Feedback
FEEDBACK
Readers are invited to have their say about motorcycles they own or have owned. Anything is fair game: performance, handling, reliability, service, parts availability, funkiness, lovability, you name it. Suggestions: be objective, be fair, no wildly emotional but ill-founded invectives; include useful facts like miles on odometer, time owned, model year, special equipment and accessories bought, etc.
RT-1 YAMAHA
I’ve been reading your magazine for over five years now and after the February issue I came to two conclusions: (1 ) your road tests are the most realistic, (2) until now.
Conclusion number 2 is a direct result of your suspension analysis of the RT-1 Yamaha. First of all, let me say that 1 like the bike. I must, I’m riding my second one (the first was stolen). My one and only gripe with the bikes is that the rear shocks do! Shock, that is, every bone in my body when the rear wheel is on the ground, which isn’t often, on rough terrain. I put on a set of Maverick shocks, and that improved the situation substantially.
On the other end I've got the standard forks, except that I’ve substituted a short set of springs for the top end internal spacers and replaced the original oil with 3()-wt. Steens. The action is still so soft that 1 come within 2 in. of bottom when stopping normally.
These symptoms are not only present on both of my bikes, but on every RT-1 I’ve ridden or come in contact with, and every other road test I’ve read. Even the two dealers (one in California, one in Colorado) I’ve bought from agree, albeit quietly.
But cheer up. Conclusion number 1 plus the new price of your magazine compels me to finally subscribe after all this time.
Bob Fritz Greeley, Colo.
DRIP VS. ROAR
In your February issue, Norton Defender, Mr. Bausch, admits that he experienced in his Commando the things that I complained of—continual oil leaking, sticking carburetor slides, an extremely awkward center stand, and the frequent dropping off of various bits and pieces—and then goes on blithely to say that he considers his Norton to be faultless. Strange logic!
From the rest of his letter it is clear that Mr. Bausch and I look for different qualities when buying a machine. He loves his Norton for its “majestic boom and roar,” for “that unmistakable, awesome, beautiful quality of having been made by man,” (not by God Himself, nor fairies, nor devds), and for “the sheer personality” of the bike.
When 1 buy a bike I am not looking for “the roar of a lion,” but for much more mundane things. Among other things, 1 like a machine to be oil tight, to have a center stand that is well designed and which doesn't ground when one corners a little fast. 1 like to know that the exhaust pipes cannot come loose from the cylinders; and 1 like to know that when I return from a trip, the center stand and various other bits and pieces will still be in place. All this I was sure of on my Honda 450 and am still sure of on the Suzuki which has replaced my short-lived Norton Commando.
Richard Kennedy, S.J.
Kowloon, Hong Kong
DISTRIBUTOR BACK-UP
1 have been a reader of CYCLE WORLD since its beginning. I don’t recall missing one single issue. It is a great magazine, covering all aspects of the motorcycling sport.
I have been reading many letters in which the motorcycle dealer is assailed as some sort of individual that dotes on “taking riders to the cleaners.”
I have two motorcycles, and the last one is a 1970 model. 1 have, at various times, requested from my dealer parts and services, which he gladly furnished. There have also been times when he was unable to provide the part or service, because the distributor would ignore his requests. 1 have myself personally written the distributor of my motorcycle, and requested service, but my appeals have been ignored by them. My second machine is one which I am planning on running in the scrambles and motocross races at the local raceway, but again, my dealer seems unable to obtain the parts I need. For instance, my dealer ordered parts for me on January 23, 1971, and no parts have arrived yet. Can the dealer be ostracized for things of this nature? 1 think not.
When a person invests his money in a machine, and you know that your dealer will back you to the limit, then I think something should be done about distributors and importers that do not back up their dealers.
W.l. Van Meter Westernport, Md.
(Continued on page 34)
Continued from page 32
COTA TRAIL BIKE
Your February cover was very pretty. How did you guys put the Cota in that snowbank without leaving any tracks?
Here is a photo of my Cota trail bike. The difference is the seat. I added four inches of medium-dense foam beneath the original foam, used the stock seat base and a new cover. The rumble seat is for my rumble seat. It rests on the rear fender and is held by a flap which extends forward under the main seat. A decent pad makes all the difference, changes this toy into a motorcycle, although it takes a while to get used to the peg location.
Now that Kim Kimball has taken the solo Baja record, here is another underwhelming goal for him to shoot at. In the first six weeks 1 owned this machine, I ran it about 1200 miles. There are trials machines in this area which don't get that many miles in two years. My miles were 1/8 in a trials event and 1 199 7/8 miles practicing. Don’t ask.
This is a fantastic bike, a delight to ride in the rough. There are only a couple of design glitches which I will recite only to shame the factory for stopping so near perfection.
The toolbox cover is on the downhill side when the bike is on the kickstand. When you remove one tool, the rest obligingly fall out on the ground. Or else they fall out when you’re not looking. 1 have another Spanish bike which had this same problem which it corrected all by itself. The weld broke and the toolbox fell completely off. Picky Picky.
As your photo and mine show, the fiberglass tank/seat combo covers half of the air cleaner. You take out three screws, lift the seat assembly, for access. As delivered, however, the crossover fuel line, which passes under the frame, is too short and you can’t lift the seat high enough. So, you drain the tank, think dark thoughts, and service the air filter. You install longer fuel lines, so the second time you can just lift up the fiberglass molding. The filter element, of course, is a Spanish Brillo Pad and Montesa knows better than that.
Someday, some factory is going to put a trials engine in an enduro bike and own the world.
Carl Shipman Albuquerque, N.M.
1971 OSSA
In the 1971 CYCLE WORLD Road Test Annual, you claimed that the 1971 Ossa Stiletto came with certain extra parts, including 1 1and 13-tooth countershaft sprockets.
I just purchased a new 1971 Ossa Stiletto, and 1 w'as told that these extra parts are not included with the new Ossas.
Who is right?
Dennis Schmith Everett, Wash.
The distributor gave us the information on the extra parts. We suggest you write Yankee Motors, 323 West . Alondra, Gardena, CA 9024 7, for a clarification. -Ed.
CB750 OIL FILTERS
Re: April ’71 issue of C’W, pg. 35, letter from reader Dan Bergmen on his Honda CB750.
Dear Dan:
Smile, we have had CB750 oil filters in stock ever since the CB750 parts manual came out. At the present time we have 27 oil filters in stock.
If you still need one, send $2.20 + 1 2 cents tax + 50 cents handling (total, $2.82) to us, and it will be on its way.
J.L. Vieira Honda House of La Grange 515 South La Grange Rd.
La Grange, IL 605 25
