Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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·'.P O E :B E··· 1994 Honda CRSOO :· R J. cr , lk· ·, . AMIl\l" EAST · By Donn Maeda Photos by AI King g Uring our 1994 500cc MX Bike Shootout, one thing became very apparent when it came to the Honda CR5OO: though it is equipped with the easiest to ride, most-powerful mo tor, the bike as a whole is held back by what can only be described as "twitchy" handling characteristics. While each of our testers raved about the big Honda's awesome powerband, all of them retu rn ed from the track with similar tales of horror. bandwagon," we thought it would be worthwhile to look deeper into the current trend of "right"-side-up forks. Stig Pettersson is the man behind the mysterious forks. No, Pettersson doesn't man u fa cture the Marzocchi Magnum forks, but Pettersson's company, Pettersson Pro Suspension, is the sole U.S. importer for the Italian suspension units. "I am convinced that for the average rider, the Marzocchi conventional forks are definitely better," said Pettersson. "Unlike inverted forks, they don't suffer from a great deal of stiction and binding. (Above) Killer landings and G-outs are handled with ease, thanks to the Marzocchl Magnum forks and Pettersson Pro Suspensionmod ified rear shock. Over square-edged bumps, our CR500 project bike handled admirably. (Left) The finished product. Our entire project bike consisted of bolt-on parts, and may be easily dup licated. Headshake, severe bottoming and swapping were the ma jor complaints. One rider even suffered a mildly sep arated shoulder when the CRSOO bucked him off without warning on a particularly fast section of San Bernardino's Glen Helen Raceway. While fresh, our testers had no trouble staying on top of the Honda's twitchy handling characteristics, but within a few laps the vibration and headshakewould transform even our most-fit testers into quivering masses of jelly. "This bike would be awesome if it handled better," they chimed. 'Nuffsaid. Only days after our Shootout hit the presses, we set out on a mission: to bring the Honda CRSOO's handling characteristics up to par with it's world-class motor. BOLT-oN BLESSINGS Take a look around the pits at any local Southern California MX race, and you'll most likely see a bike or two fitted with a strange-looking pair of cranberry-colored conventional forks. Though we don't necessarily agree with the masses who seem to be jumping on the "conventional fork For outdoor-motocross applications, there is no comparison between the conventional and inverted design s. Conven tional forks are definitely mor e compliant and forgiving. " In both the 250 a nd 500cc MX GP Series, many of the top riders opted to fit the Marzocchis on their race ma chines, amongst them Trampas Parke r, Jorgen Nilsson and Marcus Hansson. In addition to supplying us with a pair of Marzocchi Magnum forks, PPS also ' modified our shock and stock Showa forks. The stock forks were revalved to provide a stiffer compression ratio in the second half of the suspension travel, while the changes to the shock focused on reducing the h igh-speed compression damping. With more than one off-roader on staff, we thought it would be app ro priate to modify the Honda to be more at home at desert-racing speeds. To compliment the re-worked suspension components, we . contacted ISDE veteran Drew Smith, who supplied us with one of his Works Enduro Rider Steering Stabilizers. Though not as popular as the Scotts Performance uni t, (Right) The Marzocchl Magnum conventional forks offer more fle x and are more forgiving than today's Inverted units. The trick tube guards are made by Acerbis. the WER stabilizer has developed a loyal following that includes such notables as N ational Enduro Cha mpion Randy Hawkins and motocrosser Guy Cooper. Installing the stabilizer required that a sma ll h ole be drilled in theframe, but Sm ith stresses that it d oes nothing to affect the frame's strength. A large portion of the front number plate must also be cut awa y in order to provide clearance for the unit. In the op en class, flying rocks and roost is definitely a factor to contend with . Better protection for the delicate radiators seemed necessary, as the flimsy plastic stock units seemed less than adequate for nose-to-tail dices on a rocky course. MMF Racing manufactures a set of heavy-duty aluminum radiator guards that in addition to better roost protection, provide a bit of side-to-side damage protection as well . In addition to the radiator guards, MMF included a front brake master cylinder guard, a stadium skid plate, a pair of frame guards, a heavy-duty chain guide and a trick Pro Stand as well. Vibration and shock transmitted up through the rider's arms was also a com-