25 Years Ago June, 1975

25 YEARS AGO JUNE, 1975

ROUNDUP

"Just a honk away from being the world's first perfect motorcycle," was how editors described this month’s coverbike, Yamaha’s RD400C. Seems the two-stroke parallel-Twin’s traffic trumpet “wouldn’t make a hung-over wino flinch.” The mini-Superbike’s ability to loft its front wheel was never in question, however.

• On the dirt front, Associate Editor Fernando Belair wrapped up ClVs coverage of the Trans-AMA Motocross Series. Then-four-time World Champion Roger DeCoster was the class of the field, earning his second-successive title. This, despite the fact that Americans, led by Tony DiStefano, took top honors in six of 10 events.

• In-house hot-shoe Walt Fulton completed the second in his series, “Making Kawasaki’s Superbike Super.” Following the previous month’s budget-oriented hop-ups to the Z-1, Fulton laid on various big-buck engine mods and frame updates, more than $1400 in all. The next stage? A “street-legal” AMA production roadracer.

• Finally, from the “I just can’t get enough speed” file: Landspeed record-holder and longtime roadracer Don Vesco was promoed in a full-page Koni ad alongside his 300-plus-mph twin Yamaha-engined Silver Bird.

Today, the orange-and-yellow streamliner is in pieces, collecting dust while Vesco readies his 3750-horsepower, four-wheeled “Turbinator.” Hoped-for top speed? Five hundred mph.

Matthew Miles