Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

1-2-3 Shift Russ Collins .has to shift his 989cc fuel injected. blown Honda just so, A missed shift would be explosive. by Keith G. Arnold (n drag racing, there are many variables. If your reactions are too slow, you lose. Bike not running right? You lose! What about a foulup in the shift sequence? Not only will you lose, but you might just break an expensive gear box. Or an engine. Well then, how do you shift properly? Numer Uno - Stop thinking of shifting as just a motion of the foot that makes your machine go faster. The shift isn't a simple flick and then wait-for-valves-to-f1oat kind of action. (port float?) The way you shift will determine just how successful you are going to be as a drag bike racer. To shift the motorcycle, regardless of make or model, is an interaction between your two hands and one foot. The hands control the throttle and the more important dutch, whJle the fOOL usually does the shifting. To make a quick and efficient shift, there is one very necessary thing ( must stress: a calm and smooth mental state. If you are overly excited, you will blow your shifting sequences. So let's pre-program your mind before each run to keep your cool through the gear changes. The shift from neutral to first is elemen tary and is unnecessary in this discussion. The first and most difficult is the low - to second shifl. This immediately follows the wild, abrupt start so it's the tougbest to master. To hit second requires practice in combining good coordination and smooth but quick movements. You have come off the line and the bike is under control. With throttle three-quarters on, pull in the clutch. At BURAK TUNING SCHOOL The first of its kind! Learn how to make your machine go fast but retain reliability. The school will consist of theory and practical knowledge of two and four stroke engines. The class will finish with each student having put his machine in perfect tune under our supervision. . For more information please call or write. Classes will start on the first ~ Friday and Saturday in November. . . BURAK BYE-PRODUCTS 15170 RAYMER ST. VAN NUYS, CA. 91405 [213] 780-17~8 Terry Vance is cool and smooth, the same time that you're reaching for the clutch, your foot should have been reaching for the shift lever. As the clutch becomes disengaged, firmly, but not too hard, push the lever in the direction necessary to upsh ift the tranny. As your foot makes its move, your clutch hand is re-engaging the clutch and the throttle hand is turning the juice back on full. Beautiful, but did you just happen to raise your body up? Or perhaps you jerked yO:Jr clutch arm instead of making a 'smooth movement of just your hand. These and many other movements are not only detrimental to good shifting, they often cause speed wobble. Remember, the prime ingredient is calm and efficiency sh ifl. Leave the acrobatics to the beginners. A missed shift is a lost race. Oregon Road R a c e - - - - - - - - - - - by Dean Newton PORTLAND, ORE .. Oct. 8, J 972 - The Oregon Mot.orcycle Road Racing Association closed its 1972 season today with the final race in the Rainier Beer ChalJellge Cup Series. With this being the last chance· for overall points in the series, the racing was close in a1l classes. John Hubbard won both heats to take the 125 GP class, with class champion Keith Forsythe taking second overall. Len Wells was third. As it had been for mosl of the year the 250 GP class was al1 Jim Dunn on his Deeley Yamaha. Canadians Ron Kirkham and Ken Botham were second and third, respectively, after much place swapping. Eugene Brown, PortJand, ran away with the 500 GI' honors all his new TR 3 Yamaha, with Jim Dunn second and Ken Botham third on a Suzuki. A good turnout in the Open GP kept winner Dr. John Black, Honda, [rom lelling up the pace. He was closely followed by Ken Bentham, Kawasaki and Tom :-.lash on another 1I0nda. _ Canadian Tim Lloyd, on a 750 Deeley Yamaha was fourth. The Production class race provided the usual amount of pavement rash caused by the close dicing. In the 250 class it was Ron Mos~r (Suz) taking the win from Bruce Bille (Bul) and Dwyn :-,.tiller (Suz). After a year of uying, Dennis Bottcher (Kaw) finally beat Eugene Brown in the 500 class. The race for third went to Stuart Moss (1-1 on) with Dean Newton taking a close fourth. The 750 class was another Kawasaki benefit. covering the first five places. Canadians Alan Seddon and Ken Bentham were first and second, with Oregonians Mike 'eveau and Quentin Hogan, third and fourth. The idecars provided their usual bit of excitement with one of the outfits turning over. After two heats the team of Dean Newton/Don Springer, Anteater BSA, carrie out the win.ners. They were folJowed by the Canadian teams of Vic lIudson/Tim Lloyd (Suz) and Rod Hudson/Bob Thomson (Tri). Dunlop Awarded for Trick T i r e , - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . Dunlop Limi ted copped the second annual CNA Safety award Wednesday night at the American Motorcycle Association's annual awards banquet in Columbus during the AMA's compe titian congress. The British-based company gained the award for the develop men t of a "super~tire" for the super bikes of the professional r ad racing circuit during the year. Making the award was Hugh Creelman, Ohio Manager of the Commercial-Special Risks division of CNA Insurance in Ohio. Accepting the six-foot tall perpetual trophy that stays at the AMA offices in Westerville and a smaller take-home replica was Graham Brown, chief developmen t engineer of the technical division of Dunlop Limited. The story of this year's CNA safety award, given to the company or individual which makes the largest contribution during the season to safety in the professional motorcycle racing circuit, begins back in March when the professional clan gathered at Daytona for the annual speed week trials. Wi th an increase in bike weigh t and speeds bringirig more friction to the rear tire none of the superbikes could keep tires from wearing out for any length of time. Between the time the Daytona race was finished and the Talladega 200 was run in September Dunlop Limited perfected its super tire, the "Dunlop Racing 200" tire, which more than proved itself another breed of tire at Talladega. With the temperatures reaching 100 degrees during the race and pavement temperature estimated in the neighborhood of 160 degrees, and at speeds in excess of 170 mph, the Dunlop 200 proved itself worthy of being called "a high speed road racing tire". Creelman said during the award speech, made after the dinner, "For their rapid development of the Dunlop 200 racing tire, in an licipation of a very serious paten tial problem. the AMA's Executive Committee selected Dunlop Limited as the recipien t of the award." Last year the winner of the award, the first year it was given, was the Champion Spark Plug Company, for its contribution to a reduction in the number of accidents occurring at high speeds as a result of engine seizure. After the Daytona race, Dunlop Limited, working mostly at their England plan t, wen t back to tbe drawing board and in shortly over four months produced the Dunlop Racing 200. The tire had a differen t tread design and a different shape over previous racing tires and in addi tion the Dunlop technical crew had used a differen t design on the in terply construction. And the proof was in the pudding at Talladega, as Art Baumann, aboard a GT 750 Suzuki upped the old track record of 154 mph to 172 mph.

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