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/126796
Set for stun: The latest cruiser V-twin is the Suzuki Intruder VS750GL. The 46° engine is water-cooled with TSCC four-valve cylinder heads, dual carburetors, hydraulic clutch, shaft drive, five-speed transmission and dual exhaust with what Suzuki describes as "special computer-assisted designed exhaust sound." The Intruder is covered with chrome, has spoked wheels, has a 26-inch seat height and comes with a sissy ber. The model shown here is for the Canadian market. Watch for an under-700cc tariff-buster for the U.S. soon. Watch Cycle News next week for a look at Suzuki's new GV1400GD Cavalcade LX, a 1360cc 82° V-four with four valves per cylinder, shaft drive, and full touring equipment including fairing, saddlebags, travel trunk, stepped seat, padded passenger back rest, cruise control, stereo system and all sorts of other sturr. For riders more into speed than stereo, we'll show you Suzuki's RG600 street bike next week; it's a square-four two-stroke with rotary valves and power valvea. Freddie Spencer, who lost his 500cc World Championship road racing title to Eddie Lawson, it considering competing in both the 250 and 500cc classes in 1985. "The situation of my riding in both the 250 and 500cc GPs next year is under consideration by both myself and Honda in Japan," said Spencer. "There has been no decision made as yet." Spencer, who wasin Japan twice during September for test sessions, said another session is targeted .lor early November. He declined to comment on whether that session might take place in the U.S. Canadian road racer Alan Labrosse was sponsored in .1984 by a group of Montreal, Quebec, Canada Yamaha dealers who combined to back Labrosse in a sort of co-op racing deal. Labrosse, who has won two AMA Formula Two races so far this season, was also sponsored by Moto-P1an Insurance and radio station CKOI. After II months of running its supercross tour, Insport's administrative offices in Irvine, California, have closed as of last week. The move comes in the wake of a reconciliation between the AMA and supercross promoters who went their own way in late 1983 to form a sanctioning body devoted exclusively to stadium racing. For 1985, all licensing, rider entries and orriciating during the entire supercross season will be handled by the AMA. Winning ticket numbers have been announced for the MORA drag race raffle held in Bakersfield, California on November 4. Winning ticket numbers are 040126, 0961 34 and 264141 and the first person with one of those numbers who . calla 209/266-9836 or 806/ ... ... . . ~ 323-7877 and states the color of his or her ticket wins a new Suzuki Shuttle. The ticket must be presented when the prize is picked up. The SRA will hold a benefit auction for Harry Thornburg, paralyzed as the result of a crash at the October 28 SRA Black Cat GP; the auction will take place at Riverside Raceway prior to the December 2 SRA GP. Donations of new and used items to be auctioned and cash donations are being accepted now by Dave Atkinson, 37033 Wildwood Canyon Rd., Yucaipa, CA 92399, phone 714/ 797-5898. The CRC Wild Turkey GP scheduled for November 18 at Carlsbad International Raceway in Carlsbad, California will be run on the ABC Superbikers course, with an extra O. 76-mile of dirt added on. More information is available by callirig 714/689-6114. Items from the estate of the late Steve McQueen will be auctioned off at the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 24 and 25. Catalogs for the auction are available in limited numbers for $20 each, and a preview for bidders will be held November 19 through 23. Items slated for auction incl ude office equipment, movie memorabilia, and, of course, motorcycles. Bike include several restorations, such as a 1950 Indian Chief Bonneville, a 1929 Harley-Davidson, and an 1925 Ace Sporting Solo. There are several unrestored machines, basket cases and parts collections also scheduled for sale. Bidding at the event will be open to those holding passes, which are available for $30 each. For more information, contact the Imperial Palace, 3535 Las Vegas Blvd., Las /Vegas, NV 89109, or call 7021731·331 1. The 13th Annual Florida Winter Nationals-Olympics will again run over the November 21-26 weekend, and over $20,000 in savings bonds and prizes will be awarded. The five days of action will include a short track, TT scrambles, hare scrambles and motocross in 13 classes, 51 cc Automatic (4-8) through 250cc Expert. Action kicks off Wednesday, November 21, with the short track competition at Ocala Raceway in Ocala, Florida, follow~, by the TT, a, .Ocala. 