The Scene
THE SCENE
IVAN J. WAGAR
To all you wonderful folks out there in magazine land who have been sending all those nice cards and letters telling us that there is something peculiar about the performance graphs for the H-D and CZ motorcycles in the January issue, we’d just like to say “thanks.”
Truth of the matter is that the graph swap was a printer’s error that was beyond the control of the editorial staff. The magazine you receive each month, as a tidy, orderly package, is made up of bits and pieces of artwork, photos and copy that are sized, cropped, reduced and keyed to find their proper place, relative to all the other elements. Unfortunately, it’s not possible for all of these elements ’to be trotted off to the printer as a package. Instead, he receives things piecemeal (his preference), and as he completes each section, or form, he pulls a blueline proof which we scrutinize and correct. The printer uses the corrected forms to correct the press plates. But, as we’ve said, all of the elements aren’t completed at the same time and occasionally the last few elements will be sent off to the printer with the final corrected form to be plugged into the press plates.
Such was the case with the performance graphs for January. They were sized for reduction and keyed for their respective places in the magazine and returned with the corrected form. Unhappily, the two graphs did not find their respective ways to their respective holes. We share in the printer’s embarrassment and offer our collective apology.
WELL, the wise men of Columbus have done it. In 1969, the AMA class C capacity limit will be 350cc, and most of us are left wondering why. The most intelligent answer (using the term loosely) we could get from one of the people associated with the affair is that it would bring more factories into AMA racing. But increasing the capacity limit would be more in the American tradition, with the roar and thunder of big engines.
Surely we can take a lesson from the mistakes of others. Grand Prix car racing has now gone back to the three-liter displacement limit, because the small l,500cc cars, although as fast as the big ones, just did not have the spectator appeal. Sports car racing in this country didn’t really go big time until it was opened to the unlimiteds. Those 80,000 spectators at a Times-Mirror Grand Prix are there to see the guys in the big V8s. Most of them do not even see the under two liter winner, who usually bags fourth or fifth overall. True, we are not in the car racing business, but the principle applies to all racing. The car people have shuffled their limits considerably more than we have, and the resuits should be observed before doing something silly.
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The FIM has had a serious problem in international motocross, where the 360cc two-strokes completely dominate the fivehundred class. Spectator interest has been dropping off because the winning machines are not worth the admission to most of the people. Gone is the hearty roar of a pack of thumpers. Maybe they didn’t go as fast as the lighter, easier to ride little ’uns, but try to convince John Q. Public. To try to save the situation, the FIM has introduced a 501 to 750cc class. This permits riders to use one of several comparatively inexpensive big twin engines, and at the same time, bars the oversize two-fifty twostrokes.
The Auto-Cycle Union (England’s governing body) has now started to encourage the l,000cc class in English road racing, in order to help the private owner. With the growing scarcity of Manx Nortons and Matchless G50s, plus the prohibitive prices for parts, this is a boon to the ordinary man. For already in preliminary tests, the 750 Dunstall has been slightly quicker than a first-rate Manx. It is hoped, too, that some of the short circuit aces will give the factory Hondas and MVs a bad time, or at least be close enough to put on a show for the spectators.
The question of displacement has been tossed around before by the AMA. Two years ago, almost to a man, it was voted to increase the limit to 750cc, regardless of design. Last year, the 350 proposal was voted on with almost identical results. So it would seem that most of the people voting either do not know what they want, or are going along with the “wheels.”
A competition committee member, commenting on a company whose market is chiefly 650cc motorcycles, says it is ridiculous for them to continue to race 500s to sell their 650s. But isn't it even more ridiculous to race a 350 to promote sales of a 650? Also, his viewpoint is that a straight 350 limit is better than the present situation with all of its design restrictions. This is an insult to the AMA, for in the past two years, so many good, realistic rules have been put into effect that the AMA must (until now) be the most progressive governing body in the world. Such things as rules governing frames, brakes and double overhead cams have gone a long way toward making racing faster and safer. In fact, under the present rules for equipment, there is every reason for the displacement limits to go up rather than down. So, when it looked as though we were getting close to being in step with the rest of the world, we suddenly find ourselves further away than ever.
What happens to the private individual with three or four racing machines under these new rules? These are the ones who have really supported racing. Many have thousands of dollars tied up in spares, but will be faced with a non-existent market. The tuner with one machine, and those racing on a small scale, have little to lose and are therefore more flexible.
