Etc.
etc.
LAVERDAS FOR AMERICA
The wait for Laverdas is over. MuZ of North America, the newly formed importer of German MZ motorcycles, now also distributes Italian Laverdas. According to company principal Ray Campanile, initial EPA testing has commenced on Laverda’s range of fuel-injected, twin-cylinder sportbikes, and plans call for the 668 and Ghost models to hit U.S. dealers later this year. MuZ N.A. can be reached at 4 Signal Ave., Ormond Beach, FL 32174; 904/676-1056.
CHEAPO KAWASAKIS
Kawasaki has announced smokin’ deals on three models. The suggested retail price of the 1997 Concours sport-tourer-already the class bargain—has been slashed $1500, to just $7799. The price of leftover ’96 KLX650 dual-purpose bikes, meanwhile, has been cut $1300, to just $3999. And buyers of leftover ’96 Vulcan 1500Ls will receive $1000 worth of Kawasaki accessories.
You’d better act quickly, though; the latter deal ends September 30.
SUZUKI TL1000S RECALL
All right, sport-Twin owners, get your butt back to your dealer for the installation of a free steering damper. Apparently, a few TL1000 owners have complained about their bikes’ flighty (funny, we just thought it was nimble) handling, and Suzuki wants to nip the complaints in the bud. Following a phone call to set-up an appointment, the damper can be installed in just 45 minutes.
RAT PACK
RAT, the Riders Association of Triumph motorcycles, is hosting its inaugural National Rally in conjunction with Bike Week West at Steamboat Springs, Colorado, September 12-14. Owners of all Triumph motorcycles, old and new, are invited to attend, with club membership available on site. Weekend passes, which include race tickets, a parade lap, scenic rides, a pig roast, concert and commemorative T-shirt and badge, cost $50. To register, call 770/631-9500.
GRADED ON A CURVE
Slip-slidin’, flat-track-style aboard Honda XFMOOs has become a popular training tool for roadracers. And now, thanks to TravelCraft (800/241-1223), you too can undergo two days of instruction from renowned ’tracker Jimmy Filice at the Kenny Roberts Training Ranch near Barcelona,
Spain. The dirt-track school is included in TravelCraft’s $2000, eight-day Spanish GP tour, which departs from the U.S. on September 7.
Forthose with fewer pesos in their pockets, a mere $450-$550 will buy you two days’ similar training at the American Super Camp (970/6694322). Chief instructor Danny Walker holds class sessions in various locales around the U.S., with guest instructor Chris Carr, a former Grand National Champion and current Harley-Davidson factory roadracer. Cl/l/’s Road Test Editor Don Canet recently attended one of Walker’s schools at Ken Maely’s ranch in Corona, California, and gave it a big left-foot-down thumbs-up.
A 400-MPH VINCENT?!
Max Lambky has a need for speed, not to mention a craving for cash. Lambky has dropped a cool $100,000 of his own money into building a streamliner powered by, of all things, dual Vincent V-Twins. But to have a shot at breaking the outright two-wheeled land-speed record of 322 mph, he now needs sponsors. Not only is there plenty of space for corporate logos along the smooth flanks of “Black Lightning,” but individuals also can get in on the act-for a minimum of $25, they can have their names carried aboard the streamliner during its record runs. The supercharged motors, running on alcohol, are currently churning out more than 400 horsepower, with provisions for another 150 via a nitrous-oxide system. “We should be able to break 400 mph,” predicts Lambky. Donations (make checks payable to the Black Lightning Project) can be sent to Lambky at PO. Box 392, Greenville, VA 24440, or call 540/3370299 for more information.
