Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

I i Th e Ossa's exhaust puts out a di stinctive, sort of highl y mellowed-out motocross sound. The pipe snakes around to th e right side, then dumps into a coll ector posi tion ed a bove the swingarm a nd in front of th e rear tire, and finall y terminat es on the left side of the bike with a n alu mi nu m silencer. T elesco forks and shocks handle th e suspension. The telescopic forks a re stra ig h t-Iegge rs. Ex perien ced rid ers ge ne ra lly lean to wa rd a leadin g a xle desig n, feelin g that th ey offer mor e travel a nd more precis ion for tight turns. T he Ossa's shocks are truly lai d down a t about a 45 degree a ngle. All en head bo lts a re used for the top shock mounts for very positive fastening. Narrowness ra ther th an increased rear wh eel travel seem s to be th e prima ry ad vantage o f the des ig n. T he shocks are posi tio ne d co mpl etel y OUI o f th e wa y o f th e rider 's legs as he moved aro u nd on th e pegs. This elimi na tes a ny go ug in g o f the calves. Mo st tri als rider s a re famil iar with that feeling. Some riders do use their shocks behind t h e legs a s "stoppers" to hang o n a nd recover wh en thrown o ff balance. This isn 't possibl e with th e Ossa. However , the great er mobility seems advan tageous , once th e rider adj us ts. The Ossa co mes with Pirelli CR tires, cu rre n ll y th e most popula r readilv available rubber in trial s. The rear brake is rod o perated. Both brakes issue a sh rill sq ueak when wet, bUI don't seem to fad e as flagrantl y as so me Spanish sto p pe rs. Ossa still fits th e o ld-style th rottle asse m bly ra the r th an th e " wh irlp u ll" type now favored by most manufacturers. T he gas tank is fibergl ass. The ai r box , mad e o f sturdy rather than typical brittle Spanish plast ic, proved wat er right during strea m bed testing. The O ssa Mick And rews developed was a sh ort- whee lba ser, right around 51 in ch es. Later on, the wh eel base was lengthen ed to as much as 5 2~ in ch es. The cu rre nt 350 has been shortened. It runs right around 51 in ch es. This makes th e bik e a natura l for PViOI turns. How ever , th e high cen ter of gravity (because o f th e h igh ground clearance and peg location ) can be noticed in ligh t turns . A taller bik e just won't feel quite as precise turning fu ll lock. The fu ll- lo ck steering radius ca n no t be trimmed apprecia bly to sui t more expe rie nced rid ers' ta stes. The width o f th e gas tank up front acts as a SLOp , even if th e regul ar fra me SLOpS a re tr immed. T he 350 shi nes in straight running, especia lly in rubble o r strea ms. It feels extre me ly stable. The rid er ca n ca ncent ra le on hi s line ra ther than being co nce rned a bo u t foot a nd fram e cleara nce . For strea m bed s, pressing the kn ees into th e lank a nd lettin g the bik e work its ma gi c seems to work best . T he lat est 350 O ssa is obvio us ly ca pa ble o f com pe tin g a t th e highest levels. This has been dem onstrated by T on y Gorget 's success in Spanish a nd world com pe titio n. If th e new distributor can attra ct so me riding tal ent to sho wcase th e Ossa product to American trial s, there 's no reaso n the brand can ' t mak e a co mebac k. Th e sa les pri ce of abo u t S2265 sho u ld definitel y help. That 's th e low est suggested retail for a ny 300ccplus bike avail abl e cu rre n tly. In additi on , Os sa Am erica ha s institu ted a co n tingency progra m o pe n to a ny rid er wh o has won a ny kind o f cha mpions hi p a t any level. pa st or present. T he program includes a break o n pri ce a nd parts a nd contin gency pa yments for wins. There will a lso be end -of-season bonuses for th e three mOSI successful Ossa riders for the year.e I·· ~ ~ f1HJI S ANCTIONED PRESENTS ..' " .. '. , " " ... 125/250 • 10 A CHAMPIO 5 IP , .: .: ,- ' ' ., .. J . ~. r- r , !!ltlJ!!l!fl!l S25,000.001 V . Pk! PRO PURSE &CONTINGENCIES SADDLEBACK PARK, ORANCE, CA 5UNDA~APRIL 4,'82 DIRECTIONS Take Santa Ana or Newport Fry . to Chapma n Ave. East. Go to Santiaco Cyn . Road. Right on Sant iago approx. 2 miles to Park on left . GATES OPEN 6 a.rn, PRACTICE 10 a.m. RACES START I p.m. FOR INFO . (213) GENERAL ADMISSION: $12 .00 at GATE $10 .00 TICKETRON 868-8112 r:=====Nicely's Racing=====1 The Comp lete Racer's Transporter 35 Ft. 5th Wh eel Pro Tra c Tra il er -i-trip le axle, full y self co n tained. S hower-tu b com bo, k in g size bed, and do uble fold in g bed. Kit ch en with sin k refrigerat or , stove, T .V., stereo, th e w orks . But that's just the fi rst hal/ Th e rear section h olds 6 bik es and a ton of spa re eq uip ment, S pri nt Racer o r Baja Bug. Co m p lete wit h work bench, overhead lights . generator run by propane, wired throu ghout fo r II Ov , outsid e ligh ting. Th e Plush R ig. 4 months you n g. $25,000 Intlesled win suffer a $4,000 loss, or besl offer. Also A o ita b le: a A Racecrafte rs H onda CBX with spare s. Comp lete fact ory set up. NO T A TOY. $ 15.000 racer. will sacr ifice at $7.000. ~!!"!A~ Just enclose S1. 0 to cover po stage and 0 handling for latest stree t and dirt bike accessory catalog and mail to : MOTO -X T. FO X. DEP C, 520 McGLlNCY LANE. CAMPBelL. CA 95008 U.s.A 37

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