Cw 25 Years Ago February 1990

CW 25 YEARS AGO FEBRUARY 1990

The VX800 might have been on our February cover, but the Suzuki that arguably had a more lasting impact was the new DR350. In “The Return of the Mini Thumper,” we praised Suzuki for building this new DR, which proved to be far more agile than a big-bore four-stroke and a much better machine than the earlier Honda XR350 and Yamaha TT350 models. We also showed readers Suzuki’s new dual-purpose DR250S/DR350S models. These street-legal Zooks were praised by editor David Edwards for being practically identical to their dirt bike kin.

-> In other parts of the issue, Alan Gathcart rode a Commonwealth Honda (a roadracer powered by a dirt-track Honda V-twin), and our EICMA coverage featured the Moto Guzzi Daytona 1000, the Ducati 851 Sport, and a bunch of new Husqvarnas, including a 21G-pound 250WMX model powered by a Cagiva engine. And, yes, there was a Bimota, a Bellaria that could hit 153 mph.

-> Staffers also traveled. Ron Lawson competed in the ISDE on a Suzuki RMX250 but complained that the German course was fartoo easy because environ-

mentalists had made almost all the countryside off-limits to dirt bikes. And Jon F. Thompson tackled Europe for a meager $250 a day, riding a Suzuki Katana 1100. One day he arrived before the luggage van in Monte Carlo, so he just had to stroll the topless beaches...in full riding gear.

-> Lastly, in Race Watch, we profiled Eddie Lawson, the four-time US national champ and four-time world champion. "Everything is great when I’m on the bike,” Steady Eddie concluded. “I love to race and I still want to win every race I enter.”

Andrew Bornhop