Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1524889
T hose motorcyclists who possess the kind of wis- dom, maturity and sophis- tication that can be earned only after years of experience, i.e., old people, will undoubtedly remem- ber the short-lived television se- ries "Then Came Bronson." Jim Bronson, the main character, has left the corporate world behind and spends a television season riding a Harley-Davidson Sport - ster, which was bequeathed to him by his late friend. In the show's title sequence, Bronson, portrayed by Michael Parks, has pulled up alongside an all-business-looking fellow who is caged up in his family sta - tion wagon. As they sit at a red light, the suit and tie man asks the helmet-less Bronson if he is "taking a trip?" Bronson tells him that is exactly what he is doing, and when he adds that his desti- nation is "wherever I end up," the downhearted man wistfully says, "Man, I wish I was you." Perhaps if our beaten-down businessman knew a little more about long-distance riding on motorcycles of that era, he might have been somewhat more content behind the wheel of his large automobile. While today's riders can punch up a location on their smartphones and fully expect their smooth and reliable machines to carry them safely along the route, 1970s riders were slightly less confident of their steeds. Manufacturers who labeled their models as "touring motorcycles" were assuming plenty about both the reliability and suitability of their products to complete a long-distance ride in good stead. One such labeled machine was Suzuki's GT 750, which was released to the public, pretty in pink, in 1972. The Cycle News team tested that bike and then reviewed a mildly revised ver - sion in its September 18, 1973 issue. Before the big (750cc was considered big in 1973) bike had even warmed up, the CN crew expressed their doubts about the Suzuki. "Somehow, a 750cc two- stroke seems like the wrong basis for a touring bike," said the editor. What exactly was the right basis for a touring bike in 1973 is something that isn't made very clear. Honda's Gold Wing was two years away from its debut. Most other big bikes of that era, like Kawasaki's Z1 900, were being marketed as perfor - CNIIARCHIVES P142 TOURING TWOSTROKE BY KENT TAYLOR Before the Gold Wing, there was the water-cooled 750cc two-stroke Suzuki GT 750. It made its debut in 1972. Cycle News tested the 1973 version. SUZUKI'S "WATER BUFFALO"