Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

is sticking with drum brakes for its multis, the 750 has a very functional double p an el , four shoe front unit. Primarily intended for touring, the LeMans comes with full instrumentation (including wate r temp gauge), 4 .5 gallon fuel tank, and a seat that looks as comfortable as my water bed. The smaller, air cooled Suzuki threes are styled a bit more conservatively than the 750, except for the cylinders and heads, which I won't eve n try to describ e. Fifty and 38 h orsep ower are claimed fo r the 550 and 380 r e s p e c tively . Taking the odd displacement figures into consideration, they are slightly overweight and underpowered when compared to the closest Kawasaki models. But that's fine , because S uzuki is aiming for dependability eve n at the expense of losing a few tavern-to-tavern races. The little and middle triples also have the extra ex haust pipe (the center pipe is splayed) and the 550 shares the electric starter. CCI automatic oil inj ecti o n is standard on all Suzuki models. Few Suzuki threes will be found und er Christmas trees this year. First deliveri es of the 750 and 380 aren't scheduled until February and we 'll have to wait u nti l April for the 550 Indy. . Suzuki's TM 4 00 motocrosser has a little brother for '72 called the TM 250 MX. Close examination reveals that the new race b ike is a separate entity, but the two models are similar enough to make easy comparisons. Frame configuration is basically the same , but the rear down-t ube sp lits about h al fw ay d own ra ther than being two distinct members, as on the 400. There seems to be additional triangulation around the 250's steering head. In m otocross competition the smaller engine will have to w ork harder and get hotter. Barrel and h ead have been given larger cooling fins to counter any overheating te ndency. Additional cooling was obtained by tilting the engine forward a few more degrees to put . more of the top end in the airstream. The TM 250, called the Champ ion, puts o ut 30 hp at 75 0 0 rpm and 21.0 ft. lbs . of t o rque at 700 0. " Com p ression ratio" is up a f u ll point from the 400 to 7.5: I. Identical 34mm carbs feed both Suzuki 'crossers, Everything in the 250's engine compartment is tucked away nicely; it 's very compact and meaty looking. Suzuki engineers have relocated the clutch-actuating linkage to eliminat e the vulnerable cable and lever on the righ t side cover that is a pr ob lem for 400 crashers . Alloy wheels are standard o n both bikes and the 400 has a larger o il tank this year. At 220 Ibs ., the new Suzuki model is four pounds lighter than its closest competitor, th e Yamaha 250MX. Both Suzuki m o t ocrossers have flashy yellow paint jobs and should have competitors seeing re d if the factory can keep up the production demand stimulated by all the new models. As expected, the 400 engine has been detuned and mounted in a street-legal enduro-type rig. A 19" front wheel and trials pattern tires carry the machine. Weighing in at 277 lbs ., with eight inches of ground clearance, the TS 400J loo ks like a 400 MX bedecked in street finery. A new 125, the Pr osp ect or , is another addition th e Suzuki's trail line. It is similar to the 125 Duster, but has an eight-Icount 'em) speed gearbox. The remainder of Suzuki's enduro line has received mild styling updates t o let the neighbors know they're 72's. stripe adorns the gas tanks. Any changes in the ' 72 Kawasaki Enduro line are mostly capitulations to the yearly . model change syndrome. -T h eir bikes were revamped considerably for the 1971 m o d el year. PENTON Penton ' released their 100 and 125 six-speeds late last summer. We can look Kawasaki's nifty new 75Occ. KAWASAKI Top news fr om Kawasaki this year is the addition of two new three-cylinder models, the forementioned 75 0 and 350. The 500 has , of course, been retained and given a flashy new paint job and front fender. Often faulted for not having brakes cap ab le of controlling its super performance, the '72 500 shares a front disc with the 750 to quiet the critics. Kawasaki has taken a rather bold styling step on its 750 and 350 triples. Rear fender, seat, and tail-light are combined in a rather h ea vy-looking upswept ensemble. The package is sort of a Japanese version of Super-Glide styling and is not bad-looking o nce you get used to it. With its huge displac ement, the 750's engine can a ffo rd to be in a milder stat e of tune than the 500 , a nd it is. A more tractable en gin e th at develops peak h ors epower (74) and torque (5 7.1) at relatively slow engine speeds is th e result. One of the nicer features on the H-l 500 was its Capacit o r Discharge ignition. Rising manufacturing c osts have forced Kawasaki t o make th e CD optional on the '72 Mach III. Stockers come with three coils and three sets of points j u st like the 350. cm is standar d on th e top o f the line 750. A growing array of three cy lin d er machines has allowed the fa ctory to drop the 250 and 350 tw ins. The 250 twin will be repl aced by a 250 triple, although probably not until next fall. For those of us with sensitive