1968 Honda C50) was a brand new Honda CD175 in blue - the only brand new bike I’ve ever owned.
However, every aspect of its design, including its chrome tank panels, sensibly flared oversized mudguards and non adjustable rear shocks, is 100% genuine retro - long before any other bike from any other manufacturer, and decades before the term had been invented to appeal to hipsters.
Another great video as always.
Ride safe.
Peace
I’m sorry, but I have to disagree with you the Vincent black Prince was a groundbreaking sports tourer and the aerial arrow won bike of the year multiple years running neither of them were failure. Also you missed out the bike that it resembles the most velocette Vogue.
@@kesterlebas2445 Are you replying to my comment? If so, you make some valid observations, but none of them were retro bikes.
@@G58 As a teenager, a few of my friends rode CD175s while I had a CB175. I think we knew we weren't the target audience for the CD175 but we bought them because they were cheap, fast and reliable.
I also later had one of the first SR500s.
Later on, my girlfriend and I shared a CD200 as a "2nd bike" - we really liked it.
I never saw any of the above as "retro" bikes but perhaps that design concept was not recognised then.
I saw the CD200 as a step up from the C90, for more mature commuters needing a faster bike, for longer commutes.
I saw the SR500 as the street version of the XT500, for riders who wanted economical but sporty on road transport.
Styling-wise, there wasn't that much difference between the SR500 and the XS250/400, which were competitors to Honda's medium sized 4-stroke twins.
Here in the UK, I think the motorcycle press first used the term retro in conjunction with the Kawasaki Zephyr range. These were bikes styled to look like close copies of the first Kawasaki 4 cylinder 4 strokes.
That sidecar version is an absolute dream machine. If the mass is there, the ride would be amazing. NOT fast, but COMFORTABLE. Like a Goldwing, but without the goofy bits. Nowadays, when my knees don't bend anymore after freezing a couple of times too many, those side wings look just perfect. And with no windshield, you can still feel the ride without freezing your nuts off. And with all that storage, a definite cruiser. In my honest opinion, the best bike ever. The finest blend of Vespa and actual bike.
Royal Alloy are releasing sidecars for their scooters.
@@clangerbasher Would be awesome to look at, but absolutely bismal to ride. SW1 has proper size wheels and a full body between the legs, with foot pegs. These three things makes it better than any scooter. And, yes you do need all three even with sidecar, I'd argue, especially with sidecar.
@@oikkuoek Yes. I think you are right. 🙂
@@clangerbasher Thank you for acknowledging that. 👍
@@oikkuoek You are welcome.
Have a BA in Japanese and know a lot about car and bike history so I think I can explain why Suzuki were more experimental in this era.
During the late 80s-early 90s, Japan was in a huge speculation boom. People thought that everything in Japan was way more valuable than it actually was and so Japanese companies were swollen with cash and were willing to throw money everywhere.
Around the same time, the Emperor Showa died in 1987. He was their Emperor from the 30s-80s, and therefore people associated his reign with the rise of the standard of living that happened from the 50s-80s (conveniently ignoring WW2 but that's a story for another day).
This caused a culture in Japanese society of becoming very nostalgic for artifacts of that particular era of his reign, and the combination of these two drove a revival in retro iconography in that era. The SW1 came out in 1991 and ended production in 1992, just a year before the bubble economy burst and tanked the value of a lot of Japanese companies.
These two factors are the main reasons Suzuki was so experimental, and the SW1 was even built.
Thank you for sharing this perspective. That's interesting! 🤔
There were a lot of Japanese retro cars that had a similar rounded 50s "futurism" vibe during this time. Nissan Figaro...
I had forgotten about the Figaro but you are right they really have the same vibe
Glad I noticed this because I made a related comment to this, in Japan they call that Showa Gendai style, or styled like things were in Japan's postwar boom. The emperor in this era was called "Showa" and when he died in 1987 it set off a huge culture of nostalgia for the 1950s-1980s that still exists today.
The Figaro was part of the "Pike Car" series with the S-Cargo, Be1 and Pao, which were one of the first times automakers capitalised on it alongside the SW1 for bikes.
Note: Interestingly, the "SW1" postcode includes numerous prestigious locations, including the Houses of Parliament (Commons and Lords), Westminster Palace, Buckingham Palace, Clarence House (the residence of King Charles III), 10 Downing Street (the Prime Minister's residence), St. James's Park (home to the Ministry of Justice), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the headquarters of HM Treasury, among others.
