25 Years Ago December, 1973

25 YEARS AGO DECEMBER, 1973

A changing of the guard in this issue, as Editor Ivan J. Wagar stepped aside to make room for new man Bob Atkinson. An engineer and AFM roadracing champion, Wagar took over the editorial reigns late in 1963, but by 73 had become so involved in industry affairs that the job was suffering. Among other things, Wagar was instrumental in the founding of the Motorcycle Industry Council; chaired the motorcycle portion of the International Congress on Automotive Safety; was on the National Motor Vehicle Safety Advisory Council; served on the AMA’s Executive Committee; and was the AMA’s delegate to the Fédération Internationale Motocycliste. Calling the situation “somewhat of a nightmare,” Wagar abdicated and eventually put in a lengthy stint as director of the Safety Helmet Council.

• New Editor Atkinson-who literally began his career as Cycle World’s mailboy before going off to journalism school-flew to Germany to ride BMW’s just-released R90S, a smoke-gray cafe-racer meant to alter the German company’s staidn-stuffy image. Closing his writeup, Atkinson delivered the mother of all back-handed compliments: The R90, he said, would “go fast enough to scare anybody. And it will do it mile after mile after mile.”

• Less frightening was a Yamaha RD250 testbike, little brother to the mighty, wheeiie-poppin’ RD350. “Need an economical, reliable and fun second car? This might be just the ticket!” we said of the likeable little $719 two-stroke.

David Edwards