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/125630
SALES stock 74, only on sharp lett banders the metalwork grinds. It can be ridden hands off with no perceptible dev1at1on, and the slightest body lean guides the machine in the desired direction. Dennis Hall plans to ride his creation to Washington state on a two-weekvacation coming UP. He rides it to workdaily and has experienced no trouble with the law. "I find if you dress clean and look normal, the police don't bother you on a chopper," he says. He was stopped by the law only once, for running a red ligbt,. But, as he says, ..I deserved it." We didn't have the chopper in our possession long enough to check out what we have been told is the main attraction of chopper ownership - their appeal to the softer sex. Questioned about this aspect, Dennis replied modestly, "I don't have much trouble Picking UP girls." SERVICE HOCKIES MOTORCYClES HODAKA YAC:S~E GREEVES Complete Machine Shop Facilities 22025 So. Figueroa Torrance, Cal iforni a(213l 328-1242 Temple (ify Kawasaii Area's leading volume Kawasaki Dealer Complete Parts & Accessories 5663 N. Rosemead Blvd., Temple City (213) 286.7504 I HARLEY-DAVIDSON I '70 MODELS 611-1609 OF INGLEWOOD Coming Aug. 20th or 611-1600 SPECTATOR LIABILITY AND PARTI· CIPANT INSURANCE FOR TRACK OWNERS, PROMOTERS AND CLUBS ~ BUSINESS PACKAGES- MOTORCYCLE & AUTOMOBILE - LIFE & ACCIDENT. s. HARRIS· PINSKY OF MICHAEL BENDER & ASSOCIATES, INC. 5225 WILSHIRE llOULEVARO, Suite 717 L.A., Calif. 90036 (213) 937-2011 BROKER INQUIRIES INVITED. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• By the Cycle News stair All of the road tests that you read in motorcycle publications are of machines you can buy. This is understandable, since a magazine road test is a form of free advertising, and why advertise something that's not for sale? Because MOTO-X BOOTS 17" High lace & Buckle $41.95 Size 6 -12 MI Glores- Blaelf wif. r•••er fi.ger guards $1.95 Size - S- M- L Calllom Ia resi dents add 5% sales 'Iax Send for full line catalog of competition & road riding clothing & boots. Womens sizes in some boots. Phone 1101-644-9184 or write PELICAN DIVE & CYCLE D1ST. CO. 500 Broadway SI. Vallejo, Cal if. 94590 All orlJers shipped same day Dealer In..lrles invited ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Long pipes hopefully obylale mufflers. Owner Dennis Hall says he has had no Irouble wilh law officers. of this policy, the motorcycle most identified with American life style has been' completely overlooked by the road testing press. So Cycle News decided to pioneer another first In motorcycle reporting by road testing a chopper to find out for our readers Just what is is that makes these classic heavyweights so appealing to their owners. The machine we selected as being representative of the chopper breed ts a 1951 Harley-Davidson 74 owned and built by Dennis Hall, a 27-year-old white collar worker employed at the General Motors plant in Los Angeles. Hall traded a car for the bike several years ago. It was a "dresser" then, but he turned it into a chopper because "it is lighter and easier to handle." 1941 H-D springer forks replaced the standard Glide telescopics. Unused lugs were ground off and the frame was filled. A Sportster tank, custom fender and seat and chicken bar was made and the machine repaintlld metalflake apricot. Hall reckons he has about $1,000 invested in his chopper, including $300 worth of chrome plating, $75 worth of paint and $60 for the upswept exhaust system. He did all the work himself. After a few words of Instruction from Hall, your publisher took the chopper for a spin around town (the native.habitat of the chopper tribe) and came away with a number of preconceptions destroyed and a whole slew of new impressions. Starting drill is simple when the ma- Look whal followed me 10 Ihe office, Ma. Can I keep il? chine is warm. Just turn the key to the left (the key is directly in front of the seat, along with the horn button) and jump on the starter, opening the throttle at the same time. The big twin eruPts with muted thunder. Hall had modified the rocking foot clutch to a .. suicide" clutch arrangement, meaning you hold the clutch depressed with the left foot while balancing the bike on the rigbtfoot. Reach behind and under your left rump and push the abreviated .. jockey" shift into first gear, then open the throttle slightly and gently release the clutch. Shifting Into higher gears requires removing the left band from the bars and carefully feeling for the position of the next gear, while holding the clutch depressed with the foot again. Second, 3rd and 4th gears are in a line forward. You can shift d1rec~y into any gear or one of the two neutrals without the indexing motions required by the familiar progressive foot· shifts. Learning to coordinate the shifting motions is like learning to ride a motorcycle allover again. It was fun, and a challenge. After a few times around the block and through the gears, it became second nature and we were ready to venture out in the traffic jungle. We learned to nick the shift Into neutral before coming to a stoP, and to always stop with the machine leaning to the right. If it ever falls left and you have to take that feot off the clutch, you are in trouble. Hall's chopper has a frontbrakeoperated with the left hand and we never did figure out how you'd hold the machine on a hill and put it in gear. Guess you'd just have to make sure you stopped in first gear and hold the clutch in. The rear brake is some distance from the elevated foot peg, so emergency stops are out of the question. A chopper rider has to plan his moves well ahead of time. Accelleration through the gears was powerful and satisfying and vibration was tolerable. The roar of the twin pipes in your right ear is a delight. The biggest pIus fac tor of the chopper Is it's comfortable! Even with rigid rear suspension and a pancake thin seat, the riding position is such that we experi- Push down on the suicide clulch, reach down and sh ill. ThaI's a II Ihere is 10 il. of where the QUALITY ,. is Bultacos Only, Parts, SerVice Bell Helmets & Bags - Torsten Hallman. Gloves, Leathers Ceriani Suspensions Koni Shocks-A & A Expansion Chambers ::;; B & E Filters - Filtrons -Plugs, NGK, Autolite, Lodge- ***************** PROOf of where VALUES are Torsten Hallman Gloves Georgia Giant Boots $1.95 $19.95 **************** Complete SERVICE Department Featuring; COMPETITION PREPARED DESERT-BANDIDO 350-360 TT-PURSANG MOTO-X PURSANG MOTO-X SHERPA 125 Chuck Claylon on his way 10 Ihe nearesl teeny-bopper hangoul. ' enced zero discomfort, except for the beginning of pains in the lower back. However, with a soft passenger to lean back on we wouldn't hesitate to lake a long trip on the Hog. It's very much like sitting in a reclining chair. Handling left very little to be desired at moderate speeds on smooth surface roads. The chopper can be banked around sharp curves much more stably than a M1TCO BULTACO 7241 Orangethorpe, Buena Park (714)522-6109 ::; ~ os Q, ~ Col ~ Col tj :.. U