Chaparral St80 And T100
CHAPARRAL ST8O AND T100
Cycle World Road Test
Two Minis For Doin' It... In The Dirt
JACKIE IRONS is what you could call a mini-cycle hot shoe. After all, he is both a two-time state and national champion. His philosophy is simple. Go fast and ride a machine that gives nothing away to the competition. That machine, in his estimation, is a Chaparral.
Surprised? We at CYCLE WORLD were, because Chaparral has only been marketing mini-cycles for a scant two years. And, during the first year, the marque was not noted for excellence in the handling department. Why? Because the Fuji powerplant was a last minute decision and was stuffed into a frame that was not designed for it.
For its second year, though, Chaparral did the job right, and they did it in a way only a small company can. They completely scrapped those originals and built new ones from the frame up.
In order to get a representative picture of its improved line, Chaparral loaned us two models for test. The most impressive machine, performance-wise, is their top of the line Trail 100. This one comes without lights, but with a forestry approved spark arrester/muffler. The second machine, a Street/Trail 80, is similar, but comes with lights, a speedometer, and slightly different rims and tires. The lighting package, incidentally, meets all federal requirements, but this does not guarantee legality in all states.
As mentioned earlier, both of these mounts are mini-cycles and, as such, are designed to fit microboppers, not full sized adults. Riders weighing 80 to 100 lb. that are around 5-ft. tall will find either model to their liking. For them, handlebars, footpegs and seat are ideally placed.
Chaparral, however, realized that adults are going to climb on, regardless of machine size, and while they didn’t expand dimensions any for this purpose, they did come up with a sufficiently strong frame and running gear to accommodate the additional weight.
Frame design is identical on both the 80 and 100, and is double cradle in every sense of the word. Not only are there twin down tubes, but there are twin strenghtening tubes which link the single top tube with the cradle, just aft of the rear engine mount.
Of interest are the upper spring damper assembly mounts. Instead of the normal single mounting position, there are two. When the rear dampers are mounted in the forward position, the swinging arm has more leverage and therefore the ride is softer. Most riders, however, will find the spring tension adjustment on the dampers sufficient when the unit is bolted into the rear mounting hole.
In order to accommodate riders of widely varying weight, > Chaparral dealers will stock two different rear damper assemblies. The stock units are designed for riders up to 140 lb. Both our test machines were equipped with optional Boge units, which offer superior damping qualities as well as increased load carrying capacity. For any competition oriented rider, these are clearly the way to go.
Front forks are equally robust and are considerably more sophisticated than those found on the original minis. The Chaparral units feature internal springs and hydraulic damping in each leg, just like the big bikes. Both fork travel and damping are excellent, but the units do have a tendency to top out on the race track.
Hubs on both machines are full width, front and rear, and have enough metal in the area of spoke attachment to prevent breakage. Brakes are not overly powerful, even though they are of adequate size. The rear unit, however, is of the full floating variety and wheel hop is never a problem.
One of the major differences between the 80 and 100 are the choice of wheels and tires. The 100 has a 3.00-16 knobby on the rear and a 2.50-18 in. knobby up front. The 80 has a 3.00-16 on both ends.
Horsepower-wise, neither the 80 or 100 are going to turn
many heads. We’re not saying that the bikes are underpowered. They’re not. They just aren’t blindingly fast. Instead, both units offer broad powerbands and enough torque to make hillclimbing a breeze.
As mentioned earlier, both the 80 and 100 use virtually identical Fuji engines. The major difference between the two-stroke Singles is the bore, which is 48mm on the 80 and 53mm on the 100.
The 100’s larger bore, naturally, has necessitated a bigger piston, but it is of similar design and has not altered the 7:1 compression ratio. A stroke of 44mm makes actual displacement of the 80 and 100 79.6 and 97cc respectively.
Power is transmitted to a wet, multi-disc clutch via a helical gear primary in both instances. The clutch is identical on both engines, yet is perfectly capable of coping with the 8.5 bhp produced by the 100. Clutch lever pressure is also very light and this is an important consideration when purchasing a machine for a youngster.
The transmission is four-speed, constant mesh on each machine and the pattern is down for low on the left. Lever travel is short, and engagement is positive, making it very difficult to miss a shift. Primary kick starting, which allows the engine to be fired in any gear as long as the clutch is pulled in, is an added convenience.
Technically, Chaparrals give nothing away to the competition and in keeping with Jackie Iron’s philosphy, the same can be said of their ability in the boonies. With the adjustable seat on both machines in the highest position, CYCLE WORLD staffers assaulted Saddleback Park’s challenging mini-bike course.
The 100, obviously, has an edge on the straights and there is even enough torque to sustain wheelies in 2nd gear. The Street/Trail 80, however, with its larger cross section front tire, is considerably more confidence inspiring in turns. Especially going in. Consequently, if the 80 is allowed to lead going into the first turn, the 100, which washes out, can be held off until the straight. Horsepower, without sufficient traction, just isn’t enough.
Both machines, though, are sliders—sometimes with the rear
wheel, sometimes with both. Two-wheel drifts on motorcycles are usually losing propositions, but on the Chaparrals they were little cause for alarm.
Put a 12-year-old on either one of these bikes, and in six months he will be duplicating every maneuver Joel Robert ever popularized plus a few innovations of his own. Handling-wise, the Chaparrals are that good.
But, there is one flaw; a flaw that we touched upon earlier. Brakes. At racing speeds they fade out quickly and soon become totally inadequate. Extremely light riders will find the problem less acute, but it still exists and hopefully will be corrected on future machines.
Durability. Handling. The endorsement of a proven competitor. The sum total of these statements equal machines that can cut it on any Sunday or in the heat of competition. For bikes in only their second year before the public, this is truly remarkable indeed.
CHAPARRAL
CHAPARRAL
ST80
T100
$385
$399
