Best Of The Dirt Bike Tests

In late 1974, Dirt Bike Magazine produced a 116 page one-shot called the Best of the Tests from 1971 through 1973. They billed this as the best 31 ½ tests in that time frame.

Why 31 1/2? Well, the publication included a tongue in cheek test of the Great Yellow Dirt Bike Truck, an El Camino of dubious quality.

The tests were chosen for many reasons, some of them valid, like the first 250 MX shootout to ever appear in print. Others because the bikes were horrible and the tests hilarious.

• 250 Husky, CZ and Maico shootout
• 250 Yamaha yz preview
• 360 Yamaha vs. 350 Kawasaki mx
• 405 American Eagle
• Hodaka Super Rat vs. Harley Baja
• 250 Rickman
• Kawasaki 250
• XL 250 Honda
• 125 Penton
• 360 Yamaha mx
• 250 Ossa Pioneer
• Yamaha LT-3 mx
• Bultaco/Ossa mx
• 250 AJS Stormer
• Bultaco/Ossa TT
• SL 125 Honda
• 501 Maico
• 250 Kawasaki Enduro
• 250 Yamaha mx
• 125 Suzuki mx
• CZ 250 Enduro
• 125 Honda
• 360 Yamaha mx
• 125 Can-am
• G.y.d.b.t.

Copies of that one-shot are rare nowadays and go for over $100 if you can find one. I scanned the copy in my library and am making it available in pdf format. For $10 (postage included in the US) you can have your own disc. The best part is that you can easily print out each and every page.