25 Years Ago May, 1982
25 YEARS AGO MAY, 1982
A foursome of road tests paved the pages of this issue, including detailed coverage of ground-breaking liquid-cooled, four-cam V-Twin and V-Four engines found in the Yamaha 550 Vision and Honda V45 Magna. An off-road test of the revamped Kawasaki KX250 sang the virtues of "staying away from hot water" due to its lighter air-cooled setup.
• In the Competition section,
“A double feature at Houston’s Astrodome, featuring new rules, new riders, new machines and two victories for the old guard," divulged some dirt-slinging that took place at the AMA Winston Pro series opener. Seems the AMA's newly relaxed licensing requirements had dirt-track regulars up in arms regarding a few motocross types competing in the annual indoor short-track/TT program. While MXer-turned-roadracer Steve Wise put his converted Honda motocross bike on the box in the TT, wins on the weekend went to HarleyDavidson-mounted Ricky Graham and Jay Springsteen. Also of note, the photos illustrating the story were Editor Edwards’ first contribution to the magazine. He just might make it in this business...
• An eight-page spread advertising the wonders of Vetter products-from fairings to luggage to the Vetterlite helmet, Terraplane sidecar and a variety of stereos-graced the center of the magazine. Times must have been pretty good at Vetter HQ, and the party even extended to the ad itself. How so? The compact and inexpensive Rooster-tail trunk’s “sleek design" was said to “easily carry 12 cans of beer," with an inset picture showing a twelver of Budweiser stacked next to the luggage. Party on! -Don Canet