My thoughts exactly. At first glance I thought of the old Triumph Saint and “Stops All In No Time.”
I unironically like the look of this bike.
It's a bit of a shame how the two wheeled market seems split up into scooters and "real motorcycles". I like bikes like this that dares to straddle the divide.
I agree with you, I myself would like to have a motorcycle like this besides my like for the design, for someone who drive motorcycle as a daily transport, matic scooter are kinda boring since you just pull the throttle while using "men bikes" aren't really practical when it's rain or to bring any goods.
The CLOSEST mass-market vehicle that straddles the line is of course the Honda Super Cub. THIS is kind of like it, But even MORE SO. I would have bough this if it was available in the US! I really dig the concept! I would LOVE a 450cc version!
I rode Vespa’s and similar back in West Germany, small and larger motors. Really ideal for villages, but I saw a couple wipe out on the Autobahn doing about 100k got wobbly the small tires. I’m in OC and there was a big wave of scooters in the ‘90s with the mods mirrors and The Who.
Some other bikes that come to mind which "straddled the divide" were the Honda Pacific Coast and the Honda Super Cub from the motorcycle side, and the Gilera DNA 180 and Honda Navi from the scooter side.
The Pacific Coast is built like a maxiscooter, with every mechanical part concealed under a sleek plastic fairing that also provides great wind protection and has a large storage compartment. The Super Cub has a body shape extremely reminiscent of a traditional scooter while mechanically still being a lot more in line with a traditional motorcycle, but simplified with an automatic clutch and a more intuitive gears progression to make it about as straightforward as to ride a scooter. The Gilera DNA 180 is mechanically identical to a traditional scooter but is shaped like a traditional motorcycle, and the Honda Navi is the same story.
The only one of those that was a big success was the Super Cub, and the Navi is also successful to a degree, but the Super Cub was so successful it spawned an entire new category of scooter-like motorcycles called underbones. Bikes like the Honda Biz, Honda Wave and Yamaha Crypton fall into that category. There is also a subcategory of those called hyper underbones, which are basically more sporty-looking versions of them with more powerful engines. Sadly this type of bikes are basically nonexistent outside of Asia and Latin America.
I absolutely agree. I used to be a vintage biker. Had a 125cc 2 stroke pocket rocket, a street legal dirtbike and later an UJM. Then they became too impractical and I sold them for a car. Just got back into 2 wheels this year with a scooter and I was surprised by just how practical it is. I can even carry large bulky things between my legs thanks to the underbone design. Since I got that one, I only ever use my car when I need to go on the highway.@@makicawcuw2483
I take exception. The Ariel Leader/Arrow were not failed designs & were in production for years. I owned a Leader & it was an excellent commuter bike. Fully enclosed, lockable panniers with lift out bags, lockable dummy tank that could hold 9 cans of baked beans & contained steering & seat lock bolts, an eight day clock, inspection light socket, indicators as standard, adjustable headlight angle for carrying passengers, trailing link forks & it was very comfortable to ride.
Don't confuse the Americans with the word 'indicators'.
The grandad of the RD 👍
This looks like an old Jawa motorcycle from Czechoslovakia with those lines and curves! So much nostalgia from those bikes ie. The Jawa and the Yezdi!
P.S. As a non 65+ year old, I must say those hats look 🔥
Yeah you definitely don't have to be 65+ lol
@@bartmotorcycle😂😂 🙏🏽
Though you do need to have the right head shape or you look stupid wearing one.@@bartmotorcycle
You should buy a jawa 350/634. Its still made in czechia on special request of customers. You can have a kickstart and self start both and. Decide on which side you want a kickstart. Or you can buy a yamaha sr400. I have heard they can sell you if you request them just tell them you will pay the price for import and do the documentation for customers.
@@oriondoublecrossed I currently ride an Royal Enfield TB 500.
From a first person opinion on the new Jawa, they're made in India(?) and they aren't great quality and their after sales service is some of the worst 😕
Gonna be honest, I actually like the way this bike looks. It's weird but in a cool way.
I never knew this bike existed and now cannot live without one !
Ebay, here I come....
Motorcycle Specs ZA lists the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) as 293kg/646lbs - that's maximum weight including vehicle, luggage and passengers etc. The dry weight is listed at 183kg, so fully lubricated and fuelled it might be about 200kg/440lbs. That actually doesn't sound too bad - similar to a Royal Enfield Classic 350 and with the same power. If I could buy one of these for a similar amount to a Classic 350 then I'd have the SW1 any day, such a weird little beige slug.
