Motocross Moves On

MOTOCROSS MOVES ON

Works riders of the Seventies test 1989's production MX bikes

RON GRIEWE

WHAT A TREAT! FOUR American motocross legends all lined up around a starting gate. with five brand-new 250cc motocross bikes in the background just waiting to he ridden. Jim Pomeroy. Gary Jones. Marty Smith and Mike Bell joked and smiled like old pals at a high-school reunion, as each tried to get in the best pun. But the 32year-old Smith, moving behind Pomeroy, won the prize: "Gee, this get-together is great, kind of like a father-and-son portrait. I really like Jinimy's gray hair and beard.''

"Oh. t'ha~ hurt. that really hurL' Pornerov. 36. popped hack. "I'm go ing to shave the heard tonight.

"Yeah. will the oldest among us please stand up. Jones. also 36. quipped LIE Ponieiov. "It wont he hard to pick out the old guy."

Bell. the youngest of the group at 31. tried to distance himself' from se nior-citizen status. savi flu. "Sonic of us are still VOUfl~1. ou know."

Youth. like beauty, is in the eve of' the beholder, hut in the fast-paced world of professional motocross. this distinguished group of riders was def initely over the hilt. But in their prime, during the 1 970s. all four men were factory-paid racers who helped promote motocross in America. ele vating it from a backwater sport known as "rough scrambles" to the respected form of motorized compe tition that it is today. If they had played baseball instead of raced mo torcycles. all four would be in the Hall of Fame: They can easily fill a thick book with their combined motocross accomplishments.

And all four ex-champions readily agreed to participate in this comparison of the Honda CR250, Yamaha YZ250, Suzuki RM250, Kawasaki KX250 and KTM 250MX, to use their years of valuable experience to answer a question we had about 1 98 9's showroom-available dirt bikes: Are modern, production moto crossers actually better than past. hand-made works race bikes? Former factory racers like Pomeroy, Jones, Smith and Bell would be able to answer these sorts of questions with hands-on authority, not with secondhand rumor.

Jim Pomeroy, the first American and first privateer to win a world GP motocross (Spain, 1973), and the only person to date to win his debut GP race, flew in from his Yakima, Washington, home where he currently conducts motocross schools. Pomeroy also works with the Forestry Department in an effort to extend and improve motorcycle trails, and he has been developing a program to introduce motorcycle awareness at the grade-school level. Pomeroy still rides as often as possible. “1 enjoy any kind of oflf-road riding or outdoor activity,” he grinned. “I'm going to keep riding until I'm 80 years old. I love it!” Pomeroy is still single and says he isn't looking for a bride.

Gary Jones, four-time AMA 250 motocross champion (1971-'74), lives in Southern California where he works as a concrete cutter and is a test consultant for Motocross Action magazine. He still races at local motocross tracks once or twice a week and occasionally competes in Baja. “I still love to race motorcycles and off-road cars,” said Jones. “I'm looking for an ofT-road car sponsor at the moment. I never get tired of racing, hut it sure costs a lot of money—especially car racing.” Jones is married, has a son. 2, and another child on the way.

Marty Smith, two-time AMÀ 125 motocross champion ( 1974. '75) and 500 motocross champion (1977), lives in San Diego, California. He has a wife and two daughters, 5 and 7 years old. Smith also conducts a motocross school and rides three to four times a week. “I like any type of offroad riding. I also enjoy dune buggies, surfing, snow and water skiing . . . and buying toys,” he said.

Mike Bell, winner of 2 1 AMA national and supercross races between 1978 and 1983. and 1980 AMA supercross champion, also resides in Southern California where he is now a representative for Oakley Goggles. Bell is married and has a 4-month-old daughter. He lists his hobbies as mountain biking, road cycling, crosscountry and downhill skiing, and, of course, off-road motorcycling. “I only get to go motorcycle riding six or eight times a year, usually trail riding with my brothers and friends,” he said.

