Letter From Japan

LETTER FROM Japan

ROUNDUP

Dirt-track fever sweeps Japan

It’s no secret here in Japan that the American riders’ dominance of GP roadracing begins on the American dirt-track circuits. So it is no wonder that with its appearance at the last Tokyo Motor Show, the Honda FTR250 has become the bike to lead a new movement in Japan: dirt-track-racing fever.

Styled after Bubba Shobert’s TT racer, the street-going FTR has the appearance of an American dirttrack machine. Even the Dunlop tires have a decidedly racetrack cut. But the bike is equipped with the requisite safety items, including a long rear fender, which makes the bike rather heavy when compared to a real TT racing machine.

In addition, the FTR does not have an abundance of power. The air-cooled, dohc, four-valve Single, based on Honda’s XL250 engine, has only a claimed 27 horsepower. The engine has been tuned for lowand mid-range power, yet some additional power could be found with a less restrictive muffler. Still, the bike’s low power output won’t stop many FTR riders from attempting to imitate Bubba Shobert on their TT replicas.

I must admit, that I tried exactly that on a specially set up dirt-track course. It was a one-eighth-mile oval with a soft surface so that slides would be easier to control. After getting underway, I quickly shifted into second gear and purposely swung the rear wheel to the right and to the left. The engine has good low-rpm power, and the rear wheel can be controlled quite easily with

the throttle. Feeling braver, I even managed to leave the bike in third gear all the way around the track.

While going around the course, I could almost believe that the 250 was a real dirt-tracker. I could negotiate the turns using only the throttle to control my speed. It was easy to slide, but maintaining the correct line through the turn was quite another matter.

I found that the best approach through the corners was to shift my weight forward to initiate the turn and then shift rearward and hold the hold the throttle open to exit the bend. With its soft suspension, the bike soaked up the bumps on the

track and kept the bike going where I wanted it to. I may not have looked like Shobert, but at least I felt like him for a few laps.

Not everyone who buys an FTR will be able to ride it on a dirt track, but that’s OK because the FTR is a competent enough street bike. But the most important thing about it is that it will allow the Japanese to experience a taste of what dirt tracking in the U.S. is about. Maybe there will come a time when a rider from this country will be able to compete on an equal basis with the Americans—first on the dirt tracks and then on the GP circuit as well.

Koichi Hirose