The Baja Bikes: How Did They Do?
THE BAJA BIKES: HOW DID THEY DO?
There was a wide variety of machinery on our excursion to Baja. From two-stroke street scramblers, to whining, full-bore racers, to four-stroke street bikes. We were curious to see how various types of machines would fare.
Most of the bikes were new or almost new, but a few, particularly the competition machines, would never again see adolescence. Surprisingly, all of the bikes did well and there were no major problems, although we had anticipated that one or two of the machines would be unable to make it all the way to La Paz. The primary problem—which was actually more of an irritation than a problem—was two-stroke pre-mixing, since two-stroke oil is not readily available in Baja and mixing and measuring devices are few and far between. But we did make do, often using a baby bottle to measure and a wine bottle to mix. Or, occasionally, outboard motor oil and a little Kentucky Windage (“That looks about right”).
The bikes were distributed to the riders by lottery and each rider was responsible for setting up his own machine and getting it down to and back from La Paz. Following are some of the impressions that each of the eight riders had about the trip and their particular machine:
HONDA SL350 K1
A 350-cc machine designed as a two-way bike for on and offroad riding and furnished “out of the crate” by American Honda. It was ridden by Bob Sanford, a rider with moderate off road experience. His report:
"Actually, I think my hike was probably the best of the lot. For this kind of trip, anyway. I mean, / doubt very seriously whether you could ever make a competitive desert or motocross racer out of it, no matter what you did to the bike. Hut for long distance, away-fromeverything, off-road riding, it’s a gem, if for no other reasons than its reliability and comfort. Not that there weren’t problems, but, in my estimation, the good far surpassed the bad. First of all, it’s a very strong, relatively stable machine that can easily handle most any obstacle at traveling speed, although the stock shocks and a front end that / felt was too heavy occasionally presented some problems. It took me awhile, for instance, to build up my confidence in deep sand. Hut that was as much my fault as the bike's. / always knew, though, that the bike would keep running and get me through somehow. Furthermore, the 350 willingly accepted a large load of traveling equipment, more so than many of the other bikes. My rear fender bracket eventually broke, but that was at least partially because / had packed my equipment a bit too far to the rear. After wiring it and adjusting the load there were no problems, although next time I go on such a trip. I'm going to figure out a way of bracing the rear fender and luggage rack, since three other machines had similar problems. The transmission also presented problems, as I had occasional difficulty shifting and had one hell of a time finding neutral. This is something, I’m told, that’s inherent in all SL350 KIs, and I did eventually learn to live with it. Fuel capacity and consumption were strongpoints of the ST. Without exaggeration, I could cover more than twice the distance that some oj the two-strokers could on one tank of gas-a critical thing when traveling in Ha ja, where you often depend on gasoline being available at ranches along the way. Plus, 1 didn’t have to pack tons of two-stroke oil, not to tuen don going through the irritating task of pre-mixing. And finally, I didn't have to stop every 20 miles or so to change a fouled plug. In fact, I didn’t have to change plugs during the entire trip. ”
OSSA PIONEER
A 250-cc machine designed as a two-way bike, with more emphasis on the dirt side, and furnished by Yankee Motor Corp. with about 4000 miles on it. It was ridden by Lee Padilla, a young motorcycle policeman with very limited off road riding experience. His report:
"A few days before we departed for Haja, we drew our motorcycles out of a hat. Tuck was with me, as / drew the Ossa, which is the bike I wanted in the first place, since I had heard that it is both forgiving and reliable. That certainly proved to be true. First of all, the Ossa has a lot of torque and an excellent suspension system, which absorbed the little bumps and made the big ones seem small. This seems very important to a non-dirt rider like myself. Occasionally -actually, quite a few timesOssa and I would part company and / would pick myself up, thinking that something on the machine was broken or that it wouldn't start. Hut it was always in one piece and started on practically the first kick every time. In fact, after Ossa put up with my bungling efforts and nursed and comforted me all the way to Ta Paz, I almost feel obligated to buy it and give it a much deserved rest. On the minus side, the Ossa requires pre-mixing, which allowed my backyard measuring to foul numerous plugs. Additionally, the filter cover worked its way loose once and caught on fire, causing me a bit of discomfort and forcing me to learn to ride sidesaddle in the dirt. Watch out J.N. Roberts! Naturally, I would suggest that Ossa make the cover out of fireproof material. All in all, I was totally satisfied with the Ossa Pioneer .and wouldn’t have traded bikes with anyone."
