Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

E :.:.RO.: .;U: . .;T:. : E=- -=~ SHEET ~ g . 24 MPH t Start 0.0 \ o, ;.00 state components so they should be farily shockproof. They make enduro timing easy, even with a dozen speed changes in a run . Probably too easy, since they give the rider with money to spend a distinct advantage in timekeeping over those not having such sophisticated equipment. When seconds count 1. R.T. .6 2. L.T. 1.0 3. L.R.T . 2.5 4. R.T . 3.6 5. L.T. 3.8 6. L:T. 5.8 7. R.T . 6.0 8. L.T . 6.2 \:l.:. <:J'1 I')..~I S- HILL 9. R.T. 10. L. T. 11. R.T . 12. L.T. 13. R.T . 14. L. T. 15. L. T. 16. R.R.T. 17. L.T. 18 . R. T. 19. LoT . 20 . L.T. enduro speedometer by Hans Ritter of Specmo, a motorcycle and foreign car speedometer service shop near Detroit. the enduro pilot (VDO calls its version Enduro Racer) has the normal odometers, one of them resettable in either direction , and a dial marked from zero to 60 on its 360 0 face in place of the normal speedo dial. When calibrated accurately for the particular motorcycle it is used on , the single pointer makes one revolution per hour as the odometer records exactly 24 miles: When you set the odometer at zero for the start of an event the pointer is automatically at zero minutes, at the top of the dial. As long as you maintain a 24 mph average speed the pointer on the enduro pilot will always match position with the minute hand on your watch , which was also straight up (a t 12) at the start. If you ride slowly , the pointer moves slowly. and your watch will get ead . You know immediately you have to speed up until the pointer position is the same as that of the minute hand , If you ride too fast, you can either slow down or stop until your watch catches up . Course changes are no problem because the pilot will indicate whether you arc maintaining the average speed as long as you stay on the course. If missing a turn throws the odometer reading off and you see the right mileage on a turn arrow or at a check , the odometer and the minute . pointer adjusts accordingly . And on sections at speeds other than 24. just ignore the pointer as you do the speed indication on a speedometer during an enduro . You still have the very accurate odometer mileage read -out. The pilot costs just a little more than a good speedo, and if you already have a VDO it can be converted for about half asmuch , It's popular and really worth the money if you're a serious andfairly accomplished end u ro rider competing in events that are not strictly timekeeping runs with multiple speed changes. For those, a computer works better. The best enduro computers are expensive, though. They ca n set you back 10 to 20 percent of the cost of . your bike. All you do is pre-set the average speed you want , activate the" computer as you start . and read in its face the number of miles and tenths your odometer should show if you 're on time . You don't even need a watch! Some of the more advanced designs , like the delux e model Ch ro no Computer made by Digitronics, Inc. in California, have exotic features that allow you to pre-program the speed average for the next section before you rea ch the speed change. then activate it at the proper moment by remote control , fast forward for advancing the readout , a function for freezing the display or stopping the count, and a switch to clear the numbers to zero . The 're small, light and have solid - Through most of an enduro you 're concerned with minutes - staying on your minute , no matter what , or on extremely difficult runs just staying within your hour. But when your riding and timekeeping improve and you start to become competitive, every second counts . You 're scored by seconds at the emergency (tie· breaker) checks and during any special test the meet may include. And seconds lost here add to ' seconds lost there until they add up to minutes . The experts know how to -keep them from getting away . Tactics are important. The more you know about the rules, particularly those dealing with the placement of checkpoints and the free territory around them , the better you'll be able to stay on time. And not just anywhere within your minute , but as close to the minute plus 30 seconds as you can. That's because emergency points are figured from the 30 ·second mark of the minute you are due. Having an idea where the secret checks are like to be located and' how often you 'll come upon them lets you know where you can ride fast to get ahead without running the risk of being caught hot. Most well-run enduros have checkpoints as you enter and leave tough woods sections or other difficult trails or obstacles swamps , hills , clear-cut timber or river. crossings. for example - ~o you are really tested on the rough parts. If the checks are placed properly you can't use easy roads to get ahead , though , because there might be a sneaky check just waiting io catch you ahead of schedule. But if you've studied the rules you know some things about checks that can be very helpful. First. they must be located exactly on a