25 Years Ago December, 1983
25 YEARS AGO DECEMBER, 1983
A lot has changed during the past 25 years, but then, as now, new Yamahas graced the cover. A quarter century ago, it featured the now legendary 1984 RZ350 two-stroke and FJ1100 superbike, both of which had just been unveiled at the Paris motorcycle show. Fast forward to the present, another legendary Yami appears on the cover in the form of the 2009 VMax.
• Kawasaki’s Voyager 1300 shocked the staff with its massive size and ability to eat up miles on the open road. Fuel-injection and an improved engine helped the bike close the gap to the Honda Gold Wing and Yamaha Venture.
• A full test on Honda’s new Openclass MX’er, the CR500R, featured an opening-spread photo of the son of our late Off-Road Editor, Ron Griewe, airing it out. Engine size had grown from 472 to 491 cc and the two-stroke Single was stuffed in an all-new chassis.
• Grand Prix contributor Peter Clifford chronicled how 21-yearold Freddie Spencer beat Kenny Roberts to the 1983 500cc GP title. After its failed attempt to beat the Suzuki and Yamaha twostrokes with the NR500 fourstroke in 1982, Honda returned in ’83 with the NS500 two-stroke Triple. A string of events cost Roberts his fourth title. He ran out of fuel at Monza, lost two points to teammate Eddie Lawson in Yugoslavia, got beat by Spencer in Sweden and then needed help that never materialized to take the title at the final race at Imola. He lost the championship by two points.
Blake Conner
