25 Years Ago April, 1975

25 YEARS AGO APRIL, 1975

ROUNDUP

"Honda l000cc Four, The Gentleman’s Choice" was the cover headline enticing readers to purchase this month’s issue. Buyers weren’t disappointed either, as a comprehensive road test of the then-new GL1000 spanned 10 full pages. The bike’s opposed-Four was the main attraction, taking center stage in photographs of the unfaired machine. “It is nimble for its weight, as smooth as good Scotch, and as quiet as time passing. It may soon be the touring machine on American highways,” read the article. Even then, testers knew the GL line was here for the long haul.

• Also tested was Honda’s TL250 trials bike, which offered a view of the lighter side of Big Red’s model line-up. This was accompanied by “Trials Notebook,” the first in a series of instructional articles covering various riding techniques for budding Sammy Miller wannabes. Of which there seemed to be many, if this issue’s ads were any indication; a pair of full-color, two-pagers hawked the TL250 and Suzuki’s RL-250. Although the sport remains popular in Europe, there have been numerous trials and tribulations on the American front.

• But back to the ads: My favorite was the full-page photograph of a Montesa Enduro 250. The pin-up-quality image wasn’t cluttered with performance claims or other advertising jargon. I imagine copies of this page adorned the walls of many a garage back in the day.

Don Canet