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/126072
The Hodaka 100 RT!02 The Hodaka 125 SL!03 T he new Hodaka 100 RT/02 is a n u pdated version of the o riginal Road To ad . T he engine features reed valve induction, pri mary kick st art ing, 26m m Miku n i rac ing carburetor, 5 -speed transm ission, a n Alum ife rric Cy linder. Other features include: cush ioned rear hub, accessible toolbox , sk id p lat e, grease, f ittings, 428G chain, 9,gau ge spo kes, pack rack , conical fro nt brake and lot s of oth er fea tures worth croaking about. -T h is is Hodaka's new a nd improved (and even handsomer) version of the Wombat 125 - a licenseable trai lbi ke first int roduced in 1973. The new Womb at 125 S Ll03 has the same lo nq-t ravel front suspension used on the Hodaka 250/EO . The rea r shoc ks are gas/o il w ith 5·way adju stable springs and two upper mo unting posit ions . According to Steve Foit le of Yamaha, Bob Hannah. Rick Burgett, and Broc Glove r have signed up for next year's !\IX wars . The Trans·AMA standings are in limbo because of the official protest of Sylvain Geboers for using illegal material in his axle . The AMA has the axle, will test it and hold the appeals board meeting before the Cycle World Trans·AMA this Sunday at Saddleback. Seen wheeling out new Yam aha TTSOOs from t he Yamaha warehouse last week: Mike Bast, Jay Springsteen , and Rex Beauchamp. A source inside Yam aha says the three bought the bikes to prepare - fo r the upcoming Race of Champions to be held at Saddleback Park in February of next year. Springsteen and Beauchamp bought two bikes each. Must be se rio us business. Gary Nixon is back in the hospital, this time to have the steel plates removed from his right arm. His arm was severely broken in a 1974 test crash in Japan. Steve Eklund, who fin ished fOurth in the Camel Pro series th is year, broke his arm at Riverside Raceway on Halloween. Eklund's 250 Yamaha seized and h ighsided him into the Tum Nine boiler·plate wall during an AFM money race. Yamaha International (U.S. Distributor of Yamahas) has given young Randy !\Iamola a new TZ250 to campaign in Lightweight Expert Nationals next year. Kel Carruthers will prepare the bike fo r Mamola to ride . According to Papa's spies, Mamola is not enjoying full support (ala mega-bu cks factory contract, motor ho me, etc), b ut is being given the works machin e and parts. The bulk of Mamola's sponsorship comes from J im Doyle o f Yamaha Worl d in San J ose. "Sidewinder One is a new motocross movie starring Michael Parks and Marjoe Gertner, now rolling in Arizona. Standard plot nu mber I-A is the story line (bea uti fu l girl inherits da ddy's ta]«: factory) and disguised Maicos serve as Sidewinders in the flick. It Cheer up, motorcycle bu sinessmen. Help is on its way. Historically, election years have been downers for the industry . But no matter who wins in November, 1977 should br ing better sales. Doug Bingham's amual. Sidecar Rally Oct. 24 was bigger and better fill ing nearly half of the Mineral Wells picnic area of Griffith Park in Los Angeles. At least six d ifferent brands of street sidecars are currently available, including Doug's SideStrider and Globe import. Mike Bast will teach a two-day speedway racing school at the Maely ra nch near Corona, Califo rnia Nove mber 20 and 21. The sch ool includes video -tape playback, a starting gate, a "perfect" track, and instruction under actual rac ing co nditions. The class is limited to ab out one dozen pupils, and costs $100 for the weekend, including Reg Pridmore has let it be known that he wants to ride a Honda RCB 941 in European Endurance Races next year. For the full story, see the interview in this issue. . Pop Yoshimura's headquarters in North Hollywood , California has denied rumors that Pop will move to Europe next year to work on Suzuki endurance racers. Suzuki's Publ ic Relations Department knows nothing aboUt the re po rt , eit he r. Yoshimura has admitted to working on a prototype 870 kit fo r the GS750s. Look for the first test in these pages in about three weeks. 2 Will th e real Nick Nicholson please stand u p ! No, not yo u. Billy an d Bob Gross i's mother is trying to get the boys family racing alb u m bac k fro m someone who borrowed it, but in the world of motorcycling their a re two Nick Nicholsons. One wit h Greeves and one with the photo alb ums. She is real sorry to have gotten Nick mixed up with Nick, and Papa is real sorry to be this mixed up at all. I Young hero David Emde bedazzled the Ontario pits at the October 17 CMC road race by doing "front wheel wheelies" on his Mel Dinesen Honda XR75. Ernde must have done a dozen in a row, right in front of the door to the ladies' room. Maybe he wanted to im press loose pit tootsies? AFM club racer "Pat Eagan of Fullerton, Califo rnia has made an agree ment with Erv Kanemoto to buy Gary Nixon's KR250, plus spares. Will this mean a resurgance of Green Meanies in the Results Column? Neither Suzuki nor Kawasaki have given up on their trials developments, though current models are being cleared from inventory . Many of the Kaw KTs on the National circuit are now 302s as rider/dealer development continues. Suzuki, meanwhile, has sent a new 325cc engine to one of its works European riders, John Metcalf; and sent Nigel Birket to Japan under wraps. Ben ' and Deanne Bower added to their pit crew this mo nth, two weeks after returning fro m the ISOT . Charlene Deanne. 8 po unds, is desc ribed as an early arrival October 1 I at 12: 38 a.m , Mamola proved himself a very capable rider in AMA Novice events this year, with a third at Duckworth Chain's Loudon, second at ChampiOn Spark Plug's Laguna Seca, and second at Mulholland's Riverside races . Last yew, you'll remember, a cloud ovenhlKlowed Mamola's fine job in AFM 125cc racing when Doyle proclaimed Marnala "the United States 125cc Champion" while promoting a N_ Zealand racing tour. Upon Randy's return from that trip, his fin ishes were highly touted as proof of his ability. Only one thing was overlooked - Mamola didn't race the Experts "down under: ' He's still good. Congratu la tions to J ack Hand of Coeur d'Alene, Ida ho who won a bra nd new RS 100C Yamaha and a complete assortment of Yamaha riding gear when his name was drawn October 22 at the National Hemophilia Foundation awards banquet in Chicago. Yama ha International Corporation .will be sending Jack his goodies right away . Cycle News sends thanks to Yam aha , B.J . Breece and all of yo u readers for part icipating in the RAH contest. Dick HarloW's Ridgecrest BLM office has a new address - P.O. Box 219, Ridgecrest, CA 93555. Phone (714)375·9726. They're beginning to talk up an April 2·3 Rand cleanup for next year. (Continued on page 40)