For the first day of this family-reunion-cum-250cc-motocross-comparison, we assembled at Perris Raceway, near Riverside, California. Goat Breker, a former factory racer for Kawasaki and Honda, now' runs the Perris track, and he has recently laid out a winding, highly technical course. The track was watered and its soft ground in perfect condition for out test sessions. We also invited representatives from the bikes’ manufacturers to be on hand so each motorcycle could be adjusted and tuned properly. After some handlebar and suspension-sack adjustments, each rider picked a bike and headed for the track.

Several things were quickly apparent: All four riders are still extremely smooth, fluid and precise in their riding, and they are still in great physical condition. Everyone took a few laps to warm up, and then they gradually picked up the pace, stopping only for drink breaks and to switch bikes.

By the second day of testing, at De Anza Cycle I^ark, also near Riverside, the four past champions had gotten to know the idiosyncrasies of each machine, and engaged in delightfulto-watch mock battles throughout the day. When Doug Hall, the operator of De Anza, learned of our distinguished guest-testers, he became somewhat concerned. “Why didn't you let me know they were coming? I would have prepped and watered the track for you. It's really hard and rough.” We explained that we actually wanted De Anza’s hilly, hardground track in an unprepared state so we could find out how the machines worked under those conditions.

Any time Pomeroy, Jones, Smith and Bell weren’t out racing around the track, they would quickly lapse into bull sessions about the “good old days.” Jones had the podium at one time, commenting on how nice it was to have mechanics working on the test bikes. “Kind of makes you feel like a factory rider again, doesn't it?” he said. “I keep having the urge to grab a wrench. I'm so used to doing it myself. Hey, Jimmy, do you remember that time in Europe when they wouldn’t let anyone but the racers into the pits—no mechanics were allowed—and we didn’t have any spare parts?”

“Yeah.” Pomeroy responded. “I won the first moto but the clutch on my Bultaco just barely made it to the finish. 1 didn’t know' w hat I was going to do for the second moto.”

Jones started laughing as he said, “Do you remember how I fixed it for you?”

Pomeroy, never at a loss for words or hand motions, quickly burst into an animated explanation. “Gary took my clutch plates and started rubbing them into the sand! I didn’t know what he was trying to do.”

“Jimmy was yelling like hell, but 1 was just trying to scuff them enough to get him through the start of the next moto,” Jones explained. “I told him, ‘Just use the clutch one time . . . and hope.’ He went out and won, too. He was way out front.”

As the two days of riding and remembrances came to a close, we asked our star test riders to give us a thumbnail sketch of each motorcycle, to list the bikes’ strong and weak points. When asked about each 250’s engine and powerband, the riders agreed that every bike had competitive power and a broad powerband, with the Honda having a slight edge on the others. “The CR250 has good power and a wide powerband with a lot of mid-range punch. It’s easy to ride, seldom needing to be clutched out of corners,” said Smith.

Pomeroy described the YZ250’s engine as “very responsive, with the strongest low-end power, great midrange and good top-end. too.”

Smith’s notes on the RM250 read: “Revs easy; quick and smoothly— like a 125. Flat at the top. requires short-shifting to keep in the powerband.”

Jones described the KTM’s power as “smooth and long but a little weak right off the bottom,” while Smith capsulized the KX250 as having “a smooth, wide, deceivingly powerful engine. Extremely easy to ride. Could, maybe, use a pipe or head work to improve the mid-range punch.”

As far as suspension was concerned, because of our test riders' experience and weights—185 to 205 pounds-all of the bikes would have worked better with heavier fork and shock springs. But even with the bikes as delivered, the champs' combined conclusion was that all of these '89 250s have excellent front and rear suspensions. Bell expounded on the advanced state of today’s motocross suspension systems: “It's hard to separate differences between any of the suspensions because they all are so adjustable to the rider’s weight, height, style and ability.”

