March, 1964

March, 1964

ROUNDUP

THE MARCH, 1964. ISSUE OF Cycle World featured a customized Triumph TR-6 Twin on its cover. Of course, this custom had almost every part chrome-plated, with the exception of its specially painted rear fender and stylish, peanut-shaped fuel tank. Building this beauty took two years and a then-enormous amount of cash — $3000.

Editor Joe Parkhurst had the news of the day in his Roundup column: The AMA was fighting the New Jersey Turnpike Commisson for prohibiting motorcycles on the State's turnpikes; and a newspaper called The Motorcycle Journal had been introduced. It was much-welcomed by Parkhurst, who described motorcycling as the fastest-growing sport in the country.

Another bit of news concerned a new motorcycle for the American market. Called the Hodaka Ace 90, this little, two-stroke Single was designed on a remote mountain top in Oregon, then built in Japan. Almost everyone was astounded by the use of a fckreal”steel tube frame instead of the normal pressed-steel frames of the day.

Road tests included a mouth-watering James Cotsworth 250cc two-stroke Scrambler. It sported a modified Norton fork, a race-ready, 25-bhp engine and a fourspeed transmission. Priced at $795, only the well-off dirt rider would be able to afford one. Street riders could read about the 250cc Royal Enfield Crusader, a 304-pound British wonder propelled by a four-stroke, pushrod Single. This machine burned through the quarter-mile in 20.2 seconds t 63 mph.

Ron Griewe