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/126073
I.D ....-i I-< IlJ ..0 E IlJ > o Z A • project for'three" people with one bike each or one person with three bikes . "or two people with a bike and one-half each. By Jody W eisel N y once offered me a million Lira for my Malcolm Smith j acket. in Europe. 1 refused cause if he . offered me a million then 1 anted at least two million. To this day 1 don't have the slightest idea how mu ch money that was, and if I found out I would probably break down and cry. The point is (nat no matter what I have , can get, or possess I want more. Motocross is my meat and potatoes so instead of racing one class I like to .race two , but to do this I needed at least three bikes . just sticking to my " little bit more" philosophy. Not satisfied with stock motorcycles, although 1 am totally pleased with stock engines, because if you try to get a little bit more out of bore x stroke you soon find yourself disqualified for trying to run HOcc in the 125 class. Suspension 'travel has always been one technical area where you can never get enough. I took three motorcycles, cuz-they were sitting in my garage, and I tried to get a little more travel out of everyone of them. Suzuki RM 250, 125 and 100 motocrossers make excellent test bikes because they are a known performance quality ; a change here or there can be immediately deciphered and evaluated because of the vast number of manhours logged on the saddle. In this project 1 set out to improve three motorcycles for the expense of improving one. The shocker is that not only did it work for me , but if you don't happen to ha ve a 250 , 125 and 100 laying around you can form a combine of Suzuki RM owners and three guys can im p rove their bikes and split the amazingly low The plan . Sitting in the garage one night with a couple Team Suzuki mechanics talking about the works 125's got me rolling on this grandiose scheme. It started because the mechanics said that any privateer could build a RM12'5 with suspension almost as good as the works -bike (the engine was a different matter, but DG, FMF , T&M or Miller Mano can build you an engine at least as fast ). The Suzuki works 125's are the smaller 125 frame mated to 250 forks and shocks. There is a little more to 'it than that, but after scapping the exotic titanium bolts, expensive aluminum swingarm and tidbits of experimental paraphenalia the essence of the works bike is long travel suspension borrowed from the big bikes . It wouldn't be practical to try and put works forks on a privateer motorcycle for two major reasons; you can't get them and the expense/life quotient is too high. Most of the European factories that can't design or afford to build trick forks simply switch to Marzocchi leading axle forks. Last year this specific front fork was found on more international GP bikes than any other brand . Where Maico forks were once the top of the line, all comparisons are now made from the Italian Marzocchi's, This is where the wallet starts to get bit. Marzocchi forks retail at over S200 (and they have a magnesium model that will destroy the monetary system of three undeveloped nations and your credit union) . Undaunted, largely because the cost was going to be split three ways, a call was put into Gary Harlow at DG Performance S ecialties, 55!?,2 La Palma, Anaheim , CA. who carry ' a complete line of Marzocchj e suspension units. .and a peaceful drive out to Anaheim, CA. had us driving home with the nine inch travel devils . The other expense that was calculated was for a set of shocks. And after much soul searching, magazine reading and bench racing Stock Suzuki