Baja Cannonball
Baja Cannonball
Cycle World's Celebrity Dual-Purpose Shootout
JIMMY LEWIS
AS WE SAT IN FRONT OF THE PEMEX GAS PUMPS IN Catavina, waiting for a tanker truck to refill the station, a small group gathered around, curious about the bikes we were riding. One man, obviously in-the-know. pointed in our direction. turned to his Son and said. "You're seeing history. That's Malcolm Smith, and he won the first Baja 1000 in 1968." Our other two guest-testers weren't exactly chapped liver, áither. Besides the percnniaflv smiling Smith, a multi-time Baja winner, holder of eight gold medals in ISDT competitiori and star oF the movie On .1nr •S'undar, we had l)annv LaPorte, a former national and world motocross champ (and three-time Baja 1000 winner), and Gary Jones, four-time U.S. 250cc motocross champion. ín other words, I was in good company, especially for a four-way dual-purpose shootout on the Baja Peninsula.
In 1996, Suzuki surprised everyone with its new DR650, rewriting the rules in the game óf building a good D-P bike. Here wás a bike that functioned equally well in the dirt and on the street, a perfect compromise. Cycle World liked it, naming it Dual-Purpose Bike of the Year. It returns virtually unchanged for '97. Honda's impressive XR650L is the same as it ever was, and always a player. ATK did a bit of polishing on its novel single-side-framed 605ES for the new year. And KIM's 620 R/XC, winner of CW's Best D-P Bike trophy in `94 and `95, received the convenience of electric starting this year. Here, we had the makings of an excellent match-up. To keep things equal, we mounted Pirelli's super-tough, long-wearing MT21 street-legal knobbies front and rear to each of the bikes. Our path took us into Valle de Trinidad for gas and a late lunch, and then to Mike's Sky Ranch. There, Gary and Danny swapped stories of breaking cars and bikes on the tough, technical dirt road that leads to "Rancho Mike." It was late afternoon, but there was still time to take an old road, now little more than a goat trail, to the observatory above Mike's. On the way, the sky opened up and everything short of hail started falling-a first-class test of man and machine. The gearing on the KTM was just a bit too tall for this tight, rocky ascent, causing the clutch to squeak a bit and the newly added radiator fan to come on, though no coolant left the bike. The Honda's huge first-to-second-gear gap bugged Gary. Danny was all smiles on the Suzuki, low seat height and torque-o-matic motor helping it putter over everything in the way. Plain and simple, the ATK 605 is a dirtbike with electric start and a license-plate bracket; in fact, in some states, getting this thing past DMV inspection may be a problem. But the observatory trail was easily handled with smooth Rotax power, and lower and tighter gearing than on any of the other bikes.
As darkness fell, we rode out of the clouds to the Meiling Guest Ranch about 30 miles down a dirt road. The headlight on the ATK quit and made Malcolm's ride even more exciting; adding to the plight was the 605's cheap throttle cable that required a Popeye arm to tum and a similarly tough clutch pull.
At dinner that evening, we compared notes from the first day's ride. It was apparent that the Suzuki was facing serious challenges to its throne. The KTM has come a long way; so far, in fact, that it has lost a lot of the funky European dirtbike heritage that scared off some riders. Electric starting only sweetens the package. The Honda's biggest drawbacks are its tall seat height and top-heavy feel, a real problem for smaller riders or when the road turns rough. Otherwise, its ability to pound ground and pavement alike makes it a very versatile ride. The ATK is just plain uncomfortable on the street, much of the blame going to a rock-hard seat, but it's a scorcher off-road.
At 6 a.m. the following morning, like a rooster crowing at the first sight of sun, Malcolm knocked on our door, smiling as usual, ready for the ride. Where does this guy get his energy? Our original, overambitious plan had us making Gurrero Negro, halfway down the peninsula, by that night. Forget it, Malcolm said. So, in the name of adventure, we set out for the coast in search of low-tide beach-riding fun.
We hit the Pacific at Camalu and had a slide-fest frolic 'til the beach ran out at the bays near San Quintin. Remember Malcolm, Steve McQueen and Mert Lawwill playing in the sand dunes in On Any Sunday? That was us, almost 30 years later. We even had time for a little impromptu hillclimb in the dunes along the shore, Gary and the KTM the victors. The DR and I claimed last place-I blame this on extra weight (the bike's, not mine). Actually, the Suzuki hides its pounds well, but get into a sticky situation off-road and they come back to haunt you, so it's important to ride the
DR with a little diplomacy in the dirt. After another gas stop, it was apparent that the KTM and the XR-L, with their small tanks (3.0 and 2.8 gallons, respec tively) would not be doing 100mile stints between fill-ups. The ATK and its 3.6-gallon tank will take you the farthest (115 miles) but only after you lay the bike on its side to transfer fuel-there are inserts in the tank for a second petcock, an optional feature we'd take advantage of. For the record, the Suzuki pushed 111 miles, the KTM 90 and the XR-L 91. We averaged about 28 mpg on all the bikes, with variances depending on rider and speed. We hit the road going into the town of El Rosario, where Malcolm picked out an old section of the 1968 Baja course that wandered through huge cardon-cactus forests. We ran out of sunlight for the second day in a row and picked up the pavement for the 50-mile sprint to Santa Catavina. As usual, it rained on us just for fun. I was the unlucky soul on the lightless ATK and was happy to see our hotel after an hour of formation flying down the highway.
