25 Years Ago September, 1979
25 YEARS AGO SEPTEMBER, 1979
Kawasaki’s KLX250 made a radical splash on the cover this month a quarter-century ago, with a warp-drive water-crossing picture that looks as though it was digitally enhanced-though pixels had yet to be invented! Inside, the water theme continued as the KLX was submarined on the opening spread, where we declared that this was, "A Four-Stroke Dirt Bike that HANDLES." Credit the light-and-simple sohc Thumper mounted in a KX125 motocrosser frame with "almost perfect damping" in its 10 inches of suspension travel. • Dirt may have led the way, but street features abounded, from the 140mph Dunstall-kitted Suzuki GS1000 (featuring a big-and-funky angular "Dart" fairing, 4-into-1 pipe and other café-inspired offerings for about $700), to the Suzuki GS425 full test. Conclusion on the latter? "A nice little bike," applauded for its ability to get nearly 60 mpg, especially in light of fuel that cost nearly per gallon at the time. • The editors "found out the hard way what not to do in an endurance race" at the Ontario 6-Hour by race-prepping a Suzuki GS750E. Even if the effort had its flaws, second place wasn’t a bad showing. Hopefully, Assistant Editor Mark Cernicky read this story before heading out recently to California Speedway in Fontana for a revival of the event... -Mark Hoyer
