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/126318
(Continued from page 17) rear he uses either a 5. 00x18 K·88 Dunlop or a 4.50x18 Goodyear Eagle MX2. The rear brake is a full floating design using a hollow aluminum torque arm with the brake being rod actuated. Other lightweight goodies include an 8 liter (2.5 gallon) aluminum fuel tank. The ,wheel and swingarm axles are hollow steel. The plastic airbox houses twin JT Phase II Filters and it draws its air from under the seat once the plastic side number panels are in place and sealed. Access to the filters is from the side of the bike when the number panels are removed. Complete riding weight for the bike is 198 pounds and the wheelbase checks out at 57 inches. The bike weighed only 193 pounds when it first arrived from Japan , one pound under the FIM / AMA minimum limit, but a change to heavier duty tires and tubes raised it to its present weight. The bike uses hardly any titanium parts. so it could be built much lighter if necessary. The only personal modifications Hannah has' made to the bike include a set of narrow 31 inch handlebars available from Hi-Point, a Hi -Point folding shift lever. relocated footpegs (higher for his short legs), and a guard plate so his boots don't snag on the brake rod. Within no time I had gotten used to the sensitivity of the rear brake and the need for the engine to be shifted early. _It was difficult to judge in riding how light the bike was because the monoshock's inherent higher center of gravity makes the Yamaha respond to changes in direction like a more conventional bike some 10-15 pounds heavier. Handling was more than impressive. Both the monoshock and the KYB front forks ironed themselves over rutted terrain like it was smooth pavement. It was impossible within my riding capabilities to get the bike out of shape and past,its limits. Cornering the bike in tight turns was what really impressed me . Despite its long legs it jammed around tight turns better than any bike I've ever ridden. The best way to describe the OW38-B. is balance. Everything works together in unison - smoothly. The front of the bike works as well as the back. The engine is matched well with the suspension and weight. Everything is exact and refined . It didn't want to wheelie excessively every time you got on the gas, nor did the back end like to hop around . If I was racing the bike for Yamaha I'd ask them to make some changes. Perhaps an inch longer susepnsion at each end to match the other works machinery, and alter the porting of the cylinder slighty so it will rev higher without losing its strong mid-range. Right now the bike seems ideally suited to tight, low speed tracks. On rougher and faster tracks the works Hondas and Suzukis have a very definite advantage. The fact that Hannah can still beat them on those kind of tracks says quite a lot for his skill. One thing that has really impressed me with all .the factory' works bikes I've ridden over the past year is that they are easier to ride than production bikes and work much better. The works RC Honda proved to me that we do need longer travel suspension that works well, and now the OW Yamaha proves we don't need all -our horse power, but broader powerbands that are more usable. Oddly enough. such bikes are available or can be easily modified 'to meet these goals. Anyone who realizes this fact can have the ultimate motocross bike. • SHOWMANSLJP 47