25 Years Ago February, 1977
25 YEARS AGO FEBRUARY, 1977
An “Off-Color Guide to Daytona Speedweek,” Kawasaki’s “little brother-to-the-Z1 ” KZ650 and Yamaha’s newly monoshocked DT250 and DT400 were blurbed big on this month’s cover, complementing a blue-sky-backdrop image of a soaring 400.
• There was nothing actually offcolor about the Speedweek directive, which was written by Senior Editor D. Randy Riggs and illustrated by Leo Bestgen. Mostly a light-hearted how-to-get-there and where-to-stay/eaVwatch-theaction memo to iced-in Northerners, the six-pager included a list of “No-Nos” straight from the Daytona Visitor’s Bureau. Of the 10 entries, three involved alcohol. • Kawasaki’s middleweight fourbanger, meanwhile, was introduced at the famed Bonneville Salt Flats. There, company execs invited eager reporters to wring out the air-cooled double-cammer for all it was worth, which turned out to be 119 mph. Just for fun, Kawi’s R&D department kicked out a project 650 that shrieked its way to a class-topping 141 mph. • The DT250 and 400 were dual-purpose two-strokes, a configuration that has long since disappeared. Billed as “forgiving” due to their more rigid frames and long-travel suspension, neither held a candle to staffer Fernardo Belair’s one-off “Honzuki.” The Baja special paired a hopped-up Honda XL350 engine with a C&J-modified Suzuki RM370 frame. So what if it was only road-legal in Mexico?
Matthew Miles
