Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Black- and- Whites tum signals and pushed in to sound the hom. Th is is a good idea because it keeps you from baving to unwrap your hand when turning or beeping; especially nice in a moment of crisis. The Harley was very difficult to get hold of. Milwaukee couldn't get us any, so we wen t to OUf local police - who supported us. In particular) we received cooperation from the police departmen t of Torrance and the California lIighway Patrol. Torrance uses Sportsters. Some motor officers of the local Long Beach Calif. P.D. were also most helpful. The Harley 74 is a hundred pounds heavier than the Sportster, but it tends to be more reUable and that is probably the reason that it is currently more popular for police use. The Sporty is faster, but that doesn't seem to provide a critical edge as a selection criteria. It is lighter and somewhat easier to handle. Tbe FLH Glide stands out for its amazing weight. With some police riders on it, the 74 will top half a ton. Acceleration is not terribly impressive to say the least. Which mac):>ine is best? Well, at the risk of opping out (No pun intended.) we will have to say that it depends. The Honda is fastest. The Guzzi glows for its good manners and reliability. The Harley has "tradition" and therefore a permanenl attraction for many long-time riders. We polled all the poUce that we came in contact with, but there didn't seem to be any overwhelming response in favor of any particular brand. The only trend that we can detect is a fading away from Harley; largely because of high price of the U.S. marine. Every motor patrolman that we talked with bascd his choice of bikes on his own personal set of priorities and (Conginued from page 22) most proved fiercely loyal to whatever make they were riding. We muddled around at Orange County International raceway after we had concluded our testing. We talked and argued, and came to firm conclusions. We snapped a last couple of pictures and took one last run down the drags trip with the lights and sirens. We handed the big police machines back to the people from whence they came and went back to our cafe racers and sporty bikes. On the way home, we kept an eye in our rear view mirrors. Kawasaki Prototypes out of comers. The front end of the 250 shakes from side to side in a very pronounced fash ion when changing speeds in and out of a comer. Hitting the braking bumps that build up before a comer while simultaneously slowing down induced the head-shaking as well as going over the acceleration ripples after the comer while wicking it on again. The wheelbase on the 250 seems about right for most riders; Karsmakers would like it shortened. Overall, the 250 has more confiClence-inspiring handling on a motocross course than the 450 but not the corrective power of the torquer .. The engine has good power but you will find yourself (If you ever ride one.) using the five-speed gearbox a lot more than you ever thought of doing on the big bike. SeJecting the right gear is really mandatory, as the 250 will slip Qut of the power range fairly quickly. Ponies to the ground are definitely competitive with any of the curre.nt crop of 250 motocrossers. Which must be pretty obvious to anybody who saw Lamppu this fall. You cannot affore to get sloppy, though. The 250 had to be more peaky to get the extra power out of the 250. SUMMARY· With Urnited riding experience, you can honestly reach only limited conclusions. One of them is that the 450 Kawasaki engine is one of the torquiest tractors, two or four·stroke, available in the curren t line-up of motocross machines. It is also reliable and straigh tfotward, as is the 250. Cornering of the 450 isn't aU that great, especially for those sportsman riders Continued from P. 39 who may be used to some of the "help-you-out" European machines. Both machines are very ligh t and both brake well enough to be slowed down smoothly, under con tral, for the nex 1 comer. Brakes on both scoots had good feel and no descemible fade. The 250 will probably fit more riders than the larger machine, as most 250's do, since it is lower and has less power to get into trouble with. However, the 450 power is tractable, manageable and there is a hell of a lot of it in the right places. Components are generally very good and certain items are going to be beefed up even more. Shifting on both machines was perfect. One of tbe 250s was said to be popping out of fourth gear, mainly due to wear. Brad's 450, having just completed the TransAMA, was spot-on with gear changes. Cornering behavior is not adequately sorted au t unless you happen to be Brad Lackey. Even factory rider Takezawa got out of shape in tight comers but he never seems to care; just screws it on some more. Tracking through sweepers is very precise. Both bikes come on like a jet when accelerating. The fran t ends are so ligh t that they feel, almost eerie to a rider used to more conventional production motocross bikes. I t's a neat feeling unless that fact is also responsible for the washout and front end shudder; then the tradeoff isn't worth it. OK, you 200 dealers out there in , Kawasakiland, start figuring au t who your motocross riders for next summer are going to be. They are going to have quite a handful of machinery. Illustration by Steve Schiff BLM '5 II Caiol MC _ Continued from P. 33 Let us take another look at the Los Angeles Times article: "Penney said Monday that tbe bureau does lack such enforcement power now, but that federal legislation is pending that would provide it with the power, money, and manpower needed." I asked Mr. Penney, "If you should win this suit, I suppose that would pretty firmly establish your directives, correct?" He replied, "Yes, but I think there's more than that. I think this is going to make it ve.ry apparent to many