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/127284
also echoed by Herr Frank Schultz, a BMW economist, ' w h o eventuall y offered his blunt assessment, " I don 't kn ow how MZ will survive the next 10 years, but it is more likely MZ wo u ld mak e a joint venture with a j apanese com pany than with BMW." BMW reps a re even less sa ngu i ne abo u t a n alliance with Simson. Simson is a pa rtner compan y of MZ, and like MZ, enjoys some success in end uro cornpe titions. That sho ws, becau se Herr Steine r and co lleagues seem more excited th an if they we re se lling vacuum cleaners. One com pa ny that already enjoys some coopera tion with BMW is a Russian one called Dn epr, pan of Mo to velo, the Min sk Mo torcycle & Bicycle Works. Dnepr MT 16 TWD is a si dec ar with a 650cc motor (38 ho rsepower) that looks like a BMW (a bystander said earlier engine plans were stolen from BMW, when the Russians were less fussy about patent rights. Is this true?) The Russian reps were clea rly excited about their Dnepr MT 80 TWD sidecar, boasting an 800cc (45 horsepower) motor imported from BMW. "Is good for touring Soviet Union ," one happil y related in En g. lish; Dnepr had some brochures in En glish as well as German, and ha s 18 dealers in German y alo ne. The good-loo king rigs appeared well capable of long range touring. (The Dnep r 16 with Ru ssian motor sells for DM 9960; Dn ep r 80 with Germ an motor costs mo re.), Mar ki ng its 45 th a nniversa ry, Motovelo, which prod uces 200.000 mo torcycles and scoo ters a year. was p ro ud o f th eir 125cc " Roa dsters" guaranteed to run 30.000 kilometers. Happy to be at th e world's biggest bike show for th e first time, Motovelo stated their " desire to find a mo re efficie nt application to our technical potential through an y way of coop era tion including joint vent ures ." It 's a lo ng way from the headquarter s o f China Nan chang Aircraft Manufacturing Co. in th e Peoples Repub lic of China, but trade rep Yu An Ge seemed glad to make the trip to Co logne - and proud of the product lin e that sent her there. Beaming, she ga ve out ti e clasp s featuring th e CNAMC lo go , and co n fide d that English acronym from the last pan of her name was " Angel. .. Directing show -goers to a wid e array of scooters. 750cc military style side cars (first produced in 1957) ca lled Chiangjiang 750Bs. and l25cc two -wheelers featurin g di sc brakes. - all of which looked serviceabl e but primitive - Yu An Ge bubbled in En glish about Ch in a's export plans. " We even expo rt to the U.S.A.," she said. How many? " j ust 17 last year .,.... not too many!" she laughed. It's easy to be cyn ical. But wai t, An y com pa ny that can build rnissl es, like CNAMC. cou ld also bu ild a so ph isticated motorcycle. And with China's low labor costs. CNAMC could make an impression on th e world market especially in cooperation with japan. Some of these companies won 't make it to the free marketplace. at least under their own names. Some will he mere pans suppliers to the Big 4. Bu t. ri ch o r poor; people li ke to ride motorcycles. And it 's a big world. with topography as divers e as Iceland and Dakar - filled by people with tast es as diverse - im po ssibl e for a mere handful of compa n ies to dictate to. Mor e com pa nies are moving toward the free mark et. Some. represented by cheerful. dedicated people like those in Col ogne wi ll mak e it. There's nothin g lik e good atti tude to get you through a cold shower. Cl' cAgOj0l1l011 211tehphlgeg CPhegel1t: EIGHTH AND LAST u.s. IGHT NATIONALS 2, 7:30 FRIDAY, NOV. , IL ' J , ... ....... G<") ~ Q.) ..0 ' ...... 0 U o pin o ~u •• . .... ... - .... .... ""- • ALL SPORTSMAN CLASSES • PROS PLUS VINTAGE SUPPORT CLASS 4:00 GATES OPEN TICKETS • 6:00 SIGN·UP CLOSES ALL AGES 9 • 5:30 - 6:30 PRACTICE AND OVER $9.00. 8 • 7:30 FIRST RACE AND UNDER $4.00 J. C. AGAJANIAN'S ENTRY FEE: $20.00 PROS $20.00 SPORTSMAN • PRO PAYBACK 100% GIFT CERTIFICATES TROPHIES - PRIZES SPORTSMAN 18300 VERMONT AVE., GARDENA GUARANTEED Sanctioned by Continental Motosport Club (714) 261- 6116 Got an opinion? Try Voices. ~rb ~i MOTOCROSS SUNDAY Q~VO~I-' N~~~~~a~:l * ; . 25 &: 30+A = 100%Payback Gate Fees $6.00 (Under 12 - $3.00) Slgn·Up Am. $10.00 Pro $15.00 Gates Open Sign Up Practice Race 8:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. \0:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. Large Trophies to TopAmateurs Info: (615) 239 -9988 or (615) 234·0772 15 miles West ofKingsport, TN. off loSl at exit 44 All Motorcycle & AT V Classes Note: 5 entries make a class S GREAT PRO PURSE!! SIOO/SSO/S60/S40/S20 COMP LE X * * s Per Moto 1 Motos Per Class 115 Pro a 150 Pro 13