25 Years Ago March 1988

25 YEARS AGO MARCH 1988

ROUNDUP

In our “600 Showdown!” cover story, the Honda Hurricane, Kawasaki Ninja, Suzuki Katana and Yamaha FZ battled for supremacy on road and track.

The $4098 Hurricane, “the most confidence-inspiring of the group,” took top honors on the street. But at Willow Springs, 27-year-old Doug Polen called the Katana the best production roadracer of 1988, saying it handled better than the 19-pound-lighter Honda. “I could concentrate on going faster without having to worry, say, about what the front end was going to do in Turn Eight.”

• Other testbikes included the BMW R100RT, whose 980cc Boxer engine produced only 60 peak horsepower but pulled hard off idle and could push that barn-door fairing through the air at 105 mph. Our other testbike, a Yamaha YZ125 motocrosser, boasted a wider powerband, better suspension and an improved sixspeed transmission. “Yamaha has done a magnificent job of transforming a warthog of a 125 into a finehandling, strong-running, goodlooking winner,” we concluded with usual candor.

• In addition to a ride on a Wankelpowered Norton roadracer and a look at Michelin’s upcoming radial tires, our issue included a 1988 GP Preview, which featured a map showing how Laguna Seca was lengthened with an infield section to host the USGP on April 10th of that year. Who’s able to remember the fast, original layout of the track?

Andrew Bornhop