25 Years Ago May 1984
25 YEARS AGO MAY 1984
"Thunder and Lightning,” proclaimed the cover, along with a yellow bolt from the heavens touching down between a Honda V65 Sabre and a Kawasaki 900 Ninja, both engulfed in tire smoke. The pair of powerhouse performance machines weren’t part of an unlikely comparison; separate road tests gave each its due. The Ninja test, titled, “Doing More with Less,” commended the Kawi for its combination of compactness, agility and power. Looking back, it marked the beginning of forward-thinking design that ultimately led to today’s liter-class sportbikes.
• Off-road-riding readers were treated to tests of the Suzuki RM250 (new frame and suspension), Honda’s XL350R (for the dual-sport minded) and a Canadian-built CanAm 250 ASE (for enduro duty).
If those bikes’ price tags-$2399, $2098 and $2656, respectively-seem like a deal by current standards, today’s race fans will weep when they learn of the fullpage ad in this issue promoting the Superbowl of Motocross held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Tickets for premium seats cost just $15, while admission for kids was half as much.
• Up Front was a sincere and heart-
felt farewell address from departing Editor Allan Girdler, who thanked readers for their role in making his tenure at the helm all that it could be. Out with the old and in with the new; the same issue was Editor-inChief Edwards’ first at CW, then as Feature Editor. Way to run ’em out of town, DE! - Don Canet
