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/125610
ISA 3 NOW WORLD's FASTEST The world's fastest stock motorcycle is the BSA Rocket 3, sulr ;ect to AMA confirmation of records set last week 00 Daytona Speedway. As this is being written, Yvoo Duhamel is rocketing around the Daytona road course in pursuit of "yet another record for the Rocket 3, for two hours at sustained top speed. So far the records include 5 miles at 127.949 mph, 10 miles at 127.463 mph, 15 miles at 127.397, 20 at 127.338, 25 at 127.305, 50 miles at 127.111, 200 miles at 123.141 mph and 230 mile s at 123.489. with tuners Herb Moore (East) and Tom Cates (West) in charge of twisting the wrencbes. II a stock Rocket performs so well, one can Imagine the speed records that will fali wben the BSA Threes come to Bonneville in August, with $5,000 prize money at stake and nitro fuels, lighter bikes, streamlining, etc. added to the plot! "The fact that an absolutely stock BSA Rocket 3 outperformed balfthefleld of highly mod1!led racing machines in On the 92nd lap, ending the 230 mile record run, the Rocket 3 clocked 126.50 mpb, attesting to the consistent higb speed reliability of the new BSA. All the records above were set by Duhamel on a certified box-stock Rocket 3, complete with ligbts, mufflers, wide handlebarS, etc. The only change from the standard was removal of the front fender and fitting of a Dunlop K-81 tire. TbeK-8lis standard on the rear of the Rocket, and it was found that higb speed handling was Improved somewhat by replacing the standard K-70 front tire with a K-81. Wbile Duhamel was blazing on his record runs, Dick Mann on another Rocket set a 100 mile record at 125.993 and a 150 mUe mark of 125.720. At 125 mpb, just past the 150 mile marker, Mann's rear tire exploded. Track temperature was 112 to 118 degrees, so It was decided to switcb to Dunlop racing tires for safety. All the record speeds are averages, including pit stops and stoPs for changing riders. Next came the four-bour record attempt. The Rocket would be ridden by three riders: Duhamel, Cycle Magazine editor Gordon Jennings and Ray Hemstead. Aboard the same Rocket three as set the 230 mlle records, Hemstead, Duhamel and Jennings, changing riders every 75 miles, averaged 117.970 mpb for four hours. To prove the BSA3's reliability, Hemstead was signalled to gas It, averaged 127.652 on the final ten miles of the 472mile 4-hour record test. So after a total of 700 miles of flat-out running, the Rocket 3 was still performing as well as when It began. All the records listed bere are subject to confirmation by the AMA. Director the nation's biggest bike race is pretty impressive in Itself," beamed BSA Inc. vlce-president Don Brown of NuUey, N.J., "but the proven high speed durabillty of the machine Is even more exciting to us." Brown hinted that additional record attempts would be made with the recently Introduced three-cylinder bike. Crewmen refuel Yvon Duhamel's Ihree-cylinder BSA Rockel 3 during AMA sanclioned speed and endurance Irials Saturday al Daylona Inlematlonal Speedway. Road racer Duhamel bettered nine national Class C - 750cc producllon spHd marks in Ihree-day trials aboard the '60 Itorsepower" Engll sh machine. W.T. Berry Is supervising the record runs in person and the bikes will be impounded and torn down to be absolutely certain that no "fudging" takes place and that the Rocket Threes are identical to the ones in dealer sbowrooms In every respect. BSA distributors in the East and the West cooperated on the record venture, .r.....................................................................................•••••••••••••••• JI .."' J-••••••••.,JI -. -o. - HELMET BILL IN CAL. AGAIN l'" is ~:~:~~~yB~~h~~an~~ryb~~e~ the California Assembly Transportation Committee, AprU 10. This blll, plus a ~ blll by Tom Hom of San Diego are an ~ exact duplication of the last two efforts ~ to force helmets on California cyclists. ~ Tbe bills are almost Id~ntical, Foran's ..,J bill giving the setting of standards over U to the Depariment of Publlc Health Instead of the CHP as last year, and Hom's blll not spelling out standard setting. Botb would require a belmet to be worn by rider and passenger at all roads) cycle Is in operation (on the public roadsO even around the block or to test the engine. The Hom bill may be dropped and be may co-author the Foran measure. No confirmation of thls ptan Is presently aval1able. The first committee test will be Foran's own committee on Transportation. The helmet legislation has never yetbeen defeated in the first committee. This year the United Motorcycle Enthusiasts and other groups battling for fair legislation for motorcyclists plan to begin the figbt at the beginning, in Foran's home court. Every motorcycle rider or non-rider In the state wbo believes In the rlgbt of the Individual to do his own thlng should be heard from now. We are repeating the names of the committee members thls week. Don't wait. Tell them how you feel now. As you can see in one place It Is ligbts, in another fenders, and In another sboes •• .all restrictions upon the liberty of the individual. It all started with helmets (really with high-bar restrictions in this state) and It can end with helmets. 100,000 protests were heard in Illinois. We bave more riders than that In California. In spite of having no belmet requirements or operator licenses In effect, the fatality rate has dropPed In California. Some statistics show a greater drop in helmet states (over 50% in New York) but these flgu.res represent many things besides heimets. In California, with more registered cycles than ever before, our fatality rate has declined without compulsion. We're not against helmets, we are against compulsion. Tell the committee members now. G - '\, '\, - .. - - ••••• - "'••••••_~ ACA ROAD RACE WILLOW SPRINGS March 30, 1969 100 Produ clion 1st Mike Velasco - Bridgestone -200 Produ clion 175 GP Class 1st Roger Wood - Bridgeslone 2nd Sian Smith - Bridgestone 1st Doug Clifford - Bridgestone fOI THE NAME Of YOUI NEAIEST DEALEI SO. CAL. McCUllOCH D'ST. 'NC. (213) 112·210' NO. CAL, COAST McCUllOCH (415) UN 3·5520 -: - -••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• - , .. '1. ,,,,, "- '\ ...