!TRANS-USA BIKES TBA
S-VI
E
Part II
'A Look At The Trans-USA Series Exotica
By Jim Gianatsis
Below: The Rhinestone Champ and mechanic Greg Arnett with the Open
class factory RN Suzuki displacing a probable 450cc. Kent started winning
on the bike once the engine was detuned.
t ,
Suzuki RN 400-79
The most conservative of all the factory works machinQ are always found
in the Suzuki pits. The present RN
400-79 bikes show.nothing really new,
but just ideas that are tried and true
for a good handling. competitive and
reliable bike. Suspe.nsion travel is shorter than any other works bikes, 255mm
front and rear, and even shorter than
Suzuki's own RM production bikes.
Suzuki seems to be tailoring their
works bikes for the smoother tracks
found at the majority of races in
America. Front forks are Kayaba
air/spring units while the rear shocks
are also Kayabas, deCarbon type with
attached piggyback reservoirs. The
chassis uses a lot of aluminum and
titanium fittings, and together with a
lightweight aluminum swingarm the
bikes weigh in at215 pounds.
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