Just twenty years after the Second World War, Japan again invaded America... but this time they were welcomed with open arms and wide-open wallets. So began an era of cheap but technologically advanced Japanese motorcycles. Suddenly everyone was on a motorcycle – even the nicest people.
Since its inception, Nation's Cycle Center was a manufacturer of accessories for Harleys, Indians and British bikes. With the birth of the Japanese Bike Boom, Gordon Willey saw a great opportunity to expand his market.
That market expanded beyond everyone's expectations, and many of Nation's Cycle Center's greatest innovations were on the near horizon.
![](http://www.nationalcycle.com/media/wysiwyg/about-us/timeline/1965-1973/100/1967_Catalog_00.jpg)
Barry Willey, future president of National Cycle, tests the limits on his new Bridgestone GT.
![](http://www.nationalcycle.com/media/wysiwyg/about-us/timeline/1965-1973/100/1970s_Barry_Bridgestone_1.jpg)
Barry gets a little air on his Bridgestone.
![](http://www.nationalcycle.com/media/wysiwyg/about-us/timeline/1965-1973/100/1970s_Barry_Bridgestone_2.jpg)
A new Bar Clamp Mirror was introduced by Nation’s Cycle Center in 1973.
![](http://www.nationalcycle.com/media/wysiwyg/about-us/timeline/1965-1973/100/1973_BarClampMirror.jpg)
The big news was the Big Mirror™, also introduced in 1973. This style of mirror influenced the design of mirrors found on Japanese sport bikes for years to come.
![](http://www.nationalcycle.com/media/wysiwyg/about-us/timeline/1965-1973/100/1973_BigMirror.jpg)
The cover of Nation’s Cycle Center 1973 Catalog. The company’s new Viking Windshield/Z-Bar combo appears on the new Kawasaki Mach III.
![](http://www.nationalcycle.com/media/wysiwyg/about-us/timeline/1965-1973/100/1973_Catalog_00.jpg)
The Nation’s Cycle Center Beaded Windshield was introduced with handlebar mounts for Japanese bikes, here seen on a Honda CB350.
![](http://www.nationalcycle.com/media/wysiwyg/about-us/timeline/1965-1973/100/1973_EarlyBeaded_69CB350.jpg)
The same Beaded Windshield seen on a Honda CB750. Note how the bent uprights allow for almost unlimited fitments.
![](http://www.nationalcycle.com/media/wysiwyg/about-us/timeline/1965-1973/100/1973_EarlyBeaded_69CB750a.jpg)
Side view of the Beaded Windshield on a CB750.
![](http://www.nationalcycle.com/media/wysiwyg/about-us/timeline/1965-1973/100/1973_EarlyBeaded_69CB750b.jpg)
Nation’s Cycle Center made spoon-style highways pegs in earlier years, and this was the style introduced in their 1973 Catalog. They were popular with dresser riders as well as chopper builders.
![](http://www.nationalcycle.com/media/wysiwyg/about-us/timeline/1965-1973/100/1973_HighwayPegs.jpg)
The Viking/Z-Bar combo appeared in the 1973 Catalog.
![](http://www.nationalcycle.com/media/wysiwyg/about-us/timeline/1965-1973/100/1973_Viking.jpg)
The Kawasaki Mach III poses with the new Viking/Z-Bar combo.
![](http://www.nationalcycle.com/media/wysiwyg/about-us/timeline/1965-1973/100/1973_Viking_MachIII.jpg)
The company’s chopper, built in the 1970s from an early Panhead, a wishbone frame, and a lot of 70s-era chopper parts, shows the new Viking Windshield/Z-Bar combo.
![](http://www.nationalcycle.com/media/wysiwyg/about-us/timeline/1965-1973/100/1973_Viking_Panhead.jpg)