Quoted:
You mentioned Rad but left out freestyling/BMX. The big names of the sport were really taking off around 85/86 between riders and manufacturers. Haro, Redline, GT.

I was born in '74 and in winter of '86/87 my dad bought a used white 85 Haro FST for me. Wasn't a top of the line Master or Sport, but it was a Haro and I was 12.

Found this back in 2014. An 85 with the exact parts I had minus it being white with white barefeet tires. I have a new decal kit, just need to send it out to get it powdered white. Can't bring myself to take it down of the wall. Not even a money thing. I even have a new set of NOS barefeet tires.

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/500021/85_FST_jpg-1266405.JPG

84-88 was really it for me but I agree with OP,  86 was THE year.

Oh yeah you forgot all the good porn stars from back then. John Holmes was even still alive (my mom had a c-band dish with nothing scrambled).

Quoted:
https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/85319/58814CFC-6A5B-452C-BD9A-B898EEE5B496_jpe-1266561.JPGClass of 89 from CA checking in.  I'd say from 81-87 was about the best it could be.  Good music from multiple genres.  Tons of good movies, cheap gas.  Cheap cars to hot rod.  Smoking women that weren't thots.  Regan kept the Ruskies quaking in their foot wraps.  No AWB yet and you could buy new machine guns.

life was GOOD!  Pic of me from around 1982

Quoted:
I was born in 79. My parents kept me as isolated as they could. Outside of school, my only exposure to 80s culture was whatever I could pick up on the 4 local tv channels.

Until 1986 when my older brother came back from the navy. He had a computer that looked like a giant pullout car stereo. We played some game that looked like Galaga, only the graphics were all green and black.

He also brought me one of those 'survival knives' from the tv commercials. You know the one, hollow handle with chinesium survival gear and a compass. I thought I was Rambo Jr.

Then, he unpacked all of his Playboy and Penthouse magazines. Yeah, I still have a thing for bush.

He also brought a VCR. I got to catch up on just about every movie made, even the ones rated R.

My brother is an awesome guy. How many men in their 20s would spend an entire summer driving their 7 year old brother around in their 68 mustang? Not many.

Quoted:
I was born in 79. My parents kept me as isolated as they could. Outside of school, my only exposure to 80s culture was whatever I could pick up on the 4 local tv channels.

Until 1986 when my older brother came back from the navy. He had a computer that looked like a giant pullout car stereo. We played some game that looked like Galaga, only the graphics were all green and black.

He also brought me one of those 'survival knives' from the tv commercials. You know the one, hollow handle with chinesium survival gear and a compass. I thought I was Rambo Jr.

Then, he unpacked all of his Playboy and Penthouse magazines. Yeah, I still have a thing for bush.

He also brought a VCR. I got to catch up on just about every movie made, even the ones rated R.

My brother is an awesome guy. How many men in their 20s would spend an entire summer driving their 7 year old brother around in their 68 mustang? Not many.

Quoted:

Nice, I have an ‘86 pro performer.

Quoted:
As a child of the 80's, I've often tried to think about which year really embodies the decade.  Justify your answer with lists from the following (or other) categories.  I'll go first.  These aren't necessarily 'best of' lists, but culturally significant and considers what we already had up to this year in the 80's (for example, 1980 probably couldn't really embody the 80's because most of the 80's stuff wasn't invented yet, 1989 could but we were arguably on a downward slope of 80's culture by then)

I am going with 1986 (although 1984 is probably a close second)

These TV Shows were on the air (and a lot of merchandising/toys to go with them):
Miami Vice Season 3 (arguably their best and the season that the testarossa was introduced)
Alf
Dallas
The Cosby Show
Knight Rider (last season)
L.A. Law
The A-Team
GI Joe
Transformers
G.I. Joe
He-Man
Thundercats
Head of the Class
Oprah
Disney Channel becomes 24 hrs
Fox Network launches

Events:

Challenger Disaster
Chernobyl
TWA Bombings
Berlin nightclub bombings
Pan Am hijackings
Halley's Comet
1986 World Series (Bill Buckner!)
Super Bowl XX (Chicago Bears--Super Bowl Shuffle and the Fridge!)

These albums were released:
Metallica - Master of Puppets (Cliff Burton dies this year too)
Slayer - Reign in Blood
Depeche Mode - Black Celebration
Van Halen - 5150 (First album with Sammy Hagar)
New Kids on the Block Debut Album
Ac/dc - Who Made Who
The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
Run DMC - Raising Hell
Bon Jovi - Slippery when wet
They Might be Giants Debut Album
Beastie Boys - License to Ill
Prince and the Revolution - Parade (their last album)

These Movies Came Out:
Top Gun AND Iron Eagle
Platoon
Ferris Buellers Day Off
Aliens
Pixar studios founded
The Delta Force
Pretty in Pink
Highlander
Rad
Short Circuit
Labyrinth
Big Trouble in Little China
Flight of the Navigator
The Transformers Movie
Stand by Me
Blue Velvet
An American Tail

Tech/Other:

Launch of Nintendo Entertainment System in North America and Europe
Mac+/IIGS

Quoted:
Hmmm compelling but robocop was 87 and die hard 88

Air wolf 84 equaliser 85

Soo

Probably 84 to 88 was the zenith