Cocoa celia ae WHICH IS FASTER? WE BURN RUBBER TO FIND OUT! Patt NEW im 40H Was ele deel Fei CTA i) 4 alll Pee Tt Ds Sele To aS ad cas Boe es ‘ta 250 4-STROKE! | oF THE YEA5...DECADE!!ONZE R Zar) aaa re eee Popecer earner ere epee etal Pra ose a rarer eee ea aepee ata Prabhas rene Peer ro Frese str retina pone at Dee ee ey Cee ee see eet eee eee erg on ot en oe Sa en rece eetan Sc eer peme eee Ps Peete tee ae ene rad Penance it en eer ae eras tienen inter ern eres ee are eh ae eer reer) Pe a a anon a eel et eee Pec eee eee eee ee Perret eet een er eee ean ree aetna aL raed ee eee ene ee eer tee Rao er rea ee eS Peace rare ‘Sneak preview of Yamaha's lightweight warriors Erma Roce mune c rc COON Bri) Sen kod Coe Re) ‘American mult purpose marvel STG Rac Dine eerie nc) 22 CARLSBAD 500 USGP MOTOCROSS eduetakecuss toad 24 UNADILLA 250 USGP MOTOCROSS ee uch pa Ea aay Ieuan) Co aes WA tcc Cas feeereuae Rey meee) Creek anu} antes Ea en am) SUC ge NU Ne ue 46 YZ, RM, KX, CR80 HOT MODS Rocket fuel for the mini fighters 60 HONDA CR125 HOT MODS Cem to aU ered ies CW ma Barkin’ on a thin line Py ela sec} een Ca Ga Neda ta Oa eC eee UR esa Pra MSA eu Scr Muna EO TAe eg dl Home-delivered roost 68 NEW PRODUCTS Creatas) CRC oer) WARNING: Much ofthe action depicted in this mat tilly dange perianced experts or professional. ally alo the riders seen in 3 attempt to dup any stunts that are bayond your own capabilities, Aiwa) the appropriate safety gear. eeeEVERYTHING YOU’VE ALWAYS WANTED IN A THUMPER— No SSS] The other Open class XR ‘ gets the test 18) wottwacing OFT BME etc 66YYoour assets are your liabilities.” NY Were contre! up that ate meni must have known a few things about dirt bikes, because nowhere ist more valid than inthe realm of off-road motorcycling Honda understands these things: While lot of riders like the power of theie bigger XR600 Open classer, many aren't ready’ 10 pay the premium of added weight that comes with it, The XR600 is a large, fast, open-errain vehicle that's most comfortable in the expanse of the desert or up on the winding fire roads. In this clement the 600 Will blast around with the best of them, but Unless you'ee as big as the Wolfman, you'll probably be more comfortable on’ some- thing smaller when hitting the tight stu For this group of riders, Honda offers the XR350: Open class power, but ina smaller, ier, more manageable package WHY LESS IS MORE Join us, if you will, mid-test, bounding about the rock- infested trails and fire roads of the Angeles National Forest ‘The XR's ride started at the foot of the ‘mountains, ina dry, dusty basin, along tails crowded with small trees and over ground littered with loose rocks. The going is slow front-end washouts while dod: est of the low-slung fir bran In the slow-moving situation, the Honda exhibits surprising agility: It turns quickly and accurately. Throttle response is clean IKE / OCTOBER 1995 The Honda does extremely well in tight terain, where its short wheel base and quick manners let the ri- der fick the machine around lke lightweight enduro racer. The XR350 is probably one of the best ‘go ‘ut and have fun” machines you can buy. Plenty of controllable power and a super. for suspension package make the cruiser- ‘weight thumper a real pleasure to ride. from just above idle, a marked improvement over last year's dual-carb-equipped uni Though we abused the clutch, it per: formed without complaint, and such abuse became unnecessary as the tral rose from the dusty basin onto the open fire roads above. The Honda climbed quickly and rap- ily to the first of many plateaus. The power is good; though not as awesome as the larger 600, it still packs a considerable Open class punch. The rocks are larger now, and the biggest ones are firmly anchored in the sun baked ground. Wind and water have eroded. much of their surrounding the rocks, leav ry surface of small shalelike rem- nants, It's impossible to cover this kind of ertain without occasionally smacking one of the boulders, and when it happens, theres ‘an unexpected surprise: the 350 just rolls over the obstacles with little more than a subdued jolt at the bars, and even less reac- jon from the rear: Initial impressions started coming—the XR isas plush as an El Dorado ‘on balloon tires. A few more encounters and fear of flying vanishes completely, ground I increase considerably, and conf er than the surrounding