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/126406
TOM ORROW' S CA RBURETOR FO R TODAY'S ENG INES Contact your de al er or di stributor for Lectron Carbu retors: Bran ch Inc., (213) 595-4659 · Hap Jones Dis tributors, Co" (415) 621·4185 Hi-Point Racing Products, (806) 373-1051 Hi-Point Oils & Accessories, (916) 362-4124 Kane's Motorcycle Shop Ltd., (403) 269·8577 • Knievel Imports, (406) 723-4011 Marco Distr ibutors , (208) 523-7373 • Milne Accessories, (213) 334·5184 The Moto-Fox, (408) 371·1221 co ...-4 ...... .... l-< 0.. < Triple clamps are magnesium, Note the placement of the barbacks to add leverage required in turning the almost 13 inches of travel. The new AG-4 shocks (front! are a half pound lighter and do not have the tinning of the old er Irear) model, Damping is greatly improved. most co ncern. The longer shocks won't bolt up to th e m ax imum trave l posi lion d ue to t he down ward trav el lim it ations at the swi nga r m a n d engine ca se junction . Here , for best effect, a nd on MC versi ons as a necessity, we suggest an afte rmarket swing. a rm . All told , we added 3 inches of travel at th e fr ont and I inc h at the rear. A phone call to our local ISD T Gold Medalist and his subsequent riding of the bik e ga ve us a chance for som e ex pert inp ut . Afte r punish ing th e bik e , he pulled in and commented , " Does n' t tum too fast. Partially because of th e extra inc h of wheelbase you'v e picked up. Change in weight a nd distribution with th e fr ont end h igher means th e front end comes up real quick . Forks sure a nd smooth. They're set up at 3 pounds-per -Inch : the y sh ou ld b e boosted to 5 or 7 pounds for hard rid ing. T he forks may well be th e smoothest available · chatter is gone · no m arks on th e tubes - an d response to small bumps is very good whil e those large ruts were soaked up with ease." W e no ticed th at while riding you don't turn as quickl y a nd slow speeds are a little unsteady in comparison to th e units we replaced with the Marzocchis . But gas it a nd 'you are soon looking for room ahead. Speed adds stability, arid fast trails and stra igh ts are delights. Cornering lessons are in order -. now you must go lower to turn quicker . T racking is superbl If your bike already wants to h ighside, better reconsider · the extra travel means added height and that will only make matters worse. At th e rear, harmony is interrupted by a clunking noise as the shocks top out. (Never heard that beforel) But the AG ·4 never showed any sign of fade or any other erratic behavior. Only when really ridden off extrem e drops did we experience bottoming out. At first the dual rate springs seemed a bit stiff, but here again , add gas and very little attention need be given to the rear end as it goes about doing what it is supposed to without any interferen ce . After only two hours of riding the shafts showed signs of oil weeping. Close inspec tion showed the piston seal caps were slig htly misaligned when threaded or maybe that's the wa y.th ey wen t together - .b ut more riding only produced more ' oil aroun d th e ·sha fts. Another alarming side effect was the wear sp ri ng movement ha d on the shock body. In a very short period of riding, the springs wore int o th e body. A protective cove ri ng around th e bod y or perhaps a larger n ylon spa cer at the sp ring junction is ne eded. W e do hope ' they make some changes in that area. Altogether, the new suspenders made a tired GS into a very lively and smoother (read that as easier to ride fast ) bike. With more effort at d ialing in the forks - to individual tastes and making a swingarm change to get full benefit of im p roved shock travel, th is package is well worth co nsideri ng . , The forks are ce rt ainly first rate for scrambles, enduro and desert riding, and with the proper set up MX'ers will ben efi t greatly. At the rear, though, 4 ~ inches of shock travel is outclassed by many manufacturers today, with averages of 5 ~ in ches available . And while damping is good, better is availab le. The Marzocch i AG ·4's will cost you approximately $180. At $180 per pair for the new shocks , th ey can . with slight improvem ent stili rank as a good value. But if total performance" is demanded , so is th e dollar outlay. Better aftermarket shocks will cost roughly $100 more per pair. Add to tha t the cost of a n ew swingarm . $ I 50 . to $200 · and already you 're up to $400 to $450 at the rear of the bike. Also , you must judge wh ether or not you r bike has the stamina to hold up for more than another year of battling and thrashing. If not . you better look real close at those '79's. The front forks are definitely cornpetitive with '79 models and at $313 list'price can smoothly put you up front if the ponies are still in the bike's heart. After checking prices, we found that the more expensive, trick aftermarket fork /shock combinations will cost you closer to $1 ,000. For the play rider, the Marzocchi combination is great. For the weekend threat at desert races, scr am bles, or long MX cou rses, the forks should definitely be considered. So , now the ball is back in your court. We are just throwing another alternative a t you . just when you thought you had made all you r decisions . • LECTRON:M UEL Free applicat ion charts and br ochures avai lable o n request. or call our Ca lifornia Carburet or SYSTEMS . 1800 Stephen son Highway, Troy, Mich iga n 48084 IN C Service Cen ter: Phone (805 ) 255 ·6474. Stre . e .'tc:h your weekendRide your motorc:yc:le to work Monday! . TERRYKIT lIn I·K():\ I 1:\1l1J.\\lPE:\;':\(, I :\II HIK l"IlF SFK 1( )IS c.o \l1'F IIT() R New Kit s for '79 with Adjustable Travel Max. Travel Yamaha YZ 250/4 00 '78, '79 ..... 12" Yamaha IT 175/ 400 '77. '78 . . , " 10" Yamaha IT 175 '79 9.25" 10" Yamaha IT 250/4 00 '79 Kawasaki KX80 '79 ,, 8.3" Husky '77, '78. . , 11 .5" Yamaha & Suzuki 80 '78 , . 7.5" Yamaha & Suzuki 80 '79 8.3" , 10" Suzuki RM 125 '77. '78 Suzuki RM 250/40 0 '78 10" Suzuki RMN 100-400 '79 Kawasaki KX 125-400 '79 Kit s also available for most other bikes Write for free literature Out of state call toll free 800 -854 -4691 90 day money back guarantee Dealer or Direct " Th ese Klotz preparations are in our estimation , the single most im por tant power increase available on any m achin e". . . DIRT BIKE Magazine, F ebruary, 1979. 1%!I@!WPlllfEl/lOGO Klotz SpecIal Fonnula Products, Inc. P.O. Box 1343 CN 79 Ft. Wayne, IN 46801 219·749-0489 17