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/126044
PLUS-AND-MIN US DEPT: The Des Moines Register-Tribun e reports th at the 100 ,000 member Wildern ess Society is showing in te rnal strains in a sharp d ivision over whethe r to rem ain " pur ist" or t ry to obtain compromises wit h opponents. (Like bikers, for example). In Californ ia, our friendly local Sierra Club has jo ined a " California Wilderness Coalition" while publicly soft-pe dal ling its anti·ORV st an d of late . Are we beginning to hurt them? When his 750 Suzuki bucked sideways and pitched him over the bars during . the Oultoo Park round of the Trans-Atlantic series, Barry Sheene found himself lying face~own across the front of the bike, riding backwards at about 90 mphl . He somehow got it stopped some 400 yards downrange, remounted, and went on to score a few points for the home team. He credits his . trick riding acts with minibikes for the ability to save it. OK, Barry . .. D-36 Expe rt J oh n Tavis has been out of act ion fo r a couple of weeks du e to a knee injury. Meanwhile , 46 -year-old Duane Spence intends to become the oldest " No. One " scrambler in California, and the Muhleman family is back in . it together: father Bud and 16-year-old Julie Jracing as Juniors while mo ther Mane spins wrenches and cheerleads. Unless we',.. mistaken in reading F,..nch language results, that mentioned-e..tier BRM sidecarefton won fint time out at the French GP; Le Mans. The solo action appean in story and photos inside. Honda has a I "works effort" on European tracks, a 915cc, DOHC 16-valve four, buil t for the Coupe d'Endurance series and expected to debut at Zandvoort, Holland. Sketchy shop photos reveal a fairly conventional double-loop cradle frame, long-body moved-up shocks, an apparently production-derived lower end topped by a special cylinder/head, triple discs, and a huge collector/muffler. The British papers claim 110 HP. Slight correction to last week's blurb about the Villa·Cacotto encounter. That occurred at an Italian Championship round in Misano, not at the French GP;' Poachers are said to be killing deer at an alarming rate in California, using "well organized tacti cs and CB radio", acco rdi ng to Cal Fish & Gam e. If you spot any of this activity, you might consider using yo ur own CB to alert the war de n. We need this kind of " fellow recreationist " Ii ke we need an extra set of enemies. If you missed the first TUjunua Ranger District' (Angeles Nat'l Forest) fire safety inspection, there's another at Hubbard St. Elementary School, Sylmar, Ca. on May 15, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. They'll check silencers and spark arrestors, plus clue you in on OK riding areas and fire . prevention measures during what may be a long hot season. It 's free . Speedway opens up at San Jose Thursday night, May 6 at 8 p.m. under AMA sanction. By inid-June there will be • three nights and one day a week of AMA-sanctioned speedway in Northern California: San Jose Thursday, Cal-Expo Friday, Napa Saturday, and the new Sears Point .track on Sunday aftemoo,:,. Th e SRA/ AMA pot still bubbles at both ends of California. Newly-elected SRA (North) Pres. J im Denny is running weekly shows at Yolo County Fairgrounds and is reportedly balking at letting any SRA licensee run any of the AMA events. Meanwhile the AMA Four expect to pick up som e Southern California riders who are n't getting all the. rides they want under th e SoCal league system. Reminds us of what happens when you stir a bunch of birds sitting on several different telephone wi res. Bakenfield District Advisory Board (BLM) meets on the Eureka Dunes plan May 14-15. Meeting will indude a Friday field trip, and will condude in Bishop, CA. For details, call the Bureau, (806) 861-4191. THE GREAT (ITALIAN) AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE THE GREAT (AMERICAN) CZECHOSLOVAKIAN ENDURO Having reached the ultimate in a simple, yet rugged chassis , this is South Bay CZ's Americanized 250 enduro. The suspension has been reworked to cantilever aft and air fore, alloy tank, improved electrics and a snappier pailTt job. The engine is a Mikunized 250 with all the . CZ traits. • Approaching the limit in simple , yet sophisticated chassis , this was.walter Villa's race-winning 350cc mount at Le Mans. The fabricated alloy swingarm -has an underslung mount for the Kon i formula car monoshock, which is carried as semi spruitg weight. The frame itself is a triangulated wedge with a minimum number of }u bes and a wide-base swingann mount. Story and more French GP pix on pages IO:I!. Ossa's current trials development , centers around a 360 with a snake exhaust and an extended intake tract for Spanish rider Francisco Paya. A six speed is reportedly in the works. Brad Lackey was in such a hurry to get from the Hants International MX in Britain to the Belgian EasteI' Trophy, he didn't get to pick up the sterting lIIa set he'd won there. But 900d buddy Jim Pomeroy stood in for Brad at the ' presentation. Pierre ./ Karsmakers had three lay do wn -shoc k RC 400. corning to him in Europe, rode Rich Eierstedt's Super Series bike while he was waiting for them. They arrived this past weekend, and Pierr e used one of th em to win a . moto in Italy. All National Forests in the country have a 1976 deadline for completing ORV plans, with input being sought from bikers and four wheelers (halfheartedly in some places, aggressively in others) . Upshot of all this is there's more USFS ranger districts doing this than CN can possibly keep track of, nor does any of this appear in the Federal Register. If you ride Nat ional Forest land in your home area, it's up to you to seek out your ranger district office and find if your riding rights are being adequately protected. 2 The u pcom ing Desert Baro ns Tea m Race will feature belt buckle finisher trop hies . o nce again, but this time they're 14K golf p lated. Wow!