CW 25 Years Ago: September, 1990

The coverline "Giant Killers" couldn't have been more appropriate reflecting back to when I read this article for the first time all those years ago. The Japanese-market Honda CBR400RR and Yamaha FZR400RR SP sportbikes that were featured might as well have been Ferraris; even if I could have found a gray-market example, I never would have been able to afford one.

The aforementioned bikes were definitely a sign of things to come, as the super-hot 400cc market in Japan dictated where American-market 600s were headed. Aluminum frames, carbon-fiber exhaust cans, advanced suspension—all of these were ahead of their time in 1990, at least on production bikes. Also featured were the Suzuki GSX-R400, Honda VFR400R, Kawasaki ZXR-400R, and a whole pile of street-legal, Japanese-market 250cc two-strokes.

Triumph fans could also find a trio of customs and a preview of the born-again Hinckley Triumph resurrected by John Bloor in the English Midlands. At that time, as the article concluded, "The company is said to have no immediate plans for selling its new motorcycles here." They finally arrived in 1995.

Yes, even 25 years ago Peter Egan was enamored with British steel. In this issue he outlines the restoration of his 1967 Triumph TR6C.

In the early ’90s, dual-sporting was big and the machine choices vast. Seven dual-purpose bikes from 349cc singles to a 980cc BMW twin bookended the options, which were highlighted in the story called “Alternate Routes.”

For a limited time, check out the September 1990 issue on Cycle World - COVER TO COVER - The Complete Cycle World Magazine Archive.

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