1967 Greeves 360 Challenger - 4-Page Vintage Motorcycle Road Test Article

Description

1967 Greeves 360 Challenger - 4-Page Vintage Motorcycle Road Test Article
Original, Vintage Magazine Article
Page Size: Approx. 8" x 11" (21 cm x 28 cm)
Condition: Good
Many who keep a close eye on the sport of scrambles
and motocross have speculated about the absence of
a 500-class entry by a well-known factory with as great
a potential as anyone for building a championship ma-
chine. The factory in question, of course, is Greeves, and
their absence from the big class seems stranger still in light
of their high degree of concentration in the scrambles
sport which is, fundamentally, a British development.
However, now that Greeves’ new 360 is on the playing
fields and winning 500-class events as though it had been
contesting this segment of the game for years, Greeves’
slowness to field a big-bore entry is now obvious; they
were more concerned with having a contender than they
were with just an entry.
Examination of the MX4, as the 360 is called, reveals
that it is sufficiently all-new to warrant the extra design
and development time that could have been greatly re-
duced if they had chosen instead to simply stick a pumped-
up 250 back in a 250 chassis. This approach, though, is
rarely a satisfactory one, and Greeves are to be com-
mended for not rushing the project. The scope of the
project first becomes evident with an examination of the
chassis. The cast alloy “trademark” front tube has been
used in conjunction with frame-member engine cases.
Unlike earlier Challengers, however, the single top tube
does not continue its downward arc to the swing-arm
pivot, but ends instead at the rear of the barrel in a liber-
ally gusseted junction with two substantial central down
tubes which terminate outboard of the swing-arm at the
pivot. Two smaller tubes, one on each side, continue the
arc under the engine and connect at the junction of the
forward frame plates and the engine cases, and perform
three functions; in combination with the engine, they make
up the lower frame, they protect the right side of the
transmission and the primary drive case, and they provide
footpeg mounts. The design permits the swing-arm pivot
to be carried at the extreme width of the frame, and this,
along with a larger swing-arm crosspiece than the previ-
ous Challenger, makes for a sturdy, flex-free frame pack-
age that resists twitching. At high speed on rough ground,
the MX4 feels like a one-piece motorcycle.
The rear suspension units on the MX4 are variable-
rate three-position Girling spring shocks, set in a near-
vertical attitude which enhances their excellent damping
ability. Front suspension on the test bike was the standard
Greeves springer forks, also fitted with three-position Gir-
lings, but in this case they are constant-rate units. While
the MX4 can be purchased with Ceriani teledraulic forks,
and while these may suit many tastes, we recommend
that a prospective buyer try the model with the “springers”
before plunking down the extra bucks for the Cerianis; at
no time did we find ourselves in situations that we felt
the teles would have handled better than the springers.
In addition, the springers offer the advantage of three
tension settings.
The MX4 sports a new set of hubs — conical alloy...
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