The Scene
THE SCENE
IVAN J. WAGAR
THIS month’s CYCLE WORLD is an outstanding achievement in many ways. Not only is this issue the largest magazine devoted to motorcycling ever offered to the newsstand buyer, but it is without a doubt one of the best buys available of any enthusiasts’ magazine. Each page will cost the buyer something like one-third of a cent, or slightly less than one yen in Japan. Even in Japan a cup of coffee costs 50 yen.
In this issue there is a test of a 500-cc street machine which is capable of outperforming the fabulous Manx Norton, one of the all-time greats in 500-cc road racing machines. Having ridden a Reg Dearden-tuned Norton Manx at the Isle of Man, and a Kawasaki Three, with high bars, at Yatabe, a high banked test track in Japan, this is no idle boast. Both machines are capable of similar speeds, but there is one tremendous difference between them. The Norton was the very best England had to offer for racing only, and the Kawasaki is a street motorcycle which anyone can buy for less than $ 1000 here in good ol’ U.S. of A.
By the time this issue appears on the newsstands, Kawasaki dealers will have the 500-cc Three, designated Mach III, for sale. Although everything sounds very exciting, there is one problem: Responsibility. The entire editorial staff of CYCLE WORLD hopes that all dealers in this country will bear up to the responsibilities enforced upon them by such a machine. It is our hope that all dealers will spend some time with prospective new owners on the possible dangers of indiscreet riding habits and throttle control. This new Kawasaki has the weight and balance of a 350, with the power of a 750, not to mention the brakes of a 1000. All of this amounts to a most exhilarating mount for experienced riders, even with road racing experience.
The second road test in this biggest and best of issues is the 350 Honda. It really is not a 350, but a 325 cc. It does, however, perform like a 350 and even compares with some 500s from other countries. There is an almost incredible story behind the new 350 series Hondas. Both the CL and CB 350 machines were introduced in April, 1968. By the end of calendar year 1968, more than 50,000 of these machines had been sold to U.S. dealers. In these days of two million or more registrations, this may not seem such a big deal, but when Mr. Honda first sent his little 125s to this country, there were fewer registered motorcyclists here than the present sales of 350s (in an eight-month period). And what is really neat is the fact that the 350 is not the biggest seller in the Honda line.
Further, in this issue is the first of a two-part feature on the history of the Isle of Man. The author, Dick Renstrom, is one of this country’s best authorities on English motorcycle racing. In this twopart series he does not attempt to tell the whole story of the world’s greatest motorcycle race. He does, however, try to convey the feeling surrounding a race on public roads, where the government decrees closing of major arteries in the island for the sole purpose of professional motorcycle racing. For more than 60 years, the mayors of several Manx towns have been forced to sit by and watch motorcycles go past their houses at speeds up to 150 mph, completely powerless in any civil capacity to prevent such tomfoolery. (If only there were such a government on Catalina.)
For the sidecar buffs, there is a story of one of motor racing’s greatest heroes: Helmut Fath. Fath not only recovered from an accident where doctors wanted to amputate a leg and almost pronounced him dead, but he almost single-handedly built a beautiful house for his wife, after suffering from a terrible guilt complex after his crash. Upon finishing the house, he decided to try to fulfill a long-time dream: his own engine. The story of a man almost pronounced dead a few years before, returning to racing and becoming world champion with a home-made engine is, to say the least, stranger than fiction. Helmut Fath is, by anyone’s reckoning, one of the most courageous men of our time.
FORMER 500-CC world motocross champion Jeff Smith brightened the California scene recently with his wit. Sponsored by BSA, he gave motocross schools and lectures throughout the U.S.
An outstanding example of his amusing, dry style: “Good racing luck is when you go on your head, and you wake up to find your bike has come to rest standing against a tree, with the engine running, and in neutral.”
He disdains modern conveniences like compression releases and kill buttons, although he did use the latter once while racing in the Belgian Congo. The “kill button” was a six-and-a-half-foot native who tried to jerk the plug wire off the BSA after Smith came off and the bike kept running in wild circles.
His advice to riders is to begin with trials work before attempting serious scrambling, to gain control and confidence. Physical fitness is extremely important and Smith runs two miles per day, and does two-score each of pushups and situps. To avoid back trouble, he says, it is helpful to curve the spine, rather than sit straight up in the saddle.
Otherwise, he does all the things that all champions must do. He keeps his machinery thoroughly clean, to spot impending mechanical trouble, more than for appearance. He always walks a track before he rides it. Scrambles are long races, so he rarely takes the lead from the beginning, preferring to wear down the front runner and pass him on the last few laps. And he always wins at the slowest possible speed. Humorously, but with a touch of seriousness, he says breaking something or falling off can offer a rider the chance for some needed rest.
