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/125628
Trail Tips By Mark Clutter What do you do wilen you are twenl;y miles from nowbere and ·your throttle cable breaks, or you rtp out your tire on a razor edged rock? Here are some items tllat I always carry on my trail b1Ite to get me out of bad situations l1ke tllatl 1. Eight foot piece of quarter-inch nylon rope 2. Eight foot length of heavy nylon twine 3. Spare he8d11ght bulb 4. Short length of drive cha1n and two connecting l1nks 5. Roll of electricians tape 6. Good pocket kn1fe 7. First aid ldt 8. Two or three foot· length of number eighteen stranded wire 9. Ingenuity (the most important item) In addition to the small hand tools usually suppl1ed by the bike manufactures, I ta.lce a six inch crescent wrench and water pump pl1ers. If poss1b1e, always go tra1l1ng with a buddy. High in the mountains I blew out my rear tire on a jagged rock. The cut was six inches long and started in the middle of the tire and ran out along the replace a cotter key except in an emergency;) Hopefully the first aid ldt you ta.lce with you will never be used. But U it's needed, you'll bless the day you started carry1ng it. The ldt should contain assorted bandages, antiseptic and an elastic bandage l1ke athletes wear for sprains. Elastic bandages are light, compact and make excellent tourniquets and s11ngs. Navigating a mountain or desert trail after dark and losing your headlight is creepy. Always carry a spare headl1ght bulb. Remember, be prepai'ed. One of the most important items to ta.lce is your own ingenuil;y. Occasionally you'll need a fire in the wilderness. If you are out of matches remember you can start a fire by dipping a piece of paper or grass in your gas tank. Hold the paper between the spark plug wire and engine head. Kick the engine and YOU'll have a fire. On a hunting trip with my uncle in northern Arkansas we got his threequarter ton truck stuck in mud past the axles. Our situation looked hopeless. THE SPANISH_WINDLASS As pol. B Is puslled It wraps tb. lin. uolllld pol. R and IIIOves lb. load A.. Pol. C Is fixed ... It will rollt. wlib pol. B. Th. lone- pol. B Is, the IIOre mechanical advanta,.. stde wall. The tire was loose on the rim and would have come off completely U I bad tried to travel with it. I got back just gear and trail bikes and we were th1rtYfive m1les trom the nearest help. My The truck was loaded down with camping fine because my buddy was prepared. He took an eight foot length of rope and lashed my tire on the rtm. It wasn't a Cad1llac ride and I had to go slow, but it got me back to civ1Uzation without ruining the rim. A length of nylon string can be used as an emergency throttle cable. Tie one end to a stick and run it through the carburetor sl1de. Loop the other end over your finger. This leaves both hands tree to steer and still control the gas. One day out on the Mojave desert I burned my spark plug wire up.lreplaced it with some eighteen gauge wire and insulated it with electricians tape. Wire can also be used to temporarily replace a blown fuse. Crossing a creek I threw mycha1nand I had to loosen the axle to place the cha1n back on the sprocket. Axle nuts are kept trom work1ng loose by a cotter key. I broke m1ne wilen I loosened the nut. I used a piece of eighteen gauge wire to resecure the axle nut. (Never use wire to uncle used a trick to pull us out. He rigged uP wbat is known as a Spanish windlass. It was used by the conqulstadors to haul gold and cannons over h1gh mountain passes. The windlass consists of a l1ne attached to the object to be moved then looped around an upright pole andtastened to a stationary Object. We used a hundred foot length of half inch nylon rope. One end of the rope we tied to the truck then my uncle looped the rope around an uPright log and tied the other end between the rope and the' upright log. He walked around theuPrtght log winding the rope UP. In this maaner he pulled a fully loaded three quarter ton truck a distance of eight feet and got us out of the mud. If you want to make your own Spanish windlass just follow the illustration. You will be amazed at the loads you can pull. Being prepared is the d1tference between having a good time al1d haVing a tragedy. Remember the old proverb,"A stitch 10 time saves nlne" • Prepare for your next trail ride today. NEW HIGH PERFORMANCE SPECIALTIES FROM WESCO for HODAKA·KAWASAKI·YAMAHA ..•••...•..••••••••••.•......••••.•....••....•••.....••......................... HODAKA TWO·RING RACING PISTON Developed for severe racing applications where total stability and maximum compression sealing are necessary. Cast from prime alloys. Features dykes type top ring with second rail ring for increased stability and positive sealing. Available in SOmm only. An ideal combination when used in conjunction with our alloy cylinder and high performance head. #'484.,. piston, includes rinlS. pin and clips $12.95 -- KAWASAKI 90, 120, '238 CYLINDER HEADS Adds winning performance to your Kawasaki. All heads feature special performance boosting combustion chamber and increased finning for maximum cooling. May be used with or without com· piession release. #119& for Kn ki 90. UTR, G3SS $25.95 #1774 for Kn ki 120......... .. $25.95 "2048 for Klw.sui 238, 250 (F·41.. $39.95 YAMAHA 125, 175, 250 CYLINDER HEADS Designed to improve the performance of these popular models. New type combustion chamber and finning make these heads ideal for all types of competition and trailing. May be used with or without a compressIon release. "20&4 for AT·l , ha 1125ccl $39.95 - "20&3 "1843 8 '.m.h. 1175cc) h. 125Occ) for CT·' tor OT·l ' .. -.,,. 11) ..-r"S"O ..... ...,. ..... ~ ..., BOX 429 • VENICE, CALIFORNIA 90291 I $39.95 $39.95 SOLD THROUGH AUTHORIZED DEALERS ONLY This new Webc. WT·l conversion kit, will enabl. owners of AT·l Yamahas to comp.t. In the 100cc class as w.1I as the 12Scc class. . The WT·I kit consists of a n.w cylinder liner, cylinder h.ad, piston and rines. All components have been d.slened to assure maximum p.rformanc. from the scal.d down v.rslon of this powerful enetn•• Th. 100cc liner utilizes th. famous Yamaha S sport dulen and ..thouen the aneln. size has been reduc.d, th. performance of th. 100cc enelne Is surprlslnely strone. The cylinder bead suppll.d In th. WT-1 conversion kit is an .ntlr.ly new castlnefeaturlne a special combustion chamber and Increased fin area to asSU'. proper coollnc. Th. east aluminum piston utilizes a dykes type top rlne and ...concl compression rlneto assure Increas.d stability and positive saallne. Th. compl.t. WT·l conversion kit s.lIs for $&4.95. Exchane. cylinders wllb lb. WT-ll1ner Installed •• avallabl. at $15.00 ..chan,. (lbls does not Includ. lb. cost of a WT·I liner).