25 Years Ago May 1987
25 YEARS AGO MAY 1987
It's always fun to look back through 25-year-old issues of Cycle World and find those nuggets that editors predicted would make an impact on the future of motorcycling, and then realize that in fact they did. Take, for example, the Honda CBR600F Hurricane that was featured on the cover and tested inside: With class-leading power, top-quality fit and finish, and attention to styling that hadn't been seen in the category before, it changed how the industry designed and built middleweight machines.
•Some things change and some remain the same: "The Road to Dakar" was a photographic fea ture chronicling the 1987 Paris to Dakar Rally, which was the ninth running of the event. Then as now, it remains the most difficult test of man and motorcycle on Earth.
`In a celebration of CW's 25th year of existence, Technical Editor Steve Anderson (still a current contributor) explored the evolution of helmets over the years. We've pro gressed quite a bit since those pud ding bowls, Bell 500TX5 and early generation full-face lids.
•Our flashback to `87 revealed a story on future two-time World Superbike champion Doug Polen. At the time, the club racer from Denton, Texas, was chasing Suzuki con tingency money in the GSX-R Cup Series. He did quite well, earning $92,000, winning 62 of the 84 races he entered that year and making a name for himself on the national stage with strong performances at AMA events like Daytona and Laguna Seca. He was sporting a sweet mustache in the photo, too.
Blake Conner