Pomeroy, who lists his weight as “10 pounds over 195,” explained, “For my overweight body, I needed heavier springs on all of the bikes, but adjusting the compression damping on each bike let me ride each one safely and fast. It’s amazing how much difference the external adjustments make.”

When we asked about each bike’s cornering and handling, the riders' answers became less consistent. The totally new RM250, priced at $3699, is narrow and low, its light front-end making the bike wheelie-prone. But the RM is also the easiest to pitch into a turn and the quickest-handling. Comments ranged from Smith’s, “Great cornering, easy to maneuver,” to 6-foot-4-inch Bell’s, “I didn't like the cornering or handling and it doesn't track well.”

Almost every rider commented on the $3599 Kawasaki feeling larger than the other bikes. “The KX feels big and it's a little slower-handling, especially in ess-turns,” noted Pomeroy. “The KX corners well but it’s too fat in the middle,” said Jones. Every rider noted that the KX was an easy bike to ride and was very stable.

The only non-Japanese bike in this group, the $3769 KTM. drew praise as well as pans from the riders. “The KTM turns well but its handling is a little unpredictable,” said Smith. “Prefers wide or bermed turns to tight ones; the rear end is very stable through rough turns,” were Pomeroy's comments. Bell noted. “Not bad, but the KTM definitely needs to be carefully set-up to each individual rider.”

Every test rider liked the $3699 YZ’s handling: “Great cornering and very predictable,” was Smith’s comment. “Surprisingly easy to turn, very balanced,” Bell said. “Turns well and has good balance, but the footpegs seem to drag in the bermed turns, and they keep sticking in the up position,” said FYimeroy. “But I really like the bike, it’s fun and agile,” he continued. “Good front-torear balance, good in the corners,” Jones echoed.

The CR250, priced at $3998 (and retro-fitted with new fork-damper parts, something Honda dealers will furnish and install at no charge for 1989 CR250 owners), also drew unanimous praise from the riders: “Very good in tight corners, stable rear end.” noted Pomeroy. Bell said, “Great, but noticed some headshake when braking into tight turns after fast straights.” “Very good in corners,” was Smith’s praise. Jones agreed: “Good feel all around, easy to ride.”

When asked to rate these 1989 25()cc motocross bikes, the riders gave very similar judgments. Smith ranked the four Japanese bikes in a tie for first place, with the KTM just a notch behind. “ The Japanese bikes are all great and very close in most respects. And I think KTM did a great job on their new model. I expect the KTM to improve even more for 1990,” he said.

Pomeroy, Jones and Bell were more definitive, all three ranking the Honda CR250 as best and the Yamaha YZ250 as second-best. But each added a comment after their ratings similar to this from Pomeroy: “I could close my eyes, pick any of these bikes and be perfectly satisfied. They all can be winners with minor modifications, and they all are fun to ride.”

Rankings out of the way, we then asked the champs to compare these new, stock production racers to their last factory racebikes. “No comparison." said Bell, “these bikes are better in every way." Smith felt the same, answering with, “These are better, much better." Pomeroy was more specific and more enthusiastic. “All of these are great! I can't believe how good they are. If I could have had suspension like these bikes have, I would have won every race in Europe. They all are so adjustable and work so well. It sure would be nice to go back in time with one of these bikes.”

Jones, too, was impressed. “We thought our factory bikes were really trick, and they were for the time,” he said, “but they don't compare to these. These bikes turn better, the suspensions are better, too, but 1 think the biggest difference is in the strength of the frames and wheels. Just getting through a moto without breaking a wheel or frame used to be a challenge. I remember one time Jimmy Weinert and I had works Ya maha 400s. They had tremendous power and tractor-like torque. but the frames broke into two pieces on both of them before the end of the day. mine while I had a big lead. These new bikes can jump a house without destroying the frame or breaking a wheel."

So. question answered, from the men who made motocross history but don't dwell on the glories of the past. Yesterday's expensive and exotic works motocrossers will be fondly re membered as the best machines of their era; today's production bikes have them beat.