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/127790
all. Besides feeling a little undersprung, which is totally acceptable considering I'm heavier than the person the bike was set up for, the bike would fly through its travel at will. It also reared its head in the form of nasty headshake. Large whoops and choppy downhills had the front end going everywhere but where you wanted it to be. Frankly, it was frightening. We talked to Vetrano about the situation with the 'Zokes and he informed us that it had been quite a while since the legs had been bled of unwanted air. You must bleed Marzocchi forks of air pressure that builds up often - after every ride in fact. Pete had ridden the bike at the Idaho two-day ISDE Qualifier, and his crew had forgotten to bleed off the forks before we got a hold of it. 1his may account for the occasional clunk we heard as the fork would top out on the rebound stroke. We also noticed that both oil seals on the bike were leaking, and who knows how much oil was actually left in the forks by the time we got the bike. Nonetheless, we were hardly concerned about the 1M's less-than-stellar forks, after all, we've ridden bikes with the identical forks without complaint. The handling on the bike also has a very European feel It steers a little slower than a Japanese'motocrosser, and it takes a bit more to initiate a tum. It just takes a little bit of time to get used to it. The 1M had no troubles when it came to brake-sliding. and pivoting the bike in tight cut-and-thrust situations. As mentioned above, the bike did exhibit some headshake, but that can probably be attributed to the fork problems - not geometry. The brakes on the TM work pretty well, thanks to BreflIbo master cylinders and calipers mated to a 260mm Brembo disc in the front and a 220mm disc in the rear. The rear brake worked flawlessly with good stopping power and feel, while the front could have used a little help in both departments. Easy one-finger operation was a little hard to achieve as the day wote on. The bike comes shod with a Pirelli Sandcross tire in the front and an ecofriendly Endurocross in the rear. The rear tire was fine, but we weren't too pleased with the Sandcross front. It worked wellyou guessed it - in the sand but felt a little skittish on the harder terrain. We'd probably install an intermediate-terrain tire, like a Dunlop K139, for the dry and hard-pack conditions we usually encounter. The bike is comfortable to ride, sitting or standing, although I would personally do something to raise the bars up higher to make it more comfortable while standing. I'm just a little taller than the average rider the bike was aimed toward. The tank sometimes felt a little wide when trying to get forward for a tum, but is just fine considering it holds 3.6 gallons of fuel The fit and finish on the bike was pretty good, with the exception of a few cobby-looking wires that hang down .under the seat and tank junction. Overall, 1M has produced a bike that has a lot of the features that we like to see on an off-road motorcycle, like head- and taillights, a centerstand (although it did make a lot of noise), grab handles, a braced rear fender and mud flap, and a large-capacity fuel tank. We just wanted to know where the odometer and fork guards were to complete the package. At $6800 stock, and $7000 with the aluminum fuel tank, the 1M is not cheap by any means, but you have to look at the components you get and where it's made. Being different is never cheap, nor is it, in this case, a sacrifice. (N • l _ cbMlto~S.RCUDofWOOD~ ... folldl'\Y &chili vNI U1 itdly-cOlrl -- . :- ~lP pelot stdndlngs -L..~mt-l'O '.... L. IIN"7\ 2. \. MOTOCROSSERS - PUT ATWO-WHEELED GUY IN THE INDY 500. Become a sponsor of W81dy's Indy Car Team for a donation of $25. Sponsorship kit includes: T-shirt, autographed photo and sponsor sticker. Make check payable to W81dy Racing, 1821 Wild Turkey Cir., Corona, CA 91720. O ,1.:. ~v ~O -, ••••••••••••137 1 s\,gn't \ II-J.·········· 114 corser (AUS) ···············...~·.113 3. fogdrty (uK) . l,'llU I For the nearest deIIler call (8001649-57.22 - - ear.- TOICO INTERNAnONAL CORP. 9916 ~ Blvd.' Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670 (310) 942-8480 • FAX (310) 949-4211 01_ TOACQ ............ Corp.