Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

castings where U showed? Was it true you could take out the crank in ten mInutes, using only one Allen wrench? Wheelie obligingly set about dispelling these doubts . . FIrst we weIghed the bike on bathroom 'scales, Cycle World style. There registered 117 Ibs, on the rear wheel, 95 on the front, counting two gallons of gasoline (6 Ibs. per gal) and one quart of 011 (2 Ibs.), making the total dry weight approximately 200 Ibs, as claimed. Then, using crude, household tools, Wheeler had the engine out of the frame In Just 13 minutes, working at a slow relaxed pace. It weIghted 58 lbs., including carburetor, starter and gearbox oil Thirteen minutes later, after some time spent hunting a rubber mallet, Wheeler held the crank assembly in his hand. The operation looked as easy as opening a briefcase. I peered at the innards which, except possIbly the piston and rod, were not recognizable as any production parts that I know of. The straight- cut gears and prImary drIve were hefty as a Malco'S, with an engagement pattern sIml1ar to Yamaha's. The horizontallysplit engine cases are joined by 12 equal-length Allen bolts and all shafts run on bearings. There are no bushings. Components are located in the cases by means of steel circllps which engage corresponding slots in the case halves. Even the clumsiest mechanic could not fail to assemble It properly with his eyes closed. Wheelie spun ofUour nuts and removed the barreL The head is secured by four additional studs. One of the seven ports dIrects cool mixture up to the underside of . the piston. AS a result, the area showed no trace of baking. Ports were rough-!1n1shed. The carbon pattern on the pIston crown was a perfect, khaki swirl. I hope the reader understands now why I am no longer as skeptical about F rank Wheeler's clalms of having the great American motorcycle here now. It still remains to discover whettler it can In fact be manufactured locally even in the modest quantity planned, and frankly I disbelieve the selling price could be as low as he claims. But even at $1,500 retail U would st1ll be a bargain, . and there are good workers unemployed. Now what should it be called? est-legged adjus1ment. Something else Is strange and it takes a whIle to realize By Charles Clayton that absence of vibration gIves this Riding beside the Wheelers, Frank and sensation. Nancy, on the bench seat of theIr RanGathering confidence from the finn, chero, with the motorcycle like a burnIshed dream in back, Iloaded my camera • predictable low-speed handling, 1 twist the throttle and burn some satisfying wIth Wm. This was a historic day, Febf,igure-eights. Lateral balance is dead ruary 26, 1972. The legendary' 'Wheelie" center, with a weIght bIas only slIghtly Wheeler, large as life through a long In favor of the rear wheel. On jumping, 1ens at 6 feet 5 inches and 220 lbs. was the bike lands fiat unless I place my tell1ng me his new desIgn motorcycle, weIght purposely aft. So far, very good. which we would be riding for the first I try some second-gear, downh1ll time this day, can be manufactured in jumps; weIght forward to land front wheel the U.S.A. to retail for $995. !1rst. This Is a good test of forks, Skeptical, I was. Not only about the damping, geometry and rider confidence. target price, but the whole deal. Better Wheeler's motorcycle passes wIth the brains than I had assured me and themhighest score I've ever given in some 15 selves that to design and manufacture an years of test riding hundreds of d1Uerent all-new motorcycle in the United States, bikes, including a few with Earles forks. In this day and age was,1fnoUmpossible, By now my skepticism was!ad1ng fast. then at least Impractical. Besides, how I essayed slow, second and 3rd gear could a lone enthusiast, however well(overgeared) climbs of increasingly steeducated and rich, hope to one-up the eper h1lls and found the torque and handacres of engineers employed by the big ling nearly Identical to a new Ossa foreIgn companies? I had been warned PIoneer, the current standard in this to beware of romantics, into which catdepartment. ·e gory Wheeler no doubt descends, and Trying to keep up with a playful jack not expect mIracles. Such is the brownrabbit, I hanged the 