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/125801
If you have any mail for our general manager or the publisher, please address it to. Postmaster, c/o Cycle News, Spindlerun Mlyn, Czechlosvakia 23. * * ... g. ... C1. * N Spindlerun Mlyn is down the street from Hansel and Gretel's house. Their zip code is 22. * * - * .•- We noticed while reading The Ledger, a foothill newspaper, some spicy information about a study done by the State Department of Forestry and the State Lands Commission. While lawmakers have been led to believe that there is authoritative information indicating that motor vehicles are harmful to soli, vegetation and wildlife in state forests, this report tells another story. Although original copy is harder to get a hold of than the camchain tensloner on your 350 Four, we have It' that the study found that existing laws were sufficient to cover all contingencies in state forest lands, and that since the institution of regulations in 1969, "problems arising from off-highway vehicle use in state forests have been negligible.." We will hopefully have more to tell when our super-sleuth In Sacramento obtains a copy. * * * SCRATCHING PAVEMENT IN THE ROCKIES: Things are in die works to have a National road race scheduled for Colorado next year. The same people who have promoted the Aspen road races are trying to get a National at Continental Divide Raceway. Reports from everyone who attended the races at Aspen were very favorable, and a National at CDR would bring big·time asphalt scratching to a part of the country that has never seen any. * * * If you are out on your bike some night and you lose your tail light, try switching the leads. One lead is for the tail light and the other is for the brake light. If you switch the wires (it's easy to do if you have a hinged seat) you will have a tail light again. This will keep you from being hit because you weren't seen, although now you will have no brake light, so watch your mirror when you stop suddenly. !\ervice stations have bulbs that are just the same as your bulb (some have better ones) and you can replace the bulb there. * * * Prominent powder puffer Nancy Des Rosiers has found a full·time sponsor... a sailor. He just became her husband. Look for the name. Nancy Thomas in motocross results. - * * * George Stirbir from Kawasaki called us and told us about a Three Flag record run attempt he is preparing, using a Kawasaki 7S0. The reason that he is going to use the 7S0 is that he wants to dispell some of the myth abo.ut bad two-stroke gas mileage. They picked the 750 Kawasaki "since it is a two·stroke and supposedly gets the worst mileage of all." 4500 miles has been run the machi"e's wheels (which still wear the original tires), and gas mileage has averaged around 40 mpg with it running up as far as 47 mpg. The rider, it is hoped, will be Mike Hinshaw of the AMA. It is the first time that a two-stroke has tried one of the long-distance records, and they hope to lower the record, now at about 18 hours, by about an hour. The run isn't· being factory·backed by Kawasaki. * * * HOT DOG! HOT POOP! HOT BOMBSHELL!!! One of our all.eyes, all·ears informers has caught more than a casual glance of a new 498cc Yamaha rocketship. We leave it that bike and rider are exceedingly quick and ligh t (magnesium, titanium, helium alloy). Gary J ones is trying one ou t this Sunday at the Des Nations. We've got all kinds-of neat information and pictures that we're just dying to disclose but in deference to a Mr. Jones we won't have anymore than this now. Be sure to grab next week's issue for the whole enchilada! * * CD N .. * If you can't decide what channel to watch on TV, watch KNXT. They had a very nice editorial about motorcycles. They showed a brief clip of the motocross in the coliseum and then got talking. The commen tor (as we understand it) said that there should be an LA bike park. He said that although he doesn't like them himself, he has friends who do. The city provides facilities for golfers and horsie riders, but not for b~ers. LA has plans to start planning a bike park in two years. Asks. KNXT: maybe sooner? * '" * Speaking of AMA dudes trying to set records on • ~awasakis; you Qlay CC1l C1l ~ W remember that Don Woods set out on a 903 Kawasaki to set a record from LA to New York a few weeks back. He had some problems with the points on his bike, and Cycle Sport, the Kawasaki dealer in Albuquerque, didn't have any replacements yet. It's probably better to wait until a model is In production before you try hard, fast touring on it. * * * * The future of Yamaha road racers is questionable: One source in J ap an indicates that production will be stopped. Another source says that they are to be continued and that sounds more likely. Then there is the question of whether or not they will have a front disc. Most informed informants believe that they will, but some say that since the Yamaha team riders don't like the discs, the imported racers won't use them. Then there is water cooling and different displacements in the works. Anyway, expect something... Why does the AMA have Mickey Mouse on their tech stickers? * * * There is now new management at Rawhide Park which will now be open seven days a week. Look for course improvements, including sprinklers. * * * ROAD RACES:. HAVING BRAKING PROBLEMS? Before you throwaway your tires, check to be sure that there aren't hundreds of thousands of worms on the track as was the case at LA International Airport last week. * * * The editor says that be is getting really good at spelling Czechoslovakia fast. * * * Speaking of which, the editor is going to move up to managing editor and the assistant editor is becoming editor and we are getting a new 'assistant ed itor. New man on the totem pole is Dave Schoonmaker, who in addition to