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/126321
Honda RC 125-AIC-C Honda has designed an all-new 125cc engine for its 1978 works bike, The magnesium sandcast cases house a tranny a nd capacitive six-speed discharge ignition. That just might be a chrome cylinder being fed by the case reed induction system . Honda says this is a pre-production prototype , but we all know how long it takes to transform th ese magi cal RCs into CRs. though the wait has always been worth it. An interesting side not e is that Mr. Honda's son is campaigning CR 125 production bikes inJapan and Europe. The highly modified stockers are even being sold under the guise of Mugen, though Honda doesn't officially recognize the Mugen-rnodified creations. It was a Mugen cylinder kit that Steve Wise used on his production based Honda in the 125cc Nationals last year. Steve's new works bike tips the scales at 188 pounds. Mechanic Cliff White has made a couple of changes to the A IC-C as Honda sent it from Japan . Modifications included replacing a 23inch front wheel assembly that came on it with a 21 -inch unit. Steve didn't favor the Yokohama tire. the only brand of knobby presently available in 23 -inch size, wanting to use a Dunlop. Also replaced were the works Showa suspension components. Forks are Simons air/spring units which allow 12.25 inches of travel , whil e at the rear Steve likes the dampening control of Ohlins gas/oil reservoir shocks with 10.75 inches of rear wheel travel provided . Suzuki RA 125-78 This is the rocketship of the class . When Mark Barnett pulls up behind a 250cc in practice, it' s the RA which usually wins the race to the next corner. The eight· fin cylinder is the trademark of the magnesium case works engine which uses Suzuki's case induction Power Reed. Transmission is six -speed and ignition CDI. This is probably the last year you 'll see this engine, since the larger RH and Rr: models have already gotten newer , smaller engine designs with their clutch actuators located on the opposite side of the engine from the clutch. Updates thi s season are mainly centered on the suspension where this tiddler class Suzuki uses Kayaba air/spring works forks with 11.25 inches of travel. The bike ca me with 13.5 in ch es of rea r travel . but mechanic Mark Johnson inst alled short er Ka yaba gas/oil reservoir shocks to lower tr avel to 12 _ inches to 5 keep it a little more in line with the front . There's a lso a new shape to the aluminum fu el tank , while new rearward positioned side number panels conform to th e latest FIM rules. Weight ? About 176 pounds. Kawasaki KX or SR 125 The KX is supposed to be th e lim ited production work s bik e you can buy at you r fri endly Kawa sak i dealer. while th e SR mod el Gaylon Mosier rides in th e Nati on als d iffers slightly with minor changes tha t update th e fram e. The fa ct that it is a little behind its ma jor 'c om petition in th e vital statistics department signifies the KX is closer to production than work s. The powerplant is a magnesium cased six-spced with cylinder reed induction . Suspension includes 10 inches of travel at eac h end provided by Ka ya ba air/spring forks and gas/oi l reservoir shocks. Despite the liberal use of expe nsive metals like aluminum for the swingarm and brake torque arm, and magnesium for the hubs, weight is in the hefty 195-200 pound range . Yamaha O W 36B-812 The National Champion got an su. I new bike this year, though first impressions of the OW 36 can fool the untrained eye. I think Yamaha 's engineers should be credited as th e most innovative and daring tn motocross technology, even if th e finished product sometimes needs a little more testing and refinement before it can get down to winning. The magnesium engine is smaller and lighter thi s year , though provision still remains on the right side for installation of a mechanically driven waterpump (off the cra nksha ft) for a bolt-on watercooling system , Yamaha 's Torque Induction style cylinder reed va lve feeds a chromeplated cylinder bore in the aluminum cylinder. Gone is the monocoque backbone frame which Yamaha