Cw 25 Years Ago November, 1965
CW 25 YEARS AGO November, 1965
ROUNDUP
THIS OLD ISSUE OF Cycle World could have doubled as a dictionary of motorcycling. It contained race reports; hop-up features; a project dirtbike which resulted when a 500cc Triumph Twin engine met a Greeves frame; a motorcycle history piece; three road tests; and a Bonneville Speed Week report.
A nasty rainstorm a few days before Speed Week reduced potential top speeds due to the soft, wet salt, but a couple of CW"s editors still did quite well: Assistant Editor Ivan Wagar set a new 350cc record of 126 mph on a modified 305cc Honda Twin and Technical Editor Gordon Jennings won his class on Cycle World's Triumph 650cc Twin at l 37 mph.
A CIT-sponsored streamliner performed well, too. A highly modified 650cc Triumph that used an aircraft camera pod for its wind-cutting body, this salt-racer had a predicted top speed of more than 200 mph. The drag of the wet salt foiled that goal, but the crew still managed a record-setting 161 mph.
Advertisements in these old issues, always a treat, help us realize how much times have changed. For instance, product-liability lawsuits were of little concern: Most ads showed helmetless riders. Little did those advertisers know a new era was in the making, an era in which showing a helmetless rider would widely be recognized as irresponsible.
—Ron Griewe