200-ish kilo wet is not an absurd weight for a maxiscooter these days, though those do have much more power. I know my C-evolution is in that ballpark, as was my SRV850. TMax is similar at 220kg wet, but those all have 35kW or more.
200kg wet, give or take 20kg is not that hard to handle. Though 20 ish hp might be a bit on the low end, but it should theoretically be enough to get up to highway speeds if you really strangle it for every one of those 20 ponies.
My only experience was desperately trying to buy one a few years ago.
The only one I could find was 875 miles away in Seattle, and there were a couple people with way more money than me, lol.
I 100% would have gone and picked it up, but it ended up selling for more than double the asking price.
How much does it cost now?
I think it’s more 1950s European, as in German and Iron Curtain style. Look at at MZ and Jawa. I like this sort of oddity and I need the sidecar outfit in my life. Your dad is the same age as me and he hit the nail on the head about hats, although in dear old Blighty, it’s more about rain than sun.
Older Sachs or Puchs as well.
I love the style, I wish there were more bikes like it, these are too hard to find...
I lived/worked in Japan in the late 1980s and early 90s, and there were tons of little quirky short-run-model retro-bikes and cars being released during that period (almost always only for the Japanese market). This period was the tail-end of the "Japanese Bubble" aka "Miracle Economy". Young Japanese people were (at that time) cashed-up and frankly were pretty sick of mass-consumerism, while being obsessed with quirky stuff that could mark them out as "individuals". A lot of these things were thus aimed at cashed-up Japanese "hipsters"...
Almost always they were small capacity (both cars and bikes), and were quirky, odd and almost "anti-cool" in their designs... It was never intended to answer a serious need, rather to be an obscure reference to something from an old Italian movie (or a Ghibli anime)... It was the Nissan Figaro of bikes...
To be fair the leader wasn't that much of a failure, they did make like 30,000 of them (including the arrow variants). It's also supposed to be a great handling bike if you can get over the weird styling.
Your Dad is so right on the hat 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
In 1988-90 I was working at a Honda dealership when the Pacific Coast, GB 500, CB-1, Transalp, RC30, VT250, NT650 Hawk, and the six cylinder GL1500 Gold Wing all came out. They were all, typically Honda, well engineered fantastic motorcycles and except for the Gold Wing we could hardly give them away. Some were too early, some were too late, some are worth more now than they were new. Motorcyclists are in a lot of ways very conservative. Everybody wanted a cruiser or a sportbike regardless of what would have been the best bike for them. I borrowed a PC800 for the weekend a couple times and for just a motorcycle for going for a ride it was brilliant. But nobody bought them. The Honda Accord beige certainly didn't help.
This bike reminded me of the Pacific Coast too. We choose motos with our heart, not our head though, so it's a shame that such a useful bike would basically be unsellable.
Modern British road signs that feature motorcycles are still curiously based around this design language
I think the first retro motorcycle was the Yamaha XS650, 1970-85. Yes, it was introduced while the British vertical twins were still in production but it was so unlike the other Japanese motorcycles of that era. And it survived long after the British motorcycle industry died.
Bart, until now I haven’t yet seen a funnier and smoother advert for your merch. Im not yet bald as I’m 24, but will certainly check out your website
The SR500 was made when I was in high school. It's not a fake retro it's the real thing.A 500 single,650 twin,750 triple, Yamaha was almost like a Japanese version of BSA and Triumph companys. Exept with out the drama of the British motorcycle industry.
Artwork, avante gard, not a production bee but an art piece, open to appreciation. I like it, futuristic. Don't over explain, just view it in a studio.
I find the SW1 really cool. I would love one . With a GN 250 motor I'm sure it will give many years of trouble-free service. The Honda pacific coast is a unique looking motorcycle for sure. I really like the "out of the ordinary" I have owned many different bikes but the one which always attracted the most attention while out riding was my LE Velocette. A wonderfully strange motorcycle. Cheers from New Zealand
Looks more like a Vespa style . I have a 90 PC800 and it has similarities for sure . I just bought my PC800 this summer and a month later drove it across Canada and back . Only issue was a faulty regulator . There is something to be said for " quirky " bikes .
