Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

,-In The Paddock _..,. hen the weight-differential rule was introduced in the early part of this decade, some thought it the death knell of the V-four 500cc-class dinosaurs. ot before time, either, for those riders condemned to midfield placings on whatever hand-me-down factory kit they could find, ranging from costly lease-team Hondas to low-grade Harris or ROC Yamahas. Already too difficult to ride for all but a handful of specialists; already too powerful for their tires, requiring such wide rears that their steering geometry was ruined by the smallest angle of lean; and already the victims of their own tagnating technology, barely changed except in detail for many years, it seemed logical that the V-four's days were numbered. The time was ripe for a more intelligent and efficient approach, and the differential weight formula - 130 kg (286 pounds) for fours, 115 kg (253 pounds) for triples and 100 kg (220 pounds) for twins - offered a path - followed eagerly, first by Aprilia then HRC, and soon after that by Modenas. The first pair had two cylinders each, the Modenas three but the philosophy was the same. And all shared an ultimate goal of being available to privateers. Only the Honda actually achieved that, but that's beside the point. And now there is another candidate the computer-designed BSL, following a promising debut at pre ea on lRTA tests. Another V-three, it is similar to the Modenas, though with important detail differences. This means two thing . Firstly, that the creed is still valid. In spite of some false starts, there are still racing engineers who believe that a lighter, simpler craft will ultimately beat the battleship V-fours. And secondly, that if it weren't for optimism, there wouldn't be any hope at all. The Honda has been the most succe sful of the non-fours so far - as one might expect, considering the budget HRC continues to throw in its direction. Team technicians last year almost lost count of the number of new chassis before HRC rider Sete Gibernau was able to begin to reproduce the sort of results achieved by his predecessors - W The New Zealand-built BSL 500 is the latest addition to the 500cc Grand Prix class. both Tadayuki Okada and Takuma Aoki put the factory twin on the rostrum, although never higher than third. Private Hondas came on stream in 1997, but the production V-twins, often running on a shoestring, fell far short of this, with the exception of Alex Barros' factory-supported machine, which was third at Donington Park. Thi wa the circuit where Aprilia engineer Jan Witteveen first nurtured the idea of a "super 250," after his own 250s had come within tenths of the top times set by the 500s (Honda's arithmetic had been done at Suzuka, where certain section times showed their 2505 to be faster than the 50Ds through medium- to high-speed comers). Yet even at Donington, Aprilia was unable to translate the paper advantage into superior performance. Their bike, which was launched undersized (less than 400cc) in 1994 and has grown bit by bit ever ince, has always been both interesting and promising, but congenitally unable to overcome the V-four's principal advantage: surging acceleration off the start line, laying waste to the Aprilia's not infrequent front-row starts; and surging ditto out of the corners, so that even when the lithe little twin did catch up, it was a tall order to get past. The ApriJia did not lack power. The bigger pistons ensured good torque and throttle response. The acceleration difficulty, as with the V-fours, lay in using the power. With big torque and light weight, the Aprilia was alarmingly prone to wheeleying, and Doriano Romboni (the best rider so far on the ApriJia) and his predecessor Loris Reggiani had to back off the throttle as the front wheel pawed the air. The swingarm grew ever longer to try to tame this tendency, each extra centimeter taking away from the bike's agility. Romboni's best-ever was third at Assen, slicing through in a restarted race interrupted by rain in 1997. But by the end of that year, Aprilia withdrew, plans for production versions in tatters. Instead, a year's sabbatical in the race shop has produced a (reportedly) further improved bike for the best rider yet: the redoubtable Tetsuya Harada, refugee from the 250cc class, former World Champion, and already setting impressive times just behind the best of the V-fours at early IRTA tests. Witteveen still believes in the V-twin concept, and perhaps Harada can prove him right. . Does anybody still believe in the Modenas? Well, of course they do. The reason for the number of mechanics and engineers jumping ship from Team BY MICHAEL Roberts has more to do with commerciaI than technical difficulties. The Modenas had many problems in its first two years, and losing Marlboro's backing was among the most significant. It signaled a staggeringly sudden loss of faith in Kenny