By: Steve Matthes
Video: Jordan Powell

There was a time in AMA racing where the OEMs were able to build, and race, whatever the heck they wanted in terms of dirt bikes. Just stick to the cubic centimeter displacement rules and you were good. This was perhaps the best era in our sport, works bikes, innovation, and riders with cool nicknames. Many of the innovations found on the works bikes allowed the bikes that you and I bought to be better.

Honda had some of the best bikes out there and recently, with the help of Honda public relations, I was able to go to the Honda warehouse in California and look at these beauties from a long time ago time. Even better, I had the man who was responsible for these bikes, Team Manager Dave Arnold, with me! Dave takes me along on this magical mystery tour of the red riders' works machines. He talks about the different bikes that Honda has housed in their museum (that is not open to the public) and tells us about the whys and the hows along with working with the different legends that rode those beasts. I’ve done a lot in the industry in my time, this was a bucket list moment for me. Please enjoy this walk down memory lane.

Interested in learning more about these bikes? Look for my Hidden Gems feature in the March 2022 issue of Racer X Illustrated.