Crossed Up

CROSSED UP

FERNANDO BELAIR

Well, just about everyone else here has his own column, so I said, “Why not me?” Of course, since our magazine covers all aspects of the sport, “Crossed Up” will report on the things that the other columns don’t. That would be motocross, enduro and trials stuff. Shouldn’t be too hard. I used to ride trials awhile back, but have been an ardent MXer for the past couple of years. And I’ve never been known to pass up a good enduro, unless there’s a better MX going on the same weekend.

So this is my column. It’ll follow motocross most closely. I’m sure that at least 90 percent of its contents will be devoted to said berm-busting and knobby-gnashing. The rest will contain only the most vital enduro or trials news. Sometimes the column will follow the same format as this one does. . .lots of news items. Other times I may just talk about personal experiences or editorialize a bit. As for now, on with it.

Going back to the Ossa Phantom test in the October ’74 CW, we’ve got an update. After we raced around on it, ran it on the dyno and got the test into print, the exhaust pipe mounts broke the next time we rode it. When the first mount broke we were just so jazzed with the bike that we simply safetywired and bungie-corded it back together so that we could go back out and race some more. But, soon after, the rest of the mounts went the way of the first. We advise you to keep a sharp eye on those rubber mounts.

Suzuki’s Mike Runyard, who may have been politically aced out of his spot on the U.S. Motocross des Nations team that finished second to host Sweden, got married the other day. It looks like Mike found himself a good one, too, ’cause a couple of days later he was at the Trans-AMA finale instead of being on his honeymoon. Wife Barbara was trackside cheering her new husband on. Ah, such dedication.

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If you take a close look at the works Suzukis being ridden by DeCoster, Wolsink and Bauer, you’ll notice that the front forks have new lower legs and triple clamps that appear to simulate Maico steering geometry. DeCoster says that the bikes definitely do steer better, but that they are not yet through with geometry experimentation. Wonder if ex-Maicoists Wolsink and Bauer had anything to do with the steering change?

Speaking of Suzuki, it looks like I’m gonna have to eat a little crow. When reported on the 1974 Olympia Superbowl of Motocross, the last line in my story mentioned that after the event, all the riders went home to count their money. I want to make it clear that Roger DeCoster did not take the trophy girl home with him. The wording could be interpreted to insinuate that there was some funny stuff going on. Roger and his wife Laurie were upset by that part of the article, which, I must admit, is imprecisely worded. Personal apologies to Rog and Laurie.

Pass the salt please.

Last word we had at press time concerning Yamaha’s Jaak Van Velthoven was that the tall GP ace was out of the hospital and would hopefully be back in top form for next season. Jaak overshot a berm at the bottom of WFO downhill in Europe and Flying W’d his way into a small ravine off the track. He suffered a fractured skull but is healing.

Thanks are in order for the Richmond Ramblers M.C., who put on a fun event for the riders and mechanics on the Friday before the Livermore TransAMA. The event was billed as the Mini-Bike Nationals and was held on about a one-tenth-mile track that was complete with an uphill jump and righthand-fallaway downhill. The track prep was superb, which is more than can be said for the condition of Carnegie Cycle Park that Sunday.

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Jim Pomeroy took the Mini-Bike Nationals overall win and a big share of the $1000 purse. Bimbo was riding an ultra-trick JB Racing-prepared XR75 with long stroke and overbore. The thing sounded as fast as it was—plenty. Weinert gave Pomeroy the most trouble during the qualifying heats on a boxstock Kawasaki MC90. The thing didn’t even have knobbies.

The mechanics race was won by Per-Olaf Widell who tunes for Brad Lackey. Brad provided the crash of the night after Bimbo accidentally(?) fed Brad to the hay bales.

Even Super Joe showed up, cli-

maxing the evening with an XR75 jump over 50 jeeps. Lack of space prevents my telling you what size the jeeps were.

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Sure was looking forward to seeing Marty Smith ride at that pre-Trans-AMA mini-bike race. Rumor had it that Donnie Emler had stuffed one of his specially-prepared 125 Elsinore engines into an XR75 frame for Smith to do battle on. But Marty never showed up. Nor did his bike. Probably out swoopin’.

The Can-Am 360s being raced by Jones, Ellis and Tripes (until Marty quit the Can-Am team), are unique in that they do not have rotary-valve engines. Instead, they are fed through, a reedvalve system. Just about everyone is using reeds these days. It’s almost a prerequisite. Honda has them on its works bikes. Kawasaki has one on Weinert’s machine. Of course, you know about Yamahas. CZ too. Just Bultaco and Maico remain reedless, although they have done some experimenting.

Got a chance to see the new Hondas the other day. The 125 is red and silver and there should be a bunch of them buzzing around your local track by the time you read this. The bikes are said to have reworked porting to broaden out the powerband and pick up some-ponies on top end. Undoubtedly, finishing other than first in the CYCLE WORLD 125 MX comparison test raised some eyebrows at the Big H.

Speaking of the CW comp test, Kawasaki, whose KX125 won the test, hasn’t been sitting idly by. Although our test KX didn’t break during the weeks of thrashing and the dyno runs it received, early KXs had some reliability problems with wrist pin bearings that were seizing. Later model KX125s have a new connecting rod that is holding up just bitchin. Also on tap for the future are some damping changes to help bring the suspenders on the Kaw (particularly the forks), up to par with the Elsinore’s. And the battle rages on. . . .

Pierre Karsmakers has left Yamaha. It appears that, due to a severe budget cutback, Pierre’s contract demands could not be met. He has been officially signed by Honda and heads their team for next year. His teammates will include Billy Grossi, Rich Eierstedt and Marty Smith. Gaylon Mosier was released mid-year, while the situations concerning Rex Staten, Bruce McDougall, Chuck Bower and Mickey Boone remain undisclosed at this time. Rex has been less than happy with the handling problems on the big-bores (both twoand four-stroke) that he’s been racing and Maico would like to get him back. Maico picked up Mosier, as well.

I’m not sure how reliable the rumors are, but word has it that Bultaco and Heikki Mikkola have been talking. Maybe not for next year, but if the Flying Finn can repeat his 1974 World Championship feat, his abilities are certainly going to be in even greater demand than they already are. And it’s going to cost a pretty penny to draw him away from his comfy po$ition with Hu$ky.

Now, with Pierre going to Honda and Tim Hart still an uncertainty, Yamaha is obviously in need of a top-class racer. With their entire budget and only one rider to pay, they could afford to go after a good one. They may hire Jim Weinert away from Kawasaki. Weinert, who was Kawasaki’s only rider and earned them the 500cc National Championship this year, has raced for Yamaha before. That was back in the days of the Jones Boys’ tour with Yamaha. Jim had something to do with the development of the original YZ racers, but never got a chance to compete on a monoshocker. He will now. g