MONTESA KING SCORPION
A 250-cc machine designed as a two-way bike for on and off road riding. It was furnished with about 2000 miles on the speedometer by Montesa distributor Kim Kimball, and was ridden by Doug Parker, a rider with considerable off road riding experience. Parker’s report:
“When l first got a look at the Montesa, / was a little afraid to ride it around the block, much less 1000 miles to La Paz. It looked as if it had just finished the Baja run the day before (which wasn’t far from the truth, as this was the same machine that Kim Kimball used to set the since-beaten solo record from Tijuana to La Paz). I wasn’t sure what kind of shape it was in, but after traveling a couple hundred miles of the trip, l began to gain more confidence in its reliability and became convinced that it would make it all the way. Having to mix gas and oil, I had to carry a lot of extra gear: 7 or 8 qt. of oil, plus a container to mix and measure proper amounts of oil. Don’t count on getting two-stroke oil in Baja. With all this extra gear tied on the back of the bike it caused a lot of bottoming of the rear shocks. Handling was excellent. I very seldom felt that l was going to lose the bike, and, in fact, never did. I had no major problems, except that l think the rear wheel bearings may be shot. This happened just outside La Paz, so no problem. Other than fouled plugs and replacing a broken throttle cable, that was it. After being shown how to start the bike, I had no trouble in that department-first kick almost every time, hot or cold. I should mention that / seemed to miss gears occasionally, but that could just be my not being used to the bike. The seat, I felt, was terribleentirely too stiff. Of course, maybe any seat would seem a little hard after 1000 miles of riding. ”
HUSQVARNA 250 SCRAMBLER
A 250-cc machine designed as an off road racer and furnished after numerous races by M.E.D. International. It was ridden by Vagn Forresdahl, a rider of considerable off road competition experience. His report:
“Really, I think the Husky was the best handling bike on the trip. It wasn’t an enduro-type machine like many of the others, but that didn’t really make all that much difference, even though the gearing wasn 't particularly suited for some parts of the trip. On asphalt roads, for instance, it was a real bear, but once it got into its element-the dirt-it couldn’t be beat. Plus, it was dependable. It never fouled a plug unless the stupid rider didn’t turn off the gas when stopping, and it had plenty of horsepower and some to spare. The only mechanical problem I had was broken fork seals, but I’m sure that wouldn’t have happened had the bike been newer. On the minus side of things, some of the competition bike features proved unsuitable for a trip like this. The small seat, for instance, was uncomfortable, and a larger gas tank would have been better. Furthermore, luggage space was minimal. All in all, though, I was quite impressed with the machine, and feel it would be excellent for this sort of trip after a few modifications."
YAMAHA 175 ENDURO
A 175-cc machine designed as a two-way bike for on and off road riding and furnished with approximately 400 miles by Yamaha International. It was ridden by Ed Kerr, a rider with minimal dirt riding experience. His report:
“Rolling the Yamaha 175 off the truck at Tecate, my only real concern was that in a field of 250and 350-cc motorcycles, my Yamaha would be underpowered. I shouldn’t have worried. Our pace was easy and I had no trouble keeping road speeds of 45-50 mph. Off the pavement, too, lack of power was seldom a concern. But in an unexpected sand wash there’s no substitute for low end torque, and / did have to push the Yamaha through once or twice, while the others were able to blast out. The first day on the pavement, the bike seemed fairly comfortable to ride. But a few days in the dirt had me wishing for higher handlebars and dreaming of a softer saddle. Over one long stretch of washboard surface, the battering was so heavy I could barely keep the throttle twisted. Handling was finenot super responsive, but I never felt the Yamaha played any tricks on me. Maybe the best thing about riding the Yamaha was that it gave me a growing sense of its mechanical dependability, really important on a trip like this. The engine ran fine all the way to La Paz, the five-speed transmission was particularly smooth, and the bike stayed tight through much inadvertent abuse. Nuts and bolts refused to shake loose, and its well de> signed luggage carrier was the only one that didn’t break. But in my enthusiasm to tighten nuts each morning before hitting the road, I put too much pressure on the rubber mountings and caused a metal fatigue break in the spark arrester bracket. Fuel consumption was economical. Both gas and oil tanks were large enough so that I was never in danger of running out. In fact, my Autolube tank served as a twostroke oil camel when some of the bigger bikes did run out. And check that Autolube. It’s a whole lot more convenient than having to translate liters into gallons, figuring out the proper amount of oil to mix with the gas, then having to blow the gooey mess out of your fuel lines. Since I'd never done anything as heavy as Baja before, the Yamaha l 7.5 was well suited to the trip and to my level of experience. Its lightness and stability made it a perfect bike for learning what the dirt is all about, and a fun machine to ride down Baja. It felt good making it to La Paz-I’d learned a lot. And the Yamaha helped make it the experience it was."
