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/128119
runs well, providing respectable topharder to turn, with lower corner he mid-summer break in Grand speeds. This definitely spoils lap speed figures. But the tire trick Prix racing is a time to relax. I times: Equivalent-compound 17s can played on the frustratingly unsucdon't think the World Champion did always accomplish a faster single lap. cessful would-be giant-killer has an much of that. Kenny Roberts Jr. finWhat the bigger tires do deliver is ished the first half of the season in extra dimension. The Modenas/Probetter endurance. This translates into ninth, so far off the pace that while he ton designers always knew it would better overall race times, as well as has qualified on the front row and be down on horsepower. Their plan the opportunity to finish strongly even led now and then early on, he was to make up for it with faster coralways handy if there's a bit of a bathasn't finished higher than sixth all ner speed. The 16.5-inch tire has tle going on. This alone makes them season. Not even damp squib Alex made a nonsense of that. Stick one pretty much essential. They are the Criville did that badly. on the back of their formerly nimble new standard size. Funnily enough, what has gone lightweight and it understeers just like The understeer makes it all the wrong for Roberts is the same that has the V-fours. Only they can use their more important to be able to spin the gone wrong for his father's lightweight extra horsepower to solve the probrear tire, to get the thing turned. The challenger, the three-cylinder Proton. lem. The Proton doesn't have any. only problem with that much more And for the same, simple reason. Better endurance has forced traction is you need that much more Both Roberts on the Suzuki and everyone to use the new tire, whether power. What happens if you don't new Proton (ex-Modenas) rider Jurthey like it or not. The only thing that have any spare power? Tough tittie, gen van den Goorbergh are doing will rescue Suzuki is more horsepowmate. This is motorbike racing, not highly respectable lap times, comparer in the middle of the rev range. ballroom dancing. ing last year to this. And race times. What might rescue The problem is, ------------------------------the Proton would more of the others be a longer lasting are doing even bet17-incher. ter. Michelin runs It is because of the the 500cc class back tire. The newwithout opposition. generation Michelins, Next year, the with the smaller four-strokes come 16.5-inch rim size. and Dunlop "The 16.5s are just plans to come killing us," explains back. Bridgestone Roberts in private. is also on its way The words are echoed in. This is small over at his dad's Procomfort to those ton pit, too. currently on the In case you're not wrong side of the up to speed on tires, ti re /horse powe r it goes like this. matrix. Future· Standard rim size development is was 17 inches until likely to concenlast year, when wildtrate even more on sliding lab rat Garry endurance, to McCoy ushered in cope with the the 16.5s (they'd extra weight and been around interhorsepower of the mittently since 1994, forthcoming fourand had become strokes. And word popular in World from the tire engiSuperbike). neers is that tires The smaller rim will get even fatter T - • has the same outer diameter. Ergo, more rubber is used without altering ride height, geometry or gearing. Most of this rubber goes on the fatter shoulder of the tire, giving a wider contact patch, especially when leaned over. This, by all accounts, is not that much of a good thing. As well as taking the rear even farther off the centerline when leaned over, the donut tire grips harder and pushes the front end wide. The bike understeers - it's In the case of the Suzuki, it's not so much quantity of power, but how easily it can be used at smaller throttle openings. Which is to say, not very easily at all, according to the riders. What they have been lacking is what Mick Doohan used to describe as "a linear throttle response." With the Proton, just three-cylinders strong, it is more a matter of quantity. The present Mk3 engine and more treadheavy, with bigger rim sizes and larger outer diameters. A bigger tire has to tum relatively less for a given distance, you see. Simple, really. Just as now, riders will be hostage to their tires, and to whichever aspect of performance has attracted the attention of the tire companies. With a few more of them in the game, however, the competition might help some of those currently left out in the cold. CN • Binghamton National Motocross • Czech Republic Road Race GP • Pikes Peak AMA Road Race • Missouri AMA flat Track • canadian F-USA flat Track 112 AUGUST29.2001· cue' e n.""s 30 YEARS AGO••• SEP1£MBER 7, 1971 A picture of three trophy girls hold;ng two trophies, surrounding a motorcyclist, as an advertisement for the coming motocross extravaganza at the Cal·Expo Fairgrounds in Sacramento, California, was featured on the cover of Issue *34. The promoters stated that they hoped it would draw the biggest crowd ever to witness a single motocross event, and in order to draw the riders, they offered a $3000 purse... Also on the cover was an article regarding the protest issued to the AMA by Dick Mann concerning improper starting procedures at the Corona Dirt Track National. Mann's protest was upheld and he was issued the points he lost in the race, which moved him past theretofore points leader Gene Romero in the Grand National Championship. Romero did still hang on to second, though ... Brad Lackey returned to the Northem California MX action after a trip to Europe to win the Open Senior class, despite pretty serious bike problems - one of his rear shocks came off and his rearbrake rod was broken and dragging on the ground by the end of the second moto. 20 YEARS AGO.•. SEPTEMBER 2, 1981 A rather intimidating view of Russ NEWS Collins aboard his top fuel drag bike covered Issue *34. Bo O'Brochta actually -:,.; won the event in the Top Fuel class, topping Terry Vance. Vance won the Pro Stock I ~. event, however... Scott Pearson topped the Tulsa round of the Grand National Championship/Winston Pro Series. Randy Goss and Mike Kidd took second and third, respectively, although Kidd took the points lead away from Gary Scott with his third-place finish... Over 2000 entries were received for the Ponca City Grand National Championship MX Final in Oklahoma. Among the winners were Colin Edwards (Pee Wee StOCk), Damon Bradshaw (Jr. Cycle Modi· fied 6-8), Jeff Emig (83cc Stock Novice 011), Kyle Lewis (83cc Modified Intermediate 0-11), Larry Brooks (83cc Modified Expert Over 12 Division 2), Ron Lechien (100cc Stock Junior, 125cc Stock Expert Division 2) and Mike Healey (83cc Stock Intermediate over 12). mu lo- .~~. ~l; 10 YEARS AGO••. SEPTEMBER 4, 1991 Scott Parker (H-D), Wayne Rainey (Yam) and the start of the Glen Helen 500cc U.S. MX GP were spread across the cover of Issue *34. Parker was the focus, however I as he celebrated his record 41 st National Dirt Track victory at the Indy Mile. Previous record holder Jay Springsteen failed to make the main event... Rainey won the San Marino GP over polesitter Kevin Schwantz (Suz) and third-place Michael Doohan (Hon) ... Honda's Jean-Michel Bayle rode hard to beat Kawasaki's wily veteran Jeff Ward with 2-1 moto finishes. Ward's 1-2 was good enough for second. With the win, Bayle became the first man to ever win MX GPs in ell three classes... Kawasaki"mounted 16-y·ear-old Timmy Ferry won the 125cc Stock and Modified A classes at the Loretta Lynn's Amateur MX Championships. Jeff Gibson won the 5 J cc Stock (4-8) class, while other winners included Robbie Reynard (85cc Stock 12·13), Kevin Windham (85cc Mod. 9-13), Craig Decker (85cc Stock 14-15), Mike Metzger (85cc Modified 14-15), Jeff Dement (125cc B Stock, Modified) and Greg Rand (125cc Stock and Modified 12-15).