Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~ __ B MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM M/C TIREWORKS eI ~ BRIDGESTONE KNOBBIES 300x2 1 M23 $37.95 51Ox17 M22 $44 .95 51Ox18 M2 2 $49.95 400x18 M22 $44.95 41Ox18 M22 $41.95 00 .~ W ." ~ >-- g~~g 53Ox18 51Ox1 8 4 5Ox18 41Ox18 I ~ ro ~ $36.95 $35.95 $31.95 $25.95 350><2 1 Knobbie I ~ ~ . ,w $9.95 $41.95 MXBOOTS Aero Sport MX $89.95 Sidi Cyclone MX . $119.95 Tie Downs $6.95 NEW SERVICE DISCBrake Rotors Drilled and Resurfaced PRICE GOOD WITH AD ONL Y ~ W I \I ~ W gU~ W I~ K257D K257D K257D K257D 22-1100. 8 ATVPaddle Tire I:: W i I i I KEND A KNOBBIES : " W ~~n ....... ~ ~ ' SUBJECT TO STOCK ON HAND Torr ance-South Bay 26023 So. Western Lom ita . CA San Fern ando Vaney 9026 Sepulveda Blvd . Sepulveda. CA ~ I ~ W I W I (2 13) 539-4150 (atal U3-~ . Outlide CA IOrde r. Onlyl H - ) 942-3838 TOLLFREE ~ ~ ~/C TIREWORKS _t! ~~~~fil;. Randy Mamola w ill be aboard a Cag iva in 1988. The fou r-time runnerup tit le chaser is hoping for rostrum positions in ' 88 , and w iJis in 1989. Mamola, Cagiva target World title . . By Michael Scott Photos by Helmy Ray Abra ms Distributors or Dealers Call fo r product (213) 946-3581 m METRO A TLAN TA "'.., f ,, • ~ , $ J ~ I t-: lil UII .... uzukr $0 Down Financing UpT. 48 Mons. SUZUKI Hwy U.S. 41, Kennesaw. GA (404) 429-1800 • SINCE 19 80 15%Off '87 Indiana Demo m& .".... >[ , · . (800) 727-1800 UPS DAILY ~ - b.::::::z:.! [ -, • • .. ~ Demo 1 -....1) K&RSeries ..... ~ Reduced Price 2400 No Cobb Pkwy Kennesaw. G . A (404)429-1BOO (BOO) n 7· 1B0 0 CLOSE ~UT~ ON,ALL 87s U m "' ; • C:AGr.rII'l -e, , • • 20% O ff '87D~~~Ya Elefant 2400 No. Cobb Pkwy. Kennesaw. GA (404)429· 1BOO (800) 727·1800 What Is Your Problem? Irell it to the editor, write him a letter. KXPARTS IN STOCK. IN A HURRY• . . . . 1800 CALL TUF ~~~.,.,.~ .-C. In the autumn, the mists hang low over the lake at Varese, and the summer resorts on the sh ore are deserted. It is a time of quiet reflection. T he acuvity is a ll part o f w ha t Not at th e Cagiva factory near the la ke! Workmen th ere are kno cking d o wn wa lls, . piping in more power and reventifat ing th e dyn o room. Rand y's m echan ic h a s sai d th e race workshop is too small. Well , pronto! Make it bigger! And h u rry l insiders and ou tsiders are calling th e new sp irit in th e Cagi va race shop. T he impetus for yet a nother ren ai ssance in th e racin g effor ts of Eu ro pe's largest manufacturer has co me from Ca lifornian Ran dy- Mamol a. At long las t, after years of trying, Eu rope's only works 500cc World Champion- sh ip team has managed to attract a • real top-level rider . Not coin ciden tally, this happened soon after they'd built a halfwaydecent motorcycle for th e first time a ft er years of trying. L a cking n othing in speed, and on ly a littl e in des ign refi ne me n t, th e Yamahalike Cagi va V507 was short o n ly of rel ia bil ity in 1987, a nd for a bike that turned a wheel for the first time in . th e third race of th e year, that was an acce ptable fault. The Ca stig lioni brothers are relucta nt to talk about th eir racing effort. It has cos t th em a lot of money over m ore th an five years, marked wi th an a lmost laughabl e lack o f su ccess. More than once, th ey ha ve been re ported ' a bo ut to ret ire, but the Italian spirit has a lways seen them prepared to m ak e o ne more effort.' Mo re than o nce, that effo rt ha s di sintegrat ed under co nd itio ns o f mutual acrimony. They sta rted with a straig h t-four Yamaha copy, moved o n to a sq uarefour Suzuki/Yamaha clone, a nd three seaso ns back produced their first V4 - another design based on th e twi n -cra n k Yamaha. All have lagged beh ind th e J apanese op positio n on torque, weight, an d especially in refi nemen t. Wh ile the Ca givas have of ten been fast in a straig h t line, they h ave a lways been peaky an d harde r to ride, perhaps betrayin g th eir origins an d the lack of big-bike experie nce of th e team th at Cagiva in herited fro m th e World Cham p ionsh ip -winn in g Aerrnacchi/ Harley- Davidson outfit. In a lmost a decade, they have never succeeded in securing a top-flight 500cc rider, but it was not for wa nt of tryi ng. Among their past a lu m ni are former 350cc Wo rld Champion Jon Ekerold (wh o , to th e best of my kn owledge, is sti ll argui ng with them over who finally broke th e co ntract); Virginio Ferrari and , on occasion, Marco Lucch in ell i, w ho, th ough a form er cham pion, was a lways a hol id ay racer whe n he ro de th e Cagivas. . Among th e ri ders they h ave tried to entice are so me far more famous n ames. As well as Rob McE ln ea and N iall Macken zie, Barry Sh een e came cl o se to sign i n g, whi le Kenny Robert s managed to resist th e huge cash lur e bu t h as tested bikes for th em and remains keenl y interested in the bikes h e calls, " my Cagi vas." G o od results h a ve e lu de d the Mamola's teammate at Cag iva w ill be French man Raymond Roche, shown here on the 1987 V-four:

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