innovated for While it provided motocross, exceptional strength for its weight . the fact that it enclosed the rno noshock from cooling air began to create quite a problem with shock fade from overheating as rear suspension travel got longer. Externally mounted reservoirs were tried to improve cool ing. including the un iq ue idea of using the front down tube as a reservoir for the DeCarbon type shock, The frame is now a more conventional all tube design to allow more ai r to reach the monoshock which still uses an external gas /oil reservoir. Actual suspension components include works Kayaba air/spring front forks with 10 .6 inches travel . and a' Yamaha DeCarbon monoshock . providing 10.5 inches travel out back. Complete bike weight is right on the FIM limit at 176 pounds. NOW AVAILABLE . EXCLUSIVELY FROM YOUR LOCAL HUSaVARNA DEALER THESE RIDERS DEPEND ON OHLIN GAS SHOCKS: DICK BURLESON HARRY EVERTS JACK PENTO N TORLIEF HANSEN CHUCK SUN BENGT ABERG LARRY ROESELER GUNNED Y MOISEEV FRANK GAllO ADOLF WElL BOB POPIEL HAKAN ANDERSSON HERBERT SCHMITZ GRAHAM NOYCE LO P Suzuki R M 125C Marty Moates' bike is just one example of the numerous accessory parts available to improve the performance of a production bike , particularly Suzuki's popular RM 125 . Laurens Offner, owner of LOP , did most of the work on the bike including a ported cylinder. reworking the stock exhaust pipe and the installation of an LOP radial head. The carburetor is a 36mm Mikuni. Suspension includes Simons 12.25 inch travel air/spring forks at the front. Rear suspension uses a tri ck new LOP bent a luminum swingarm working in conjunction with 17.5 ,inch Fox AirShox to give a trigonometry fa ctor of 12 inches travel. The stra nge looking swingarm allows the in cr eased rear wheel travel without raising th e rid e he ight of th e bike. Despite all th e tri ck suspe nsion bik e weight is kept a t a low 190 pounds. Moto-X Fox Yamaha YZ 125£ Moto-X Fox already has esta b lishe d themselves as th e top non -fact ory tea m on th e Am eri can motocross sce ne . La st yea r th ey fielded three of th e top 10 bike/rider combinations in th e 125cc National Championships. Most of thei r work ha s been centered on im p ro ving th e RM 125 Suzuki , but this yea r th ey tak e another major step forwa rd with th e introduction of th eir AirShox for monosh ock Yamahas. Sim ilar in principal to their regular . AirShox . but of course much larger , t he Yamaha AirShox retains th e dual air adj usta bility feature of the regular AirShox and uses both the DeC arbon and gas Girling principals of operation. Developed by Bob Fox and tested by Pat Richter and Donn ie Canraloupi . a Moto-X Fox Yamaha with AirShox is now be ing raced on the National circ u it by ex-Yamaha factory rider Danny Turner. Rear wheel tr avel is inc reased about one in ch over a stock Yamaha and operation is much sm oo ther. Other modifications to the bike include Simons forks and a Moto -X Fox ported cylinder kit with exhaust pipe , all available from Moto-X Fox. 1111I111 Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorroW' you diet. TERRYKIT I IH. !-R.O:\ I L:\[J [J.\\It'E:\I:\(, I ':\IT FOR. TIH SI·.R.I(Jl'S C O \ l I' FT II OR. New Kits for '78 with Adjustable Travel Max Travd Yamaha IT 175/250 /400 '77& '78 ,, , 10" Yamaha YZ 125'77 & '78 10" Yamaha YZ250/ 400 '77 , , , II " Yamaha YZ250/400 '77 , 10" Yamaha YZ250/400 '78. , , 12" Yamaha YZ80 '78 7.5" Suzuki RM 80 ·78 , 7.5.. Suzuki RM 125 '77 &·78 10" Suzuki RM 250/ 400 '78 , 10" Kits a lso avail able for other bikes Write for free litera ture Out of state ca ll toll free 800 ,854 ·4691 90 day money back guarantee Dealer or Direct Cu stom h i gh q u a li t y ny lo n ra ce je rs e ys . w ith padded e lbows . lor d ea le rs , c lubs . learn s, etc Any co lors in any Send drawing & quantll y . quantity for quote ~ I . M'. . M~ o ~~ 0 7359Varna Avenu e INC. No-IlolIvwooO .CA 91605',i2131982-3738 f • H,,,-..",, eM" O8A f'ROCR[SSM . INC. IN CALiJ. 1 PIONEER WAY =7 • n CAJON, CAUF. 92020 444 B I LL WALTERS LEATHERS , · Hiiesalu Mfg. Co. 120 W. Cypress Ave. Burbank, CA 91502 213-845-7161 13