25 Years Ago October, 1983
25 YEARS AGO OCTOBER, 1983
This issue struck home with a link to my very beginnings in moto-journalism. Back in 1990 while I was riding for Team Valvoline Suzuki, the team’s owner, John Ulrich, a former Cycle World Executive Editor, had me write a story for his American Roadracing publication recounting a crash I’d walked away from when my Formula USA bike spit me off at 160 mph while racing at Road Atlanta. At the time, Ulrich told me of a crash story he’d once written, and here in this very issue was his epic tale titled, "Doing it The Hard Way.” A riveting read as Ulrich described getting thrown from a violently wobbling nitrousoxide boosted Pro Stock HarleyDavidson Sportster dragbike and sliding on his backside through the timing lights, posting a 10.20-second, 139-mph pass. As the story states: “Not bad fora man without a bike.”
• Keeping with Cycle World's onand-off-road focus, tests in the issue included a BMW R80 ST, Yamaha IT250, Honda CR125R and Nighthawk 550. The latter was summed up with, ‘Just because a motorcycle has speed, it doesn’t have to give up style.” The cruiser-styled machine ran a 12.64-second quarter-mile.
• The cover story was the ambitious undertaking of a week-long sport-tire shootout which included guest tester Wayne Rainey, a young road-race talent who would go on to achieve superstar status with a trio of 500cc Grand Prix World Championships to his credit. -Don Canet
