Cw 25 Years Ago February 1964

CW 25 YEARS AGO February 1964

ROUNDUP

LYNDON JOHNSON WAS IN THE White House and America was still grieving JFK's death when Cycle World ran its cover story about a beautifully restored l914 BSA. The bike was the property of then-BSA President T.A. Hodgdon, who claimed that the bike was a World War I dispatch rider’s machine.

In the same issue, we tested an Italian Güera 300 and liked it very much, although we did say that “the bike just refuses to run fast enough to hurt itself.” To fulfill the speed lust left wanting from the Güera, we track-tested a production roadracer: the Honda CR l 10. a 90 mile-an-hour, l 5,000-rpm, 50cc Single.

But not all the entertainment was limited to the editorial content. Advertising buzzwords in l 964 included “fun,” “power” and “economy,” with all three sometimes being used in the same ad. But the most interesting ad was for a “Radio-Caddy” that bolted to a bike’s handlebar and included a glove compartment, a pop-out cigarette lighter and a whip antenna, all for only $59.95. The radio cost an additional $39.95.

The most interesting piece in the whole magazine was a small bit found in the Roundup section. There, Editor Joe Parkurst reported that the Wall Street Journal ran a story about the resurgence of the motorcycle industry. The title of the Journal's article was “Motorcycle Boomlet, Spurred by Smaller. Less Costly Vehicles,” and a subtitle went on to say, “Japanese models helping sales nearly double this year: changing image of cyclists.”

Maybe someone ought to send that story to the manufacturers of today. —Cannon E. Bussard