Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~ t~ Q.) ~ s Q.) ;> o Z Narrow handlebars, a torquey Rotax motor, and good handling make the Can-Am 175 perfect for casual woods riding or enduros. Imp,ession: Can-Am 175ASE Through the forestquick&easy By Tom Kolnowski To be effective, an enduro machine must be a sort of jack-of~all-trades. You never know what type of terrain you might suddenly be thrust into as you meander through the countryside, whether you're involved in organized enduro compelition or just out on a roostyour-buddy-when-you-get-achance trail ride. Your bike must. be able to handle Just about anythmg Mother Nature could dream up, ~nd at the same llme be as kmd as poss1ble to your body. And when we first threw a leg over the Can-Am. 175 ASE, we kn~w we had fo~~d a ~nend t~at could,!n all probab1IIty, fJllthe bill qUlle mcely. Sure, there've been other 175cc enduro bikes on the market that are up to the task of making time through the woods and in a comfortable fashion for the rider, but we have yet LO ride a machine of this size that has such a nice, friendly and cooperative power plant. And it's for that reason that we liked the ASE (Air-cooled, Single- shock, Enduro) so much. Taken as a complete package, the machine is a very ~ffective end~ro moum and can ~an~J1y go up agamst any other machine In the 200cc class and come out in fine shape. One thing the Can-Am has that no other bike in its class has is the Austrian-bred Rotax mOLOr (although the SWM GS250 is fitted with a Rotax engine). In basically the same form as it's been in for the past several years, the mill may no~be as slim and trim as some of the other mOLOrs in the class, but it does have rotary-valve induction. That feature helps to give the motor its friendly disposition-gobs and gobs of LOrque at the lower end of the power band - just the ticket for A Mikuni carburetor equipped with choke does th~ air/gasoline mixing chores, but we d lIke to see some son of choke lever rather than the slmple push/pull knob. As things stand, you have to reach around from the left of the bike and fish for the knob, but luckily you only have to use it when the bike is SLOne cold. The frame is another of the strong poims of the bike. Not only is it crafted from chrome-moly steel imo a very strongdouble-dowmubedesign, ., I . I h h K II s .a so a sIZe arger t an t e awasak1 KDX200 or th~ Yamaha IT~OO. The standard pracll~e for the One~tal manufacturers 1S to take th.elT ~25cc MXer and bolt a 175cc engine Into the frame. What you get IS a frame that is a b.it on the small side, which translates mto cramped quarters when a rider in the six-foot-plus height range hops on board. In the case of the Can-Am andmost other European-bred bikes, a common frame is often shared by the emire product line from the 125s all the way through th~ 500s. That factor makes the bike much more comfonable for the taller rider, which in the case of an enduro moum is very desirable since the rider may spend anywhere from four LO eight hours in the saddle when in a competition situation. Since Can-Ams are now manufactured in England by Armstrong (and we no longer have a orth Americanmade enduro bike,available) the bikes have progressed rapidly in many areas, most notably in the suspension depart- LgW5k~'l2_eil.~~.o.qp~.~<1Qc ...__... __ ••• __ ~~.J'.!Il!Jle.~eMj!L ~!1;~!'1~ ~Ji- Can-Am's Quad Unk system uses a White Po_r shock. Compression and rebound damping is adjustable; travel is 12.6 inches. shock Quad Link system. The Linkage components are beefy, a fitting addition LO a bike that is generall y well built in all areas. estled imo the heart of the system is a Dutch-made White Power shock equipped with an external reservoir. Compression damping is easily adjusted by turning a knurled knob at the end of the reservoir, with the rebound damping chores handled by a similar knob at the base of the shock spring. To make maimenanceon thesuspension easier, the rear frame section is removable, making it a snap to swing wrenches through an arc when the need arises. The swingarm, finished in orange like the rest of the frame components, is made from chrome-moly. We'd like LO see the same aluminum unit that is fitted to the Can-Am MXers installed on the ASE machines. That would be a simple way to lose some weight, since the 175 weigl:Js in at223 pounds dry, which places it 10 to 15 pounds above the Yamaha and Kawasaki offerings. In keeping wi th the color scheme of the bike, the lower legs of the Marzocchi Pif£ero fork are painted orange. Again, you'll find plenty of beef here since the tubes are 40mm in diameter. Just for comparison, the fork tubes on the Kawasaki are 3Smm. As far as travel goes, the ASE is the class leader with just under 12 inches at the front and a bit over 12.5 inches in the rear. That also bumps up the ground clearance to nearly 15 inches, and as you would expect, the seat is up there too - at 39 inches. Like we said, this is a full size machine, no matter how you measure it. We often wonder how Can-Am's development rider, John Manin, with his short stature, manages LO stay on board and' go as fast as he does. But he rarely puts a foot down, which makes sense: the ground is most likely out of reach, and secondly, the naturally good manners of the bike don't require the rider to take frequent dabs. Brakes from and rear are single leading shoe designs nestled into conical hubs, both HOmm in diameter. While they are the same units that were fitted LO the 250 ASE we tested earlier in the year - which we felt were somewhat • inadequate - the stqpP.fr~ 9Jl,lpl:,J75 funetioned quite a bit better. We still would like to see them operate without as much rider effon - it takes a healthy pull at the front lever and a good stab on the pedal to put the bike into hauldown mode. Feedback to the rider is good; however. The gold-anodized Abonts rims are hard to fault because they are very strong and are laced with sturdy spokes. Likewise, the tires are an enduro rider's delight - Metzeler. No problems at either ends. Cosmetically, the ASE is no ugly duckling. The white plastic all around nicely sets off the orange frame, and is sculpted to form a rather rakish look. And out of this form comes true function: not only does the angular shape of the gas tank add to the aesthetics, it also allows for a safety seat. Aside from the safety factor, the rider Can get as far forward as possible, which is often the place to be in tight woods. You might be put off by the rather small fuel capacity: 2.3 gallons. But we had all of our worries about getting stranded in the woods lifted after our first day in the saddle: the rotary-valve intake system just seems to sip on fuel. A 45-mile loop will be no problem. Another nice touch is the odometer, which has large digits and is equipped with a magnifier. Resettable in tenths of a mile for quick updates at corner markers or mileage resets, it has a larger rubber knob mounted on the end of a flexible stalk - a perfect combination for the serious competitor. As you climb aboard, probably the first thing you'll notice is the narrow handlebars, which come straight from the factory trimmed to the eastern enduro rider's favorite width - 29 inches. Their narrow center width gives you plenty of room on either end to mount your enduro clock/computer, as well as a set of brush guards if you're so inclined. One, maybe two kicks are just about all that's ever needed to bring the motor to life. Once under way, the Can-Am doesn't feel like a 175 after all; it's not a screamer by any means, but rather puts out most of its usable power in the lower depths of the power band, much like you would expect from a 250cc engine. , .1lus~liJlg. a, .l7,,?~1; A1QII!H UqoP&h

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