1969 Greenhorn Enduro Paul Hunt Harley-Davidson - 3-Page Motorcycle Article

Description

1969 Greenhorn Enduro Paul Hunt Harley-Davidson - 3-Page Motorcycle Article
Original, Vintage Magazine Article
Page Size: Approx. 8" x 11" (21 cm x 28 cm) each page
Condition: Good
IT WAS the first of June - a hot dry
June day like they always are that time
of year in the desert. The sun was on its
way down and the clock working its way
towards five.
A group of campers, pick-up trucks,
and cars with trailers were parked just off
the highway in a clearing that only the
day before was the starting area for the
Horn. Four-hundred-fifty hopeful riders
had started off six abreast at one-minute
intervals to partake in the fun and misery
of the 1969 500-mile AMA National
Championship Greenhorn Enduro.
Now, a day and ten hours later, friends,
relatives, and those many riders who didn’t
make it were waiting to see the few
riders left on the course come across the
finish line.
On time came a rider on minute one,
then a few minutes later another from
that minute limped in. A rider from
minute two, then one from minute three
came, neither on time. Both club officials
and spectators alike stared down the dusty
two-rut road straining to see the numbers
on the motorcycles long before they
came close enough to be legible. Four
minutes had gone by and that four
minutes produced only four finishers out
of the twenty-four who had started less
than a day-and-a-half earlier.
Then it happened. It was time for
minute five and the crowd of onlookers
started whispering, then talking, and then
some were yelling in disbelief. They knew
the six Harley-Davidsons that started on
minute five made the half-way overnight
finish in grand style, six abreast, on time,
and few points lost during the first day.
But this was the second day and all six
Harley-Davidson riders were coming up
that dusty narrow road in formation, two
abreast and not even in a hurry.
The six riders - Paul Hunt, Dean
Goldsmith. Dave Ekins. Wes Anderson, Jr.,
Jack Krizman and Bob Steffan - on their
orange and black bikes were jubilant as
they pulled into the final check on time.
Cheering the most were the three men
and one woman who had spent the two
days in trucks following those six riders.
At every known check, and even at some
of the road crossings, one or the other
vehicle was there with its pit crew working
to keep those six guys and six bikes
going. That’s the real story of the ’Horn;
preparation, planning, and the pit crew.
The Greenhorn is no cakewalk. This
rugged five-hundred mile enduro has been
going on since the late thirties and is
considered by many to be ‘the’ one to
finish. This is no understatement, as a
normal number of finishers is usually 20%
of the starters. The ’69 Greenhorn was
no different. Then, how did the H-Ds pull
off that unprecedented six-in-a-row finish?
It wasn’t easy.
Very important were the motorcycles,
two 350cc ERS singles and four Rapido
two-strokes. All six machines were pre-
pared at Products Testing, a super secret
place that allows no visitors and the pre-
requisite for working there is to be a
genius that digs motorcycles. None of the
bikes were new. In fact they all have had
an extensive amount of punishment just
to prove they could take the Greenhorn
grind.
Both ERSes had made that Mexican
1000 trip down the Baja Peninsula twice;
once in a pre-run and once in the actual
race. Then one was activated to race each
weekend in the desert while the other was
put into duty contesting enduros. What
was learned from those many miles of
competition paid off in the final prep-
aration of those three-fifty singles. But
even so, the length of the Greenhorn did
cause a few problems — a broken shock
on Steffan’s caused many anxious minutes
GREENHORN
PAUL HUNT HEADS WELL-PREPARED SIX-MAN
HARLEY-DAVIDSON TEAM TO IMPRESSIVE VICTORY IN 23rd
ANNUAL 500-MILE A.M.A. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ENDURO
By Dave Ekins
Photos by Pat Brollier, Motorcycle Sport Book & James E. Brammer
until he finally limped into one of the
checks a few minutes late. That great
efficient pit crew had a new shock
mounted before Steffan could get his
helmet off and take a breather.
The breather was the noon stop and all
six riders were treated to such things as
fresh sliced pineapple, the Colonel’s
chicken, and other juicy cold delights that
really hit the spot when it’s a 100 degrees
in the shade. And they had shade, a
colorful tatp stretched between the two
pit trucks made a nice shelter from which
those tired riders could peer out and watch
the other tired riders roast in the sun
during that forty-minute break.
The most tired of those six riders was
Jack Krizman. He had just ridden the last
five miles on a flat rear tire. While the
trusty pit crew was putting on a new rear
wheel, Jack was soaking up a wet towel
with Iris head and gulping Gatorade. They
had had another flat that morning when
Dean Goldsmith started from the over-
night area and picked up a nail on the
way to the start. A new wheel popped out
of the truck and onto his bike almost like
magic. Flat tires are one of those things
you cannot predict, so there was a spare
wheel for both bikes in the van.
Spares for the modified Rapidos were
really not necessary, other than wheels.
Those four bikes had had the goodies
ridden out of them for over a year. They
even finished the Jack Pine 500-miler last
September. Other than new control cables
and rear tires suitable, for the desert,
these prototype bikes were much the
same as when they were born at Products
Testing. Like the ERSes, two had been
raced every week and the other two were
run in enduros. Their finishing percentage
had been fantastic and this is why, with
good preparation, few spares are needed.
Veteran racer and tuner, Paul Hunt,
did the preparation on all six bikes. His
meticulous search for things that might
go wrong includes removing the inner-
tubes. A lot of work, but very necessary.
New chains were installed on the six H-Ds
and a few well-worn sprockets had to be
replaced also. The Cerianis got new seals
and oil, and all six clutches were dis-
assembled and looked at. If anything
ABOVE LEFT: The six-man Harley-
Davidson team who dominated the top
finishing spots. Sweepstakes winner, Paul
Hunt, at right, rode 350cc EPS Sprint
model.
ABOVE: Max Melchert (Yamaha) powers
by Dick Steffan (Triumph). Total of 450
riders were entered in two-day event held
on Southern California desert.
RIGHT: Cal Sukut, complete with pro-
tective shin guardsand face guard, finished
9th in Class B Lightweight on a Yamaha.
BELOW: Paul BHnco and daughter check
in veteran Greenhorner Eddie Day (BSA).
Blinco was Greenhorn Chairman and
member of sponsoring Pasadena MC...
15220-AL-6909-02