Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Sweet reflection By David Podolsky Photos by Johnny Buenaventura hen guys set out to build their ultimate street ride, the result usually says something about them. Some guy's bikes are mean, some loud and others classic. The 1991 Oucati 90055. that graces this page is like James Bond in a tuxedo: cool, tough, dashing yet understated, with an attention to detail. To create this 98055, Sean Lizate of Connecticut Cycle Refinishing made the best of a bad situation. Twice. The first time, Sean's 90055 was damaged in a street accident and, rather than pout about it, he decided to remake the machine with a style of his own. Being a bike painter by trade and a .tinkerer by nature gave him many possi- W bilities. Fitting a 916 race fairing and mounting dual headlamps down low under the neatly fitted turn signals gives the machine a sleek, uncluttered look. To our surprise, the headlamps truly light up the roadway at night and don't seem to attract the attention of the local boys in blue. The high-swept exhaust is a Scorpion Akropof stainless system using O~D carbon-fiber canisters and produce an exhaust note that is deep, throa ty and just loud enough to let motorists with rolled-up windows know you're there. Of course, a killer paint job was part of the recipe, and the two-tone silver and blue are racy and classy together. But stopping at the bodywork was not enough. Three-spoke Oyrnag Street Fighter wheels were fitted and accented with blue. These look trick when the bike is parked, but are also lighter than stock and help improve the nimbleness of this already sporty machine. The suspension components were upgraded to race-track quality with a Fox Shox handling the rear, while the forks are equipped with Race-Tech Gold Valves. Sean made the preload adjusters himself to give the adjustable forks a personal touch. The stock brake calipers didn't need changing, but Braking brand rotors take the place of stock and together they supply good stopping power. There are both good bite and feel from the brakes. Sean's second opportunity to create more from less came when a 980cc kit was installed by a local shop that didn't have the ability to do the cylinder-head work. The heads were shipped out to be ported and were returned as junk - just Dunlop 0756 tires By Matt Freeman itting on the Glen Helen Raceway starting line just seconds before the start of the facility's famed six-hour endurance race, I had no idea if I had chosen the right tires for such a long and irueling race. The Cycle News Suzuki RM250 was freshly mounted with Dunlop 0756 front and rear motocross/offroad tires, and all I could see of the 4- S . en g: ~ 26 After completing the Six Hours of Glen Helen on the Dunlop 0756, we were so impressed with its performance and wear that we plan to race the 24 Hours of Glen Helen this September using the same rubber. mile course from my viewpoint on the starting line was mud. But with 114 teams entered in the event, I knew that the water-drenched track would turn into soft, torn-up sand in some sections and hard-packed square edges in others. Hence the importance of a tire that could hold up for six hours under all different kinds of terrain conditions. We hoped that we had made the right choice. The D756 is Dunlop's follow-up to their ultrasuccessful 0752 intermediate-ta-soft terrain tire. The 0752 proved to perform best in muddy conditions, and that's exactly what the 0756 is supposed to do, too, but it is also designed to go above and beyond that, extending it capabilities to harder, clay-based intermediate tracks. A 1991 Ducati 900SS was the basis for this tweaked Due. Fitted with 916 race body work - necessitating the clever mounting of a couple of projector-' beam headlamps to light the way - this bike backs up its look with a 1DO-hp 980cctwin. big paperweights. For a second time, Sean made something beautiful out of an ugly situation. The motor was sent to BCM Motorsports of Laconia, ew Hampshir~ (603/524-4898). Bruce Meyers of BCM specializes in two-valve Oucatis, with about half the shop's customers being road racers. I asked Bruce to explain what makes Seans' motor different. "Because the heads were junk, we welded up the ports completely and started with a whole new shape, including changing the valve seats to get a better contour. We installed 44mm intake and 39mm exhaust valves. In addition, we made short intake manifolds to run straight ports with Keihin individual carburetors. We utilized JE-built pistons that were built to our specifications - the compression ratio is about 11:1. The 96mm cylinders were imported from Italy." A Falicon balanced crank and titanium rods make sure the bottom end is smooth and solid. Sean also bolted on a Skorpion exhaust, which adds about 3 more horsepower. When Sean gave us directions to a nice spot to shoot some picturesque photos, I was pleasantly surprised when he handed me the keys! The 98055 has a . comfortable yet aggressive riding position and is quite manageable at street speeds. The throttle response is immediate, and the big midrange makes sure that punching it in any gear gives you get-up-and-go. Quick steering and easy to manage on the streets of town, I was still anxious to get on the highway and let it breathe. A third-gear roll-on makes a normal highway merge a reason to grin wide inside your helmet. Besides looking good, the bike idles, has serious wheelie-producing torque and creates over 100 hp up top - not bad for a daily rider which has over 53,000 miles on it. Our only complaint was the lack of side-view mirrors when dicing through the Bridgeport traffic. It is actually safer simply to pass everybody and not worry about what is behind you, and with Sean's bike, that is not a problem. ,. The muddy start may have been a little better suited for a 0752, a tire considered by most as a full-on mud tire, but by the end of the second lap, the Glen Helen circuit was perfect for a 0756, as the course had turned into a combination of hard-pack and loam. In the end, we felt that we had, in fact, made the best tire selection possible, front and rear. Just as Dunlop had claimed, the 0756 tires hooked up great on a variety of surfaces, even after a fresh watering. In addition, we were pleasa11tJy surprised at how well the tires held up, showing very little signs of wear after six hours of racing. After enduring 61 laps, my teammate an~ I were quite plea ed witt. the 0756 tires and our race results of ninth overall, proving the importance of keeping the ruqber side down. ,.

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