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/125675
WALKER'S MARU;"WAGEN~ Plcturld with his creation, I'-'y.. Walk.r and VW power.d Marusho. By Terry Pratt There bave been several automotive engines adapted for motorcycle use but most of these monsters are strip burners and pretty impractical for anyth1ng except a tire shredding run through the traps on a drag strip. However, there is on automotive engine that lends Itself to motorcycle application so well that It seems that to bave been designed with a two wheeler In mind. The ubiquitous Volkswagen is a commonplace and pretty sedate little sedan. But when you throwaway that beetle shaped body and shoeborn the VW engine Into a suitable motorcycle frame the Innocuous four banger transforms Itself Into a genuine super-bike power plant that 'f1ll straighten your arms any time you grab a band fUll of twlstgrlp. There bave been a few examples of VW powered bikes but one of the most recent bas been bullt by Wayne Walker, a garage foreman for the Long Beach Harbor Dept. Wayne said he bad ridden his Marusbo for about three years before he blew a piston. "I bad a chance to buy th1s Volkswagen engine". he explains, "so I started measuring things out. When I saw that everything would fit I said, Let's gol" The Marusho was a 500cc opposed, sbaft drive twlnpatterned after the BMW. In order to take advantage of the sbaft drive design, most shaft driven bikes bave the engine cranksbatt axis running fore and aft between the wheels. WhIch is, of course, the way the VW is installed In both the car and a bike. With a little trame stretcb1ng and lots of hours it looks like the VW could be dropped Into almost any shaft driven motorcycle. With all that mass rotating around the centerllne of the bike It tends to roll to the lett when the throttle is opened. That's only if the macblne Is standlng stlll. Once rol11ng the effect is virtually unnoticeable. Walker's Maru Wagen, as he bas chosen to call It, starts with the standard Marusho ~ckstarter lever, driving through the Marusho transmission. He says if he were going to do It again he would provide for an electric starter although It Is surprisingly Wlnecessary. Another surprise is that the Wolfsburg Wonder is actually smaller In some dimensions than the Jpanaese engine It replaces. The VW is one halt an Inch aborter from rocker cover to rocker cover and 3-1/2 Inches lower. However, It is 3-1/2 Inches longer and that forced Wayne to lengthen the frame a corresponding amount to accept the new engine. The VW weighs some 45 pounds more than the Marusho engine but bas almost three times the' displacement. Those extra cubic Inches translate Into brute low-speed torque that is available at almost any speed. The VW is mated to the Marusho In a very simple and straight forward manner. An adaptor was fabricated from a large pipe section an!1 two plates; one with the VW bolt pattern and one to fit the Marusho transmission. The center of the VW flywheel was macblned out and drOPPed Into a hole machined out of the center of the stock Marusho flywheel. It was then shoulder bolted and macb1ned to fit the Marusho clutch which seems to be sufficient so far. Wayne shucked the single VW carburetor In favor of a pair of SU's trom an Austin Healey Sprite. The throaty pipes were made by Wayne and then chromed. We bad a chance to ride the macblne and, as mJgbt be 1magined, It was very tractable yet really torrid In the acceleration department. In tact, It made us wonder why it wasn't bullt like that I,n the first place. BENELLI DOHC 65cc wTEST BEDIn order to test new components and theories for their 4 cyllnder racing engines BeneW uses.a single cyllnder constructed identically. This permits precise tuning calibrations and measurements and is not as expensive to replace if "tblngs go wrong". BeneW motorcycles and mini cycles are distributed In the U.S.A. by Cosmopolitan Motors, Hatboro, Pa. • J.N. Rab.rts sticks F.E. Plus In his Husky. B.cause It boosts power. Increases eas mlleae•• Adds RPM's on top. J.N. should know. Uslne FE PLUS, h. won the Ch.rry Cre.kHareand Hound, on. 01 th.touehast cross country races In tha U.S. 400 start.d... 5 flnlshad and J.N. came out on top with FE PLUS. FE PLUS elves tha sam. add.d power and r.llability to any bike. Dusty Cappap rec.nlly took two· In....,ow. In TT rac.s at Ascot. And thai's a record. H. rode a n.w Yamaha 650. With FE PIus. For bett.r Iiotto_nd torque. And mar. spe.d on top. (FE Plus can't II,. all tha credlt•• .bUl thlnes Just mleht have b••n dlff.r.nt without It.) HUlIMER AND GU LBRANSEN'S XLCH po_.d Harl.y. Davidson uslne FE PLUS flashu to countless vlctorlu. FE PLUS elves thalr Harley tha ntra power and reliability that maus this duo hleh point AM pro· f.sslonal Sid. Car point I.ader and Number 1 AFM plat. hold.r. Add FE PLUS and HARLEY·DAVIDSON to HUlIMER AND GUL!lRANSEN and you've eot a champion. ship t.am that has n.ver be.n d.feated at a.C.I.R. Sure, it's sold only by Yamaha - by some 1500 local Yamaha dealers. But it works just as good in any bike. Husky. Harley. Honda. Hodaka. Bultaco. Triumph. Suzuki. Kawasaki. BSA. BMW.. Montesa. You name it. Whether you've got a 2·stroke or a 4·stroke, FE Plus oils do the job. Ask any of the big names like these guys. Coppage, Roberts, Hummer, GUlbransen, Baker, Larsson, Patrick, Bowers, Mashburn. They all use FE Plus. YAMAHA FE Plus. . Sold exclusively by your local Yamaha dealer. A product of SCo/Mar Enterprises, Inc., Encino, Calif. 9131E • IT'S A BEITER MACHINE ~ t.:l ~ t.:l -.J U ;:... U