Sport Rider Covers From 1995

Sport Rider started off 1995 by enticing readers with the February cover featuring a head-on shot of Editor Nick Ienatsch aboard the 1995 Honda CBR900RR. Then, a few pages in, we took you to the 1995 Cologne show in Germany, where we snapped shots of the dazzling machines that caught our eye at that year's event. We continued our CBR coverage with a modified lightweight CBR900RR followed by a tech briefing of the hot new-for-1995 CBR600F3.

In a five-page spread, we featured a photo gallery of the racing action at Laguna Seca Raceway and followed that up with a ride review of Miguel Duhamel's 1994 Harley-Davidson VR1000 racebike. One of SR's new hires, Associate Editor Jason Black, wrote a beginner's guide to drag racing. That was followed by the big showdown: coverage on the AMA Superbike season finale where it was Yamaha versus Ducati, America versus Australia, Jamie James versus Troy Corser, but Scott Russell played the spoiler.

Some of the bikes featured in the February issue made a return in April for a battle between the Kawasaki ZX-6R, Honda CBR600F3, and Yamaha YZF600R. The next comparison in June got a bit of boost with a shootout between the Suzuki GSX-R1100, Honda CBR900RR, Kawasaki ZX-9R, and Yamaha FZR1000. The third issue of the year featured a tour in which editors rode the Honda CBR1000RR, Kawasaki ZX-11, Suzuki RF900R, and Triumph Daytona 1200 from California to Texas and back.

In a continuation of comparisons, August housed the hottest 750s, including the Kawasaki ZX-7, Suzuki GSX-R750, and Yamaha YZF750R. October showcased our 1995 UFO story where we pitted the Hyper-Cycle Suzuki GSX-R1205, Lee's Cycle Service Kawasaki ZX-7/9R, Luftmeister Triumph Daytona 1200 Turbo, Orient Express Honda CBR900RR Turbo, and Mr. Turbo Kawasaki ZX-11 Turbo against one another. Following the tradition set at the end of 1994, December featured a "bike of the year brawl" in which Sport Rider threw the Honda CBR600F3, Kawasaki ZX-9R, and Yamaha YZF750R into the ring.

Do you remember these stories? Leave a comment below and tell us which ones were your favorites.