25 Years Ago December, 1977
25 YEARS AGO DECEMBER, 1977
ROUNDUP
A beautiful steel-blue Kawasaki Z1-R, set against an equally stunning blue-sky backdrop with the words, “ZOOMIEST Z YET!” graced this month’s cover. Testers said the more pedestrian KZ1000 was a better all-arounder, but that they’d “do the foolish, sporting thing and buy the Z1-R.” Allan Girdler, who was Editor at the time, happened through my office as I was perusing this issue, spied the cover and exclaimed, “I remember that shoot! It was at Sand Canyon Bridge right after they finished it.”
• Then the reminiscing really got going. Girdler and current Executive Editor Brian Catterson caught a glimpse of the Harley-Davidson MX250 test in this issue. Both currently own examples of this very model, Girdler’s in dirt-track trim, and both admitted that they paid more for their bikes than the original $1695 MSRR In the next 5 minutes, I learned more than I could have ever hoped to about the two-stroke 'crosser, which met its end in 78.
• Roundup included a couple of interesting world records. First up, 12 men covered 52.3 miles in 12 hours pushing a Triumph TR6. The other record had World Trials Champion Martin Lampkin (father of six-time and current champ Doug) hauling golfer Graham Webster around in a sidecar-equipped Bultaco. Why? In an effort to play the world’s fastest 18 holes of golf, which they did in a tick more than 25 minutes. Lose the golf, and you might be onto something...
-Mark Cernicky
