Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

AMA · Regional Schedule • • • • • • (Tear it out and stick it in your toolbox) • • • • • • Ea~em Region Date Type of Evwrt Site Merch 2 Shon Track Southeastern Horse Center Priceville, Al March 3 Half·Mile Aorida State Fairgrounds Tampa. FL March 6 Half-Mile Volusla Counly Speedway Barbervilla. FL March 6 Half-Mile Volusia County Fairgrounds Barberville. FL Aorida State Fairgrounds Tampa. FL Yark Fairgrounds . York, PA April 8 May 28 Among the changes are an extruded aluminum swingarm . In riding the new MC·SO. I found it to be a definite improvement over the present model. It seemed to tum · quicker and was easier to layover. The lightness was easy to feel in that it responded quicker to inputs...not as quick as a CR-250 Honda, but better than the new YZ·250F Yamaha. Except for its high center of gravity, the KTM is nearly similar in handling characteristics to a Maico; just a little . closer to neutral than the Maico's front wheel bias. It is not much of a wheelie bike in this respect, also due in part to the engine's long turbine- like power· band. The new brakes seemed to perform well, though it was difficult to judge . them at Texas' Lake Whitney course, where much of the track is sand. In such a situation the sand can usually stop you quicker,than the brakes can. But the fact that I didn't notice the rear wheel -hopping around under braking must mean then new fullfloating rear brake was doing its in tended job . . One thing I really disliked was the seat , which remains similar in design to the present bike 's . long and narrow. A problem with overly soft saddles in the past caused KTM to find a really hard foam rubber for the seat as an alternative. Even though the bike was new , the foam in the seat was just too hard and wouldn't compress when sitting down. This overly hard and narrow seat leaves you balancing precariously over the bike , feeling .detached because you are sitting so high you can't touch ground. I found it actually hindered my riding in the turns, it upset my 'balance so bad. I'd like to see KTM lower the height of the seat by one inch, making it flatter in the process, and using a foam rubber that isn't sa.·hard every small bump tries to fracture your spinal column. 18 I waSn't too pleased with the way the suspen.s.!on worked on Mike's bike . He claimed he liked the way it was set up . over-sprung and under-dampened . but I had just gotten af Bob Hannah's OW-59B works bike and could feel immediately where Mike's KTM was . deficient compared to a works bike that was properly set up. The front forks I'll have to blame on Marzocchi. There was no proper damping action at all . The front wheel just wanted to vibrate its way across the tops of' bumps, not even coming close to staying in contact with what the ground was doing. Manocchi hasn't been known for its damping control in the past, and these latest forks are no exception. And with one race on the bike, the fork tubes were already exhibiting the chatter marks which are common to Manocchi. Hopefully, one of the accessory corn parries will come up with a proper . damping rod kit , complete with negative springs and perhaps tighter slider bearings, to fit these new 275mm Manocchi forks. The rear end didn't behave too well, either, wanting to kick like crazy in a high -speed whoop'de-do section which Hannah's works -Yarna ha burned through like it wasn't even there. The Ohlins reservoir shocks which Mike was using on the KTM just weren't set up properly due to his inexperience with the new bike and probably never having access to bikes which were dialed- in to give him a reference point to work towards. Ohlins reservoir shocks are totally adjustable. The only hard part is fin ding a Husky /Ohlins dealer who stocks the damping and spring parts you need . Mike's Ohlins w.ere set up with a short lightweight spring and a straight, constant rate heavy spring. The light weight spring bottomed out almost immediately just sitting on the bike , leaving the heavy constant rate spring to do all the work. Since the new KTM now has a rear suspension geometry which is in itself constant rate, what you are left with is a rear spring which reacts as finnly to the small bumps as it does to the large ones . And yet the suspension bottoms out on jumps, so you can't go to a softer spring for the smaller bumps. What the bike needed was a progressive main spring to allow the rear suspension to cope with the the whoops and jumps, and more return damping in the shock piston to keep the back of the bike from pogo· ing. All told, the new Me-SO KTM is an impressive new bike. For the present it is limited by only two minor problems . the seat and damping action of the front forks. Both problems could be fairly easily corrected by the owner, but in a bike that is so close to perfection, it is hoped KTM will want to undertake those chores themselves. • Half-Mile Half-Mile June1S Half-Mile Monlgomery County Fairgrounds Dayton.OH JulyS Mile New York Stale Fairgrounds Syracuse. NY Aug. 17 Half-Mile Erie County Fairgrounds Hamburg. NY Sept. 8 ShonTrack Weedspon. NY 20 Miles West of New York State Fairgrounds Central Region May 20 Half-Mile American Legion Park Jerseyville. IL June24 n Bridgeton Clubgrounds 8r idgeton. MI Aug. 4 HaIf·Mile Aug.16 Half-Mile Sunflower State Expo Topeka , KS . Winnebago County Fair Pecatonica . IL Sept.3O Half-Mile Western Region April 20 Half-Mile Oklahoma State Fairgrounds Oklahoma City. OK Ascot Park Gardena. CA April 29 rr Owyhee MC Clubgrounds Boise. 10 May 26 Half·Mile June8 rr Colorado National Speedway Denver , CO Sidewinders Track Clackamas . OR June9 rr Castle Rock Fairgrounds Castle Rock, WA July 5 rr July 8 rr Aug. 12 Half-Mile Sidewinders Track CIac1

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