25 Years Ago March 1986
25 YEARS AGO MARCH 1986
"Bigger, Badder and Better,” blazoned the cover lines touting Yamaha’s new FJ1200 sport-tourer. Inside, our test called it “the king of the streetbikes,” a powerful, comfortable allrounder that could even outgun the mighty V-Max in roll-on acceleration. Its 116 hp wasn’t anything to write home about, but we acted like nothing was ever likely to outdo its 72 ft.-lb. of midrange torque. If we only knew...
• A test of two Husqvarna twostrokes—a 400 Enduro and a 430 Automatic—revealed the latter’s weaknesses, while a wrap-up of the magazine’s long-term test of a 1984 Yamaha Virago 1100 revealed its strengths. Features included the tale of Red Wolverton, an American who in 1923 set an absolute world motorcycle speed record of more than 129 mph. But his feat was never recognized because the U.S. was not a member of the FIM at that time.
• Just for fun, Feature Editor David Edwards and Associate Editor Camron Bussard embarked on a three-day desert adventure aboard a pair of Honda CT110 trailbikes,
CT110 trailbikes, expecting to demor those little “poodle-bikes” were no match for the harsh, unforgiving Mojave ecosystem. They failed. After three days of bashing, thrashing and wide-open dashing, the little Hondas proved virtually indestructible, never failing our intrepid editors even for a minute.
• In Race Watch, Dave Despain wrote an intriguing story about Wayne Rainey, then a 25-year-old ex-dirt-tracker and AMA roadracing champion who was preparing himself for a career in Grand Prix racing. Sadly, just seven years later, after he had won three consecutive world 500cc championships and was poised to capture a fourth, Rainey crashed in the Italian GP and was paralyzed.
Paul Dean