My generation you hit the big time when you removed all the superfluous lights, fenders & chain-guards etc.. that came w/your bike & got down to the essentials, what kept you on & what made it go. Exposed machinery was cool. Plus it made it more yours. And I'm talking about bicycles. Fast forward a few decades & we're still that kid that likes to see how things tick.
Doesn't mean I can't marvel at Deco coach works though. I mean who can ignore 30's Dussenberg SJ's
One bike you didn't mention that may have influenced Naoki Sakai is the ever present enviable '50's Indian Scout
8:24 I feel called out. Both of those bikes look awesome.
My wife loves this bike and she usually hates motorcycles so Suzuki did something right!
I love it. Saw it somewhere on the internet where people hated it. Scooter style comfort, motorcycle power.
its the nissan figaro of the bike world
The Bath Tub fairing on those early Triumphs was supposedly introduced for your lady pillion rider to not get her skirts all mucky and tangled up with the rear wheel and chane whizzing around. Strikes me that this SW1 is definitly aimed at the 'non-masculine' market with all that softer and gentler stying, it's a bike to be looked at, not admired...
Back fender, not fairing.
@@fredtracy1673 oh sorry I'll stand very corrected...
@@flickthenick the internet sucks, because I distinctly remember the SW1 concept bike having a V-twin, like a Vincent.
dream machine for just quickly running to the store to get some things, go around town and other things like that.
If we're looking for the predecessor that Suzuki were emulating, then it pretty much has to be the Ariel Leader - a lightweight machine with all-enclosed moving parts.
It would be wrong to class the Leader as an outright failure, because it remained in production for several years and sold in not insignificant numbers, but it certainly wasn't the big commercial success that parent company BSA had been hoping for. The idea was to provide as much weather protection as possible, to help the rider to stay clean and dry; and it did work. The problem was that a BMC Mini was much more effective in that regard, and increasingly affordable too.
I'd give Suzuki full marks for commemorating a brave attempt to swim against the tide of history - if the Ariel Leader was indeed their inspiration, they did a great job in reinterpreting it.
It's kinda quirky and I like it! It may not be the typical American rider's go-to bike, but it would make for a fun ride over to the local "cruise night" hangout. Kudos to Suzuki for being daring to produce such an advant-garde type. I agree with you that Suzuki was influenced by the Triumph & Vincent enclosed body styling. Now I'm going take my "Art of the Motorcycle" coffee table book and see if it's listed. Thanks for bringing this story to video and good luck with the new merch!
Japan has gone through nostalgia phases. This looks like the same mentality as the Nissan Figaro. Those go up in price every year.
My friend Chris has one of those 1950s Triumph bathtub models..
Must be a jacuzzi to ride😂😂
The K1 was very cool, and a blast to ride....
The 600 something weight number is the GVWR. The dry weight was somewhere around 400 pounds, a lot better but still pretty hefty for what it is.
I really like it! Looks like something from the retro-futuristic world of vintage Anime. Puts me in mind of alot of the heavily-faired 1950's German bikes.
Possible inspirations: Aerial Leader, Triumph 3TA, Norton 99 , Cezeta, Heinkel scooter, DKW Bumblebee, Velocette LE?
In the 80's a friend rode a '79 SR500 I used a R100RS. We called them "Thumper and the BigPurr" 😂
Styling deeply reminds me of Robo from Chrono Trigger and Toriyama's machine styles in general.
I’m old but not bald so I’m probably not going to buy your hat. Love your channel btw, I had several bikes when I was younger, first was a Honda 50cc scooter then a Moto Guzzi 500 Falcone, Kawasaki W2 650 , a 1967 triumph trophy 650 and finally a 1975 triumph trident T150V. Thanks for your great work
When you consider Japan's tiered motorcycle license system, that bike makes a lot more sense. In Japan, your license described exactly how large a motorcycle you were allowed to ride . Most people could not ride 500, much less a 650 750 or 1000 it just was not legal. Until you had ridden many years without problems and worked your way up through the licensing system . This is also the reason that Japan had so many high-performance 125cc machines.
I love this bike, thanks for putting together the video. Keep up the good work. You may also want to do a video on Rajdoot, old Yezdi motorcycle... both solid retro motorcycles from India.
My grandfather had an Aerial, 150/175 something.
Great content, as usual. Have never seen the sw on any other channel. Thirsty for more info
I think a lot of them would have sold in the states. It's hard to look at it from a 90's perspective knowing what you've seen since, but today I believe enough would be sold because it's like the Cubs, but with storage.
