VOLUME ISSUE OCTOBER , P139
has stayed with the bike decades
after it was eliminated from Su-
zuki's lineup.
Like the Husky, the 1974 ver-
sion of the Cyclone apparently
received some notable improve-
ments over the previous models,
though the text isn't very forth-
coming with what those changes
entailed. "The front forks," wrote
CN, "seem to have more usable,
progressive travel than previ-
ous models, and with the right
weight oil and spring rate, were
completely acceptable. The rear
shocks have dual springs of dif-
ferent progressions."
The Suzuki had plenty of
power, with the staff calling it
the most powerful open class
motocrosser on the market.
The problem was that it was the
wrong kind of power. In a straight
line, the TM400 was unbeatable,
but motocross wasn't quarter-
mile racing, and this is where the
rubber didn't meet the road. Fast
as Secretariat, but pawing the air
like a Royal Lipizzan stallion, the
Cyclone was a brute to ride.
"It's neat to cross stutter bumps
and ripple with the front wheel
floating," wrote CN. "The works
Suzuki riders do it all the time.
But it's hard to turn a bike with the
front wheel off the ground and do
an efficient job of it."
Cornering with the Husky
was also a difficult task, but for
different reasons. "The Husky
demands sharp, cut-and-shoot
turns to get around quickly. It
won't slide well because slid-
ing is not the fastest way to get
around a real motocross course.
The 400 Husky takes corners in
straight lines. It defines squaring
off the turns. The Swedes want
you to ride that way."
The staff did not pit the two
machines against one another
in any sort of comparison test,
though it is pretty clear that it
wouldn't have been much of a
competition. The Suzuki, accord-
ing to the crew, needed to drop
about 30 pounds, add a flywheel,
and swap out the flexi-flyer
swinging arm for a real unit. The
Husky could have benefited from
meatier footpegs, but other than
that it was an out-of-the-box racer.
In the real world of 1974,
there was an actual Suzuki vs.
Husqvarna comparison. A few
weeks after this issue was pub-
lished, the battle for the 500cc
World Championship began in
Sittendorf, Austria. Husqvarna's
Heikki Mikkola would win both
motos that day, while Roger
DeCoster's Suzuki cracked a cyl-
inder in the first moto and then
suffered a flat tire in moto two.
Mikkola would go on to defeat
DeCoster for the World Cham-
pionship, with the title being
decided at the final race of the
season. Husky defeats Suzuki!
A tip of the writer's quill to the
Cycle News staff for their excep-
tional, however unintentional, use
of the element of foreshadowing.
Take the win!
CN
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(Left) The '74 Suzuki TM400K was
deemed cheap and fast, but to
turn it into a race bike, it required
a bit of help from the aftermarket
catalog. (Right) CN foreshadowed
the winner of the 1974 500cc World
Championship, as Husqvarna's Heikki
Mikkola defeated Suzuki's Roger
DeCoster. Pictured is Mikkola leading
DeCoster at that year's French GP.
