Super singles then and now

Long ago the majority of motorcycles on the road had one cylinder. Singles were power plant for most motorcycles, and if you wanted more power you got a bigger cylinder. The average commuter bike had 350cc's or less, for more speed you went with a 500cc, and if you really wanted a hot rod you'd get a great big twin. Even in America where V-twins were king, singles were the bread and butter, it's easy to forget that just about every American motorcycle company started out with one cylinder bikes. Here's a look at some of the memorable big thumpers throughout history.

Norton International 1932-1958Norton Manx 1946-1963

The Manx was one of Norton's most notorious models. This racy single captured numerous grand prix's and Isle of Man TT's. This bike also introduced the world to Norton's famous "featherbed" frame, a popular chassis for years to come.

Rudge Ulster 1935-

Velocette K 1925-1948
Velocette Venom 1955-1970
One of the last great English thumpers was also one of the fastest. Velocette was known for making some of the finest single cylinder bikes around and the Venom was the pinnicle of their work.

Gilera Saturno

BSA Gold Star 1938-1963
The Gold Star was one of the greatest singles of all time. BSA had always had a reputation for their one cylinder models but the Gold Star was arguably the best. These bike could be customized in any number of ways. They were used as scramblers, road racers, and street hot rods.

Moto Guzzi Falcone 1950-1967? 1971-1976

Yamaha SR500 1978-1999?
Yamaha introduced the SR500 back in 1978. Using the 500cc single from the XT500 dirtbike. The SR became all things to all people and was especially popular in global markets. The SR lasted for over two decades.

Yamaha SRX600 1985-1997
In an effort to create a next generation SR, Yamaha took the XT600 engine and put it into an updated street chassis. The SRX found a following, but it didn't catch on like the SR500.


Trivia: the biggest production single cylinder motorcycle (that I'm aware of) is the Suzuki DR800