25 Years Ago August 1987
25 YEARS AGO AUGUST 1987
After Honda begged CW Eurospondent Sir Alan Cathcart to ride the ovalpiston prototype NR750 endurance racer instead of him doing the begging, we speculated something was definitely up. Sir AI was suitably impressed by “the most scintillating performance you’ve ever experienced from a four-stroke motorcycle,” which would seem about right from a 32-valve, 150-horsepower Honda V-Four. We conjectured that the NR might evolve into the ’88 Interceptor. Alas, it was not to be. Five years later, a very limited run of 300 hand-built NR750s appeared and sold for $60,000 each.
•Slightly more attainable, Yamaha’s new YSR50 was flying out of showrooms at $999 a copy. Farther up the food chain, the first FZR1000 appeared. “A hardcore sportbike that really doesn’t claim to be anything else,” the R1 precursor was designed to battle the Suzuki GSX-R1100 and launched the next round of superbike shootouts.
sf~and c~ng news, Kevin Schwant~ and Wayne Rainey led an America, team that trounced the Brits in th~ Transatlantic Match Races _____ one year before the advent of World Superbike (where the Brits lately trounce) Our Own illustrious Paul Dean embraced vintage bikes just long enough to take fourth on a Team Obsolete Matchless G50 at Dayto,~ AHRMA event.
•Meanwhile, in the dirt, the inimitable Ron Griewe modified four Japanese 250 MX bikes into purpose-built Enduro specials. Roost in peace, Ogre...
—John Burns
