I’M NOT QUITE unwound from a great week in the wilds of Baja California, following bikes, dune buggies, jeeps, and assorted other mechanical paraphernalia around in an airplane. We fully describe the event, starting on page 70 of this issue.
I have a YCS-I with 5000 miles on it. For some reason, a hole was blown in the piston, causing it to seize and scar the cylinder. I now plan to use J & R heads, Wiseco racing pistons, YDS-3C carburetors, and, because of the seizure, the cylinders will be bored out.
THE STUPIDITY EXPLOSION In writing to what is probably the best motorcycle magazine, this voice in the wilderness is hopeful of being heard. Regarding the November ’67 article on the motorcycle boom — yes, I think it is leveling and probably receding — and there are definite reasons why, if my own experience and my friends’ are as universal as I believe.
THE MOTO GUZZI v-7 is exceptionally quiet — on the road, that is. This particular motorcycle starts to generate noise only at the end of the trip, as soon as the ignition key is flipped to the "Off" position and the sidestand makes contact with driveway concrete.
SWEDEN is A BEAUTIFUL country with its many blue lakes, deep green forests, and miles of scenic coastline. Located in the northwestern corner of Europe, it is not far from the Arctic, and, quite naturally, the climate is rather severe. With long, cold winters and large areas of rugged mountains, it would seem logical to assume that these descendents of the Vikings would have achieved little in the way of international motorcycling success.
Just Like Buying a New Car THE BUSINESS OF OFFERING a certain displacement class motorcycle in several different versions for several different applications is nothing new; a few heads-up manufacturers have been offering their good iron in several suits for some years, but no one has carried this aspect of merchandising to the point that Honda has.
THIS ENGINE PROJECT began in 1962, when I tried to increase the available power in a small motorcycle. The approach was to simply connect a second engine to the first through a chain drive. Both engines were identical oversquare single-cylinder two-strokes.
THE INTERNATIONAL MOTOCROSS at Pepperell, Mass., was the highlight of a very busy racing season in New England. At least 5000 Americans finally were able to see just how good the European aces really are. The Pepperell course was rough by U.S.
IT’S with great pleasure we welcome to the CYCLE WORLD staff this month our new Eastern Editor, Joe Bolger. Joe needs no introduction to New England scrambles fans; he has built an enviable reputation for himself in that part of the country in his 11-year racing career — a career that is filled with racing successes, and hit an all-time high in 1965 when Joe won all of the events in the New England/Canada scrambles series.
Thanks for publishing my earlier letter regarding compulsory helmets. I’ve been hearing more about pending legislation, both pro and con, so I felt compelled to write again. First, I’d like to comment on other letters published in “Legislation Forum.” Guys like Jim Crabb, Greenhills, Ohio, in your August issue, should be told that they are the ones causing the lawmakers to throw all this restrictive legislation our way.
Pabatco, Dept. CW-1, P.O. Box 327, Athena, OR 97813, now distributes through all Hodaka dealers aerosol spray touch-up paint in genuine semi-glossy Hodaka red. These dealers also carry a special Hodaka light gray primer as a base for the touchup finish.
THE FIFTH JAPAN GRAND PRIX, final championship race of the 1967 season, produced some of the most exciting drama of the whole year. Gary Nixon, with his right hand in plaster, was to be the first American to ride a factory four-cylinder as a team member. But Yamaha, upon seeing the cast, submitted Gary to an X-ray, and decided he should not ride for two weeks. This was very disappointing for those who traveled to Japan to see him ride. Most frustrated person of all, however, was Gary, who insisted he could ride even with the cast.
1928 Douglas 498-cc A LONG TIME AGO, someone built a full, all - automobile and motorcycle race track. It was called Brookands and it was born in 1907. And in 1939 it died. But, as though it were an active circuit today, Brooklands is more a part of any racing fan's vocabulary than the courses employed for this year’s championships.