01'•• The scene 11 years ago when college-student-and-freelancer John Ulrich interviewed then-California-Governor Ronald Reagan for a Cycle News article; look in an upcoming issue for a 1984 update on Reagan's views on issues affecting motorcyclists. November 22. On Friday, November 23, the action moves to Gatorback Cycle Park in Gainesville for the hare scrambles, with the MX running on Saturday and Sunday. The rider tallying the most points in the four events will be awarded the Bronze Boot. Team Honda's Bob "Hurricane" Hannah will be the Crand Marshal at the lorida Winter ationalsOlympics., and will also give semi· nar on motocross at Catorback on Friday and aturday evenings, November 23 and 24. Several British riders are on the entry li.st for the Florida Winter Nationals-Olympics. Bob Bucknell will bring over British 80cc MX champ James Cobb as well as other members of his EP Racing team. Cagiva will enter three motorcycles in the 1985 Paris· to-Dakar rally; Frenchman Hubert Auriol, who fin· ished second on a BMW to Caston Rahier (BMW) this year, will be joined by Italjan GianPaolo Marinoni and France's Gilles Picard on Cagiva Elefant Desmo V·twins. The effort will be sponsored by EI£ oil and Ligier, the French Cagiva importer. American Honda will back an eight-race AFM road racing series limited to riders on stock VF600F Interceptors; each race will pay a .1,000 purse, with first earning .460. Second place pays .260, third .160, fourth .100 and f'rfth .60. Meanwhile, Yamaha has reached an agreement with the AFM - and is negotiating with other road race sanctioning groups around the country. - to pay se.rious contingency money in the Stock Production classes. Anybody winningon an FJ600, FJllooor FZ750 in 1985 can expect to take home $500 per race; second will earn $300, third pays $200, and fourth and fifth get $100 and $50. Riders on stock RZ350s will be paid $200 for a class win, $150 for second, $120 for third, $100 for fourth and $50 for fifth. Other Yamaha contingency payouts in the work. include .1000 for an o'!'P~II win in the WERA Na-. , tiona I Endurance Series and .10,000 for the championship; tha payout is down to fifth place but details and class payouts haven't been finalized. And Kerker will sponsor an eightevent Superbike series at Willow Springs Raceway in conjunction with AFM, with a $6000 points fund and $1000 per-race purse. The series will be promoted by J&:M Productions with AFM sanction and organization. Running along with the Kerker Superbike West Coast Championships will be the Lockhart 600cc Superstreet Series, paying $250 per race. Puch factory rider Toni Glec:hweit scored 1-1 in both motos for the overall victory in the first fourstroke International motocross in Europe, which was held November 4 at Wasen, Austria. However, Gleichweit wasn't riding a Puch; he was racing an American-designed ATK after his own bike broke in practice for the Austrian National that was also staged that day. Gleichweit set a new track record, breaking the one set by current 260cc World MX Champion Heinz Kinigadner. Two other American MXers rode the October 20 beach race in Scheweningen, Holland (whjch was won by Californian Mike Beier): Floridian Mark Murphy (Yam) fini hed the three· leg race in fifth overall, while Massachusetts' Jo Jo Keller (Hon) carded a DNF. Keller stayed in Europe to ride a few International MX events. Englishman Jem Whatley, who rode a Suzuki to third in the 250cc MX GP final point standings in '84, is headed to the 500cc GP wars in '85. What brand of machine he'll ride is still up in the air. Cilera has pulledoutof the MX CPs, leaving Belgian Marc Velkeneers, who rode for the factory in the '84 250cc MX CPs, without a ride for '85. Vel· keneers, who was the lOp-placed European at the '84 Unadilla 250cc CP, turned down of[ers from several other manufacturers before learning of the Cilera pull out. He finished the season fourth in points. (Continued to page 37) 5.