Roberts himself, whose former gurul1ke sfatu took a terrible knock last year - rather unfairly, since the Modenas only performed poorly by comparison' to a long-e tablished and well-deveIoped crop of state-of-the-art factory racers. In fact, its first year was far from shabby, especially considering the teething troubles of the rather too adventurous Mkl design. Most of these, including frothing fuel and coolant and sundry parts breakages, were blamed on near-terminal engine vibration, which in tum were blamed on broken promises from outside suppliers, especially car-racing peciaJists TWR (Tom Walkinshaw Racing). Roberts shopped elsewhere for components for motor Mk2, sourcing technology and parts from Japan and elsewhere, and when the generaUy more conventional (and balance-shafted) motor finally appeared for the last five races of 1998, it was a belated boost to the chances of success. The hapless privateers still await their viable alternative, while a handfuI soldier on with Honda V-twins this year - though there is a ray of hope. The Japanese firm Technical Sports Racing, now England-based, is developing their own TSR chassis, and considering their success with privateer Hondas in the 250cc cIass, their two-man team will bear some watching. And as for BSL, their iteration certainly shows faith in the general rightness of the Modenas V-three design. BSL, however, built the machine themselves, with crankcases and chassis parts machined from solid billets of aluminum. It would be naive not to expect teething troubles, but there is certainly plenty of promise. The V-fours have meanwhile fought back, with the horsepower ever more manageabIe, and continuing chassis improvements. Stagnation has allowed a high degree of refinement, and though logic dictates they cannot hold out forever, deposing them is not going to be quick, or easy. _ Lookin~ ~ 30 YEARS AGO... MARCH 11, 1969 ur cover shot showed contestants in the Cal Poly Penguins MC-hosted High Mountain Enduro as they meandered through the Los Padre a tiona 1 Forest in Southern California. District 37 number-one heavyweight class rider Steve Hurd rode a 90cc Ka wasaki to the overall win... The Kern County Trailblazers hosted the first motocross to take place in California's San Joaquin Valley:The event took place at Poso Park and, thanks to the recent heavy rains that had permeated the area, it was a real mud fest. Husqvarna was apparently the marque to have in the Open classes, as Larry Conrad (Hus) won the Open Senior division and Terry Davis (Hus) won the' Open Junior division.... Don Lawrence (Bul) proved that he had recovered completely from his broken leg, as he dominated the Expert claSs during the SDTR trial at the Elfin Forest Campground near Lake San Marco in Southern California... Both BSA and Triumph were aggressively marketing their new triples, as was evidenced by their ads. O 20 YEARS AGO... MARCH 7, 1979 rands Prix were the happening thing in tl'lis issue, as two of Southern California' larger off-road race took place. Bob Balentine (KTM) took the lead on the second lap of the Soboba Grand Prix, held on the Soboba Indian Reservation, and never looked back. Balentine crossed the finish line with a comfortable lead. Bill Tarling contributed to a good day in the dez for the KTM marque, as he cro sed the line for the win in the 250cc Expert class aboard one of the Austrian machines... A week later, they were all in Corona, California, for the Un-Leap Year Grand Prix, and motocrosser Rex Staten (Yam) mixed it up with Steve Bauer (Suz) for the overall win. In the end, Staten prevailed ... Team Yoshimura was looking good at the AFM road racing opener in Ontario, California. Team riders Wes Cooley (Suz) and David Emde (Suz) won the Open Super Street and Open GP classes, respectively. G sca Back 10 YEARS AGO... MARCH 1, 1989 T he 1989 Cagiva WMX125 Davy Strijbos and WMX250 Pekka Vehkonen replica were announced, with photos of the sharp-looking Italian motocro s machines appearing in our "In the Wind" section... On the supercross front, it appeared as if there was nobody capable of topping Rick Johnson (Hon). At Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, the Team Honda superstar recorded his fifth straight win of the eason and broke Bob Hannah's record of 27 career supercross wins. In the 125cc class, Damon Bradshaw (Yam) passed and then held off a determined Ty Davis (Suz) for the win ... We delivered a riding impression of the 1989 Suzuki GS500EK, touting .it as "a motorcycle that can be all things to all people, and at a bargain price ($2295)" ... Larry Roeseler (Kaw) bulled his way to victory in the Moose Run National Enduro at Red Mountain, California... We also featured an interview with 500cc Grand Prix star Wayne Rainey, who told us that he was dedicated to winning the championship in 1989. _ "_ !Ii IIlii III :i ~ ~ Q . 8i 67

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