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/125429
. • • . .. JOHNSON MOTORS SNO-GO 1966 TWO. WHEEL Weep no more, winter sports lovers. Now you can take your cycle into the snow and find a whole new world of fun out he yond where the traction ends . Having wheedled and cajoled good old Johnson Motors into letting us try their new product , a half -track motorcycle attachment called the Sno-Go, we hauled their 200cc Triumph Cub with the $325 Sno-Go attached, up to Big Bear to try it THIS DEPARTMENT WILL DE MONSTR ATE FEATURES OF NEW MODELS. WE'LL in its element. Severa l fect of melting snow had drastically curtailed mountain motorcycling for the season for everyone else, while we were happily looking for rougher places to ride the funny thing through. Steering the contraption is like driving a side car . The bars have to he turned (very good exer- TRYOUT THE LATEST IN MOTOR. CYCLING TO KEEP OUR REA [\ERS UP TO DATE WITH PRESENT DESIGNS IDEAS & IMPROVEMENTS. HODAKA IN DART FRAME MAKES POWER NO PROBLEM. O NLY PROBLEM IS MAKING PEOPLE GIVE IT BAC K SO WE CAN PLAY WITH IT. , • ... OH W HAT FUN IT IS TO RIDE HORSTMANN·HODAKA 90cc 4-speed Minibike Of all the mini-b ikes curre ntly on the market, the Dart made by Rupp E ngineering has the most sanitary frame. Grownup features like swingi ng arm and telescopic suspension set it apart from most of its breed . Normally it carries nothing stronger than a Briggs & Stratton with an automatic clutch. But lately someone at Horstmann Engineering in Glendale, Western distributor for the Dart, tea med the lightweight frame with a sudsy Hodaka 4-speed engine gearbox combination and is confidently taking dealer orders for the deceptively overpowered scooter that is the subject of this report. Front wheel steers very quick, gets lost in eight-inch ruts, If you can 't wheelie over the potholes, hes t carry it over or it will surely to", you on your knoh . CONCLUSIONS For instant fun at undisclosed price, Horstmann has it in thc Mini-Tiger. Workmanship is commendable. No fau lts with reliability in our iHIay tryout. Useful as a toy or for short hops . Can he carried in car trunk; doesn't ,;pill lta., Recommendations: 12-inch wheels would extend its useful ness and probably would also aid directional stability. Stunt-riders should have one to enliven their acts. For more mundane uses, we recommend the low-powered Briggs & Stratton model. cise); leaning just won't stee r it. The ve- hicle feels very top-heavy, yet is difficult to up set and gives plenty of warning hefore the limit. RE AR CO NVERSION MINUS SKIS MADE EASY TRANSITION FROM SNOW TO DIRT. chain, which winds through a set of reduction sprockets to drive the front and rear tread pullcys. The unit's disc brake, connected to the right handlebar lever didn't work very well, but with all the Suo-Co's rolling drag, the brake wasn't really needed. We think Johnson Motors has found a dandy product to distribute in conjunction with its Triumphs. The Sno-Co fits many popular motorcycles , including small Hondas , Even where it snows half the year , motorcvclfng is now a year around sport . ... .. SLIDING SNQ.GO ON ICY PO ND WAS G il BROWN 'S JOY. ~ COMMENTS If you want to do wheclies without a Barnett clutch, this is it! First gea r is just a forma lity. With this power-to-weight ratio you can forget it. Pop the clutch in second gear and where's your scooter? It u;a., right there under you. Try the brake, it's good. Third gear, oops! down boy. Fourth gear takes us over 3Omph- too twichy at tha t speed, Handling is best in the 0-2Omph range, Bags of power for wheelies, slides, hiIlclimbs, whatever. Th e pegs fold back so nothing can ground until the handlebars . The Hodaka will run in any position, even ups ide down. ssaSSSSSSSSS. SUNDAY, JAN. 16, 1966 SPOKEBENDERS - GREYHOUNDS EUROPEAN HARE SCRAMBLES ST OPEN EXPERT - MIKE PATRICK· NORTON 750~~llr OPEN AMATEUR - TOM MAXWEU · NO RTON OPEN NOVICE - JOHN EDWARDS - NORTON U IN'66 Backed by America's No. 1 Independen t Distributor BERLINER MOTOR CORPORATION RAI LROAD STR E E T A ND PLA NT ROAD HASBROUCK H EI GHT S . NEW JERSEY PHOTO - TOM MAXWELL IN A CTION