30 Years Ago
June 1996, Issue No. 210, 92 pages, $4.95

What Happened in 1996
John Howard is sworn in as Australia’s 25th Prime Minister, restores the Queen to the oath of allegiance and the Australian flag to his official car, and orders an emergency meeting of state police ministers to toughen gun laws and draw up a national plan for firearm registration. The Wiggles’ sixth album, Wake Up Jeff, was released. The Northern Territory legalised voluntary euthanasia, which was later repealed by a conscience vote in the federal parliament in 1997. HMAS Collins, the first of the Collins Class submarines, was officially commissioned into service by the Royal Australian Navy. The North Melbourne Kangaroos (19.17.131) defeated the Sydney Swans (13.10.88) to win the 100th VFL/AFL premiership. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles defeated the St. George Dragons 20–8 to win the 89th NSWRL/ARL premiership. Saintly won the Melbourne Cup, giving Bart Cummings his 10th win as a trainer. The 80-foot maxi Morning Glory broke the race record in winning the 1996 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race in 2 days, 14 hours, 7 minutes and 10 seconds.

THUMPING MILD
HONDA XR250RT vs YAMAHA TT250R

Both of these bikes were long-termers with plans to ride them in the Thumper Nats and Yamaha NSW Enduro Series, and it was intended to fit both with big bore kits—a 280cc Ballard’s XRs Only kit for the Honda and a Webby’s 300cc kit for the Yamaha. Both were big-selling models in Australia, with the Honda the first new model in about nine years, while the Yamaha had been around for two. Four-valve heads graced each bike, with twin exhaust ports and headers on the Honda, which also ran a dry sump engine, the Yam being wet sump. Both ran conventional forks with adjustable air pressure and compression damping, and twin-piston front brakes. The Honda was priced at $7,400 and the Yamaha at $7,799.

GOING TO EXTREME
YAMAHA XTZ660

This test opened with the observation that the XTZ looked out of place in the ADB workshop amongst all the enduro bikes, but then went on to say it impressed the staff so much that, in the two-week test period, it accrued a total of 2,750kms. It was summed up as being a “real easy bike on which to rack up some serious kilometres across sealed and unsealed roads alike”. The liquid-cooled SOHC five-valve four-stroke had a capacity of 659cc, with a Teikei YPV26 carburettor, digital ignition, electric start, five-speed gearbox, front and rear travel of 220mm/200mm, 21” and 17” wheels, a 171kg dry weight, 20L fuel tank and a cost of $8,799.