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/125889
GGESTIONS • PETROCHEM GIFT SUGG~ ~ ooko . • eg d\ 0 -\ ~ ~ G Z en ~ w ~ m ~ U ..... o ~ ~ 0 . n ~ ~ w m ~ Q ~ w ~~. ~ ~UR' c The two-cycle engIne has had its day in motocross and the fourcycle's day is dawning. At least that is the Impression one gets m en o from some of t he n ew d evel opm ents on the rac ing and en vi ronmental scen e. A nd wh en the rac ing scene i s r ead y, the f ou r- st roke ~ ~ CHII en G G ~ ~ ~ o ~ ~ - . S Santa packs ~ ~ of ~tltocbem ~ ~ make ~ ~ gJteiltstocking ~ ~ 0 ~ W ~ G z en ~ u ~ stuffetts! o z O _ o W G G ~ o ~ ~ a 0 Z en • ~ m ..... ~ 0 n ~ ~ ~ tkautifully gift wJtapped. Gi 5 o ~ ~ en Othe r Pet rochem stocking stuffers W ~ C ~ Cable Care Kit, the easy way to lu be cables to keep them free and safe 0 Tir e Balancing Fluid, balances tires as you ride 0 Rust and Corros ion Remover, an amazing product t hat lif ts rust and corrosion wit h a minimum of eff ort 0 ATF For k Care Kit, the perfect fork f luid wit h the easy to use fork filler and rneasuring cap 0 Wheel and Bea ring Grease saves you from bearing burn out. • ~m ..... ~ o n ~ m v, :::! 0 Z en Look for Petrochem products at you r favorite motorcycle dealer, parts shop, or call Petrochem. ~ ~ • en ' ~~!m~m ~ _ ~ 10 m ..... What other gift could you put in his Christmas stocking for him and his mot o rcyc le ot her than a fou r-pac k of high perfo rmance products from Petrochem. When he tears off the beautiful gift wrapping he'll find Spa rk Plug , Can tact & Chain Klean .. ,makes starting easier by instantl y cleaning plugs and contacts, pro longs spark plug life; Chain Life, the perfect cha in lube tha t resists dirt , grass, grime ; ESp, a rust res ist ing , protective , penetrating , water disp lacing lubri cant that also waterproofs igniti on systems , good fo r all bike care needs; and Hand Klea n, a foaming hand cleaner wi th lanoli n, foams away grease and d irt wit hout wate r. ~ -n By Charles Clayton Ash/.nd. AS H LAND C H E M IC A L C O M PA N Y D tvisro n of Asn lan d Oil, Inc SPECIALT Y PROD U C TS PO B o x 3 105 Santa Fe Sprong s . Oahto rma 906 70 (213) 699·995 1 ~ - f- CI,) !J.I 0 SUGGESTIONS. PETROCHEM GIFT SUG will be well represen ted by the products of Hi-Performan ce Cycle Cen ter in Lo ng Beach , California, pioneers in this new develo pmen t. Bill Bell is the head honcho of Hi-Performance Cycle Center, which started life as th e racing department o f Long Beach Honda some 14 y ears ago. Bill contends that the era of the dirt racing four-stroke has alr eady begun, and cites the current successes of Rex St a ten on the 410 Honda and Hi-Performance 's own sponsored racers as examples. Also , California's anticipated to ugh new emissions sta ndar ds for 1976 off-road bikes ma y deal a death-blow to racin g two -stro ke sales. For the present, Hi-Performance has a hand in both types of engine development, two-stroke and four. Mike Bell, 17-year-old son of Bill, won th e number o ne plate in CMC professional motoc ross on a H i -P erfo rm an ce sponsored 125 Elsinore an d J eff J ennings, ano ther sp o ns ore d racer at 15 is a to p CMC pro on a 250 Elsinore an d a 250 XL prepped by Hi-Performan ce Cycl e Cen te r. Bell bu ilds th e bikes for Doug Nicol, n u mber one D ist r ic t 37 Ul tr a -l igh tweigh t scra m ble r, Bobby Hosford (n umber o ne IT ride r and 1973's top J un io r on an SL 35 0 tw in ) and Rick Marq uis, one of two top co nte n ders for the District 37 Heavyweight scrambles cr own on a 350cc and 470cc Ho nda four-stroke. All five racers m ent ion ed are sponsored by Long Beach Ho nda's Hi-Performance Cycle Cen ter . What wiIl motocross be like when four-stroke engines become the ho t setup? Less expensive, for one thing. Less maintenanc e fo r another . Compared to two-stroke reliability, which often catls for a new to p end every race to stay co mp et itive , a hot four-stroke will deliver "probably four months of weekly co mpetit ion before you hav e to do a ring and valve job, and possibly a rebore, depending on h ow good yo ur air cleaner is," reckons Bill Bell. The new Honda XL series engines ar e ligh tweight four-strokes with vast hop-up potential. "You ca n take a 350 single o ut to 470 with no reli ability prob lems," Bell testifies. "I t 11 go to 41 0cc 's o n the bore alone ," he ad ds. Hi-Performance h as a list of racing parts fo r th e XL 250 and 350 that crank out horsepower equal to th e fastest two-strokes and th ey work closely with Dallas Baker's C&J chassis fac to ry to get Bill Bell, right, fine-tu nes a 41 0 on th e dyno wh ile Long Beach Honda manager Charlie Schott observes.