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/125507
RIDER DEflCR' SPOILS fiRST WILLOWS RACE *************************************** story & Pbotos by Carolyn Rldlanls Mother's Day was hot as only a Francis Ladra of Gridley. Dennis late spring North Valley day can be. Mayhew of Willows and Gene Frieze The sun beat down on Willows MC's of Oroville, first through third renew oval as a disappointing 19 riders specti vely. All three were ridiDg (most of them on 100cc machines) Honda 5-90s. showed up for a flat tracking event. Bob VaughaD of Oroville, ridiDg Club members announced they had a 250cc HODda took first place iD only been able to reach tbe track the other class. RidiDg a close secand. work on it for the past 10 days oDd was Ted Bare of Red Bluff, who or so. Seems the unseasonable raiDs was aD a HODda 160cc, while third slowed the club's workers dowD. place weDt to Ducati-mouDted DaD When eveDts got started on the Drake of Chico. brand new track, located in the midThose in the 100cc class who dle of a hay field, there were two dido't make the Main rode in a conheats aDd a semi in the 100cc class, solation race, which was handily which had 13 riders. First three in won by Tom Bruckenstein of Chico each event went to the Main. The and his Hodaka. other six riders rode iD three races Willows MC plans another race on for rna to-cross scores. May 28, aDd all members are hoping WiDners of the 100cc class were for a larger turnout of riders. cement-block building baving large displllY windows. Aner the orchard buslness declined, Bud and his father bulldozed out a section of the orchard and made a race track beh! nd the shop. They conducted many activities in connection with the business which included sponsoring the Lewis and Clark Motorcycle Club, and organizing Gypsy Trail Rides in which they took groups of cyclists to Yellowstone National Park. Grand Coulee Dam and other points of interest in this area. THE MOTORaGE Sl'ROUTED ." Performance & Precision OlIo I... Ibe lOan." two I... tho !IIow, nnd JOUr IIOtDrcyclo .d lot's p! Ted Bare, amateur rid. 111110 Red Bluff, trios to lOt IIack to his Hondll aftor foiling whllo In front 01 tho pock atcouiiiijC_k CHAMPS by Pat Rogers ODe hUDdred and forty riders faced the starter's gun at 10 a.m. wai tiDg Dervously for the start of the Idaho State Cross Country Championship, May 14,1967.If the riders had kDown about the seveDty 10Dg rough miles of rocks, logs, water, and mud that lay ahead of them, there would have been fewer starters•.As it was, there were fewer finishers because the water and mud took its toll of man and· machine. It was Ken Habeck, the giant killer from seattle, aboard the 250 Husqvarna who outdistanced the entire field and won first overall. Ken has only lost one cross-couDtry race in two years and that was when he finished second to Torsten Hallman at Kiana on November 15. 1966. Ken is a school teacher and b a wiDDing example of what the good life will do for you. WHERE ARE THEY NOW? OutstaJiding in the cycle field in the Pacific Northwest is Floyd E. Stranahan, best known as Bud. ot Spokane, Wash. Bud literally grew uP witli motorcycles. His tamily lived near the shop so he had ample opportunity to learn all that his father could teach him about motorcycles. He started riding a motorcycle when he was abOut ten or eleven years old. The private roads through the orchards provided an ideal place tor a young boy to learn to ride without interference trom traffic. Bud served with General Palton's Third Army during World War n. When he returned home trom the War, his father took him in partnershiP in the motorcycle shop in Lewiston. To accommodate the increased business which followed the War they replaced the old shop wi th a In 1952 Bud moved to Spokane where he became part-owner Of the Brush Cycle Co. until 1962, when he went on the road as a factory representative selling motorcycle parts and accessories. Later he established his own busin.ess, the stranahan Distributing Co. One of the advantages of the wholesale business which Bud enjoys is the ahility to combine selling trips with out of town motorcycle events. When asked abOut awards won in comPetition. Bud did admit to a few inclUding second place in the Amateur National ChamPionship Hill Climb at Du buque, Iowa, and a third place at Red Wing, Minnesota. In a hill climb event in Pocatello, Idaho he won first place aner which they named the hill for him. There were more but he is the modest type. It was apparent that he has a great deal of enthusiasm for competition riding. Bud has had only one accident. In 1955 he was crossing an intersection in downtown Spokane, and was hit by a car wliose driver was unable to stop for a red light because his brakes failed. Bud's len leg was broken in several