op tic nerves, Kawasaki has mercifully dropped the laser stripe st yling o f th e '71 Enduros. A more tas t eful , narrow . forward to a few 175 's showing up in early 1972. T he bl u e enduro m od els will have the same frame as the smaller Pen tons. DIN rated at 24 hp, the engine will drink from a 27 .5 rom Bing Cen t er -Float carb and' be fir ed b y Moto-Plat solid-state ignition. It will also be a six-speed. lot more power than the old Sherpa. All the improvements made to the 250 Pursang" also appear in the smaller versio n, Pursang Mark V 's have a new, ligh t er frame that's stronger and affords a lower center of gravity. Swingarm has als o been rendered more rigid. A new alloy hub is fitted to the water-proofed fr ont brakes. The restyled fender and seat combo an d the cham b er are tucked in a little closer to the frame t o protect th em during spills. Air com in g into the '72 Pursang engines will be treated more efficaciously by the new foam filter and air box. A more sophisticated carb that should help prevent flooding is in cl ud ed. Maximum to rque is now ac hi eved at 7000 rpm's as a result of the ind uc tio n and p ortin g changes. The new b ikes should be cooler running with the larger fins on the cy lin der and head . Ano ther new Bultaco race-job, th e 250 Astro, will be available next year. Bultaco's su ccess a t th e flat-track o vals insp ired their en gin eers to create a model specifically for the roundy-rounders, The Astro will use a sp ecially modified Pursang engine tuned to develop peak pull at 8500 rpm. A narrower powerband will give the tracker 4.5 additional horsepower. Ossa's Dic k Mann Replica now has a Spanish competitor. Dropping the 125 Sherpa has allowed Bultaco to co n cen trate on the 175 and 200 vers io ns. They have ligh ter fenders and a new, tu cked-in exhaust system. Flas hy new fiberglass pieces brighten their overall sty ling. . The 125 and 175 ' Lobitos got the st yling touch, as well. A new gas tank, fender , and seat combination is finished in brigh t y ell o w and moun ted on a redesigned fra m e. In creased skeletal rigidity an d lower center of gravity Penton 125cc. BSA & TRIUMPH Both BSA and Triumph were extensively redesigned and restyled in 1971, so the new models have only detail changes. The "class ic " lo ok is in at BSA this y ear . They've go n e b ac k t o p ainting their fra m es bla ck and last year's tw o-tone gas tan k is n ow 'a solid co lo r. 1 think th ey're the ni cest-l o oking Bee zers ever built. Absent from the 1972 BSA ca ta lo g is the 650 Firebird Scrambler. BSA re cently t ook over th e stat eside dis t ribution of Ri ckrnan-Metisse motorcy cles . Dealers will b e ab le t o handle b oth th eir own 500 singles an d the unch an ged R -M lin e. BSA dealers h ave been burdened with ersatz dirt bikes for too long; now they have real go-tasters in two separate b rands. . Triumph has retained its classic st yling and midly restriped their '72 gas tanks. In their new literature, BSA an d Triumph are sp ecifying the exhaust noise levels o f the machines. Readings are given in decibels at 50 fe et. A go od idea. should m ake th e '72 Lobito handle better, Well protected fr om the elements are the relocated ignition sw itch, n ow under the seat, and air fil ter box. Bultac o's Sherpa T trialer has an auxilia ry sile ncer an d h igher front fen der th is year. Narrower fo otrests will be less likely to h ang up o n tri als course obstacl es. A mud, grit and water resistant n yl on twistgrip is also new on the T . A new, superlight Bultaco 250 enduro , ca lle d the Alpina, shar es th e Sh erpa's fra me. Already selling as fas t as d ealers can ge t them, the Alpin a wei ghs o nly 217 lbs . wet an d c om b ines th e best features of the tri als model and th e Matador. Low an d medium speed h andling are superb . Maximum torque and horsepower are developed at onl y 4500 and 5500 rpm 's. A bi g gas ta n k carries 2 .5 gallo ns with out ge tting in the st anding ri d er 's way . Full lighting equipment is standard, as is the 21" fro n t wheel. OSSA BULTACO ' The 350cc 'Kawasaki Triple . ' - )LI ~ .... _ I ~. J .~ I • .:.,( 'i III ·;b., J' - : c ., x , ., Bultaco has a very impressive array of new models and feat ures. Improvements to their motocross line include a new 125 Pursang and a significantly updated 250 . It looks like Bultaco will mount a serious assault .on the nation's m o t ocross tracks in 19 72 . 125 class riders n o longer have to modify the Sherpa S if they w ant to moto a Bul. The new Pursang 125 is a scaled down versi on of the 250 with a Yankee Motors, U.S . Ossa distributor, tells us that their current models hav e ch anged very little f ro m last year, with o n e m ajor ex ception. A n ew trials 250 cal led the Mick Andrews R eplica, or :'lAR for you in -kids, will replace the Plonker, I kind of hate to see the Plonker go just because of its neat name, but the new MA R should p rove a worthy rep lacement. It's going to be shorter and lighter. Wheelbase is down (Please turn to page 18) e- " I C'l :;; ;:!. c: .!!l \Q S w Z ~ U ~

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