Columbus feels that everyone is being given plenty of time to get something prepared; however, two years is not such a long time from the drawing board to winning races. At least four Japanese manufacturers will have 350cc two-stroke street machines here this year. Harley-Davidson will very likely have to rely on the Italian H-D Aermacchi, which up until now has been no great shakes. BSA/Triumph are quiet about what they have in mind, but we presume it will be a four-stroke and have two cylinders. Still, the most exotic 350 class twin ever sold to the public was the 305cc Honda CR77, with dohc, four valves per cylinder and power peak at 13,000 rpm. These were sold at a loss, for almost $2,000, for prestige purposes, but a good TD-1B Yamaha will see them off, not to mention a TD-1C, a well-converted Suzuki X6, or the Kawasaki Samurai racer. And these are all 250s.
Speeds may not suffer much, as the good 250s are almost as fast now as the big bikes, but spectator appeal will suffer. One of the best races of the decade was last year’s Daytona in the 250 class, with the terrific struggle between Winters, Buckner and White. However, by comparison, the scrap between Hall and White for third place in the big bike race carried more interest. The walls echoed and the ground shook during the amateur big bike race, yet the race average speed was less than that for the 250s.
There is no way the new ruling will bring more factories into racing; those who want to race, will — and those who don’t, won’t. A stupid change in displacement regulations is no inducement to any factories not already racing. Apparently the 250 class will continue as it is at present, although no one in Columbus quite knows why, or will even hazard an intelligent guess (often as difficult to obtain as an intelligent answer). Because, providing that the firms presently racing big bikes continue to race, all the AMA has really done is combine the two classes we now have. People will simply install oversize pistons in their 250s. With only lOOcc displacement differential, who will know anyway?
Although the enthusiast may wonder how such decisions are made, it must be remembered that the AMA is industrycontrolled, and most of the people voting on such matters are only there for commercial reasons, anyway. In many cases they could care less about the future of racing, as long as their product is selling. The real AMA members, the thousands of dedicated enthusiasts across the country, who give their free time and receive no pay, are not allowed to vote on such things. But they are the ones really qualified; they know what the riders and spectators really want. Also, I think they should check with Speedy Babbs.
The factories spend a lot of money on racing because the people who buy motorcycles are performance minded. Ours is not a utility market. The American motorcycle customer is generally a sports-minded individual and he likes to buy a winner. Therefore, in this country, racing does have its rewards. Nevertheless, it is the spectator who really foots the bill, and when the promoter counts his money at the end of the day, he then makes up his mind about having a race next year. So, when a decision is made, the one who should get the most consideration is the cat that walks up to the ticket window and plunks down his two bucks.
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ALTHOUGH CZ won the 1966 World’s Motocross Championship, the riders complained of handling problems with the new single exhaust model that were not obvious on the two-pipe counterpart. The reason was that CZ had not designed a frame specifically for the new engine, and the different power characteristics could not be handled by the old frame. Riders also complained of the high level pipe getting in the way while racing. Both Joel Robert and Victor Arbekov felt so strongly about the situation that they stayed with the “older” two-pipe machines.
Now CZ have just finished construction on a completely new chassis for the new engine. They have flown one to England for Dave Bickers to test during the winter television motocross series. The exhaust pipe now hugs the bottom of the crankcase and rises sharply at the rear. The frame is a duplex cradle with a single top tube and the swing arm is heavily gusseted.
The transmission remains the same, but engine modifications have resulted in a displacement increase from 360 to 400cc. CZ already have the strongest rider team in Europe; Bickers, Arbekov, Robert and Friedrichs have all been world’s champions during their careers, so even before the season begins, things look pretty rough for the opposition.
LAST month in a race report we made some rather nasty comments on Torsten Hallman's paper “porridge pot,” and being an intelligent chap, he decided to find the reason. After discussions with other riders, Torsten arrived at Bell Helmets to talk with Frank Heacox, one of the most qualified men in our industry, to explain head protection.
Torsten was soon convinced that, although a typical American full-coverage helmet is slightly heavier than the usual European variety, it does offer a good deal more protection to that difficult-to-repair protrusion than the helmets he has been wearing. Talking with Torsten, after he won every race entered at Corriganville, he said he quickly adjusted to the new hat and probably went faster than he would have with his cardboard one.
We wonder if the FIM will permit Hallman to use his Bell in Europe. It is not so long ago that the ACU would not let Phil Read use one at the Isle of Man, although it was all right for teammate Mike Duff to wear his Bell 500 TX. The only reason given was that an English rider had to wear a helmet manufactured in England!
The ACU has just had its horns pulled in by the FIM on the Scheidegger affair, where the ACU chose to enforce one of their silly rules at an international race. If a rider of Hallman’s caliber were to push the helmet thing, the FIM would surely step in again.