minute , not a few seconds either way. Second, they cannot be less than five miles apart or more than 40 . (No less than three miles in enduros of 100 miles or less.) Third. a secret check cannot be less than two miles before a gas stop or three miles after it , Putting all this together you find you have quite a lot of free territory in each meet. free in the sense that you do not have a worry about getting ahead while you 're in it. Apply this to a run of 105 miles at an average of 24 mph , with six secret checks and one gas stop , and you find there is 30 .8 miles of free territory, or almost one-third of the entire enduro. Why the odd mileage? Because in addition to five miles minimum distance between checks , they must be on even minutes . At 24 mph it takes 12 ~ minutes to go five miles , plus another 30 seconds you travel ~.ths of a mile, This adds up to at least 'Yo.ths during this enduro. Looking at how some of the best enduro riders in the country handle timekeeping and use free territory to their advantage will give you some ideas of how you , too. can improve your scores with your present riding ability . Jack Penton tries to keep within a l Ovsecond segment of 30 seconds into his minute, which is exactly ~oths of a miles after his minute comes up at a check. He goes fast during free territory to get ahead so he can stop to work on his bike, yet still be on time . He marks the free territory around gas stops (two miles before and three miles after) on his route sheet so he'll know when he's in it. He runs the two miles into gas fast . _gasses up quickly and runs out the three miles at top speed. Then he stops and works on his bike, knowing that he has five miles behind him and that he's on time . .Jack prefers a wristwatch to a clock holder. When he wants to check his time he keeps his eyes on the trail and raises his arm in front of his face, rather than looking down, unless he needs to hold on to the bars with both hands, like in deep sand. He only uses his VDO pilot to keep within five minutes on the minute hand. He depends on his odometer to give him the exact information on how he's doing because he can read it with a glance. He says it takes longer to look at his watch , which he might not be holding straight in relation to the VDO dial. If he finds he 's late, he remembers how much; then . stops looking at his i nt ru me nts and concentrates on his riding until he thinks he's caught up . Five-rime national enduro champion Dick Burleson (1974·78) uses many of the same techniques as . his hottest challengers, Jack Penton, who was runnerup in 1974 and No.3 in 1975 and 1976, and Skip Olson , who .took second spot in 1975 and '76. Because of his experience in enduro. Dick knows what a 24·mph average feels like, and he can stay within one of two minutes of his time without any instruments at all . But when you're trying to win the national championship even that small error is too much . At all eastern enduros , Burleson uses a 24 ·mph enduro pacer along with a route sheet and watch . He prefers mileages only on his route sheet so it won 't be cluttered and harder to read. If there is a 'speed change , 'he relies on his odometer and route sheet until the speed returns to 24 , then he resets at that point so he can resume using the minute needle on his enduro pilot. At western endures. in which timekeeping ability is severely tested with many speed changes and fancy solid-state computers are the common enduro instrument , Dick goes back to the very basics. In the two-day , 500 · mile Greenhorn National Enduro, which he won overall in 1977, H usky's , indominatable King Richard relied on a standard VDO enduro speedometer, a watch and a route sheet. There were 30 speed changes along the course, yet he dropped only one point. Can-Am factory rider Skip Olson, also an eastern rider used to 24·mph events and frustrated by timekeeping and different rules at his first western national in 1976, returned to California the following spring to capture the overall prize at the 125· mile Fool's Gold National. His key timekeeping instrument is the prototype of an electronic watch that reads in miles instead of minutes. He uses this with his digital wristwatch and a route sheet. A 24 ·mph pilot serves as a backup. But the most important factor in accurate timekeeping seems to be keeping your head together. Even the enduro stars have bad days, and ,they hurt, especially if you're in contention for the crown. Skip Olson found that out a week after his Fool's Gold win when he was disqualified in the Greenhorn for running 20 minutes hot at a check. What happened? Skip-says he just fell asleep and burned one check, which he knew ended his . chance of winning, then got mad at himself and rode the toughest part of the course so fast he was disqualified at the next checkpoint. At the same time Burleson was proving once again through timekeeping, riding ability , bike preparation and endurance how • cool and consistent he is. (To be continued) >

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