Crossed Up
CROSSED UP
FERNANDO BELAIR
According to Nils-Arne Nilsson, the Girling gas-emulsion shock absorbers on the Husqvarna motocrossers this year are very special. The damping rates are exclusive to Husky, since their engineers worked very hard in conjunction with Girling in the development of the dampers. The gas-emulsion shocks that Girling sells are just as good in so far as their resistance to fade is concerned, but the damping is different. If you want Husky Girlings, you have to get them from your Husky dealer. The Husky shocks are black. Over-the-counter Girlings will be blue.
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Just received some hotcha-hotcha DeCarbon-type nitrogen-charged shocks from the people at Red Wing. The shocks appear very similar to the ones Weinert used on his Championship Kawasaki. At first Jim said he liked his shocks, but later in the season he was complaining that they weren’t lasting long enough. They look and feel super to us, but then, there’s just a handful of racers who ride as hard and fast as Weinert. Look for a full report on these shocks soon.
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Pierre Karsmakers and Weinert popped into publisher Joe Parkhurst’s restaurant, The Refried Bean, the other night for a hearty meal with all the trimmings. Looks like Speed Secret Number 38 is Mexican food. It sure makes for go-fast motocrossers. Remember, you read it here first.
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Aha! I finally found it. Had this photo I took more than a year ago at (Continued on page 96) the CYCLE WORLD Trans-AMA finale at Saddleback Park. Thought I’d lost it. Boy, what a dumb place to keep a photo! Anyway, that year Roger DeCoster and Adolf Weil had a tremendous duel, with the veteran Maico rider taking the win over the World Champion. But during the race, Adolf tried to pass Roger at the wrong time and accidentally clipped him, almost falling off. The photo caught Roger looking back to see if Adolf was okay. Even in the heat of competition, with thousands of dollars hanging in the balance, these riders are great sportsmen and good friends. They both deserve to be the super heroes they are.
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Looks like our suspicions have been verified. Rich Thorwaldson and Mike Runyard will be racing indirectly for Husqvarna this coming season. Husky would like to have them on its team, but the racing budget is already committed to existing riders. The ex-Suzuki racers will be sponsored through local Husky shops. Thor liked the Mikkola Replica he rode one recent weekend. Said it had a whole bunch going for it. It remains to be seen if these riders can work their way onto the full factory team by next season.
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Had some fun this month digging through a pile of old CW issues, scraping up photos for the motocross nostalgia article on page 42. There was one problem though. That was having to select final photos from the stack I picked out. There were so many good shots that didn’t get used. Guess I’ll have to do another such piece in the future just to make sure we cover everybody and everybody’s bikes.
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When we need special work done, or have to get some weird sized nut or bolt in order to get a bike back together, we go down to Steve’s Motorcycle Supply in Costa Mesa. Steve Partridge is tile owner and head wrench all in one. They’re super folks to deal with and always have a few moments to bench race or just shoot the breeze. Just be sure you take your own Pepsi in when you go to see them. The last four times I was in, the machine was empty.
Found motocross heaven the other day. Went out to do some testing at Indian Dunes and the International Course was so bitchin’ I didn’t want to come home. It had rained hard a few days before and the sandy-compound track at the Dunes absorbs the water. Traction was incredible. You couldn’t have thrown a roostertail with a Yamaha 500 trench-digger. Gimme more.
Looks like Hangtown will answer some of the questions concerning the 125 class this year. Will Tommy Croft be as much of a threat to Marty Smith as he has been at the local races? Will the 125 Elsinores have fuel-injection? They had a special gear drive off the primaries in last year’s engines. The gear did nothing, but it was intended to power an injector. This year, it just might do that. Unreal!
Koni recently announced the addition of a new shock absorber to its line of dampers. Aluminum-bodied shocks, the new units have been designated the 76V GP models. Nine large cooling fins are machined into the lower end of the shock bodies for cooling. These shocks are designed specifically for forwardmounted applications and will retail for about $130. Hot dang! Can’t wait to see how they work.
Lots of heavy-duty testing is being done by the riders prior to the first big race of the year in the Houston Astrodome. That race and the other two that make up the Yamaha $70,000 Super Series will be history by the time you read this, but I’m sure anxious to see how they’re gonna turn out anyway.
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Billy Grossi won his first official race with his new Suzuki. The young Californian took all three motos in a Florida event, thoroughly trouncing all who came to ride.
Dave Thorpe and his new Bultaco took the opening round of the World Trials Championship in Ireland. Thorpe made the switch to Bui this year after riding Ossa for several seasons. First Montesa finisher was Swede, Benny Sellman (2nd), followed by Yrjo Vesterinen (Bui). Malcolm Rathmell finished back in 8th place.
Sometimes, just sitting around the office daydreaming, I get to wondering. What’s going to be the next great technical breakthrough in motocross? The last one was long-travel rear suspension. Will it be fuel-injection like the factory 125 Hondas might have? Or will someone take the bold step and break through that invisible barrier at the top of sixth gear and come out with a seven or eight-speed gearbox? What about the automatic trans via a torque converter as on the recently released Rokon motocrosser? Is that going to work?
Will it be long before all production racing bikes have air/oil suspension fore and aft—without springs? What about expansion chambers? Will there be a major breakthrough in their design? What really is the ultimate suspension setup? Will the monoshock ever be topped? Can a European factory produce a 125 that can stay with a Kawasaki KX or an Elsinore?
Did you ever think that if you were the person who invented and patented the very next super modification, you could probably retire for life on the royalties? Trouble is, I can’t think of anything that ingenious.
How about a 14-speed, 33 bhp 125 four-stroke weighing 126 lb. wet, with 11 inches of fork travel and 10 inches at the rear axle? The motor would be guaranteed for life and the suspension would never need servicing. They would sell for only $495.
Don’t think so, huh?
