25 Years Ago June 1988

25 YEARS AGO JUNE 1988

ROUNDUP

In a sense, the $3995 Hawk GT on our cover was much like Honda’s current trio of 500cc Twins: a simple and rational bike designed to get the masses riding again. But with its liquidcooled 647cc V-Twin, aluminum9Ä and beam massive, frame single-sided swingarm, the 393-pound GT actually proved more agile than many sportbikes of the day, with outright performance comparable to that of the contemporary Honda Interceptor 500. To this day, the Hawk GT, which averaged 52 mpg during its stay at CIV, has a cult following.

•One of our testbikes, the fourstroke KTM 600 motocrosser, cost $600 less than a Husqvarna 510 but proved to be no match for the Husky as a competition bike. What’s more, the big 553cc Thumper was nearly impossible

to kick-start. No such problems were had with our other “testbike,” a two-stroke Yamaha

Blaster 200

quad that proved “you don’t have to spend big money on a big ATV to have fun.”

•Rounding out our

issue was a large feature introducing readers to a motorcycle customizer named Arlen Ness (ever heard of him?), plus lots of Daytona coverage and a Letters section full of correspondence praising the return of Peter Egan to our pages. Wrote Louis Thelen, from Eugene, Oregon: “The man is a poet, and his words add to the quality of your magazine. I hope his column, Leanings, is for the long-term.” Mr. Thelen, you got your wish.

Andrew Bornhop