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/804174
CN III VOICES W H A T Y O U A R E S A Y I N G "A new generation will (hopefully) grasp onto this relatively simple engine technology and continue to improve upon it, in terms of both performance and emissions." Cross-Rutted: Vintage Adventure I don't talk to many youngsters who really have an understand- ing of history when it comes to bikes. They can't seem to get their head around how different bikes were back in the day. Yes, the bikes they ride today are a lot of fun for us old guys even at our seemly sedate pace, but the vintage bikes were fun, too. I wonder if Roger DeCoster ever dreams of riding with Ryan Dungey and Marvin Musquin, all three of them on Suzuki RN370 bikes? That would be interesting. Tony Sharp Love the vintage-racing scene. Congrats on your experience and win on the "left coast." Now, why don't you figure out how to borrow a ride for one the great tracks that we get to race on? Only about 500+ entries at Unadilla each year in June for MX Rewind. It's awe- some, and a friendly track for both vintage and post-vintage racing. Race for two days (three if you want to try their shortened GNCC XC course), stare at beautiful bikes, con- sume your favorite beverage afterwards. It's wonderful. Bob Close KTM And FI Two-Strokes I love KTM! Now that memories of the "smokers" slowly fade away, two-stroke evolution will continue! A new generation will (hopefully) grasp onto this rela- tively simple engine technology and continue to improve upon it, in terms of both performance and emissions. Tests have proven that two- strokes can burn clean, and unlike the previous generation two-stroke engines, which had to be detuned somewhat for ridability, they could now be tuned for maximum power and then tamed with electronics. I can only imagine the things modern electronics would allow the engineers to do, in terms of variable port timing and exhaust tuning, and more. Hopefully it is a positive step towards bringing the technolo- gy back to the street someday. I know I'm dreaming, but could you imagine a super lightweight V4 two-stroke sportbike? Along with turbos and supercharg- ing, two-strokes could help to shrink the displacement, size and weight of future motor- cycles, while continuing to improve the performance. Howard Halterman They have had FI on outboard motors for 20+ years, direct- injection after the exhaust port closed. They carried a system of lower-end lube that likened a four-stroke crankcase and regular fuel (no oil) in the FI system. If you look at the picture of the motor there is a sensor- type unit at the lower right side of the "crankcase," possibly to monitor the "bottom-end" lube? Current four-stroke mo- tors run straight fuel and the lubrication is handled with a pressure-loaded system, so I'm waiting to see what the overall configuration of this latest EFI/ FI/DI two-stroke motor turns out to be! Bleed orange! Mark Reha Steve Menneto Interview Well spoken, Steve Menneto! Impressive interview, great answers to hard questions and I like your approach to forward- thinking questions. You shared enough, were transparent and didn't politicize your responses. One-hundred-percent respect. I lived next to the factory in Gilroy when Indian was re-intro- duced prior to Polaris. Polaris has really taken the brand to the next level. Your decision to stop Victory makes sense. As a motorcycle enthusiast, I view Indian motorcycles as museum pieces, meaning I admire their design but my riding is sport and motocross. As I age, I can see trading my sport riding in for something in the Indian fam- ily and can't wait to see what you come up with. Andrew Siminoff Letters to the editor can be sent to voices@cyclenews.com. Published letters do not necessarily reflect the position of Cycle News. Letters should not exceed 150 words and are subject to editing. Anonymous letters won't be considered for publication and each letter should contain the writer's name, address and daytime phone number… Editor P6