Broncco
BRONCCO
CYCLE WORLD IMPRESSION
Just for Fun
IS THE Broncco a minibike? Not exactly. Is it a motorcycle? Guess not. What is it, then? The Broncco can best be described as an entertainment machine that comprises some of the best-and worst-features of mini and motorcycle.
Tops among these is the Broncco’s Garelli powerplant. The 49-cc twostroke, with bore and stroke at 40 and 39 mm, respectively, develops 5 bhp at 7000 rpm. The engine drives through a four-speed gearbox, with ratios, first to top, of 12.40:1, 7.23:1, 5.24:1, and 4.17:1. Primary drive is by helical gears; final is by single-row chain. The engine/ gearbox combination offers brisk acceleration, a range of gearing sufficient for most off-road situations (excluding soft sand), and a top speed of 30-35 mph, which is about 1 0 mph faster than many a mini.
Main drawback to the little pistonported power unit is that it requires fuel and oil to be mixed, a 20: 1 inheritance from earlier days of motorcycling, and a nuisance in this age of oil injection.
The foot-shifted four-speed gearbox, with left-hand operated clutch, is somewhat out of the accepted minibike pattern, and takes the Bronceo away from the realm of a sub-teen’s plaything. One 12-year-old who went along to assist in evaluation of the Bronceo was forced to use two hands to disengage the clutch. He was able to release the lever one-handed, but was limited to first gear travel. The centrifugal clutch of the true minibike has a lot going for it with respect to the younger enthusiast.
The gear change lever was cursed with a very long throw—so long, in fact, that the rider’s right foot cleared the peg by a good 3 in. on each shift.
The sturdy Bronceo frame is made up of two downtubes that extend from the steering head under the engine and rearward to the swinging arm pivot point, a single toptube, and an upright tube that supports the dualseat mounting loop, and the upper mounting points for rear telescopic shock absorbers. This frame provides more than sufficient rigidity for the activities in which the Bronceo appears designed to engage.
The Broncco’s front suspension is a rather spongy telescopic fork which offers approximately 3 in. of travel. The rear coil springs and shock absorbers are stiff, with only 1.5 in. of travel when the bike is ridden hard over exceptionally rough surfaces. The combination makes for a rather buckety, irregular ride but that’s what’s expected of a bronco.
Tires are block treaded 3.00-1 0s front and rear, somewhat larger than many minibikes, a good deal smaller than the majority of trail category motorcycles. The 10-in. tires are fine in smoother going, so long as the surface remains moderately hard. However, in sand, the small diameter wheels rob the engine of its capability and a bog-down is the result. In rougher going, the small wheels tend to drop into the larger holes, and balk at the larger lumps. On a hard-packed dirt trail, the Bronceo is able to maintain a good clip with a measure of stability. Two kids and two adults thrashed the Bronceo for the better part of one day-and no one left the machine under untoward circumstances.
Under hard application, the Broncco’s brakes, front and rear, shuddered a bit, perhaps the result of newness, but provided quick stops and, if proper care weren’t exercised, wheel lockups.
The 80-lb. minibike is a transportable toy. The somewhat larger 128-lb. Bronceo is not so easy to take along. True, handlebars can be folded downward with use of a metric Allen wrench supplied with the machine, but the Broncco’s overall dimensions—length, 58 in.; seat height, 28 in.; and handlebar width, 27.5 in. —prevent the machine from being placed easily in the luggage compartments of the majority of passenger cars and light planes. (Two cars and two aircraft, a Cessna 172, and a Piper Cherokee 235, were tried).
The Bronceo is fairly well finished. Its seat is comfortable, and its seating position will accommodate even the largest rider. Some minor gripes tend to offset the good feeling generated by good looks and comfort. For example, the right folding footpeg, during tests, often flipped up during gear changes to catch behind the gear lever/shifter shaft end, leaving the rider to either paddle it down with his loose foot, or stop altogether and release the peg by hand. And, the kick start lever rubber proved too large in diameter. It slipped halfway off the heel pedal with one kick, necessitating the rider to force it back into position.
Though the Bronceo (priced at $309) is fitted with electricals that make it street legal in many states of the 50, the bike’s size, top speed, general ride and handling characteristics make it an offroad vehicle.
And, in its off-road role the Bronceo isn’t a flat-out desert racer, or a trials bike capable of ballet over boulders. As previously stated, it is an entertainment machine, designed for motorized frolic in the boondocks.