being a proficient wrench is also fairly skilled in the operation of various varieties of motorcycles. The soon·to-be·former managing editor, John Bethea, is head ing off into the world to seek fame and fortune in freelance reporting and graphics with Russell (Buzz) Baty. He states proudly that he won't be lost to the world forever. This will be his last complete issue. * * * The new Penton/KTM 250cc prototypes are going to contest the Trax:s.AMA fall moto-eross series this fall. The new machine has been campaigned this summer in the 250cc world moto-eross circuit with very good" success to date. At th'" 250cc Swedish GP Pavel Rulev raced the Penton to 3rd place in the Championship cace. Reported to be the fastest 250cc machine in Europe now, 250cc riders should start seeing these machines in the states sometime in 1973. Jack Penton and Chuck Bowers will ride these protos in the fall series. This will be the first series ride for both tit"se boys. New faces and new machines should spark some interest in the series. * * * We hear that AMC may be the only organization that is running at Saddleback next year. It seems rather strange after what CMC has done with Saddleback. * -- w oJ u > u .... * Z * Occasionally an individual builds something exotic jnst for the pleasure of it. Such is the case with James Parker of Santa Fe, New Mexico who built this monocoque framed Hodaka 100 road racer. The normal monocoque practice of carrying the fuel in the tank is being nsed and dry weight is 130 pounds! Parker, who manages the Bike Works in Santa Fe, has raced it at Aspen. It's initial outing was made on the same day that it was completed. There were some problems with gearing, and the expansion. chamber dragged a little. Those problems have been corrected, and Parker is considering journeying to California to perhaps enter it in some club events. Our -staff road racer wants to try it. He pants alot when it's mentioned. * * * Upcoming events at Osteen's ParI( have been cancelled, for the time being. As soon as a new list of events comes to us we'll let you know. * * * * * * The nearly unbroken record of Sidecar World Championships held by the BMW marque in FIM Road Racing was continued this year. Out of the ten first championship teams, eight were powered by BMW engines, and BMW finished 1·2·3 on the leadeI board. The point system is based on Grand Prix Races, namely: Austria, Belgium, England, Finland, France, Holland, Czechoslovakia, and West Germany. The teams fmished in the following order: * MOTORBlKE FUCKERS: Your friendly CN staff has received a considerable exposure to bike flicks recently. The first one that we saw was probably the best and will certainly be worth the price. It is called "Starbiker" and will eventually be shown on national television. The star is Dashing Dick Kilgroe, a personality familiar to southern California road racers. it has no plot but is just a well edited bunch of footage. of road riding and road racing. It opens with riders assembly for the Marin county "Sunday morning ride" a tradition which has become almost legendary. Most of the action foo tage is caugh t by camera moun ted on the motorcycles, and the effect is extraordinary: The watcher can actually feel the G·forces in the turns, and bikes that pass aJ;ld that are passed have a very fluid feel to them. Some of the footage deals with a run.from.the·cops fan tasy that is played out at Cotati as a cyclist rips around with a black and white in hot pursuit. Some of the footage is at road racing courses and during races. The worst part of "Starbiker" is probably the title. * men who ride from Denver to Panama to escape the boredom of daily life and their experiences along the way. The scenery that is captured is probably the best part of the film. One of the more spectacular biking portions of the film (there is also skUng, skin diving, loving, and bull fighting) is the bit where two of the stars get involved in jumping 50 foot canyon sans helmets. The sound track could be left out. * Anotber film that some staffers saw recently was called "The Great American Escape" and it deals with three 1. K. Enders/R. Engelhardt (West Germany) BMW 72 2. H. Luthringshauser/J. Cusnick (W. Ger.) BMW 63 3. S. Schauzu/W. Kalauch (West Germany) BMW 62 4. C. Vlncent/M. ~asy (En~~~~h URS 47 S. R. Wegener/ A. Heinrichs (West Germany) BMw 46 6. W. Klenk/N. Scheerer (West Germany) BMW 28 7. • WakefJeld/McFadZean/McPerson (Eng.) • BMW 24 8. A. Venus/Po Gundel (West Germany) BMW 19 9. G. Pabe/F. Kallenberg (West Germany) BMW 19 10. R. Steinhausen/R. Kabbe (West GS\l:rmany) Konig 18 The thrill of seeing the sidecar riders in action still attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators to the European circuits. The agility and teamwork of the sidecar passengers whom the Germans call "Schmiermaxe" (rough translation: "Greasy Max") is fascinating to watch. * * • Roger DeCoster, Joel Robert, and Sylvain Geboers has signed three year exclusive contracts to ride Suzukis for the next three years which sounds good for everyone concerned. * * * By the way, everyone who we talked to' at the Suzuki New Models Preview banquet preview seemed to agree that one of the neatest things that Suzuki had going was John Butcher's secretary, Ethelyn. BULS OK AMA We received word that this afternoon, Sept. 15, a preliminary injunction was granted to Steven Doi, et al, against the American Motorcycle Association. The list of the injunction is that Bultaco Astros will be allowed to run in AMA events. The injunction, gran ted in Northern California District Court, while preliminary at this time, according to Clerk of Court John Nelson will lapse into permanency with in a short time. There will supposedly be no more court proceedings. Congratnlations ,go to Doi ang ihe ~OO other Astro riders.