25 Years Ago October, 1977
25 YEARS AGO OCTOBER, 1977
ROUNDUP
“Editor's Choice: The Ten Best Bikes of '77” read the bold-type blurbs on this issue's cover. It may seem odd now, but choosing Honda’s GL1000 as Best Touring bike required some explanation. “Make the changes you want, buy the touring gear you like and you’ll have the best touring bike on the market for your money.” There was no question about the choice of Kawasaki’s KZ1000 as Best Superbike. “Quickest production model we’ve tested,” wrote the author, before adding, “Speed isn’t everything. With the Zee-Thou, Kawasaki has taken a good model and made it better, without subtracting any of the good parts.”
Elsewhere in this issue, a test of Suzuki’s new RM250 motocrosser heaped on the praise. “Incredible. A box-stock motorcycle that’s competitive in Pro racing. A motorcycle this right couldn’t be any good for play riding or desert orfire-roading, right? Wrong.”
Honda’s CB550F drew criticism for Big Red’s use of the term “Super Sport” in the bike’s ad campaign. “Particularly when these words are employed as a description for a machine that looks good, handles reasonably well, goes okay and is not in any way demonstrably super,” stated the writer of the test. “It doesn’t take Kenny Roberts to get the suspension to its limits on winding roads, but not everybody needs to be Kenny Roberts.”
Speaking of the man who would be King: This issue included a race report on the AMA National at Sears Point Raceway, where Roberts put in a heroic ride aboard the factory Yamaha OW31, taking the win after coming from the back of the grid.
-Don Canet
