Hannah went fast...despite an aggressive fork rake angle

You really can't get enough of Bob Hannah...at least on the race track during my era as Cycle News East reporter in the early 1980's.  These tight side shots allow for a close inspection of the latest in factory prototypes for the era.  What strikes me is the overall size of Bob's YZ, in comparison to the motocross bikes we see today.  The retro bikes were relatively tiny in perspective to the rider; and that said, we know The Hurricane is not a large human being to begin with.

I also like to note the rake/fork angle on this bike...isn't it a bit chopper like? I'm not an engineer, but would have to assume the Yamaha designers were looking for an aggressive wheelbase.  And once again, the simplicity of the air-cooled engine made it possible for most anyone to grab a set of metrics and go to work.

Maybe overall, it wasn't better or worse, just different.  But I look back with fondness as the personalities and machinery of my time on the National MX circuit.