Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

.-' VOICES Letters to the editor .INSIDE Where's the comics? {EATURES DEPARTMENTS ROAD RACE Polen wins in Mexico City LOCAL RACING 20 I was wondering what happened to Team Smitty and Motocross Cat. I haven't seen any of their adventures lately. . 6 Bill "Wheels" Morgan Englishtown, NJ Spinning laps on Lawson's Cagiva V592 GP bike CAl-ENDAR 24 WANT ADS 28 POINT STANDINGS RIDING IMPRESSION Trying out the 1993 Suzuki GSXR750 and GSXRllOO sport bikes .... , ..... 8 42 RESULTS 43 12 STOCKING STUFFERS New Products 16 Tony Bell, the creator of Motocross Cat, moved to B~lize a couple of years· ago and has been out of touch. Jim . Smith, the man responsible for Team Smitty, has been busy taking care of other responsibilities, namely helping his wife take. care of infant twins and piloting airliners for United. That's the bad news. The good news is an all-new Team Smitty episode will appear in our big end-of-the-year issue which goes to press on December 14 ... Editor. "Iron Man" revisited ON THE FRONT PAGE: We test ride the 1993 Suzuki GSXR750 at Road Atlanta in Georgia. For our impression of both the GSXR750 and GSXRIIOO bikes, turn to page 8. Photo by Tom Riles. J~ Scalzo's superb profile on "Iron Man" Ed Kretz in your November 25 issue should produce an avalanche of Kretz fan letters recalling "I remember when" types of correspondence. The feature photo caught my eye. The scene was at a field meet in Mint Canyon, just north of Los Angeles. The date was in early 1944. The gangly teenage photographer asked Kretz to pose for a morrient, and aimed his 4x5 Speed Graphic at the Iron Man, and caught this memorable shot. A cross-section of noted personalities also motorcycled their way to this field meet. Some of them were auto racing driver Cal Niday (on an Ariel, and a longtime motorcyclist); Vic, Edelbrock, Sf, of auto performance fame; and from the movie colony, Clark Gable (Harley-Davidsonmounted), with him, Victor Fleming (director of, among many other films, "Gone With The Wind") and Rex Ingraham, a noted black acto:r of that era. That earlyday meeting with the Iron Man was the first of many for this teenager, who later carved his own career in the wonderful world of motorcycling. That teenage photo-grapher was mel 1America's weekly motorcycle newspaper Volume XXIX Michael Klinger, Publisher Caroline Gendry, Executive Secretary to the Publisher Editorial ' . Jack Mangus, Associate Publisher/ Editor Kit Palmer, Associate Editor . Paul Carruthers, Associate Editor Donn Maeda, Associate Editor Chris Jonnum, Assistant Editor Edwina Mangus, Calendar Editor Graphics and Production Ree Johnson, Production Supervisor Mandy Loo, Production Manager Dennis Greene, Lab. Tech. Stacey Guest, Graphic Artist Amy Faught, Graphic Artist Carolyn Branham, Typesetter Dealer Sales Steve Gotoski, Dealer Representative Marketing &: Promotion Mark Thome, Manager Advertising Terry Pratt, National Accounts Manager Mark Thome, Western Sales Manager Thomas R. Gonter, Western Sales Manager Steve Gotoski, Western Sales Manager Mark Mitchell, Eastern Accounts Manager Greg Mitchell, Eastern Sales Manager Rick Matheny, Eastern Sales Manager Rhonda Crawford, Western Ad Coordinator Carla Borden Allen, Eas~eT!1 Ad Coordinator Circulation Rheba Smith, Manager Sarah Taylor, Billing Coordinator Alma Anguiano, Processing Coordinator Accounting/Data Processing Donna Bryan-Diamond, A/R Coordinator ,Geneva Repass, Assistant • Herlane Lewis, Credit Service and Support Chris Aitcheson, Headquarters Receptionist Leonard Herring, Service and Support Want Ads Toni Kerr, Want-Ad Sales National·Headquarters Eastern Office 2201 Cherry Ave., Long Beach, CA 90806, P.O. Box 498, Long Beach, CA 90801·0498 4190 First Ave., Tucker, GA, 30084; mailing address P.O. Box 805, Tucker, GA 30085-0805. (310) 427-7433; (213) 636-8844. FAX (310) 427-6685 (404) 934-7850. FAX·(404) 934-3112 Cycle News (USPS 141-340) is published weekly except the last two weeks of the calen.dar year for $50.00 per year by Cycle News, Inc., 2201 Cherry Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90806. Second class postage paid at Long Beach, (1&.. Canada Post International Publications Mail #546615. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Cycle News, P.O. Box 498, LOng Beach, CA 90801·0498. To determine the expiration date of your subscription, check the four numbers on the first line of your add~ess label. The first two digits indicate the last issue number you'll receive and the last two characters indicate the year of the last issue. Subscription rates: Rates for the United States and its possessions for one year, (50 issues), $50.00; two years '(IOO issues), $95.00; six months, (25 issues), $26.00; trial sub (15 issues), $19.00. Canada and Foreign, one year (50 issues), $90.00; two years (IOO issues), $175.00; six months (25 issues), $45.00; trial sub (15 issues), $38.00. Cycle News welcomes unsolicited editorial material including stories, cartoons, photos, etc. Such material, if published, becomes the exclusive property of Cycle News. Such ac- cepted material is subject to revision as is necessary in the sole discretion of Cycle News. Unsolicited material which is not used will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed stamped envelope. All unsolicited material will be handled with reaSOnable care, however, Cycle News assumes no responsibility for the safety, loss or damage to such material. Reprinting in whole or part only by permission' of the publisher. Advertising rates and circulation informati.on will be sent upon request. See S.R.D.S. W/BOI\ V rl"\ AUDITED CIRCULATION Copyright@) Cycle News, Inc. 1992. Trademark Cycle·News registered U.S. Patent Office: All rights reserved. Bill Bagnall Irvine, CA For the record I refer to your article .n the November' 25 issue concerning the comparative brake performance of Doohan's (Honda) NSR500 and Schwantz's (Suzuki) RGV500. As you know, AP Racing doe& not criticize competitors' brake equipment so I will not comment specifically on the NSR500 test. . With regard to the brake performance of the Suzuki, I feel that your article is slightly missing the point. Kevin Schwantz is, I'm sure you will agree, the most aggressive rider when it comes to late braking and as a result we have developed a braking system specifically to suit his riding tech.nique. The specification is virtually impossible for any other rider to use as we have developed 310mm carbon discs together with H8 carbon pads (hard carbon material for higher temperature), also this spec is designed to be n,m without brake covers for maximum cooling effect. Compared to 290mm carbon with covers used on the NSR500, the cooling rate on Schwantz's spec brake is around 25% greater. We also u~e a larger bore master cylinder to produce the desired rider feel. This, as you know, is a very individual feature as no two riders are the same. I agree that the NSR500 brake system is more user-friendly and reflects the requirements of the rider. The whole nature of the Suzuki test would have been different if you could have used Doug Chandler's machine. This brake spec is virtually identical to the NSR500 and again reflects the individual requirements of the rider. Kevin ·Schwantz fades the 290 carbon with covers in one lap of Suzuka, and Doug· Chandler cannot get the 310 carbon, hard pads .and no covers working at all on_ the same circuit. (Note:·The use of brake covers dramatically improves the brake performance at low line pressure.) . I appreciate that you can only report on machines prepared for you by HRC and Suzuki and your comments reflect your experienced appraisal of these machines as presented. However, I believe had you been given the opporq.mity . to test Doug Chandler's machine you would have found brake performance to be identical to the NSR500. AP Racing operates a policy of continuous development and we will again in 1993 develop brake systems for specific riders/machines. We do of course offer a standard four-piston system for private GP riders and superbike teams. This standard system is designed to be user-friendly. R.S. Bailey Technical Sales Manager APRacing Seven Stars Industrial Estate Coventry, England Alan Cathcart, who tested both the Honda NSR500 and the Suzuki RG500, said, "All I can say is Schwantz must be even more of a demon braker than we all already knew!" .. Editor. Not due back yet I read with some confusion the letter . in the November 25 issue from David Walters of Central Yamaha. I'm not sure where this confusion comes from, but I feel bad that it exists. My contract with Yamaha runs from December 1,1991, to December 1,1992. At the conelusion of the contract I am due to return the bikes. As this is still November (date ofletter November 21), I still have the bikes. The reason I have not been competing is because of a serious back injury I sustained. .I am in hopes of being able to ride before my contra~t expires. I didn't hear from anyone that there was a problem until D~vid's letter in Cycle News. I called Clark Jones at Noleen Racing and he knew nothing . of this problem. I am at a loss as to what caused these misunderstandings and hard feel~gs, and hope to clear everything up with David soon. Jason Langford Plano, TX We received your letteron November 25, Jason. In our role as ombudsman, we immediately. called Central Yamaha and spoke to' Bob Green who said they still hadn't heard from you. Seeing as how you live in the same city in which Central Yamaha is located, a local phone call could have taken care of everything (and still can) ... Editor. Letters to the editor should be sent to: Voices, Cycle News, P.O. Box 498, Long Beach. CA 90801-0498. Published letters do not necesarily reflect the position of Cycle News, Inc. Letters should not exceed 200 words and all letters are Subject to editing. .

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