places and for the next five years he was in and out of the hospital for surgery to repair the damage. Although he now walks with a limp. he still rides a motorcycle. The accident did, however cause him to give UP riding in competition and now he announces many of the competitive events, and finds this also very satisfying. His daughter Denise is one ot her tather's greatest fans, and a budding motorcycle enthusiast. At present she is limi ted to riding behind her tather on his motorcycle. She did not say so, but it was easy to see that she is anxious tor the day to come when she cao have a motorcycle at her own. Here in the United states these High performance motorcycles are popular because of this background of aircraft precision and exacting standards. The American distributing cOmPany is American Kawasaki Motorcycle Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kawasaki Aircraft Company,' Ltd., ..hich began importing these high-quality, two-stroke aod four-stroke cYcles in 1964. Early in 1967 plans were unfolded to market the full line extensively in North America through a network of independent distributors. . Variety The models now available include two trail bikes, tour production street models, a street/trail bike and a racing model that has been highly successful in its initial track appearances. Engine sizes run the full range trom 85cc to 650cc piston displacements. Six more models, including three types ot street scramblers, are scheduled for U.s. introduction during 1967. The racing model which is capturing enthusiasts attention in Americais the 250cc (AIR) -samurai", which has scored victories in the first two national American Cycle Association races in which it appeared. Bright Fntnre The line features engineering design advances, including hi gher horsepower output per cubic centimeter displacement, rotary valves and high-quallty control due to the production methods used by Kawasaki Aircraft Company, Ltd. The tuture for Kawasaki in America looks very bright indeed. No other motorcycle in the world is built by an aircraft company and few are manufactured with the precision. engineering and technical excellence evidl!nt in every nut, bOlt and piston. So if you want to -fly high" in trials Or over trails •.• fly the 2-stroke from KawasakL LATEST COVERAGE FROM CYCLE SLiDEWIY This week, meet the peedway ChampioD of the British Empire. ir quyer Rummchappe, left, is the geDtleman who carried the union jack to victory aD the ciDder tracks of his Dative land. The large trophy in the foreground denotes hi s world champioDship, Dot for raciDg exactly, but for giviDg the best appearaDce aD the BBC. Sir Squyer's racing togs iDclude a battered Cromwell Cardboard Special crash hat handed down from Geoff Duke, oversize leathers broken in by "'_.!!i~!"""~§"'~~~"':~~~ Jeff Srni th aDd buckle boots donated by Ringo Starr. Sir Squyer also wears the old school tie (Cambridge, '35). aDd a leather mask to fake out hI s credi tors. The Britisher's two-wheel weapon features a long stroke siDgle cylinder engi De aDd a top- secret fron t su spension (rigid). The chap next to Rummchappe is Ambros BiddleSDOtwOrthy, the chief engineer (m<3chani cj of the Bri ti sh boxes (pits). Mr. Biddle.SDotworthy (known as old B-S to his frieDds, both of them) has aD extremely tough job keepiDg the bike runniDg to Sir quyer's satisfaction since they have never spokeD to each other. You see, they have not yet been properly iDtroduced. NEXT WEEK-- Clear the gaDgplank and plug your ears... The Japanese Champion is about to make the scene. .. ~ The history behind the Kawasaki Motorcycle is perhaps the strongest reaSOn tor its extreme popularity, bOth in Japan and around the world. It's a history that began in 1878 when S. Kawasaki estahlished the Kawasaki Dockyard in TOkyo. From dockyard, Kawasaki branched out into rolling stock, steel production, electric manufacturing and aircraft. Today, the Kawasaki group comprises seven companies with 25 manufacturing plants. representing an industrial complex that is one at the most important economic bulwarks ot Japan, with gross revenues of 242 million. The Kawasaki motorcycles are part of Kawasaki Aircraft Company, Ltd., one of Japan's leading aircraft companies between World War I and n. Kawasaki Aircraft Compaoy, Ltd., built the Army's first all-metal bomber and contributed to the production ot the tamed Zero Fighters during World War n. In the critical post war period. the company produced "just about everything" in order to survive, and since 1954 reactivated aircraft manufacturer ••. produclng the T-33 trainer, first jet ever built in Japan. They also produce F-104's, the Boeing Vertol 2, transport planes and a tull1ine of cycles ranging from 85 to 650cc displacement. c... ... Cl> c:: ::s ....