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/1538859
P uch motorcycles. Few will remember the brand, but as any moto historian will tell you, it was just a short half-cen - tury ago that Belgian motocross rider Harry Everts captured the 1975 250cc World Motocross Championship aboard the Austri- an-made Puch 250, a very special motorcycle that featured twin carburetors feeding the powerful two-stroke engine. During that same era, Germany's Herbert Schmitz was a strong competitor on a Puch in the 500cc class. Six- time World Champion Joel Rob- ert finished his career on a Puch, and the bikes were solid mounts in enduros and the ISDT. A tiny brand that has been mostly for- gotten, Puch once stood boot to boot with the largest motorcycle manufacturers in the world. As Dr. Eldon Tyrell told his replicant creation Roy Batty in the sci-fi classic The Blade Runner, "The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long. Like Roy, Puch motorcycles may not have enjoyed a very long run in the world, but this Austrian marque was once a shining star in the off-road world of the 1970s. October 1972 was a good month for the company's pres- ence here in the USA. At the 22nd annual Check Chase in Parker, Arizona, a desert racer named Bill Friant rode a Puch to victory in the Lightweight Division. On the cover of the October 24th issue of Cycle News, a stylish and capable rider named Lisa Wright splashed her Puch enduro bike across the cover of Cycle News, while inside, the staff put the new 125cc motocrosser from Puch to the test. During this time, the European companies like DKW, Monark, Husqvarna and CZ dominated the world of small MX bikes. Yamaha and Suzuki were com - ing soon, Honda's 125 Elsinore would hit the U.S. shores shortly thereafter, and the 125cc was soon to become a class for the Gang of Four from Japan. But in 1972, the Europeans were the major players, and the Puch 125 was a worthy contender. Cycle News tested the small CNIIARCHIVES P152 BY KENT TAYLOR POWER PUCH PUCH Cycle News tested the 125cc Puch motocrosser in 1972. (Right) We even put it on the cover. We doubt a cover photo like this would fly in today's world. The Puch motocrosser brand had a brief but victorious run, which included a 250cc MX World Championship.