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/126894
'he Can-Am Commitment: 'No change stoo small itwillhelp ouwin" Twice W d orJ SOOccMX Champion Jef Smith is f Can-Am's product manager. 17Je Can-Am Rider: i-Iow do you tell the prfvateers from the factory team? . . Iot ofpeople think that themore noneyyou spend oncompetition, he more competitions you'll win. They'reprobably right. The waymost factory teamsgo to heraces youcan't helpbut be mpressed .The mobile workshops. rhewell-drilled technicians.The 'iders who fly first-class from event o event. Our factory teamisenvious.With heir rusted-outvan and drive-theremd-do-it-yourselfoperation, it's lard totell themapart from some ::an-Am privateers.In bothcases, hough thec ompetition budgets naynot bebig, the percentage of :ompetitionsuccesses certainlyis. Our factory riders allbut dornilate National Hare Scrambles.And hey've made a disproportionately oud noise inthe National Enduro ieries. C an-Amprivateers have "This flexibility letsus put improvements intoplacethatother manufacturers would consider toosmall to bring thewheels of industry to a halt for. "But they're often bigenough changes to make thedifference between winning andlosing foryou. "Here's a look at someofthe improvements we're making to Can-Am motocrossandenduro bikesfor1986." "Thereaction timeofmostbig corporations isso slow you sometimes wonder how theycan remember what itwas theywere reacting to. "That's whatIlike bestaboutthe way Can-Am isstructured.While we're partofa large international company, theway weworkin the motorcycle division is idealfor thedevelopment ofcompetition machinery. "We have a nice,tight,easy-tomonitor racing program inthe NationalHareScrambles seriesthat lets usquicklyevaluatecontemplated changes.And ourbuilt-byhandproduction line is pliable enough to immediatelyincorporate anychanges wedecidetomake. 1986 handling improvements: "Last season,John Martin and Geoff B allard rode a number of events using a remarkable new fork design from Manocchi. 1usesthe righttube "This new M forcompression damping.The left handlesrebound control. Instead of theusual compromise settings, each sidecanbesetupindividually for much better quality travel. B yusing appropriate oillevels andviscosity ineachforktube, therider can custom tailor theaction. . "This 42mm fork comes onall ยท86s. On theASE'swe're using itthe way Ballard andMartin did...with C ontinued... More Power to the Open-minded privateer! Some people,oncetheyget atasteofpower,can never get enough ofit.These peopleare calledOpen class riders and they come in many guises. Those who come toCan-Am are no ordinary powerfreaks. These connoisseurs appreciate the quality ofpower aswell asits quantity. And, year afteryear, Can-Am is good atfinding more ways tosatisfy them. Takethe 1986 version ofour 500 MX. It has been treated to carefully considered exhaust port and pipe modifications that capturedat least sixStateand District,as well as fourCanadian ot Championships. N tomention dozensupondozensofmore local successes. Surely there'sa lessontobe learned here:tobetrulysuccessful whenyou go racing, spend J ess money. But spenditonthereliable penormance ofCan-Am. Somehow,wedon'tthink the otherfactory teams would go along. stretchout its fine, fatpowerband andallow it to rev higherdown the straight. The Can-Am 500ASE has also been refined.With exhaust developmentofitsown,along with subtle carburetionmodifications,its bottom end power delivery isnow better suited to the depths ofthe forest. And the Sonic 560 MX four-stroke. A broader overlap camshaft lets itstart more easilyandrev more freely. And its new 38mm Mikuni flat -slidecarburetor gives its power output a crisper edge. Know,however, that the attraction of our 1986 Open class bikesgoes well beyond these powerrefinements! Be aware oftheir radicallyimprovedbraking systemusing Grimeca frontdiscs and a reworkedsingle leading shoe rear. B impressed,too,bythe e remarkable,new Marzocchi MI split-function forks.The Quad Link II rear suspensionrevisions. The deep-breathing,one-piece airbox.The new, large capacity roto-rnolded gas tank.And the literallydozens ofotherimprovementswell-ealculatedto keep you in trophies. Whicheverofthese Can-Am Open classmachines you choose tocompete onthis season,you'll find the medicine you need tokeep yourcraving for power under control. After all,there'sno better therapy thanwinning. able power managementyou need toweaveyourway through theforestlike a 250: Y itoffers the extra measure et oftorque and traction you need to takeon longhills, loosedirt and deep sand. When youwant to take on the Who did we have in mind woods with a vengeance, one when we designed our ofthe threeOpen class 350ASE? Can-Am warriors shown Open c1asserswho think abovewill equipyou with all the tools you need to tromp the competition. Buta lot ofenduroriders think thatwinning the Open class requires a more subtle approach. Now Can-Am has crafted it for you. Ournew350 ASE delivers the lighterweight, precise handling controland predict- the bigbikes havegrown too bigfor the riders. 250 riderswho will admit they've grown toobig for their bikes. And especially for anyrider who islooking forthe bestway tohaul in a raft ofoverall wins. Thenew Can-Am 350 ASE. Thecleanestway through the trees. TheNewCan-Am 350ASE: An Open- classDike for 250 riders!