25 Years Ago June, 1976

25 YEARS AGO JUNE, 1976

ROUNDUP

Although the market momentum of the inlinefour-cylinder Japanese motorcycle was well established by 1976, there were many parallelTwins still putting about. Witness Yamaha’s XS500C coverbike. Testers said the high-revving, four-valve-per-cylinder machine was a nimble, lightweight all-rounder. It cost just $1663.

• That was nothing compared to the $5223 spent “Making Kawasaki’s Superbike Super,” wherein a Z-1 was prepped for production-class roadracing, then ridden by Yvon Duhamel. Top speed for the bike at Daytona was 179 mph.

• Daytona coverage that year declared the 200 the best ever. Nineteen-year-old Johnny Cecotto took top honors aboard a Yamaha TZ750, while “Ken” Roberts finished ninth, but won the 100-mile International 250cc race. In the latter, the future King rode a new monoshock Yamaha against a field that included 35 foreign entries, plus U.S. stalwarts Gary Nixon and Jay Springsteen. Unfortunately, neither Nixon nor Springer finished. • Motoheads were handled with a six-page test of Bultaco’s sixspeed 125cc Pursang. Although the transmission’s extra ratio helped the Spanish Taco keep up with the new Japanese MXers, it was the excellent suspension that moved the bike ahead.

• And no matter how agonizing it is to see what exotica appeared in the classified section at next-to-nothingin-hindsight prices, I do it anyway: “MV Agusta 750 Sport. Classic Italian lines with aviation-quality construction.. .$3950." Ouch.

Mark Hoyer