Sort of a Zündapp Bella, NSU prima, Triumph Tigress vibe going on too
Good trim for rainy climate.
What makes this bike the shit is that they did something that bypassed focus groups and the normal filtering that usually leads to bland copycat design. Good on them for doing it. See also: Honda Beat AF07 scooter.
I'm not really into motorcycles, but once I saw the thumbnail of this bike I had to see what it was. It's not like most of the bikes I've seen, it looks different, weird and a little functional. I like that. I'm sorry it failed, but I'm glad Suzuki was willing to take a risk on this weird little motorcycle. It's nice to see people try something different.
I find it interesting that you refer to the Yamaha SR series when discussing retro and do not mention the Suzuki Savage LS650. Same niche, only carbureted and more displacement. After a long layoff when I decided to get back to riding, I wanted a "semi starter" bike to ride for a while that took me back to my BSA Lightning. Except for being a LOT more reliable and very easy to service.
They nailed it on retro and unique. They knew it would not be a seller and they didn't care. What they aimed for was feedback. They wanted to know what people thought of a Vespa kind-of scooter motorcycle, who was interested and what were the major dislikes, SO, they built one and put it out there to be judged.
Congratulations on the subs! Actually, I'm surprised you don't have over a million. This is another learning video for me and I'm most thankful. I love this bike! Just the look grew on me. It's small displacement would have kept me away from purchasing one back in the day and that would be true today as well. But it's so cute and different. This is just an opinion from an old man who's probably loosing his mind.
It's got potential, but then again I think the same about the Pacifica. But the market abandoned utility and variety long ago for "image," which is why we have cruisers and bikes that look like they belong on a race track .. but few normal bikes.
this was probably a really great all weather commuter bike
When I look at the SW-1, I see a Vespa. Cool video.
best bike for real winter time, building similar fairings for my 125cc for a 100kmh ride in -25C 🤗
Dads like Arby's also. Greenway Arbys meetup when? Lol.
Hey! The BMW K1 is cool!
I think it looks great!
I didn’t even know this existed. Suzuki has always been weird. Look at their GT750 and Katana.
However, I disagree that Yamaha intended the SR to be retro. When it was introduced in 1978, it was billed as a very modern bike that used Yamaha’s very successful 500 single dirt bike engine. In fact, Yamaha did all it could to make the bike look modern, with cast wheels, disk brakes and electronic ignition. Its styling was absolutely contemporary with all other 1970s bikes, just with fewer cylinders.
The biggest problem with this bike is that it came out 25 years too early! I was with you on the leader,but I knew there was a better fit. The Velocette Vogue LE 300 odd made, 192cc, even made in the same colour.... not that Suzuki would copy anything of course......They could reissue this bike and the tempter with a few updates now and they would likey be a raging success
Ive been a motorcycle nut for 50 years. Never knew about this one.
It's giving like, swoopier, Velocette police bike vibes. Love it
As opposed to all other industries, why is the motorcycle industry so infused with nostalgia?
My first thought was the Art Deco bikes of the 1920s.
I want one. Maybe two. Half Vespa, half BSA. I would add a windshield.
I saw one of these in the Canadian Museum of Natural History. It’s just sitting in the middle of the floor and anyone can sit on it. As such it’s in pretty rough condition, but still very cool to see.
It kind of reminds me of a mixture of the DN01 and a Honda Cub with a smaller Frunk like the NC750X.
What a beauty! Better than a Honda Cub.
Many motorbikes that were made in East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, the Soviet Union etc had similar kinds of cladding or "bathtubs" like the british bikes you mentioned. There they seemed to have been more popular.
One of my absolute favourite bikes of all time and dream bike is a red and white Pannonia 250 TLB deLuxe. Gorgeous machine and one of the fastest production bikes ever come out of Hungary! No one realises but the Eastern bloc made some excellent two wheeled machines.
@@mr.carguy654
I own A Pannonia 250 myself - in 1/24 scale 😄
Architects might shed light on the look: Streamline, their name for the style. Steel being purified to levels allowing auto panel bends & false idea 'rain drops' were the most aerodynamic shape: streamline on wheels for planes and bikes alike! HD goes Heritage Classic Softail, lovely & relative light bagger with EVERY comfort.
