GLOVE TRANS
GENDER
To show how much
abuse a gearbox can
go through, Syn-
Lube compared it to
a boxing ring.PHOTO CALL
Not only sellers
of motorcycles
and accessories
advertised inADB.
Tokina ran this full
page ad for budding
moto journalists and
photographers out
there.WHITE OUT
Glen Bell, Clayton
Chapman and
Craig Dack were
just three of the
many riders who
wore Rat Racing
clobber. Rat was a
big name in riding
gear in its day.POLICEROUND-UP
The Blue Light Ride was run by the Victorian Police Motor
Sports Club and had begun life as an enduro but always
seemed to attract wet weather. It was resurrected as a
trailride with no competition licenses needed, just registration
and a road licence. Prizes were drawn out of a hat and the classes
were non-competitive such as fancy dress, pillion or friends-who-
all-want-to-ride-together. A figure-eight course was well arrowed
in the Noojee area, about an hour out of Melbourne, and the
large number of starters told Sgt Klaus Mueller that his club had
stumbled onto a winning formula. For 1985, a roll up of 850
meant that the Blue
Light Ride had
become Australia’s
biggest motorcycling
event. The highest
number of riders
ever recorded for the
event was 1298.1986 HONDA XR350R
The mid-’80s was a time of change forADBstaff,
who’d always been strongly pro two-stroke
for serious dirt machinery. Four-strokes were
regarded as “nice” trail or play bikes.
Then the Japanese started releasing more
serious dirtbikes with four-stroke powerplants
and editorial opinions started to shift. The
XR350R was one of the bikes integral to that
shift in thinking.
The big catch in selling a 350 in NSW was
that the cost of registration rose dramatically at
the 300cc mark, so most people would opt for a
big-bore like the XR600. But the 350 was good
enough inADB’s book to make it a viable option
due to a 9kg reduction in weight and cheaper
purchase price.
The sticker was $3149 plus on-road costs
and that bought you an air-cooled single with
an RFVC head, six-speed gearbox, dry sump,
2x26mm Keihin carbs and 32.8hp at 7500rpm.
Weight was 112kg, 9.5 litres of fuel was carried
and the suspension travel was 280mm at both
ends, with a front disc and rear drum handling
the stops.
The Pro-Link rear suspension struts had
grease nipples and offered 14 compression
and four rebound damping adjustments on the
Showa shock. The 41mm fork was the normal
telescopic type. The rear wheels was a 17inch
but tyres were available from Dunlop, Trelleborg,
Bridgestone and Metzeler.
Power delivery impressed the test riders with
its flexibility and displayed none of the lurching
or snatching that was common with older, big-
bore thumpers. One tester described it as like
“turning on a tap, the more you turn the more
you get”. Later he remarked that it had enough
power to pull money out of a Scotsman.
It was regarded as well mannered on the tar,
ideal as a trailbike or fun bike and almost on
the money as a serious enduro mount. The final
summary was that it was a bike that could hold
its own in enduro competition but would not be
an outright place getter unless everything swung
its way on the day. This was due to the shortish
wheelbase of 1400mm being a little less than
confidence-inspiring at speed especially on
fast whoops, although it made for very precise
steering in tight going. The weight was also of
some concern and the suspension was judged to
be a bit soft for a serious racer.BIKES FROM
THE DAYS WHEN
DINOSAURS
ROAMED THE
PITSADS
BACK
THEN...FAREWELLTO EDEN
Gary Nelmes was working in Papua New Guinea installing and
maintaining diesel generators for telecommunications and
decided to go for a farewell trailride at the end of his contract. He
and a mate managed to squeeze a PE and a KDX plus themselves
and the pilot into a small aircraft by removing the front wheels of
their rides and compressing the suspension with tiedowns. They
took the bikes on
their last job and
spent their free time
trailriding near their
bush airstrip base at
7500 feet.Chris Shuetrim, of Auburn in
Sydney, wrote in to complain
about his neighbour, an MP, who
rang the police every time Chris
rodehis YZ80 up and down the
street.The1986 ISDE and MxdN dates
and venues were announced,
with both being held in Italy
and a week apart. ADB asked if
should we put some of our MXdN
riders in the ISDE team as they
would be close by.Vicki and Julie,
Hospital nurses at Weipa
, wrote to
wonderful patient GE had been withADBtosay what a
hisbroken leg
and to thank him for
theflowers he sent.OLD TIN
Murray Watt, aka “Honest Muz”,
fi nally achieved his dream of a Gold
Medal at the ISDE. He was the only
Aussie to fi nish on Gold in Spain,
despite being on a 125.
http://www.adbmag.com.au APRIL 2016 | 157