KAWASAKI 250 ENDURO
A 250-cc machine designed as a two-way bike for on and off road riding and furnished with 80 miles on the speedometer by the Kawasaki Corp. It was ridden by John Sanford, a rider of limited experience in the dirt. Sanford’s report:
“My trip to Baja ended rather abruptly, with me dropping the Kawasaki and injuring my foot badly enough to cause me to return to civilization in a truck. But before plowing in, I did cover enough terrain (400 miles) to notice some of the good and bad points about the bike. The bike didn’t seem to be the quickest 250 I had ever ridden, but it was dependable and easy to maintain, starting first crank every time. And no hassle about mixing two-stroke oil, since it has an automatic oil injection system. At the first of the trip, though, the injection system was apparently not working correctly, as my spark plug showed that the engine was running a little lean. But after a couple hundred miles it seemed to straighten itself out. Also, I found the bike to be fairly light, maybe even a bit too light for the type of trip we were taking. We carried our gear on the back of our bikes, and the Kawasaki, being as light as it was, seemed to suffer in the handling department. Aside from that, though, / found the Kawasaki to be an excellent bike for this sort of trip. Even though, through no fault of the bike’s, I was unable to finish. ’’
HONDA SL350 K (Modified)
A 350-cc machine originally designed as a two-way bike, but which had been considerably modified for last year’s Mexican 1000. It was furnished with about 400 racing miles by Pacific Coast Honda, and ridden by Danny Cosgrove, a rider with moderate dirt riding experience. Cosgrove’s report:
“In a way, I was really lucky to make it all the way to La Paz, even though I felt I had potentially the best bike on the trip. For some reason, you seethrough a breakdown in communication no one had serviced the bike since the Mexican 1000. Consequently, I had an engine that spit out oil like a gusher and a set of dirty foam air cleaners that hadn’t even seen oil. Amazingly, though, the bike performed well all the way although I did finally annihilate the head gasket just outside of La Paz. I felt handling on the bike was excellent, thanks in large part to Konis on the rear and a large front wheel. Furthermore, I'm convinced that a four-stroke machine is the “hot set-up’’ on a trip like ours, since gas mileage is better and there are no problems with pre-mixing. All in all, / had no real complaints with my 350 and would gladly take it back on another trip to Baja. After the head gasket is replaced. And after it has been properly serviced."
HONDA CB350
A 350-cc machine designed for street use only and furnished “out of the crate” by American Honda. It was ridden by Steve Kolseth, a rider of considerable dirt riding experience. Kolseth’s report:
“/ can sum up the CB easily: It ran good but wouldn’t handle well in the dirt. Which is exactly what I had thought. Good road geometry is not good dirt geometry. But if that is what you have to work with, it isn’t all that bad, although I would sure rather have had my Sachs down there. It’s hard to describe what the CB350 is like, but, in stuff like sand, you sort of get the feeling that the bike’s going one way and the handlebars another. Had I not substituted knobby tires and wider handlebars, I would have had it really rough! On the other hand, I always knew it would run, and it actually surprised me to find out how comfortable it was on washboard roads. Additionally, it’s good on gas and, of course, there’s no oil mixing. I think it’s a fine road bike but, unless you have to, don’t take'it in the dirt. It simply doesn’t belong there."
