CW 25 Years Ago: May, 1990

Watch Out, World! That warning adorned an unusual cover featuring Team Roberts and its all-star lineup: manager Kenny Roberts and 500cc riders Wayne Rainey, Eddie Lawson, and 250cc rider John Kocinski. For the 1990 season, Roberts built a super team. In addition to bringing then-current 500 GP champ Lawson into the fold, Team Roberts retained runner-up Rainey and secured a Marlboro sponsorship package. Almost as important, they got coveted Michelin tires. At season’s end, Rainey secured the 500cc title and Kocinski the 250cc.

An accompanying story to the Team Roberts feature was our European Correspondent's post-season sampling of the four 1989 factory Grand Prix machines, including Lawson's championship-winning Honda NSR500, Rainey's Yamaha YZR500, Kevin Schwantz's Suzuki RGV500, and Randy Mamola's Cagiva V589.

Need proof that today's ADV bikes have been honed for decades? A test of Kawasaki's Tengai shows that even the Japanese had their eyes on this market a long time ago. Based on the KLR650, the Tengai had a fairing and windscreen à la Dakar-style bikes and shorter suspension travel to improve its street chops.

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

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