Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Rotax motor has strong midrange and top-end power, Clearance on th e Ca l-Fa b a lu m in u m swi n ga r m is min im al. So me tires ma y not fit. _ At .$4000 re ta il th e AT K ' is n ot cheap . But if yo u can aff ord it , yo u ca n have the best handlin g fou r. stro ke ava ila ble a lo ng with a certai n amou nt o f exclusivity: T here aren 't e th at man y o u t th ere. -A T K riding impression By Kit Pa lmer I' ve never bee n much of a fourstroke fa n . I m o st ly race moro cross, and I la ke i t seriousl y. Wh en I' m no t racing, I like fast pla y riding in th e d esert or ca n yo n s. and m y impression o f four-strokes is th a t they are a ll gene ra lly hea vy. slo w and under-su sp ended for my kind o f riding. But since ridin g Chr is C ran da l l' s Barst ow- to- \' egas - wi nn ing AT K 5/iOcc[our-st ro ke. m y o p in io ns have cha nged . . . so me w ha t. Wh en I fir st ho pped o n th e ATK, I was impressed with th e power, exce p t down low wh er e fou r-s trokes a re s u p posed to have go bs of to rq ue. Sin ce Cra nd a ll ha d th e AT K je lled for wi de-open desert racing , low end was severly lack ing , T h e bi ke bl u bbered, co ug hed a nd ca me close to loadi ng u p at low rpm if much th rot tle was used . Beyond tha t, th e AT K h o o ked up w ell a nd acce le r a te d sm oothl y. T he AT K hit hardest in the midd le o f th e power band a nd conti n ue d to pu ll stro ng ly on to p . The AT K is hea vy a n d i t feel s hea vy, too. However, its suspe n sion a lmost makes up fo r th e weight. Unli ke most four-strokes I' ve ridden , the AT K doesn 't bottom harsh ly a nd th e rear end does n't kick straigh t up or o u t to th e side whe n hi tti ng large bum p s at speed. T he back en d wor ked great . Up fro nt, th e Sh owa for k is di a led in n icely, a nd I co u ld n ' t find a n y fa ul t. It soaks up the jolts a nd never bo tto ms . Th e AT K tu rns typi call y fourstroke-ish - p recise, sta ble, bu t n otso qu ickl y. It turn s real well either using o r not usin g a ber m, as long as th e turn isn 't too tight. In hairpin curves, th e AT K lik es to d rift to th e ou tside . Brak es wo rk just o kay , whil e th e bar/ peg/ seat rel ati onship is co m fortable. I lik e the ATK 560cc four-strok e more th an I th ough t I wou ld . because it h as good power a n d handles. It mak es a n exce llen t desert bik e an d a decent rnot ocrosser. But for basi c tra il riding , forget it - it doesn 't have "Send selfaddressed, stamped envelape far free decal and bradlure, . eno ug h lo w en d, a nd it ca n' t turn tig h tly eno ugh . Bu t th at 's o ka y, be2850 E. 29th St., Long Beach, CA 90806-2399 (213) 426-3498 ca use th e ATK isn 't a pl a ybike .. , it

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