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/126756
(Above left) Husky's Kevin Hines took the first National Enduro win of his career on one of the new WR400s. (Above right) Riding a similar machine. Mike Melton scooted to second. only one point off the 14 points totalled by I Hines. even though both burned the first check. Northern California favorite Dave Bertram took third overall on an aircooled WR500. dropping 16 points. By Jim Bowman NEW IDRIA, CA, FEB. 19 Team Husky's Kevin "Ritchie Rich" Hines struck paydirt in northern California, winning the Quicksilver National Endu'ro and taking the point lead in the AMA National Championship Enduro Series. Hines, riding the new WR400, claimed his first National win with a 14-point score that was one better than that of teammate and 1983 National Champion Mike Melton. Team Husky's Dave Bertram and Terry Cunningham scored 16 and 17 points, respectively, to finish third and fourth ahead of Team Husky's proverbial thorn from Can-Am, I john Martin. 10ยท Billed as having California' best National enduro (as rated by the National AA riders in 1983), theSalina Ramblers Motorcycle CI ub hosted the event for a capacity crowd which included L5 of the top 20 AA riders. Rider attendance from the midwest and eastern U.S. was up this year with Bertram being the only rider in the top five from California. Among those from "out of town" was Honda's Drew Smith who fini hed sixth overall for the top placing by a japanese manufacturer. California riders Matt Cullins, on a Petaluma Motor- Back in action after a badly broken leg suffered before the ISDE. 1982 Champ Terry Cunningham placed fourth overall. cycle Center/Rocky/Smith KTM, Tom Webb and jeff Irwin, on a HiPoint/Inter-Link/ un Rivet Cycle Husky, filled places seven through nine and Team Husky/Hallmanponsored Fritz Kadlec made the trip west to finish 10th. Being the first National enduro of the year, being that so many riders had to travel so far and being that they had to ride almost 110 miles when they got here, the Quicksilver tested the riders in a lot of different ways. Hines and Melton had no trouble adjusting to their new watercooled 400WRs, but like Martin and Darryl Kuenzer they were used to 24 mph speed changes and burned the first check after neglecting a speed change to 18 mph. Bertram had been practicing on his automatic 500AE, but had to switch to apOOWR when part of his first bike was damaged in transport. But probably the biggest obstacle fa ed by a rider was that of the 1982 National Champion Terry Cunningham, who broke hjs leg badly at the ISDE last fall. Cunningham threw a 250cc Husky together at the last minute and rode safe and sound to fourth place; well within the 1984 points race. That these riders suffered these etbacks and still finished well is a tribute to the versatility and skill they've gained with experi~nce; some riders were not so fortunate. After today's event many of the riders spoke of the miles of tight trails in the dense manzanita bru h and of at least one rock that "had his name on it." One of these rocks was named for the transmission case of Larry.Roeseler's 250 Husky. Tied for second placeatcheck four, Roeseler filled the hole with wood and transferred fork oil to the transmission before resuming competition and completing- the next