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/125802
....'" Don Emde is getting married. • • • '" go For those of you who don't dig "New York Steak" there is a "Lobster Dinner." The "5teak was Kawasaki's 900cc four cylinder four-stroke. The "Lobster Dinner" will be a 500cc four-stroke single. Lord knows why they come up with these wierd names. Most of the hot dogs are just going to drive them to the burger place down the road anyway. Q. N .... tl * * '" u o ~ w Z W ..J * U >- The CN staff was invited to a preview of the new Suzuki models for '73. Heading the line was a 750 that is basically the same as the one we tested a few weeks back, but it now has disc brakes, two of them, on the front wheel. All the street bikes have disc brakes except for the old 500cc Titan, which looks like it is being phased out, and the new 185cc twin, which looks neat. The 250 Hustler has gotten a single disc (all are single discs except for the 750) and the ram air cooling to the cylinder head. That ram air cooling is more than a gimmick, too. It reaJly works. In the dirt bike line up, Suzuki has taken a big step ahead of the field with internal silencing (so some yo·yo can't re!TIove it too easily.) The 400 has gotten a much needed new frame which Rick Thorwaldson recommends. Added to the dirt racer line is a 125 racer which won't be available until the beginning of the year (the one shown was made largely of wood.) The rest of Suzuki line was pretty much the same except that it received the usual re.styling. The CN staff got a Suzuki watch and the staff U Heyl' Come on Hateley. It's guys like you and Aidana that makes it so tough for us to get trophy girls...Hey! Hateleyl 6JJ ~apd~aIe9 • • • road racer ate four desserts. • • • Another change, growth, or something. American Motocross has moved into bigger quarters in Buena Park and are going to stage a Grand Opening (Yes, we . know they're already open but this is the grand one.) on October 13th. Promised are movies, slide shOWS, refreshments and other good stuff. They are rumored to even have motorcycles. Speaking of Suzuki's, we expect them to hit the market rather hard with a Rotary engine. That could very well set the industry on its ear. * * * And while new models are being discussed, we migh t as well men tion that Honda will probably bring out something to compete with Kawasaki's 903. Don't expect a 1000 though. The Japanese manufacturers are very leary of en tering the' hallowed domain of Harley-Davidson. If Harley goes 'under, everybody will be hurting. * • • • Bob Souza (American Honda $hop Supervisor, Class C Half-mile' Expert 1962-64, and native Hawaiian) claims to be the original "Fly in' Hawaiian". Bob said he would gladly challenge John DeSoto for the title, except for the fact that he has not yet mastered anything but left-hand turns. * * * If you go sneaking down to Kawasaki's R&D place you will see their new top secret project. They are supposed to be very fast and handle incredibly well, but then who can say how a boat handles. • • • Rich Thorwaldson's wife, Pat, worked for Cycle News before it was Cycle News. * * * Ontario is rapidly shaping into The Race of the year. "Race of the Year" Winner Jamo Saarinen will be here, of course, as will last year!s winner John Cooper. Also on a Beesumph will be Tony Jefferies. No'w the news comes that the John Player Norton team of Wcrrid Champion Phil Read and Peter Williams are arriving on the 21st. Harley has also jumped on to the bandwagon and is bringing Renzo Pasolini to ride an XR-750. Pasolini holds the FIM Number two plate. Pretty soon we're gonna be outnumbered by the furriners. • • • The TTMC has applied for a half-mile and short track 0-37 sanction for next year. * * * JONATHAN SWIFT IS ROLLING IN HIS GRAVE but, nonetheless, the Dirt Diggers North are going ahead with their plans for a Lillipu tian Hare Scrambles on December third of this year. it's secretly a Grand Prix course (but don't tell the AM A) which will be abou t seven miles long and include pavemen t. They are even having an Old Timers class. The Dirt Diggers North say that Checkers are ~eJ orne, i~ they think £~e !J~dle it. This cake came from Czechoslovakia. It has a history. I t was made for one of the AMA official's wives who couldn't find a way to tlring it back after the ISDT. She gave it to a friend who left it in front of her hotel where Thomas R. Culp, the CN general manager, found it. That kind soul hrough t it back from from foreign lands for the CN staff to eat. For som'e reason the bomb people at the airpOTt didn't detect this piece of commie