Etc.

ETC.

BMW HAS MORE FUN ON TAP

The success in Europe of BMW’s Rotax-powered, built-by-Aprilia F650 Funduro apparently has spawned a new line of Beemer street Singles. The first will be the "Funstrasse," a non-faired roadster using the F650 frame, but with 17-inch wheels (probably spoked) and a more stylish seat/tank combo. Minor engine mods and a catalyst exhaust will round out the changes. Close behind may be a fully faired sport model. Sources say the strasse model will be on sale in Europe next year. No word on U.S. availability.

APRILIA’S V-TWINS READY TO ROLL

Aprilia, the small Italian bikemaker that knocked off the Japanese giants in 125 and 250cc world roadracing last year, is after bigger game.

As reported previously in Roundup, Aprilia has collaborated with Rotax to design a four-stoke VTwin motor. Now comes the news that the 60-degree, eight-valve engine will be used to power a wide range of bikes with 750, 900 and lOOOcc displacements. Already in prototype form is a Superbike racer, the goal being to build 200 machines before March 1,1996, in order to ensure homologation for the ’96 World Superbike series.

Aprilia is hard at work on a variety of other 1996 models using the same engine package, headed by a Pegaso 900 dual-purpose bike. Reportedly, this will be the basis of a Dakar Rally racebike. Also slated is a 750cc street-rod targeted directly at the Ducati Monster, and a pair of custom-style bikes to take advantage of Italy’s current infatuation with cruisers (Honda’s Shadow 600 has been the number-one seller in Italy for the past two years). The final V-Twin rumor centers around a 10OOcc, fuel-injected sport-tourer. Expect the Aprilia V-Twins to debut at the upcoming Milan Show.

GONE, NOT FORGOTTEN

Two of motorcycling’s unsung heroes passed away last April. Both made important, behind-the-scenes contributions to the sport.

Cliff Guild, the man who built Gary Nixon’s winning Triumph Twins, died aged 67, of cancer. Originally from Iowa, Guild worked in motorcycle dealerships before being hired by Triumph's Rod Coates in the 1950s. One of his Meriden Twins, ridden by Don Burnett, won Daytona in 1962, establishing Guild’s reputation as a builder of fast, solidly prepared bikes with smooth, usable power.

As Nixon himself said, “When you got on it, you knew you didn't have to worry about the bike." Nixon was second at Daytona on one of Guild’s bikes in 1964, and won the big race in 1967.

“He was a hard man to talk to,” Nixon recalls, “because he made sure he had the right answer before he spoke. He was like Erv (Kanemoto)-one of the guys that made things happen. He was a helluva machinist, the kind of guy who could make something out of whatever he had. The two best guys in the world (Guild and Kanemoto) and I got to work with both of them.”

Karen Hornbecker, longtime medical director for the Northeast's Loudon Road Race Series, died of a runaway bacterial infection. A veteran surgical RN, Hornbecker tried roadracing in the late 1970s, liked it, and thereafter worked to bring improved safety and medical procedures to the sport.

Hornbecker authored books, pamphlets and articles covering racetrack safety and the treatment of accident trauma. She pioneered and taught helmet-removal techniques for use on riders with possible spinal/neck injuries. When she saw a need, she stepped in and did what needed doing-whether that was educating national race officials or restarting an injured rider’s breathing. -Kevin Cameron