people that the bureau should have the tools DIST. 37 MOTO-X $5 post only $1.50 gate Free Camping 7 -9 sign up SUN. JAN. 7, 14 21 1 395 CYCLE PARK. ADE ANTD On Hwv 395 (714) 246-6109 with which to enforce its regulations and the directives that are handed down and perhaps also the manpower and that sort of thing." U\Vhat " I asked. " are the implicati~ns if you lose?': "It ough t to be quite clear to the people of the United States that something should be done where the Federal Government can manage its resources. And in this day of such emphasis - all protecting the environmen t, 1 think the people of the United States would rise up in arms!" So here we havc it. Mr. Penney wants an army, an army that he certainly LESS SOUND MORE GROUN'D Off Road Ve"ide '.s,i','e·SD J. C. AGAJANIAN presents MOTOCROSS EVERY SATURDAY Gates Open 9 :00 am - Race 11 :00 am NO LICENSE REQUIRED Medical Insurance - no deductible $3,000 coverage Entry fee: Seniors $10 (100% payback) All others $5 PARKING PIT AND FRONT GATE Adults $3 Juniors $2 Children $1 Kiddies under 8 Free Info (213) 321-1610 or 323-9710 18300 VERMONT, GARDENA . . .************* ...... *~* Ur'I6I.................r'.... doesn't need to can trol organized motorcycle racing. But by postin~ exorbitant fees and difficult to meet, unnecessary regulations, he has pushed motorcyclists outside the law, thereby demonstrating his "n'eed" for an army. And if the court recognizes the injustice of his demands, then he is counting on the raised voices of the conservationists to accomplish his ends. Its "Heads I win, tails you lose." And the EI Cajon M.C. is the coin being tossed. Let's hope that congress will ask itself if a man who attempts to push motorcyclists outside the law and incite conservationists to urise up in arms" The Mighty 903 deserves to be en trusted with an anny. Or even a job. The El Cajon club members are being sued personally as well as organizationally. They can lose their homes and their businesses in a fight that affects all motorcyclists. They need money and lots of it. Several District 37 clubs have already donated to their defense fund, as have many individuals. CORl is behind them. Send them a check right away. If the BlM does not file suit. all money not spent will be returned. Make checks out to: ' District 38 Special Fund 10659-A Prospect Ave. Santee, California 92071 (Continued from page 61) At least two of these labels deal with chain care and warranty. Kawasaki has worried a lot about the chain. It is a massive thing with big heavy rollers and thick end plates. It is lubricated through a pump that is similar 'to the oil injection pumps on two strokes. It has an adjustment system to control the amoun t of oil delivered on each stroke and is driven off the transmission. This pump was the only failure that we had during the test. The knob that regulates the oil flow came adrift and it turned itself off. We noted that the chain was dry and loose and adjusted it (Noticing also that no one had installed a cotter pin as we did so.). When the chain got dry again, we checked it out and discovered the oil pump, then remedied the problem. The chain is an endless type, Since the exhaust pipes prevent pulling the axle out, the wheel slides out the rear for servicing. Other main tenance on the 903 has been well thought out, but with four of everything it will still take some Urne to do it alL One dealer estimated the cost of a servicing at $40. The carbs were out of synch on ours after 1500 miles. To check oil level you put the motorcycle on its center stand and check the window next to the brake pedal. The Z-l uses 20-50 weigbt oil. !L accepted whatever gas we put into the 4.7 gallon tank without comment and went between 37 and 40 miles on one gallon of it. That's better than the Yamaba 250 that we tested recently. It will go between 125 and 140 miles before you have to flip it onto reserve. I t also gave plenty of warning before running out, a characteristic that any freeway rider who has had his machine almost coast to a stop in heavy traffic while he fished for the reserve position ap p recia te. On~ of the reasons that such a big machine got such good mileage may be that the macbine doesn't lend itself to being flogged. The weigh t was one reason: the gearbox, another. On a tigh t mountain road, the procedure was to stick it in second gear. That was one of the few times that a closer set of first-second ratios would have been appreciated. It also is a good stop-Jight drag racer. It's very easy to get away fast without any hassle. It doesn't want to wheelie, and it's willing to run pretty straigh t. If you sUpped the clu tch, it chattered some under really hard-acceleration. More deatils: The tool kit was complete and beautifully finished. The speedometer was about 10 MPH optimistic at freeway speeds, but both it and tach were easy to read. The biggest Kawasaki grew on you. Once we learned what it was going to do we felt more confident herding all that weigh t around and were willing to get it down on the pegs occasionally. J twas willing to adapt to anyone's cornering style with equal enthusiasm. The Z-J was also the machine that staffers used to ride around the comer to the grocery store. The electric starter, smooth shifting, and Rleasan t, ligh t, manageable low speed handling made it as nice around town as it was in the fast lane of the freeway. It was superb in the fast lane of the freeway. It will inspire you to take lots of long, fast trips. Kawasaki bas made the first step into the realm of the New Superbikes. With one small flaw, the rear shocks, the machine is. ready and waiting to take on all comers. The 903 Kawasaki Z-l is fast, lu'xurious, reliable (Huh, Bravennan?). pleasant to ride, and it can even be fun. Kawasaki is waiting, world. en . c' .., '" ;;: UJ Z W ..J U >- U

• Cover