tickery. It was awful. Tasted "like an old Lorna Doone" according to one staffer. It was a cross between spice cake and wry bread. • • • Maybe a 500cc four cylinder Yamaha road racer with water cooling. * * * JAPANESE llISTORY: The company that makes Mikuni carbs once manufactured Amals under iicense and imported Triumph motorcycles and other European bike products into Japan. • • • * * The annual Corduroy Enduro, held in Canada, was won this year by David Hulse on a 125cc Hodaka Wombat. Dave completed the two day event with a perfect score even though he completely submerged his Wombat on the first day. After pumping out the water, it re-started on the second kic.k and so did he. We always though t it was platypuses (platypi?) that liked water but Wombats? • • • Leisuretech, Inc., the promoters of the ,I nterAMA in the Los Angeles Coliseum, liked the name "Superb owl of Motocross" so well that they have made the "Superbowl" of any motorcycle event a registered trade name. That means that ather promoters of motorcycle events can't use that name or t::eisuretch will be very unhappy. Next, a Superbowl of Observed Trillls, no doubt or is that stretching it a bit? * * * SPRINGFIELD IS BACK! A spokesman for the AMA confirms that the greatest mile·track of the past: Springfield, Illinois, will run motorcycles again in 1973. Ten years ago the thunderbikes were banned from the state fairgwunds oval because of shenanigans by the "element". It was the track where stars such as Joe Ledhard, Carroll Resweber, Ed Kretz and Sammy Tanner shone in their finest performances. • • • Honda streamliner pilot Jon McKibben "now holds the official motorcycle distance-jumping record," smiles Don Woods, "300 yards, AMA certified," after his unscheduled takeoff at Bonneville. Fearless Jon also holds the motorcycle altitude record at 20 feet. And that's no-ramp to no-ramp. * * .. There has been some erata nowing around about M\'rk Blackwell and his sun glasses, specifically at Indian Dunes. \\f"hatevcr you may have heard or read, the reason he wears sun glasses constantly is thaL while running sixth at the Luxembourg GP he was hil. in the eye by a rock and spen t two weeks in the hospital. His eye is still exceedingly sensiti've and did in fact give him quite a lot of trouble at Indian Dunes. • • • AMA is bringing us into the electronic village in a big way, with the Ontario, Calif. National just now sold to an independent TV network. Buy your tickets for this'biggie anyway, as it will be rebroadcast after a delay, and probably blacked out in the LA. area. * .. ., The Russians are entering a tcam in the ULittle Berkshire" international trials qualifier in Massachusetts next month. The course runs through Arlo Guthrie's back yard near Stockbridge. • • * A policeman in Calgary, Canada recently clocked a f O-speed bicycle at 85 mph (downhill, of course). The authorities raised such a stink over this that now all operators of 10-speed huffapuffs in Alberta province, must wear crash helmets or go to gaol. .. * .. After wrecking two twin-engine airplanes in as many weeks doing his thrill-thing act, EVE.L KNIEVEL has . now purchased six propeller aircraft, plus a Lear Jet for his personal transportation. The prop jobs will be leased out through a company Knievel owns. Evel threatens to crash a Cessna into a replica of the Empire State Building at his and J.C. Agajanians Super Thrill Show at the LA. Coliseum in February . The Chapparals Coyote Derby Enduro will feature a $5.00 post entry, the same as for the mail entry, so all you ISDT stars in training for next year have no excuse for not boogying on out to their October first night run at Deadman's Point. * * * It turns out that the NRA, another motocross sanctioning organization, is actually an outgrowth of the CRC. It's purpose is to give the CRC guys a place to race when they get too good to be ranked as Novices. So you guys have no excuse for cherrypicking amongst the beginners and, besides, can reflect in the status of being an In termediate and Expert rider, all at no extra cost. Most of their races so far have also been at Deadman's Po in t. , •• Still wondering where to sit for the Champion Classes at Ontario? Well, Ducky. you could have this bird's eye view of everything from the broadcast booth if you worked for KSOM. The local station is the core of the Radio Racing Network for the big weekend since the SaGal H·D Dealers bought the time, (Wppqe, vyho \hey',e betting on.! They. will per'J1~'l1~ the airwav~ Amplitude Modulation and Frequency Modulation direct to your radio. Hotcha'! with both