Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

(Left) Perris Auto Speedway was our fi rst true test for the m a c hin e, While the bik e was fast through the turns, w eill soo n b e lo okin g for more p ower f or the b ig tracks. (RIght) We basical ly left the motor alone, adding only a Steahly bolt-on flywheel weight while retaining the FMF p ipe that It had picked up while 'Ie a dl n g its motocross lifestyle. (Left) The Wood Racing handlebars not only lo ok the part, they provide more leverage and force the rider to sit a b it further back In the saddle than when i n moto trim, which helps handling through the flat comers. d rop the ride height - still keeping it s im p le a nd low- b uck, we wanted it to look lik e a dirt tracker, a n d we wa nte d it to lo ok bit chin' . Wit h the help of the com p an ies lis ted in the Supplie rs list, we think we d id just that. Sta r ti n g up top , our bike once again b e n e fits b y the s witc h to a true dirt- t rack h an d le bar , spo r ti n g a W ood Ra cing d ir t - t r a c k- st y le b a r. This was a c tually s o meth in g that we h ad s witched to m id -s e a s on , s o we inco rporated them onto th e RM a s well. The idea behind a dirt-track b a r is not p u re ly for retro looks . The bars actually serve the purpose of provid in g added leverage in the corners , and th e y also get the rider's weight in the r ight p lace o n the moto rcycle . They make a huge d ifference in the way the bike handles. The b ike loo ks even better, howeve r, with th e addition of its N -Sty le graphics k it and Tu ff Plates numbers . Although we only used thei r numbers , Tuff Plates a lso manu factu res topquality n umberplates for any ra c in g application , as well as vinyl graphi cs and lettering , magnetics and banners. Unfortunately , we ha ven't had the Suspension-wiselr.L While man y riders choose not to alter their suspe nsions for the occasional 250cc Novice race , a growing number of class regulars ha ve been cutting into the travel in an effort to ga in more ride control when sliding into the comers. With the help of White Brothers' main suspension man Steve Searcey (shown), we pioneered this conce pt on the yz last year, but we didn't necessarily master it. Our YZ was awesom e when sliding into the turns , but it had this weird tendenc y to break traction and hop sideways off the middle of the exit corners. We traced this back to the fact that we had actually collaborated with Searcey in lowering the back end too far, which puts the swingarm into what dirt-tr ack -suspenslon experts call a "pro-squat" condi tion, where the chain acts like a lever and actually tries to torque the rear wheel off the ground. When it came time to do the RM, we sat down with Searcey and made a slight adjustment. "On the YZ, we machined a 46rnm shock spa ce r, which as you sa id was too muc h," Searcey sa id. "So, this time around we decided to machine a 40mm spacer ($25) instead, giving the swinga rm just a bit mo re of attack or positive angle when the bike is static. Flat trackers have stayed very trad itional - if it works well, you don't mess with it. In fact, if you look at most dirt trackers carefully, they run with a very subtle rake. but you can't immediately tell that beca use they use such a flat seat." This versio n now handles much bette r tha n the YZ throug hout the corners, thanks to that little extra swingarrn ang le, which measures about 26 degrees. It sports six inches of static travel in the front, and seven inches in the rear. "One thing tha t is important to know," Searcey said, "is that, with a rising rate rear s uspension, there is about a three-to-one ratio between shaft stroke and seat he ight, which mean s that a 40mm reduction In shaft stroke yields 120mm lower seat height. Unlike with the Yamaha, with the Suzuki we couldn't use the stock spring , so I replaced it with a stiffer Eibach spring, which is stiffer than the stock spring. That's where our expertise comes in. We're able to work with any customer , and we can do all the mathmetics and all the legwork to get him what he wants . We're in the hab it of sayi ng 'yes' to anyone, whether he has a motcross, vintage, dirt-track, Super Motard, or anyth ing else ." Searcey once again