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/126489
down the road. Crashing a two or three thousand dollar bike of which there are thousands more, is one thing. Wrecking a model of which there is probably only one in the U.S . .is quite another. What I noticed most about the handling was stability. Leaned over or in a straight line, the bike wanted to go where it was pointed without devia· tions, This meant that the lines around the comers had to be picked out in advance. The Krauser doesn't appreciate decreasing radius turns. It lacks the maneuverability of a modern Japanese bike such as a KZ7:'0. High speed sweepers are the Krauser's forte. T,he bike has so much self·centering action that when bumps are hit while leaned over, the bars come back to mght before the wheel comes back to - the ground. A disappointment to me, consider· ing the price. was what I considered to be an excessive use of standard BMW c mponents. I'm not saying there is a~hing inherently wrong with the stock wheels. brakes. or suspension units, but, there are so many fancier, and presumably beuer, parts available. The brakes were a contradiction to themselves. Although they squealed liIie a Honda. the front brakes seemed to have more power than anything I had eyer been on, Never was it necessary to use more than two fingers on the lever to make the front tire howl, and those tWO fingers were close to the lever's pivot point. And it was not because of poor choice of front tire, because I ~~ some experience with the Metzeler Perfect series tires and can recommend them without reservations. The stan· • ~rd cast iron rOtors and calipers are mated to what appears to be a stan· ~rd R6:' master cylinder. The rear brake. on the other hand, while provid· ing adequate braking at speed. didn't do much around town other than to discourage its use because of a very loud groaning and growling noise when· ever it was used. The main improvement over a stan· ~ RlOOS BMW is the "tubular grill" Krauser frame. Reminiscent of the Yetman "space frame" or a Maserati "bird cage," this type of frame gives . very good torsional rigidity while main· taining light weight. Again, while I didn't subject the bike to the kind of t ing I would have liked, the loads I t inlo the chassis rewarded me with nothing but stability and I believe the frame contributed its fair share to that feeling. Twenty·eight degrees of rake alld four inches of trail are close to slandard RlOOS BMW, but the wheel· base is one inch longer at 60 inches. For more ground clearance. the engine is one inch higher than a standard RlOOS. The paint scheme of the MKMIOOO is very appealing and eye·catching. The fairing and the body are painted with tasteful panels done in orange, laven· der. and blue. They even had the exhaust pipes turn blue at the front to match the blue paneling on the fairing. This is the only full·coverage street fairinR that I have liked in its en· tirety. The integration of the turn signals and headlight is very nice. The scoop at the bottom front for cooling anI! downward force gives real function. Quality abounds, both in the frame and in the fiberglass. It will take a special person to buy a Krauser MKMIOOO. The main quali· fier is someone who can spend ap· proximately $1:',000 for a motorcycle that is too impractical to be used all the time. But the kind of person who has that kind of money probably doesn't want what everyone else can buy, any· way. This will be a rare breed of motor· cycle and that is part of the appeal. His purchase will be rewarded with elegance and craftsmanship that he and those he passes will appreciate. • o 00 0') ....-4 Forty million people watched it last year on ABC "Wide World of Sports" You can be there LIVE this year ROAD RACE, MOTOCROSS, SPEEDWAY AND DIRT-TRACK STARS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD BAnLING ON NOVEMBER 2nd, 1980 TO DECIDE WHO WILL BE THE NEW "SUPERBIKER" For Information. write GPMX Inc•• PO Box 2~'. Mission Viejo, California 926.. Or Call (714) 495-6"6 ENTRY INCLUDES: Kenny.""'" - Worh••oacIltace Champion H~on • 1979 'Superltlk_' Brad Lackey - 2nd World Motocr_ Champ Hokan Corlqulst • World 2Hcc MX Champion St__ Eklund· U.s. Grand National Champ M"e Bell - Supercr_ Champion K_t '~\, !.r~f.~" '- nellets at all T1CKETIION outlets It and more •••• 13