25 Years Ago March, 1971
25 YEARS AGO MARCH, 1971
ROUNDUP
"Meet Super-Book,” proclaimed the cover of this 166-page banner issue, which featured a bird’s-eye view of a Norton Commando Fastback. The editors called the coverbike “the best of the British Big Twins,” saying that it had “the character of a sleek, lush grand touring car.” One of the true superbikes of the day, the 750cc machine loped through the quarter-mile in 13.11 seconds at 101.67 mph—about what a good-running 250 does today.
• Speaking of the Commando, the inside front cover contained the obligatory Norton girl ad, while another heralded Harley-Davidson’s 900cc Sportster as a performance machine: “Smokes out of the hole like it was shot from a cannon,” proclaimed the copywriters, who presumably weren’t talking about oil vapor. Not to be outdone, BMW said its flat-Twins could “corner like mad,” while Suzuki showcased its entire model line in a 28-page advertising supplement.
• Turning their attention to the dirt, the editors tested a Maico 400, praising its “healthy” 7 inches of fork travel with “dampening [sic] variable by switching SAE weights of fork oil.” The German two-stroke was based on the bike Ake Johnson had used to dominate the 1970 Inter-Am MX Series, which was featured in a four-page, four-color pictorial. On the pavement, Hurley Wilvert enjoyed his 15 minutes of fame as winner of the third-annual California International Grand Prix. Sadly, two of the issue’s featured venues—Saddleback Park and Orange County International Raceway—are now also history.
-Brian Catterson
