Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Cycle News 1979 02 07

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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were too slow . You know, that's what the California races are, zero en duros. There's just a lot less riding skill and basic thinking involved , I think. That doesn't do much for me . I like a race that's really tough and the weather's really bad. "I have no trouble at all keeping time. It 's just part of the game. That's not what I enjoy about enduros , keeping time and zeroing a check. I like it if you have a check and then you go into the woods , and you know you're not going to be able to maintain the schedule, and you have to go as fast as you can, That's what I enjoy , just going as fast as I can through the woods, and the longer the better. The longer it is. usually the bett er my , chances of doing well ," Running hot , "The worst thing to do is hit a check early, I hate that because it's just a total waste . When I hi t a check ea rly I go up the trail swearing at myself. I ca n't believe I did that. It really bums me out. Bu t I've learned from so many races I've been to tha t it's never over u nt il th e end, If I have a problem or burn a check or something, I'll think, 'well , I'm out of it.' I've done that a couple of times , where I burn a check, and then I've kept on going with it bugging me a couple minutes . Bu t I forget about it and race the rest of the event and come out winning. " Like down there at that one Texas event early in 1977. I lost some mileage - like three or four tenths on a kind of U on the course, enough so I burned the next check. It was in a little gully, and I didn't even see it , and I came around thinking I was in free territory, There it was, actually 5.2 miles from the last 'check. I was four minutes early, 17 points right there , and the race had been a zeropointer for me up 'til' then. I was so grossed out I protested the check. But anyway, I took off, and after awhile I kind of forgot about it and just kept on ridi ng as best I could. I didn't lose any more points , and Don Sanford zeroed th e whole course to win .-Skip O lson hit a co up le late , ma yb e . I don 't remember. He dropped less than '10 points. And there was no body in between. I got th ird overall, and I d ropped 17 hot points! "That's a classic example of how you should n't give up in t he middle because you still may come out O K." Why is Dick Burleson so consistent? He says it's because he's stayed with one brand of bike an d learned how to solve or eliminate all the mi nor things that cause trou ble on enduros. He , analyzes his own problems and those of other riders and figures out how to eliminate them . Things like cha ins coming off, flat tires, etc. that cause the most trouble, He tries to ride the same bike a long time so he doesn't have to ' go through the problems encountered with any new machine. His toughest run? "In the past three years they've all been pretty easy , 'not very wet. The Porcupine in 1975 was a lot of fun , with the thundershowers and lightning in the middle of the run." More than a few riders have different memories of the sa me end uros . Bu t then they don't have all those wins to comfort them. Bu t the rec ord of Bill Baird of Illinois still stands as a cha llenge to Dick . For seven yea rs, 1962:1968, Bill won th e • na tional en duro championshipl (To be continued) "Cha mpio ns hi p Endu ro ," copyr igh t f. ' 1977 bv Ste ve Booth and B r ia n Pale rmo , i', a va ila ble' d irect f rom t he p ub l is be r , Pa ra gon Publi cat io ns , ~10 6 Sweetbrier, La faverre , CA 94549 fo r $5, 95 postpaid. 'Ca li fo rn ia reside n ts ad d 6%- sales tax ; o III. A newhelmet that's been through hell and back. Tested and developed by champions like Bob Hannah, Roger DeCoster. Larry Roeseler and othersuperstars. The newMoto III sets new helmet standards with its combination of safety and comfortdeatures:smaller. lighter fibetglass shellfor better baIliiIce. Contouredto proteet nose. mouth and chin (eliminates needfor face masks). Slotted air ventsfor increased air supply. The first integral dust filter. Newfade-resistant finish, in red, yellow or white. Five-snap Halman-type visor. DistinctiveBell graphics. Snell 75 and OOTapproved. . Bell's newMoto III is the first in a newhelmet generation. Made to protect all riders who liketo win or play hard, come hellor high water. Bell Helmets, Inc" 15301 Shoemaker BELL, Ave., Norwalk, CA 90650. @y LOOK FOR US AT THE HOUSTON, CINCINNATI & DAYTONA CYCLE TRADE SHOWS! Look for Suz or Monty Hoge at all the Wlnter- AMA events in Florida. Trade in your 3 rail or enclosed trailer, financing available up to 36 months. 15

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