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
Dick Allen's Cobra Trike J Rich Thorwaldson, District 37 desert ace, comes off a jump at the CMC Motocross at Ascot last Thursday night. This action took place in the 500 Ex/lnt class, where a'1other desert refu&ee, Preston Petty, on a Rlckman.Trlumph, outdistanced Montesa rider Tim Hart for class honors. Hart, whose regular bikes had been shipped to Pepperell, Mass., was riding his special· Iy prepared Inter-Am machine. Petty took easy wins In the first two motos, wtth Hart grabbing the third. Another large spectator and rider turnout made the CMC's se.cond event at the Gar· ena, Calif. race track as successful as the first. Jeff E. Cruzon was taken to Gardena Memorial Hospital after a three bike crash during the 125cc Jr. final. A hospital spokesman reported that the rider was treated for minor Injuries and released. The final of the 250cc Jr. go, saw no less than eight riders take a dip In the infamous Ascot la~es, much to the delight of the enthusiastic crowd. Needless to say, the aqua·bikers weren't quite as enthusiastic. Action Is slated to get underway at 7:30 pm this Thursday night, when more than' 250 riders are expected to competeln at least nine classes. By Ferdinand Daly Ed, Big Daddy, Roth, the famous cycle designer from the west coast says that Dick Allen is a "mixture of FaulRevere and Tom Edison." Allen has the inventive genius of a natural born mechanical craftsman mixed with the hardy robust adventure streak that was characteristic of men ,Uke Revere. This one-of-a-kind bike builder stands out Uke a sore thumb after the recent Cycle World Motorcycle show which was held at the L.A. Sports Arena April 2326. Allen distingui$ed himself by copping the Sweepstakes prize for his three wheeled creation. The seven foot trophy nestled neatly by the candy red machine that was the sensation of the show. It was the fulfillment of almost six months work by Dick and his crew of helpers. "It was the most exciting time of my life when they announced my name for the big trophy. I almost wet my pants." The six foot six Chicago native came to California in 1967 and began work as a transmission mechanic at Transway automotive. His previous experience with bikes was with flat track machines. His move to the west coast started his love of two wheel machines. His early attempts at chopping the big twin Harleys we;re recorded in the 1968 issues of "Choppers Magazine". His success with extending the early Harley springers made his hand crafted front forks the standard of excellence for the Harley chopper. When Honda announced their four cylinder 750 Dick realized that Harley had taken a back seat in building a good fast bike. Still, he had to pretend that he didn't see all the Detroit iron buzz away from him at 120 and over. But, he figured, it's the same for all bike riders. Bike as he knew them had fallen into a rut. In 1969 he ban construction on the Cobra with the idea in mind to not only beat all bikes but hot cars as well. His choice of the 289 Ford' was not for the engine, but because of the trans. "It is the best trans avallable", he advises all prospective buyers of his mass produced' frames or bodies. Tgat's right. Dick ma:kes the frames and bodies for these machines for $295 each. So for less than a grand you can be sitting on your own hottie. The front forks are Harley with Sportster rear shock springs for the additional weight. The rear cragai- Super Sport rims are fitted to the narrowed Mustang rear end. The chromed . Cragar rims were widened to 20" for the larger tires. The fiberglass body was designed by Dick's friend Ed Roth. The body was painted by one of the fellows at Dick's shop by the name of DODY. Headers are available from Dick also. Footbrake is mounted on the right side and the automatic C-4 transmission is in origianl condition. The first run for the new vehicle was . the Motorcycle blessing that was reported in a recent CYCLE NEWS issue. "This is a bike that was designed for use and not for show, insists Dick. This is no fancy piece of sculpture that won't work. It will perform as fast as the rider wants. There is no limit to its speed because there is no limit to the speed equipment avallable for these engines." There you have it friends. Is Dick on the right track? Is this the machine of the future? I would say so. How about you? MAICO WINS ASCOT MOTOCROSS Sunda, MAY 24'" \\~"\)\.\,,G MAICO wins all '''ree 500 bper' .0'05 2n" Ji. Wilson 4'" S'e" Ellswor'" °Bob Bailey tuned MAICa WESTERN DISTRIBUTOR COOPER MOTORS 3r" Gar, Jones Glen Lun" 5'" 110 E. SANTA ANITA AVE. BURBANK, CA. 91502 ,. I