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/126249
Q uite often the shifting sands of market opportunity create the need for a motorcycle that doesn't exist in the normal product line, but which can be created ' b y com b in i ng exi s t i n g .o ff -s h e lf components with ' a few subtle modifications . The Spanish manufacturers (or th eir American distri- , butors) had , in the' past , _taken this concept of " pa rts bin engineering" and elevated it to a high an . Remember the Bultaco El Tigre, created in America to satisfy our peculiar demand for a "stree t scrambler?" That one seems like a joke now , hut the idea flourishes . Better examples are the Bult aco Alpina as a blend of ' end u roltria l, , and' the " Y' Series" Montesa Cotas created in a similar vem, Today , the uniquely American demand for a desert racer as a specialized type has motivated the blend of parts labelled the Desert Phantom. The end object, as -tested , acquitted itself as a credible desert d enizen ( wit h reservations) , a satisfyingly quick trail scoot, and a mechanically sound starting point for a serious ISDT/des"ert enduro/Two Day Trial effort. , The Desert Phantom is an odd hodge -podge indeed. Take the shocks. The a lloy' bod y GP KONIs enjoyed bri ef glamour as the tr ickest non-gas heat -dissip ating shock money could bu y. co m ma nding 5130 a pair in th e ret ail aft ermarket. Fro m a co m mercia l sta ndpoin t, th ei r tim ing co u ld n' t ha ve • • • been worse. for they were immediately leapfrogged b y the gas shock revolution . The fact that they now appear on the current Desert Phantom indicates th at someone made Ossa an offer they cou ld n' t refuse. The shocks are attached to a gusseted steel swingarm in a near-vertical moved-up position . yield ing roughly seven inches of effective rear travel. (Ossa retired the alloy swingarms across- th e-board a yea r ago. ) In the engine department , the Phantom motocross powerhead has been subtly detuned rather than re o engineered to bend it gently in the direction of a broader speed range. The gearbox rates as \ "sem i-wide" • ratio , having lower first and second gear ratios t h an- the standard motocrosser, leaving ' th ird through ' fifth identical. The carburetor is a 36mm T ype 54 Bing , compared to 38m m or larger MX units. Porting is described by shop mechanic. as close to the stock Phantom, although th e very latest Phantom GPs now have a larger exhaust port , Add a thicker head gask et , a nd you've about got it . Th e weld ed -un it , dow n pi p e inc orporates a silencer, but mod els in , cu rrent inve nt ory still re quire a shop' insta lled kit (using a Su per Tra pp addon) to m eet Californ ia's stiff Gr een S t ic kie reg istrat io n regs , L a t e r •• • • shipments are expected to com p ly-outofthe box . In attention to details , the Desert Pha nt om is finished -ou t in a manner that is typically Spanish . Translated, th at means really fine from a diehard en thusiast's point of view, provided you ca n live. with a 'few fixabl e idiosyncracies (like hard . s lip pery grips). For inst a nce, they've pressed a pin into the right handlebar-end to pos itively locate the plastic twistgrip so it won' t rotate. There's a rugged tempered-alloy bash plate wrapped under the downpipe , and the pipe itself ha s an a ngle- iron stiffener in its und erside to prevent its be ing sq u ashed if the bash plate should , on occasion , yield . There are wire-rope brush gua rds on both foot controls. These are generally effective , but on our test bike, th e o ne on th e shifter proved to be ' a litt le sho rt , int erfer ing with th e Ossa's lon g -throw shifting : causing testers to mi ss shifts a nd only ge t half-engaged in gear at rimes . The rear brake lever is a really artful a lloy forging, carried on a common pivot with a Bolger roller chain tensioner. A swingarm -mounted chain' guide ad ds to coping with violent chain whip. During the test , th e chain was allowed to wear repeatedly until it was slapping th e swinga rm , yet it never ca me off. It would tak e a d irec t hit with a substant ial rock to ca use any problems here . T he airbox is a three-sided plast ic m old ing incorporatin g number plates. Its rear closure is th e fr ont of a healthy • •••• • fiberglas rear fender. Air enters from under the seat. The aircleaner element itself is paper, with an oiled-foam jacket. No hassles her e , ei ther . The tank is a three-gallon uni t with fork clearance notches up front . Its ca pa city seems perfectl y tailor edto the 50 ·to-75 m ile desert loop. The ga s ca p has a tendency to drool. Tack ed onto t h e , ub iquitous Motoplat solid-state electrica l system is a rudimentary o ff-ro ad lighting kit a two -filament headlamp and a onefilament taillamp (n o brake light). It proved adequate not only for guiding one's self home at moderate speeds , but also for retrieving lightless buddies from the evening shade. The Ossa powerhead rates high marks, as ever. It 's generally a onekick starter, even when cold if one has been generous with th e carb tickler. Pan of the secret is Ossa 's long kicksrarter, which is something of a tradition by now . It 's . been subtly recontoured and curved so as to be a little less vicious to the leg in a crash than it was of old. It looks, awkward and feels . awkward while you 're swinging it out of its folded position , but it is meant to spin the engine at a prodigious rate . So prodigious, in fact , that even when limited to a half-kick b y surrounding obstacles (in California . mostly ro cks) it does the job. However , it do es tend to do 'gr ea t bodily harm to th e left footpeg when subject ed to hea vy kicking . After ex tend ed use, th e mangled ' foot peg became .ha rd to get a grip on. • 9