175 over a virtual Ing of Am ertca, trIals course of rocks, gullies, ditches ConfIdently, Wheelie unloaded the as and tight, tight turns at near motocross yet unnamed machine that he says came speeds, stomping the gearsh1!t as 1f it to his mind full-blown in the night two were a venomous snake. The bunny won, years ago. "I had a dream," he says. naturally, but it showed up what I consIder "Or a nightmare." And now that dream the one flaw in the package: The gearbox reflects the desert SWl, with barely 20 was st1!f, asmlght be expected, and third minutes test running on one of two cog was hard to engage in a hurry. A engine units built to be tested to desstrntiar flaw plagued the early Pentons truction and then torn down, Inspected, and Huskies. Improved and again tested until someUphill, downhill, tight tralls, fast fi re thing else breaks, and again. .. . The old roads, sand washes and rocks-- the full empIrical method. repertoIre of the available terrain, were Photographer Eric Rickman of Motorcomfortably mastered, more by the bike cyclist magazine met us at the desert site, returning two Taiwan-built WlIdcat than Us rider. About the time the tank motorcycles which Wheeler desIgned. ran dry, I was ready to place the first The magazIne had tested a " Hodakaorder, at $995 or whatever the selling Metisse" model and a 100cc " mIni p rice mIght turn out to be. trail"-type which we play-rode whIle After refueling, Wheele r broke the Wheelie limbered up his 175cc Amerhastily fabricated sh1!t pedal (forIcan job. " My motorcycles a r e always tunately he did, not me) and this hard to start," cracked Wheeler , lighte nded riding the new Ame rIcan motoring the new engine wIth a single stroke cycle for the day. of the kickstarter. Ice- cold, the green We returned to the Wheeler's modest and sHver motorcycle Idled steadily, track house in Lancaster, Cali!. Where, "prat, prat, ·prat" through Its sllencer over Nancy's addicting home- made cookwhile Wheelie expla1ned the benefits of Ies and punch (they don't smoke or drink Its mIld tuning to Eric and me. "Let me alcoholic beverages), Wheelie expla1ned rIde it," I Impatiently asked. the problem. "I'm convInced I should The inventor turned over the controls stay in the manufacturing end," said he, to the skeptical reporter, proud as a "and so I need a marketer to handle new father passing out cigars. Still too distribution and managing." cold to take throttle, the engine Instantly Wheeler claims he has ample mandIed. My cautious prod at the starter ufacturing fac1l1ties lined up in Calif(it was st1!f) bore out the desIgner's ornIa to build 2,000 machines this first claim of only 8: 1 compression. "GIve year of production. I was able to reIt some . throttle," Wheeler suggested. commend two distributors which were I did, and on the second kick the motor Interested and had the requisite 1/2leaped 10 life. I rode in cautious tr1als mI1110n dollars capItal to place 1nlt1al cIrcles at first, aware of a new feel in orders. motorcycles. This bike is big, scaled Some skepticism remained, however. for Wheeler's own outsize frame. The How did 1 know that the machince which bars are wide and high, the seat · soft so Impressed me wasn't, say, Yamaha ~ d!ep and ~ pegs are at theIr longO.:r:.1• •on. !he .Inside .an!!. \'v!Ieel~! _l!.ap~ • • • • • __ • . ~ 'F rank Wheeler's great American motorcycle lacks only a purchase order and ananie, It's got: 6-3i4" all-a1!oy forks, flo'!ting rear brake, controls all routed Inside structure, quick -change, cool air Wter, dual Ignition, etc. Only non Wheeler parts are Husky front and Yamaha rear hub~ rear-shocks, some controls and 24mm MIkunl carburetor. Even the alloy kickstand is wheeler's design. SPECIFICATIONS: Oesigner/mgfr... Frank Wheeler Engine Type. .. pIston port, 2- cycle DIsplacement. .. 175cc (64mm x57.5mm) ignition. .. magneto, dual, sImultaneous firing. TransmIssIon.. . primary gear, 5 speed, 7-plate wet clutch. Seat HeIght. .. 34 inches Frame... chrome moly tube, fabrIcator: Redline. Wheelbase... 55-56 inches. Brakes... floating rear Ground clearance (unladen).. . 9-1/2" Weight (wet)... 212 lbs. Max Torque. .. @ 7,800 rpm Horsepower... secret Top Speed. .. 4th speed: 64 mph (apprx)

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