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/125603
We scrambled (or maybe the word is sloshed) around Elsinore for two days this :weekend and, In spite of. the muck and the mire, it was a blast and wa.n,t to tip our hat to the Gripsters. They put on one beck of an event and after all it wasn't their fault it rained so· much the same week. We saw most of the course and challenging it was and no, we didn't ride it••.call it chicken it you will, or smart••"but there are some events that just aren't cut out for little old ladies from Long Beach! One star rider told us he didn't think women should ride such events but the gals. who did ride did right handily for themselves although there were progressively fewer of. them as the laps mounted. The one we remember most was Patty Domay of the Red Dots sliding through a turn In town, looking serious but relaxed In spite of all the mud on her. The scramblers didn't do too badly against the desert group (I'll make Up some excuses for "my" group) but it's obvious that they tired faster and their bikes couldn't take the pounding like the desert rigs Qid. But still, an awful lot of them f1n1shed, some two days straight. The sidehacks were a b1ast and It was funny to watch the slightly stunned looks on spectators faces when they came by. It was obvious some had never seen a rig before. We're sorry that as of now the hacks won't be rWlll1ng at Ascot anymore, and hOPe this situation changes. The Association worked very hard to get their professional rules going and their appearance at Ascot (matching leathers, etc.) was a credit to the sport, but It seems the management doesn't think they bring In enough people to warrant the $150 purse and the $25 AMA sanction fee for each TT. We'd like to bet that justfriends of the backers alone pay In that much. Scenes At Elsinore Things we noticed about our group... John Rice getting stuck in the mud Sunday (it was bad) and then after getting his Malco re-started throwing rooster tails of mud In the air trying to dig out of the hole he'd sunk 1n••• Ben Fakkeldy still Up and running on the last lap but looking mighty tired •••Willie Hockie Jr. jumping his Ossa over the hill in town, on the pavement yet•••John Kavanaugh finally retiring with his Triumph on one cylinder •••the two racers who shall remain nameless but who had just negotiated a right hander In town, with the little lOOcc getting through ahead of the faster 250, and then almost getting nailed as the 250 got mad turned lton,almost-sideswiping the t1ddier and showering him· with dirt •••wish he'd turned his head to see the rude gesture he received from the tlddier rider •••Chuck Minert gave it a real good go and played It real cool In that mud stretch, we just hope heC1n1shed because It looked like he was Up in the front runners _ we're haPpy "Feets" will carry the first ever number I motocross plate this season because he's a guy who could win the scrambles number 1 any year he had the time and wanted to make the effort to do it•• .and thinking of. BSA and BSA riders, keep an eye on that Rickman Metisse with the Weslake convers10n If you're thl.nkiDg of a new scooIer and dOll't want to go two-stroke. Sure Derek Rickman was on It Sunday but beast ts Cast and you don't have to be champion European to turn on the lbrottle_Jt was ignition thai put Derek out wbile rllIlll1Jlg second aver-all. Anyway, Elsinore is all over now ex: cept for the results, which will be hard to work on due to the muddy plates. The next big race to look forward to is the Viewfinders Grand Prix. Hope they run it through the barn again! the ... Hodaka notoreve!e" Greeves Montesa . Kawasaki Westminister Sport Cycle Guy R. Louis (714) 893·7057 7574 Weslminister Ave. Westminster, Cal. Trident Is Brutish 130 mph Bike Story and Photo by George Martin If a $1700 price tag doesn't shake you too much and you want a motorcycle that'll do nearly 100 m.p.h. - In third gear - trot down to your neighborhood Triumph dealer and have a look at the Trident. This is Triumph's superbike, England's three-cylinder answer to Harley Sportsters, and the fastest stock motorcycle I have ever ridden. The Trident is a mean, brutish motorcycle that accelerates like a missile from the world'S biggest slingshot. When these things start showing Up In quantity on the roads, there are going to be quantities ot very surprised Corvette drivers around. I rode a Trident last week courtesy of J & K Cycle lnn in Richmond. EJqlectlng a very tight motor, I came down hard on the kick starter and found the thing turns over like a two- fifty. You need a quick kick although not a hard one, and the thre~-cY11nder motor fires immediately. Having promised a beautiful lady trom Marin· County a ride on the Trident, I motored sedately through downtown Richmond and Up to the San Rafael Bridge tollgate, where one is forced to part with 75 cents. Then, looking about and finding the bridge area tree of the minions of the law, I decided to see how long it would take the Trident to achieve the legal speed 11mit on the long, stralght, tralfice-free bridge. A big handful of throttle got the machine off the Une like a shot. Grabbing second, I telt my backside begin sliding along the neatly upholstered seat. As I moved my foot to get third gear, the wind tried to tear It off the peg. I won't even mention about fourth. The Trident is billed as a 130 m.p.h. motorcycle. I doubt that the machine will do that the showroom floor, huttt will get very close, so clO&e that your chlil8ks bubble out in the wind and holding onto the bars becomes q¢te difficult. Up ore Big Dual Se&t At extremely high speed the Triden.t gets a funny waving thing going In its front forks. Tightening the steering damper helPs, as does hauling yourself forward, way over the gas tank. Riding double out the Coast Highway soon revealed the Triumph's virtues and faul ts as a touring machine. The bike BAIDBESTONE «Ii weighs 470 pounds, and is not the sort of machine that whips through tight bends with gay abandon. Handling In very curvy sections is somewhat sluggish, in fact. But when the road loosens Up a little, the tiniest pull on the throttle gets you Up to 65 and beyond, eUortlessly. Vibration is minimal, au