At Catavina, we ran into a Japanese rider who was taking a DR650 all the way from Canada to Tierra del Fuego, Chile. Fie immediately recognized LaPorte and had to have a picture taken. At dinner, Baja bench racing-not to mention a cerveza or two-flowed well into the night.
Like clockwork, we were at the breakfast table early the next morning plotting another day full of adventure. Target One was isolated Mission Santa Maria, 1600s headquarters for the Spanish missionaries whose job it was to clamber up into the mountains and convert Indians. Located about 15 miles to the east of Catavina, the road to the church takes a full day in a well-equipped jeep. We polished it off in a little over two hours.
Past the mission, we followed the road to its end, where a nearly vertical footpath turned us around. Gary was looking forward to humping a bike or two over the rocks and was disappointed at our retreat.
Our next adventure started about 20 miles farther down the pavement, where Malcolm wanted to try an old road he had been told about that cut straight through the mountains to Gonzaga Bay. This started out well, but soon had us dropping off a cliff into a boulder garden of a sandwash-it was the toughest five miles of the ride. Here, we were concerned about low ground clearance and the lack of a skidplate on the DR. Carefully, we made it through with no major damage.
We hit Gonzaga Bay for a late lunch of shrimp tacos and got set for a night ride to San Felipe. The Honda and the KTM are masters of the high-speed washboard road, with a nod to the KTM for added plushness when hitting the unexpected rock. Thanks to its excellent seat, the Honda is more comfy for longer hauls. The Suzuki and the ATK are direct opposites: The DR is super plush but bottoms on sharpedged bumps, while the 605 feels as if its suspension hydraulically locks on square edges, but absorbs fast g-outs better than the other three bikes.
Three hours of riding, including some high speeds on the paved section from Puertecitos to San Felipe, had us in town in time for a nice chicken torta dinner. Bonus to the Honda and Suzuki for having bright headlights that will handle 70 mph plus at night. The KTM's light is more suited to trailriding speeds, and the ATK's...well, it was still AWOL.
Next morning, we shot out of town and through the deep sand whoops to Diablo Dry Lake. Here, the ATK and KTM shined, and the Honda and Suzuki showed their weight. The ATK carded its second serious demerit when its muffler blew apart, the SuperTrapp housing physically tearing out of the aluminum muffler can. This was followed shortly by the speedometer needle breaking off. Baja is a bike-breaker, true, but these things shouldn't happen on such an expensive motorcycle-especially considering the other bikes came through virtually unscathed.
Back to the higher elevations through San Mateas and El Compadre Road for our last pass through the trees. Then, one final section of bad pavement into Tecate for a taco lunch, and we were cleared through customs and back on the smooth asphalt that we take for granted here in the U.S.
Summing up, the ATK was the least-favored bike in this comparison. Blame most of that on its $7695 asking price and details like sticky cables and a self-disintegrating muffler. But the ATK is vastly improved in only its second year with a new frame. Its nimble feel and a peppy motor uninhibited by EPA requirements also were pluses, but... refinement, ATK, refinement.
Honda's XR650L is a well-rounded bike at a good price. It's too heavy and tall to be a great dirtbike, and too much of a dirtbike to be a street mount. Still, it's a two-time CWD-P Bike of the Year winner, with the advantage of a huge dealer network and unrivaled reliability. XR-Ls have a strong, loyal following and it's easy to see why.
The Suzuki DR continues to surprise us. Clearly the smoothest street ride, it can still hang, albeit using discretion, with any of the other bikes in the dirt. Bonus for the best motor and lowest price, $5299. Compromise used to be a dirty word in dual-purpose circles. No longer.
Finally, four-thumbs up, way up, to the new KTM, especially since its awkward left-side kickstarter can now be largely ignored. Our 620 missed only one beat the whole trip, a battery killed by vibration-a problem that has already been addressed on the production line. For the $6998 asking
price, you get fully adjustable, top-of-the-line suspension, plenty of power in a fully EPA-legal form and durability that is never in question. KIM's 620 has the ability to do it all and push the boundaries of what an electric-start dual purpose bike is capable of. Everywhere. Even in Baja.
AT A GLANCE:
