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/126041
By Jody Weisel I\lotocross has a bizarre juxtaposition of values and needs that clearly illustrate thc adagc "More is less." The smaller the ' cnginc the higher the degree of so p hist icatio n necessary t o make it work . Last year was decidedly a dull ye ar in 125 ' class developrnentv No one was able to gea r up enough technology o r interest to challe n ge the invin cible Marty Smith and his RC 1:!5 Honda. but 1976 is the yea r of th e tiddler, Yamaha, Suzuki a nd Can -Am have fielded serio us teams and if the results o f the first 1:!5 National at Ilangtown are any measuring rod this will be a season th at proves that more is less. I Yamaha OW125 _ · L Yam aha's revolutionary water-cooled cran kca se has been showing a m azi ng rcsults in Japan for a full year, but Hangtown "..a s the ' American debut . ' Finishing on e-two is quite an opening salvo for Bob Han na h, Danny Turner and the young Yam ah a effort. The radia tor moun ts between t he triple clamps on t he fron t forks and doubles - as a n umber pl ate. Only the cra n kca ses are cooled by th e thermo-siphon ci rc u la ting system. 'Ib is insures a lower op.eratin g t emperature , · less vap ori zation o f gas ch ar ges , while at the same time not making th e en gin e dependent o n the ap pa ra tu s for to tal cooling. The e ngi ne ' has a special san d cast w orks c y linder . reed va lves, lightweight frame. leading axle fro n t forks a mi nine and o ne-hal f in ch tr avel monoshock. Suzuk i RA125 _ The World Champion Su zuki 1:!5 tha t took Gast on Ranier to an easy rout o f last ye a r's cha mp io n sh ip were debuted at lIangt own by former :!50 rider Billy Grossi a nd ro okie Danny Laf'orte, TIle RA's broad range o f ' power is different from the screaming top end of most tiddler class equipment. The 1:!5 frame is mounted on forks an d aluminum swingarm from the works :!50·s. Shorter Kayaba shocks, than the 250 ·s. are used with rem o t e reservoirs. The eogine is very. stock looking with a large Miku ni carburetor, case reeds, twin air filter, up-pipe and special hand-built aluminu m silencer. No te t he special chain tension er and case protec tor over the co unter shaft sprocket. Honda RC125 _ Two time National Champion Marty Smith ro d e a new 125 Handa with external fork sp rings . adjusted by a n external Cam similar to shock pre-load adjusters, an aluminum swingarm and gas shocks mounted in the now unconventional straight up and down mode. The en gine remains the same as last year ex cept for an inc rease in high RP~I horsepower, a t th e cos t o f some mid-range. Airbox is aluminum with plastic sides and shift lever appears to be the ~n ly stock item on th e bike. Can-Am MX125 _ Last year 's lIangtown winner Tim Hart and John Savitski were mounted on the Canadian effort. Neither rider really got going, with Hart having engine tro uble and Sav itski riding the bike for the first time. S& W shocks on the rear and conventional axle front forks suspend what is a very stock loo kin g machine. Careful observation will uncover a sand cas t cylinder, short, stubby high RPM pipe an d large Bing ca rb o Kawasaki KX125 _ Texan Steve Wise rode the co b by lo o ki n g Kawasaki 12 5 th at bears little or no resemb lance to the productio n · rotary valve : Alumi nu m swingarm and leading axle front forks with ma chined ' plastic dust covers c hriste n each end. S&W shocks are on the rear. The engine is a reed-valved piston port with a sand cast head an d cy lin de r, Mik u ni ca rb an d exposed countershaft sprocket. The bi ke see med slig"tly down on power. • de fin itel y not a Kawasaki trait. TERRY KIT Suzuki 250/370 RM's ~ANSTU' At warehouse pricesU - 9" of trav-el - Smoother action - More control Air or springs. The front end kit that beats them all. TOMORROW'S VAN SEATS TODAY!! ! 1. Std. equip., contoured back & se.t eush ion.lh i-b.dd 2. Vacuum form fold down armrests 3 . Molded cushion & back foam 4 . De lux pleating 5.43" 0.'. height 27"0_'. depth 24"0••• width 6. 360 degree swivel base w ith slide adjusters 7. Colors: sol id vinvl black, blue. ben , or with fabric inserts- black. blue, gold or red (add 510.00) out of sta te call toll free 800-854-4691 ! ) (J da )' 1II 0W ')' /)(/(" /\ gu a rm / lt ' , ' . $50.00 Dealer or Direct : TERRYCABLE I ' . 1 '-:'1 ' k , tJ CTl c . , 1 '44 =1 "0' CA'17::;45 HOW TO ORDER * PHONE (704)258 -1171 eR etail ea. $179.95 eDealer $138.56 WAREHOUSE PRICE $110.84 Call us & we'll 9ive you the prices on the accessories you want. For a Van Accessories cata log, sendS1.00 to Van St uff, PO Bo x 1777, Asheville. NC 28802. 13