25 Years Ago April, 1977
25 YEARS AGO APRIL, 1977
What with all the how-to articles in this issue, the pages were destined to collect more than their fair share of greasy fingerprints-at least from gearhead readers. If the seven-page section covering the basics of fine-tuning vacuum-, fixed-venturi and Lectron-type slide carburetors wasn’t rich enough, then perhaps “Showdown for Shocks” suitably fattened the mix.
• “Rating Racing Shocks,” screamed the bright-white boldtype coverline, which was complemented by a tightly cropped image of a roost-shootin’ Moto-X Fox-dampered Suzuki RM370. Inside, 10 brands got the on-bike and laboratory analysis, with Marzocchi, Red Wing and Works Performance taking top honors.
• “Verdicts: Helmets aren’t harmful to your health,” blared another cover blurb. Allan Girdler’s “On Your Head” feature brought readers up to date on the state of helmet certification. While my hat’s off to CIV’S ex-Editor for writing such a comprehensive piece, I developed a headache (sorry) while reading it.
• Saving the best for last, at least for me, “Gazing At the Crystal Ball” gave readers a heads-up on the AMA Grand National Championship. Turns out, it was a pretty clear crystal, with Harley-Davidson’s Jay Springsteen topping Ted Boody,
Gary Scott and Kenny Roberts pretty much as predicted. While the latter went on to win a trio of world roadracing titles before becoming a team manager and manufacturer, Springer remained close to his roots, and continues to race dirttrack to this day. -Don Canet
