THE YEAR WAS 1976 | AMCN VOL 26 No 01 - Australian Motorcycle News

2022-09-24 11:44:23 By : Mr. Roy Huang

We take you back to 1976 for an AMCN head check.

AMCN VOL 26 No 01 32 pages, 30c On sale July 2, 1976 Editor: Jeff Maynard

The man who introduced colourful leathers to motorcycle racing, the legendary Barry Sheene, won his first 500cc world championship in 1976, clinching the title again the following year. Bazza, who passed away in 2003, became a household name at a time when media coverage of the sport had been pretty low-key. The TV cameras loved him: Sheene smoked through a hole drilled in his helmet, stunning models adoringly caressed his long trusses, he advertised Brut aftershave on TV and he was even a chat show host.

The mag featured Warren Willing taking out the Amaroo Park open race. Round three of Mr Motocross also made the cover – as did the news that Barry Sheene only needed one more good placing to win the 500cc world championship.

MV Agusta’ s 50cc single-cylinder two-stroke racing mini bike, complete with a full fairing

The XLCH1000 and FX 1200Harley-Davidsons hit our shores.

Celebrating the start of AMCN’ s 26th year, the mag presented a blast from the past “ for older readers who remember the bygone days of motorcycling”. It was judged to be a “ flexible, fast and economical mount with a fine performance”, with the tester being particularly chuffed with the rear brake pedal being adjustable on serrations, but didn’ t rate the front stoppers, saying they “ required too much effort to operate, and on one occasion during the test some little trouble was experienced due to the cable failing”. The options list included a speedometer that read up to 120mph and pillion ankle pads.

Engine: 592cc single-cylinder Power:  Not given Gearbox: Four-speed Weight: Not given Top speed: 90mph (145km/h) Carburation: Amal carburettor

The Frank Matich three-part air filter kit eliminates the expense of replacing your air filter. The kit consists of a K & N air filter available for all makes, a can of air filter lubricating oil and spray cleaner/degreaser. The bottles were marketed as being unbreakable – which is just asking for some smart-ass to disprove the claimer!

Australia celebrated it's bicentenary back in 88. Bob Hawke was PM, a Big Mac cost $1.95, and a litre of petrol would have set you back about 50c.

GASGAS pay tribute to their 2022 Dakar Rally win with the RX 450F Rally Bike Rep

Former MotoGP world champion Joan Mir finally confirmed as Marc Marquez’s Reps

The charismatic leader of the Hells Angels was an integral part of Hollywood’s