What i like in a Bike by Steve McQueen

.





First of all, i dont set myself up as an expert on either setting up machinery for racing, or in the actual sport of racing itself. But after 2.5 years of desert riding un Southern California, TT Scrambles, Hare & Hound, and a bit of racing in the wet in the Six Day Trials in East Germany in 1964, I sure hope i picked up a little about motorcycles and riding along the way.
It hasnt hurt, either, being partners with Bud and Dave Ekins in a motorcycle shop in the San Fernando Valley. That's been a keen education like going to school. Dave won two gold medals, and Bud picked up three representing our country in the Sis Day Trials, and they are two of the best desert bike riders this country has ever produced.
I was very pleased and flattered to be chosen to test six dirt bikes for PS.
Lets get to the point immediately. We assembled all the bikes on a scrambling course of six mile perimeter, which had just about every type of terrain i could think of :
cow trailing with a top end close to 70 m.p.h; a sand wash with some rocks; sand dips of the washboard type with a depth of two feet maximum; several high speed jumps of the TT variety, and a lot of fast trailing with quick changes, both up and down and side to side.
Here are my impressions of the bikes and ho i rate them for desert riding-the kind of riding i'm mainly interested in.

The BSA Hornet : The first bike i tested is designed for desert riding or scrambels
The Norton Metisse : This is a TT Bike with trials tires and no knobby.

Steve McQueen




.