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/126259
mod ificat ions . You put in your stock engi ne . electrics, carburetor. air filter . gas tank . triple clamps ("76 or '77 clamps a re recommended ) . se at , fenders, wheels, hubs and , tires . Ron uses Marzocchi forks and Fox Shox on his bike and recommends that the buyer use a simi lar set of high q uali ty su spe ns ion compo nents . He also created a nea t han d formed up' pipe which fits both the engine and frame , bu t a dow n-pipe can be used if you wa nt. The finished bike weighs in at the FIM minimum of 172 pounds dry! T hat's 20 -30 po unds less tha n current production 125s. And if you replace the stock Steel tank with a plastic RC repl ica ta nk, you can probably ge t it dow n to a flat 170 po unds . The engine- on Ron's bike is only m ild ly po rted and has a huge 34 millimeter Bing Series 50 carb on it . No reed valves or other tricks are used . As it is, the engine has lots of low en d - unusu al for a 125 - bu t has lots of top end too . Because of the bike's light weight (about 180 pounds wet) , the engine doesn't have to work hard , and " p icks up" about two horsepower in the process without any sa crifice in relia bility. The Frias-framed Honda is a blast to ride , and because of the torquey engine, it's no t as ha rd to get a long with as other Hondas. Ou t at th e track , Frias' rider , 125 Int ermed ia te Mike Eddie , was able to show what the bike can do. Then, we got a nov ice, Wayne Thomas, on board, and he immediately fell in love , sayi ng it was worth the price. Several other folks a lso dropped by to drool at th e bike too . ' Weight shifts are critical , however. With proper and discrete control , you don't have to work much to loft it over th e jumps and whoops ; or you can flick it in and out of the corners almost at will, steering more wit h th e knees than wit h the hand lebars. But , if you get too much weight on the ba ck of the ~3 sea t , you wind up wh eel ieing. Too m uch on the tank will put you into a , tank slapper on the stra ights or a slideout in the turns . If you should crash , it's like fa lling off a bicycle; and even though a Bing is used , restarting isn 't ha rd . But once you have adj usted to th e bik e's handling tra its, you 'll be a ble to do ju st about a nyth ing your heart desires . For th e expert or Pro privateer. th e Frias frame is a reasonable a lterna tive for those who a re n't Suzuki or Yamaha fa ns, It 's definit ely the com petitive a lte rn a tive. $57 5 is certai n ly j ustifia b le . for thos e who want a new life on their old Hond as. or for th ose who want to sta rt ou t a head of th e ga me . For you r m on e y, you get th e fr ame and swingarm, plus inst ruc t ion s, From th er e. it's a step which ca n move you , -frorn th e ba ck to th e front of th e pa ck . And th at 's wh at you 've a lways wanted . rig ht? For further information, writ e or ca ll ; Ron Frias . 4909 ' W asat ch . Anaheim , CA 92807 . (714 ) 998 ·2273. TheLatest N ewsAnd DevebpmentsFmm BultaolTIle( mpary'Iha Builds lVk>torcyc!es. And Nothing Else. MORE FRONTERA NEWS Mike Hannon Continues", April 24, 19n...Mount Vernon, Wash. By virtue of anoth er BULT ACO sweep. th e N ort hwes t Mo torcycle Assn . has a new Enduro series leader. Don Rh od es (A ub urn Mot ors ports Au bu rn. W ash.) finished second in the O pen "A" class "behi nd Charlie Be th a rds (I.S.D .T. Go ld Me dal Bul taco rider) but has taken over as points leader in the hig hly com peti tive N .M. A . series. The Frontera mo unted Rhodes is among th e a reas mos t active enthusiasts both as a rider and a spo nsor. Nice going Don. "at t he "Webfoot" enduro ,. STILL MORE FRONTERA NEWS April 24. 19n...Central Village, Co nn. New Engla nd is famous fo r its en duros and its endu ro riders. For years Bulta co riders hav e competed and won in these st renous events. Befor e last wee k. Bo b Dana (Razee Motorcycles · N. Kings town , R .I. ) had never competed on a Bul ta co .. .nor had he ever won one of th e New England Trail R ider sponsored en duros . All that has changed now a nd Bob Dana (i n his first effort with a 250 FRON TE RA) has wo n t he Overall victory in last Sunday's " Bent Peg " enduro. Congratulations Bob . FRONTERA BULLETIN: Ap ril 24. 19n...Sacramento. Ca. O n ly las t wee kend Mike Hannon traveled a ll t he way to Maplesville , Alabama to compete in the second Two-Day Qua lifier for 1977 . After winni ng his class , th e la nky Hannon rushed back to California to rid e the "4ger" 100 m ileNa tional Enduro in Sacra mento . No enduro is easy a nd the extreme d ust in this years .even t made it even less easy but. nonetheless , Hannon rode his 250 FRONTERA to the " A" class a nd Overall victory. T his m arks Hannon's second National win th is yea r a nd moves him into second position (unofficial) in the Na tiona l points 'tota l. Neat Mike . Early season co mpetition use of the 1977 Frontera 250 h as revealed one flaw in an otherwise super enduro mount. Under certain rid ing conditions. fuel consumption can reach such a level tha t the standard gas ta nk ca pacity will no t ca rry the bike to the nex t gas stop. T o prevent the strandi ng of Fro ntera 250 riders on the trail. Blraco International is sup plying, FREE OF CH ARG E. a new · LARGER gas tan k for every 1977 Frontera 250. This ta nk is ide ntical in size and sha pe to the 370 tank but is finished in bl ue a nd silver. These new tanks will be su p plied to all present owners of 1977 Frontera 250 's as quickly as possib le. THE 1977 FRONTERA 250 IS NOW AVAILABLE AT INCREDIBLE SAVINGS Frias Frame figures . Model Type II Factory GP Replica Frame type Sing le tube backbone, single down tu be, semi-sp lit cradle; TI G welded ,all 4130 aircraft tube cons truction; we ight: 15 poun ds Swi ngarm. . . . . 6061 T-6 aircraft alumi num' with . needle bearing bushings; weight: fo ur pounds. Steering head rake 29.5 degrees Rear wheel travel (actual) 10.7 inches J • w /Fox Sho x Recommended fro nt wheel travel .. . 9.5 inches , wlmodified Marzocch i forks Wheelbase 54.6 inches Uses any year CR 125 motor and stock running gear. " , Frame kit comes w ith frame. swi ngarm. alloy airb o x, mo t or m o u nt s, brak e stays and assem bly instruc tions." Firas Frame kit. $575.00 Complete Frias package Type II Replica Racer $1.575.00 SUGGESTED RETAIL NOW ONLY $1,355.00* SEE YOUR CLOSEST BULTACO DEALER FOR MORE INFORMATION ' eas t and wes t coast... .don 't forget Bultaco 's 60 da y warranty ,. . I ' , 1 , ) 9