Cw 25 Years Ago April, 1966
April, 1966
TWO-STROKE SINGLES WERE beginning to show their superiority on Europe's scrambles courses by l966, but BSA was fighting the twostroke charge with a new 44lcc four-stroke reviewed in this edition of Cycle World.
Claimed to be a replica of two-time World 500 MX Champion Jeff Smith's racebike, BSA's new 441 Victor lacked the trick, lightweight, alloy parts and serious suspension that graced the racer, but then Smith's bike wasn't street-legal. The 44 l Victor was.
The 44 l 's light weight —296 pounds—and its powerful (a claimed 34 horsepower) engine greatly impressed Clf's editors, who observed “a constant tendency for the front wheel to be in the air."
In those days before sophisticated, long-travel suspension, the Victor's new fork was also worthy of note, featuring as it did “two-way damping. with damping action both on impact and rebound." But the editors were upset with the steering geometry of the Victor because, they said, it was so quick for such a powerful machine.
Keeping with the theme of modern mechanical wizardry, this issue of CW carried a piece about Ceriani forks, in their day the hot tip in front suspension. Seems their superior action resulted from the use of a tapered damper tube and a oneway flapper valve—at the time, significant technology, but now. of course, old hat. Also old hat? This issue's cover price of 50 cents.
— Ron Griewe
