25 Years Ago September, 1977
25 YEARS AGO SEPTEMBER, 1977
ROUNDUP
Tucked away at the end of a nine-page cover story about Honda’s new three-model, twin-cylinder 400cc Hawk series was the sad note that Honda thought the market couldn’t bear too many bikes in the 400cc range, so it was likely the four-cylinder CB400F would depart the lineup. Yeah, I’m crying, too.
• Also tested was Husqvarna’s “parts-plus” 360WR Dick Burleson Replica. It was called “inordinately expensive” but “beautifully finished.” How much? A walletemptying $1975, fully $100 more than the standard 360. For the money, you got a Mikuni carb instead of a Bing, Curnutt shocks in place of Girlings, Preston Petty headlight/numberplate and more.
• Husky also made the pages of Race Watch, as the Swedish marque ran 1-2-3 in the Baja 500. Larry Roeseler and Scot Harden were part of the top teams, and both are still active in the industry, Roeseler running Stroker Performance and Harden a bigwig at KTM. The 250cc class was won solo by Bruce Ogilvie (who now works for Honda), and the 125cc class was won by a team that included Mitch Payton, who later started Pro Circuit.
• The big racing feature was “Carlsbad Chronicles,” a story that took readers to the U.S. 500cc Grand Prix in Southern California. Roger DeCoster, Gerrit Wolsink, Heikki Mikkola, Brad Lackey and Jim Pomeroy all took to the natural-terrain track, with Wolsink winning the overall. Lackey was fourth, and it was said that Americans were showing an increasing presence on the world stage. -Mark Hoyer
