Ossa 175 Sport
OSSA 175 SPORT
CYCLE WORLD ROAD TEST
NEVER HEARD OF AN OssA? You will, and from us it will be almost entirely high praise. Until quite re cently no one on CYCLE WORLD'S staff had even a nodding acquaintance with this fine Spanish motorcycle and to be perfectly honest we were not looking forward to testing the bike. When approached with a machine from some un known (to us) manufacturer, we tend to flinch. After our experience with the OSSA we will be less quick to judge, for it proved to be not just a good motorcycle; but one of the best lightweights we have ever seen.
The OSSA is propelled by a 175cc single-cylinder, two-stroke engine of approximately equal bore/stroke dimensions. As a design it is distinguished mostly by its tidy appearance and the excellence of detail features. The main cases are die-cast, and polished to a high gloss, with wide-spaced mounting lugs to steady the unit against chain-pull. The built-up crankshaft runs in ball bearings, while caged roller bearings are employed at the crank journal and up at the wristpin. All of the ports are huge, and the engine is fitted with a 27mm Spanish Amal of the Monobloc pattern, which has an integral float cham ber. This carburetor's main-jet is removed from the side; a very good feature as the carburetor base extends down quite close to the top of the engine/transmission cases. We would have preferred a better air-cleaner than the wire-mesh "gravel strainer" provided, but one can't have everything.
Unlik'~ its near cousins from Spain, the OSSA has a duplex-chain (instead of single-row chain) primary drive, and a shock-absorber of the spring-loaded cam type right at the crankshaft drive sprocket. The clutch is not the usual Spanish variety, with all-metal plates; it has alter flate plain-steel and friction-material faced plates. This arrangement works well, but then so do the all metal clutches, and we have grown to like the ncar-indestructability of the latter.
Of the transmission, all we can say is that it shifts smoothly, and that the ratios are well chosen for the engine’s power characteristics. The one complaint we have in this area is that the shifter-lever is entirely too long. It may be set up for those who wear long, pointy-toed “winkle-picker” shoes; the pedal was too far away for longest foot (in a size-1 1 ) belonging to a staffer.
In character, and its primary features, the OSSA Sports is a tamed-down road-racing machine. It has low, narrow handlebars, and the suspension is taut. The oversize aluminum-drum brakes have deep finning around their diameter, with an air-scoop and outlet vent cast into the front brake backing-plate. These things arc seen on other motorcycles, but on the OSSA the scoop and vent are actually open for business; not just a sporty decoration. The rear-brake actuating cable is worked through a sort of floating link that reduces side-pull on the cable, and at the same time allows changing brake-pedal leverage. A nice touch.
Also very road-racey is the OSSA's frame, a duplexcradle affair that must be (if you accept the evidence of good handling) very rigid. And then there is the fuel tank, complete with knee-notches and a capacity sufficient to do the Isle of Man-TT non-stop. The fuel-filler cap is the final touch, with its hinge and quick-release button.
Altogether too sporting is the OSSA’s exhaust note. There is a “stinger” that fits in the end of what is somewhat humorously called a muffler, and this (it is said)
will cut the noise level. Our test bike lacked any such fitment, and the bike made its way along our (in this instance) uncomfortably-well policed streets with an attention-getting crackle. We would most strongly recommend that if you buy an OSSA 175, the stinger should be left in place. It is supposed to cost a couple of horsepower, but it will also prevent one from giving offense to those whose hearing has not completely departed.
Actually, the OSSA can give away a couple of horsepower and still be the fastest 175cc motorcycle in town, fast enough to humiliate a lot of bigger-displacement bikes. And, unlike some small-displacement motorcycles, the OSSA feels strong even when the revs are down. You can potter along in top gear at low speeds and get immediate action simply by turning up the wick. No need to start hooking downshifts. In this respect, the 175cc OSSA behaves like a much larger motorcycle and we found it to be a pleasant and valuable characteristic indeed.
Along with its impressive speed, brakes and handling, the OSSA offers a really magnificent quality of fit and finish. All of the light-alloy parts are brightly polished, and the paintwork is a delight to the eye. The OSSA is done in a two-tone metallic grey, with a gold stripe to separate the light and dark areas. It is a lovely thing, high on the list of best-finished motorcycles we have tested, and perhaps even at the top of the list. •
OSSA
175 SPORT
SPECI FICATIONS
$595.00
POWER TRANSMISSION
DIMENSIONS, IN.
PERFORMANCE
