For a mortal, riding an OW69 is an awe-inspiring experience; it's scary, but good enough for a one-time pilot to
know anybody with a TZ750 or a four-stroke is wasting his time if there's an OW69 on the racetrack. The bike is
narrow, as seen in fore and aft views, and low, the seat coming to mid-thigh on an average-height rider. This is a
small motorcycle in every way except performance.
Roberts prefers an 18-inch magnesium front wheel; discs are 12.6-inch, with floating titanium mounts and
cut-out aluminum carriers. Calipers are four-piston, magnesium Brembos. Reservoir on the front of the hand-built
forks accepts nitrogen and works like a typical shock remote reservoir. Rear wheel is also 18-inch magnesium,
with a 10-inch rigidly mounted disc and a Yamaha twin-piston caliper and a floating, frame-mounted stay arm.
Instrumentation is limited to a tachometer, showing 11,000 rpm redline, and water temperature gauge. Pad next
to quick-fill system vent keeps the rider's helmet from hitting the tank when he's tucked in over bumps. Top triple
clamp is machi~ out ~f magnesium. Knobs on fork caps allow edjustments.
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The OW69's Ohlins rear shock
mounts at the top to a cross-brace
between ,the frame backbone
tubes; it's got adjustable damping
and preload is changed by turning
a threaded collar. Eddie Lawson is
one of two men fully qualified as a
professional OW69 pilot, and, given a choice, he'd rather ride a
500.
powerband; it takes a lot of mu de to
turn left·right then.
But when it comes to the straightaway, the OW69 has no peer. It may
be hard to ride at Laguna or Willow
or in the rain, but for a long track, a
big straightaway or a steep-banked
bowl, itdoesn'tgetany betterthan an
OW69. This i the king of steam, a
bike capable of getting the front end
light witJ1 the shift into sixth, of lifting the front end exiting almost any
turn.
Roberts may ride his OW69 at
Laguna eca this year: Lawson"s arguing forcefully for a 500. If Roberts
does ride theOW69, it'll be worth the
price of admission j usttO see it in its
last racetrack outing: unless somethingdrastic happens soon, Formula
One rules will limit two-strokes to
SOOcc next season.
In Roberts' hands, the OW69 should
win the race, handful or not.
In the hands of just about anybody
else on the track, it would be flipping
over backwards and spinning out at
every other corner.
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