machined the fork spacers as well, a service he charges $60 extra for. But that's about all that 's really necessary to get the bike a little lower to the ground. Searcey says tha t tod ay's motocross - bred suspension is so sophisticated, it doesn't require revalving for a dirt-track a pplication. If you' re serious a bout racing the 250cc Novice class, we reco mmend giving White Brothers a call. For $372.95. they' ve got the suspension req uirements for the class down pat. Wheelie Cool Okay , okay, so ma ybe we went overboard a little with our Talon/Excel, but ha ve you priced a set of wheels lately? If you started from scratch, ·the job would run you about $1000 in most cases. So why not step up and go for the coolest wheels on the planet: a set of Talon hubs laced to your favorite-colored excel rims? Truth be told, it isn't totally necessary for the 250cc class , but that doesn't mean that there aren 't benefits to having your wheels built by White Brothers whee l man Jason Hale. The 23-year -old Hale has a sick fascination with building the perfect wheel, and he builds a lot of 'em. Last year, Hale and the WB whee l department did a bout $ 1 million in sales. Each wheel set runs about $1300. "That' s pretty intense: Hale said , "but people still buy them like crazy. We do everything from KX65s on up. I can get about 10 sets don e per day if the phone is n't ringing off the hook , which it usually is." When it comes to flat-track wheels, Hale strives to get them about as perfect as you can get. . "Most stock wheels are about 15 to 30 thousandths out of true , up and down," Hale said. "I get my wheels to within from three to five thousandths. And with flat track, ther e are some other alterations that I make, like different spoke tension and stuff like that. We run the flat-track wheels much tighter than we would if we built a freesty le set for Brian Deegan." Custom service for an intended application. that seems to be the motto at White Brothers. corners , helping to keep rea r- wheel s p in u nde r contro l. Now if we c o uld just g e t Chuck S te ahl y to build a 26o u ncer. Ho w a bout it, Chuc k? Whether or not that h appens , the bottom line with thi s class is th at it is painfully easy to get involved with . If you 've ever thought abo ut gi ving di rt tr a ck a try, then th is could be th e wa y to go. And if you 've neve r thought a bo ut CN it , th en th is is really fo r y ou. White Brothers 24845 Corbit PI. Yorba Unda, CA 92687 714/692-3404 www .whitebros .com Suspension services Rebuild fork . • . ... .. . . . . . . . . .• .. .$85 Spectra 125/150 (7 ui t .) cartri dge supension fluid $20 Travel mods $60 Rebuild shock $85 Spectra Very Ught suspension flu id $8 Eibach 5.4 kg spring $89.95 Travel mod $25 Wheel rebuild in g Talon hubs. wi th Excel rims . .Call for pricing Other T alon 5O-tooth sproc ket $54.99 N-5tyle graphics kit . • . . . . . . . . . .$129.95 Steahly Off-Road 3850 Pioneer Rd. Medford. OR 97501 800/800·2363 13-ounce bolt-on flywh eel weight . • . . .$99 cha nce to get it wo rki ng a ll th at well , as m y Laguna crash during the Ita lian Superbik e c o m p a ris o n forced me to m iss several rounds of the series . It certainly h andl e s better than the YZ, thanks to some of the thi ngs that we learned with the YZ suspension that we c o rre c te d o n th e RM, and also due to the fact that Romero's rules comm ittee el e c te d to allow 19 -inch rims front and rear - as long a s they were stoc k WM3 s . B ut ma yb e the m ost n e c e s s a r y item on th e b ik e is the Steahly offro a d flywh e el weight. Last yea r, th e 1 3 -o u nce un it w a s o ur sec re t weapon. Thi s ye ar , e ve r y o n e ha s them. The fl y wh e e l we igh t r e ally hel ps to smooth out the hi t o ff t he c ue I e Goodyear TIres Available through A&A Racing Service 933 American St. San Carlos, CA 94070 800/55 1-7755 650/654-1669 Goodyear DT-11 dirt track tires . . . .$125 each Ron Wood Racing Products 755 W. 17th St., to Costa Mesa, CA 92627 949/645 -0393 Flat track hiindlebars . • . ... . . .... . .$40 Tuff Plates 1754 Cherryfield Ave. Clovis, CA 9361 1 559/299-7796 www.tuffplates.com Racing decals (n umbers) n e _ S • JULY II, 2001 $5 45

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