I'm a rimmed-hat guy myself. And yes, I'm 58 years old. Cheers man
I find the SW1 from the moment I first saw it, which was just a couple of years ago. Yeah, it is kinda quirky looking but it has the cuves and two wheels. I'd buy it if I found it with a reasonable price.
The SW1 strongly resembles the Velocette Vogue
As soon as I saw this, it was the Arial leader that came to mind
Compare SW1 with the rounded shape and muted colours of the quirky little Nissan Figaro sports car, launched at the very same time. Perhaps they share a common design thread, conceptually prominent in late ‘80’s Japan?
I wish we could see more 'novelty' bikes. Honda does this with Dax and Monkey but they use the same (small) 125 engine. Suzuki hade a great novelty bike in the 70's called the RV 90 and RV 125. Yes, we have VanVan 200 today (if you can find one) but it's not nearly as radical as the fat wheeled RV. Yamaha also had an extreme fat wheel. The wide tires have a real application on soft sand, mud, golf courses and they are great to ride, more fun than a small capacity dual sport or a four wheel ATV bike.
Ha! It’s an Ariel Leader. Nice video.
I like it. I think the Vincent and the Ariel Leader (my Dad had one!) failed because they really were ugly. Just totally ineptly styled by people with little idea. This thing isn't, it's well styled, though the "prosthetic limb beige" colour weirds me out.
Yamaha have been making the SR500 since the mid 70's. Not sure how you can call it a retro when it's actually from that era. Yamaha did make a retro bike in the 90's, the SRV250. It was designed similarly to Honda's GB400, but used the V-Twin from the Virago.
The 1st bike I bought was a 78 SR500, was a great bike, after I crashed it I replaced it with an SRX6, another great single from Yamaha.
In my eyes this was Suzuki's misguided attempt at an unholy union between a Honda super cub and a Vespa...
Great vid. Love this bike and agree it’s a shame all the modern retros focus on 60s Brit bikes
Hector is going to be running 3 Honda Civics with spoon engines. And on top of that he just came into Harry's and he ordered 3 T66 turbos, with NOS, and a Motec system exhaust.
*THERE IS AN EASTERN EUROPEAN* bike from the 1960's that looks almost identical - at first, I thought it was a restored one of these.
About why: I was at a bike show recently and the winners of the show were, of course, the super rare bikes. The *failed* bikes, specifically a BMW K1 won the European class and you name dropped that as a failure.
So this is what I think: they were trying to manufacture a retro bike heartening back to the weird failed bikes that would win a show. Sort of a mix of nostalgia and regret. The bike people wish they sold more of because they're super rare.
Nice job on that! Gosh, if they made it a 500 or larger it would have stood a chance.
I kinda like it! I love quirky vehicles.
Bikes like this just don't make much sense in the US. But they do make a lot of sense in crowded northern European countries such as France, Holland and the UK, as well as the warmer islands of Japan, where all year round motorcycling is a generally accepted thing.
Bart on Retro again❤Yessss!
Bizarre, strangely attractive motorcycle.
LOL! I should have watched more before commenting!
But I remember BMW K1 when it came out. It was futuristic and hot in the day. It just didn't age well like the first katana
Looks like a Arial Leader
This Suzuki looks reminiscent of the Velocette LE.
Stylewise, I'm one of the few who liked the PC800 but in terms of practicality when it comes to maintenance, the thought of having to strip all that plastic just to adjust the idling or do some minor work was a deal killer. But this SW-1 looks really odd to me and lacks the more fluid appearance of the PC800.
Same here with the PC800, I love that thing. The panelling isn't such a big issue I think, I mean I've been riding scooters for the past 25 years. So for every valve adjustment or sparkplug change bits of panelling have to come off. Most scooters, whether it's a 1500 euro Kymco or a 16000 euro Yamaha or BMW, most of the panelling comes off with just a few easily accessible bolts.
Usually it's a couple of bolts at the top edges of the under-seat storage, undo those 3 or 4, lift out the entire seat and storage bin, and you've got full access to the top of the engine. If you then need access to the sides, those panels generally just lift out, like a giant airfix kit that hasn't been glued together.
I'd expect that to be quite similar on the PC800, given that it's that way on the Honda Vision from that era. They obviously knew how to do not-inconvenient panelling on bikes.
Honestly, it looks a lot more like some of the Honda Cub variants than any of the British motorcycles you mentioned.
This looks like they were trying to emulate the Ariel arrow and leader mostly.