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/128306
What's In Store For The Proton "T"he Proton KRV-fivethat Kurtis Roberts testI ed in Spain in Dec ember will be replaced by a mostly new model early in 2004 . accor ding to his father and team ow ner Kenny Roberts. The next generation KR machine is the first to be pen ned by forme r F-I designer John Ba rnard , and Kenny Roberts said it loo ks complet ely differ ent and incorporates thinking unseen in the mot orcycle world. Two of Barnard 's mainstays are aerodynamics and weight - this year 's bike was 26 pounds over the 2005, we'll change the V-angle. This new one looks really nice. " Roberts said there will be a new motor mid season with the same V-angle, but without the balance shaft. The next step is a different Vangie to ach ieve perfect balance. Cu rre ntly, they're at 60 deg rees. The Hon da RC· 21I V is at 75.4 deg rees. "We' ll have the new bike at the end of February:' Roberts said. In onder to get Kunds Roberts more seat time, and possibly test new 'We don't sell a lot of motorcycles. We only make six." - Kenny Roberts limit - so the bodywork is suitably sleek , and the aim is to come in at the 145 kilo (310 poun ds) weight limit. " Th e chassis is completely different from start to finish," Kenny Roberts said. " It is going to be a new bike; it 's going to be quite a bit different looking than this one. T he only thing we didn't change is the V-angle of the engine. and that's next. We didn't have enough time. In tires, Roberts said they 'd test the 2003 machine at least o nce more. As for tires, Roberts said, "We're testing Dunlops at the moment." That alone caused Jeremy McWilliams to bolt for Aprilia, "It was a factor in Jeremy leaving:' Roberts said. But testing and racing are two different things, and Roberts said they may be racing on Michelins. $ 17 M illion For Off-Roaders With off-road vehicle riding reaching reco rd levels, California State Parks has announced the allocation of $ 17 million in competitive gra nts to support conservation and law -e nforcem ent programs in off-road recreatio n areas in the state. The OH V grants are awarded by California's Of f-Highw ay Motor Vehicle Recreation Co mmission to cities, co unties, special districts, federal agencies and no nprofit organizations . The money comes fram O HV registration fees and fuel taxes, and under law it must be used for such purpo ses . "These funds allow us to provide substa ntial support to ex isting programs," said Tony Perez, chief of the O HMVR Division, noti ng that the funds are provided as an augmentatio n and not as a so le source of funding for pro jects . "It' s a very co mpetitive process , and these grants are very important to the app licants, especially in the face of the tr e men dou s increase in bot h sales and the number of visitors to the off-road areas that are available for rec reation in the state," said Pe rez. 12 Californ ia's partnership with the federal government is critical in managing OHV recreation where it actually takes place . The more than 90,00 0 acres of state-owned OHV facilities could neve r realisticallyaccommodate California's existing and future O HV activity. "T he O ff-Highw ay Motor Vehicle Recreation program has been a very impo rta nt partner to the en thusiast community, local agen cies and the fe de ral land managers in the grant program," said James Keeler, OHV coordinator for the BLM. "But Califomia 's OHV program has also been at the forefront of leadership in establishing a broa der stakeholder process that allows a dive rse group participati ng in planning and managing current O HV activities." The large increase in visitation was evident over the last major haliday • November's long Than ksgiving weekend - at many off-road recreation areas aro und the state. In the dese rt , for example, Ocot illo Wells State Vehicular Recrea tion Area recorded a 3D-pe rce nt increase in visitors w hen the SVRA saw more than 128,000 campers over the holiday weekend. Large turnouts we re also recorded at Hungry Valley and O ceano Dunes Sta te Vehicular Recreation Areas , as well as on federal lands. A large po rt ion of the grant funds allocated by the OHV Co mmissio n go an nually to the U.S. Forest Service and the Bure au of Land Management, reflecting the huge amount of offroad activity that takes place o n federal land. In Californ ia alone. the Forest Service and BLM manage mo re than 99 percent of the land that is availab le for O HV activity wit hin Calif ornia and w hich acco mmo dates ap prcxirnate ly fo ur millio n visitors an nually. With nea rly five out of every ID acres of Ca lifo rnia's landscap e in federal own e rship, JANUARY 14, 2004 • CYC LE N EWS "It would be a lot easier for us to be on a proven product [l.e.: Michelins]:' Roberts said. "Sometimes you don't get everything you want. I'm not scared to go with Dunlo p. It 's just a lot more work." Ro be rt s said that Michelin can't supply every team in the paddo ck. He thought when Suzuki went to Bridgesto nes, he'd have a chance . But they're spending res ources in Ame rica. And there are commercial concerns. "We don't sell a lot of motorcycles," Roberts said. "We on ly make six." Michelin's Nicholas Go ube rt said they were still talking with the Roberts team. Though he admitted there was nc ccmmercial value in it, he said the team was run professio nally, and that was an upside in the development process. Kurtis Roberts said he co uld feel the Dunlops movi ng around o n corner entry, slowing him midcorner and o n the exit . His performance was a wake-up call for his father, who was more seriously pursuing the Michelins when the test ended. Hen ny Ray Abrams AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: At South Bay Motorsports in National City, California. on january 23 from 7 to 8 p.m. Team Chevy Trucks Kawasaki and Team Pro Circuit! Kawasaki's Michael Byme , Stephane Roncada, Ivan Tedesco and Matt Walker are scheduled to appear. For more info rm atio n, call 619{420-2300. HIRED: Ken and Ann Everaert as sales representatives, by Spy Optic Inc. for the Northwest region , effective immediately. BORN: A baby boy, jordan Lance A1ar to i, Helmet House regional sales manager David Alan and his wife , Stephanie, in Newport Beach, Cal ffomta. on December 7. BORN: A baby boy, Charles Raphael Richardson , to two-time AHRMA National Motocross Champion Chris "C hilly Pepper" Richardson and his wife, Melissa, in Houston, Texas, on December IO . PROMOTED: Marc Fiore to the associate publisher of TransWorld Motocross, by TransWorld Media, effective immediately. 40 t h An niv ersar y Acconding to Keeler, the funding "establishes a more sustainable and less contentious future for OHV and fo r all other Califomians who truly love the wild parts of Califo rn ia." As a result of legislation (AB 2274) signed into law in September, 2002, a major po rt ion of the $ 17 million grant program , o r $ 10.6 million , is earmarked far conservation and enfo rcement, with a special emphasis on restoration projects that are typically associated wit h the closure and rehabilitation of illegal or unauthorized trai ls or areas that have been impacted by O HV use . The com mission's De cember meeting was the second of two that we re held to make the allocations . The first was held in O cto ber in Sacramento. SIGNED: A contract between Motonation and KTM's Ben Carlson that w ill see the supermoto racer wearing Sidi boots in 2004 . SIGNED: Factory KTM off-road racer Kurt Caselli has signed with Moose Racing and Alpinestars for the 2004 season. APPOINTED: Marty Brogden to the position of chief financial officer for White Brothers. effective immediately. Brogden assumes all finance, dealer credit, legal and human resource responsibilities within the company. ACCEmNG: Suomy USA is now accepting race resumes for the 2004 road race season. Resumes can be emailed to dschmidt @suomy-usa.com or mailed to 2236 Mariner Square Drive, # 104, Alameda, CA 94501. AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: At Malcolm Smith Motorsports in Riverside, Califo rnia, on january 28 from 6 to 8 p.m . Teams from KTM and Suzuki are expected to appear. For more information, call 909/687·1 300.