Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

simple power valves fitted to the six transferlone exhaust port cylinders wh ich match the height of the ex haust port to the behavior of th e engine without th e need to resort to complicated. a nd heavy. electr ica l or electronic systems, The result of a ll this patient work is that th e Aprilia's engine pulls cleanl y and strongly from far lower than I'd ever have expected - 8200 rpm is wh ere usabl e power begins. with a strong urge from ab out 10.500 up to well over 13,000 rpm . though with peak power of 75 bhp delivered at 12.800 rpm acco rdi ng to Loris (who gen erally prefers to change up below that). and maximum torque of 4,4 Nn a t 12.200 rpm, it's not necessary to rev the bike th at high unless yo u want to - and the rod s start breaking once you go over 13,500. even if the power doesn't start to fall off till a fter that point. But here you hav e a dis c-valve bike with a spre-ad of power that is at least th e equa l of the YZR250 Yamaha and probably slightly bett er. yet whose 75 bh p at the rear wheel is very close to the World Ch ampion NS R250 Honda 's 80 bhp a t th e gearbox, What 's more. though th e power may not be so stro ng low down. th e carb uretio n is so good th at you can a llo w th e revs to fall o ff without affe cting pe rformance unduly - it' s almo st lik e riding a fo ur-stro ke, th e throttle is so responsive. The twists and tu rns of Calafat illus trated t h is co m b in a ti o n of attributes perfectl y, Wi th th e tradstyl e rig ht foo t gea r-change. u p for bouom, th at Loris favo rs a nd the ultra-low build of the bik e. cha nging up while cra n ked over to th e right on th e corner before the entrance to pit lane, foll ow ed by a hard-on left leading o n to th e main straight. was difficult unless you cou ld short-shift at about 11,000 rpm a nd get away with it. Doin g so , a nd a llowing th e revs to dro p into fo u r figures caused no ' p roblem s - the Ap rilia just pulled smoothly through to the nex t gear. Even more to m y astonishment. I never o nce had to use the cl utch exiting the tight, slow hairpin at th e" end of th e main stra ight, no t even to en courage th e Rotax engine back into th e serious po wer a nd: nick bottom gear as you drop into th e turn. crack th e th rottle wide ope n, and Ieel th e engine pull strong ly a nd cleanl y away as the Ohlins rear unit sq ua ts lightl y but prog res si vel y beneath you a nd th e rea r Mi chelin radial bites the ta rmac har d. That' s carburetion for you, Of co urse. it helps to be able to selec t your id eal co m bi natio n of internal gea r rat ios to match th e needs of each individual sectio n o f the track as far as possibl e with th e power characteris tics of th e 'engine. This year for th e first time. Rotax user s have been able to do this by rem o vin g th e gearbox sp rocket , unbolting th e pl ate th at lies behind it. a nd sli ding th e casse tte -type gea r cluster ou t for in spection. Not ice I said sectio n. no corner: swa p ping internal gear ra tios reall y comes into its own wh en it ena bles you to cut out ~nnecessary gear-changing by holding a gear between turns, or through a series o f corners, a nd once again Ca lafat demonstrated how this facility. allied to the Apritia 's wide spread of power and flexibl e response. co uld save tim e, By -fini ng a h igh seco nd gear. it was possible to run the whole section of five corners beh ind the pits witho ut changi ng gear. while th e eng ine's ability to run on without th e power dropping off me ant I could hi ]" second exiting the next corner, a first gear right-hander, then run up "io just over 13,000 rpm by holding second gear a ll the way along the SEASON'S GREETINGS 00 00 0") A s 1987 draws to a dose , we wish to thank our dealers,suppliers, race teams and valued customers for making the past year anoth er highly successful one for Cagiva No rth America. Here's wishing you and yours a happy and prosperous 1988, from Cagiva North America and Ca giva Italia, the world's fifth largest manufacrurer of motorcycles. MEMBER IMTc:J CAG.I'VA Husqvama ~ CAGIVA NORTH AMERICA Ride safely. Always weara helmet, eyeprotection, and protective dothing. A TRULY UNIQUE AND VERSATi l E RV for on-rood or oIf-mad enth...wu, the Toyhouse by A1fa provides not only a safe, 50Und and cleanrid for your raceor sports car. moto e rcycles. dune buggie. ATVs and AlCs. but also a nice. comfortable place to >lay when you get there. Up to 10year RIIfinancingi' available Ihroughour dealer network. Toyh ouses are available froma utility traileror fifth wheel to a fully selt-ccntained travel trailer or fift h wheel with all the conveniences of home . Sizes: pulls , 16', 20' , 24', 28' & 32'; fifth wheel, ·24', 28', 32', 36' & 40'. ' The fully se~-contai ned Teyhouse Plus Travel TrailerOf Fifth Wheel >landard features include: rear ramp, si e entry door, tandum axle raring 8.800 lbs removable carpeting wfone piece d urable d .• linoleum on floor, wind~ throughout. tOO ga llons fresh water, 7Sgallon holding tanks corn. plete roof deck wlladder, 92 " interior width, recessed floor and wall lie down " wardrobe & overhead closets. monitor panel, beds. refrigera galley, bath tor, room including shoNer and vanity, 110 & 12 Volt electric system" furnace and dining area, Oplion, available include : sporty ./ fiberglass exterior, air conditi ner, awning, generator ready, drop or str ight tri-axle system and o a more, Suggested retail price start at $01,000 to under 516,000 for the fullyself

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