THE OLD ADAGE, "Out of sight, out of mind", is especially applicable to the battery and its maintenance. Aside from an occasional topping-up, many, if not the majority of riders neglect this vital component. When battery failure does occur, they blame that little electro-chemical storehouse instead of themselves.
ABOUT THE GREATEST HONOR a motorcycle magazine editor can receive is to be entrusted with the most precious piece of racing machinery a factory has ever produced. In the immediate post war years, a few knowledgeable rider/writers were allowed to try Isle of Man winners on a mountain stretch the day after the race, but this practice was abruptly terminated when Japanese firms started to dominate international racing.
OTTO WALKER could roar through a sizzling mile on the high banks of great auto speedways, or run his opposition ragged in a 300-mile road race, and set world records at both ends of the scale. Walker was ace of Harley-Davidson’s mighty “Wrecking Crew” of professional racing greats from 1914 to the early 1920s.
A Nightmare of Lava, Dust, Bikes, Cars and Buggies Called "The Mexican 1000"
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ROCK, DUST AND SAND — these are Baja California, that moonscaped peninsular arm of Mexico that encloses the Gulf of Cortez and is laved on the west by the Pacific. The rock is lava, hardened sharp where it burst from the guts of the earth, or water-pounded boulders in arroyos slashed by the rainfall gush of sudden killer hurricanes.
"LITTLE ONES AND BIG ONES" quickly describes the 1967 Milan Motorcycle Show. Like the Earls Court showing for 1967, the Milan exhibit attracted a greater number of visitors than in previous years. The reason for better attendance is a considerable revival of interest in motorcycling in Italy.
THERE WAS AN INDIAN MADE Or, The Return of the Redskin
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INDIAN! That magic name recalls the days when All-American motorcycles, ridden by Red-Blooded American men, accepted victory as their due at the Isle of Man TT, the GPs of Belgium and Argentina, the sands of Daytona Beach, and every board bowl and marbled flat track from Reading to El Centro.
"DARN TWO-STROKES," Cleve spat. "You know what made racing great? Guys like me and my thumper, here." Cleve slapped the orange-red tank, and then pointed to the Union Jack painted on its side. "It's the 'limeys' that made scrambling what it is - them and their bikes.
The East German MZ team turned in a no-marks-lost performance in the 1967 International Six Days Trial in Poland, but it was not all roses for them, as they were led on bonus points on the fourth day after they had been deprived of one of their “speed secrets.” The secret, which they shared with the West German, Russian, and Czechoslovakian teams, was their two-way radio communication system which evoked a protest from an FIM steward representing a country that did not have such sophisticated equipment.
MIKE HAILWOOD has nine championships to date, which equals the record held by Carlo Ubbiali, Italy’s brilliant lightweight ace who retired seven years ago. Honda, then, was given a sharp reminder that something needs to be done about the 500-cc model, because Hailwood refused to sign for 1968 until he tested the bikes and found them fully competitive.
THE MOTORCYCLE RUN is a phenomenon that probably started with completion of the world’s second motorcycle. There's really no better sport than to simply take off for somewhere in good weather, on a good machine, with wife or galfriend for good companionship.
ONLY FIVE MANUFACTURERS, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Rabbit Scooter, put their products on display at the 14th annual Tokyo Motor Show. As Bridgestone declined to exhibit for the 1967 show, a total of 110 machines were placed on display, as compared with 118 shown in Tokyo in 1966.
THERE’S FURTHER GOOD NEWS from Italy this month for private riders! Renowned motorcycle designer Lino Tonti (formerly with Benelli, Mondial, Aermacchi, Bianchi, and Gilera, and now with Moto Guzzi), aided by engineer Alcide Biotti, with financial support from enthusiastic former racer and motorcycle builder Umberto Premoli.
Welcome to peaceful, relaxing Baja California. Cast away your troubles and enjoy the rustic charm of such villages as El Arco, colorful native hamlet at the half-way point in the invigorating Mexican 1000 Rally, lake it easy, come unwound, just like Don Bohannan here, seen a few minutes after he bounded gaily off of his motorcycle after a sporting 450-mile ride.