The Motorbike Archives

That same '67 Pioneer could also exasperate you beyond belief. In the kickstarter assembly, the gear ratios were wrong, and the short stubby kick-starter lever was all finished before you could get the flywheels spinning. Strong men often wore themselves out trying to light its fire.

The fire, once lit, was none too reliable. Motoplat had developed for Ossa a solid-state ignition system which—when working—never required adjustment. But on about half of those early bikes, the ignition systems quickly died very dead, leaving the owners with motor cycles that would not run. However, the factory immediately sensed that this could be the kiss of death, and they got Motoplat into high gear redesigning the system. The importer extended the warranty period on those ignition systems indefinitely, no questions asked. The dealers kept the faith. Ossa survived.

On the '67 Pioneers, the rear shocks were too stiff, and the front forks were way too soft and would bottom easily. The fork seals leaked like sieves. For that matter, so did the fiberglass gas tanks. The control cables were no good. Rear chains wore out too rapidly. The cast-iron footpegs would break off. At very high speeds, the handling sometimes got a touch squirrelly and occasionally dumped a rider on his head.

The frame, the forks, the engine, handlebars and wheels: everything's new and better—down to the nameplate on the tank.

Super-riders learned that the handlebar mounts would stretch, the swingarm and its shaft would bend, the rear sprocket would come adrift, spokes would rip out of the hubs, and the wheel bearings would get square. The super-riders somehow got around these difficulties and stayed with the Pioneer, because they knew that most other brands also offer the same kinds of problems when you push them hard, and the Pioneer would go like a bomb when you turned it on.

That was the 1967 Pioneer. We were curious as to the differences between it and the 1970 model, so we wandered up to Schenectady to collect a 1970 Pioneer from John Taylor at Yankee. That trip was like Old Home Week. Dick Mann was there, doing some design work on the Yankee, and Mick Andrews, whizz-bang Ossa trials rider from England, was there too. While we were all standing around swapping war stories, a Camino returned from the airport carrying the prototype of a Pioneer with some design changes that would begin showing up in the spring. We tore off the wrappings and had a look at the new bike. It was gorgeous. John Taylor was horrified. Not only had the factory included the requested design changes, but they had redesigned the fiberglass bodywork, too, right in the middle of a model year. Said John, "Well, I guess we'll just have to call it the 1970'/2 Pioneer." And so the bike was christened.

We studied the new machine. There had been quite a few changes since 1967. Probably the smallest number of changes had occurred in the engine, which was strong and fast to begin with. But the bore had been punched out to 72mm, giving a new displacement of 244cc, and adding a couple more horsepower. The outer clutch-hub had been strengthened, and another set of clutch plates had been added. The magneto flywheel, originally aluminum, was now

made of bronze to give more flywheel effect at low rpm. The IRZ double-needle carb, always outstanding in performance at midrange and high rpm, was modified to breathe better at low rpm too.

Oh, glory, the kickstarter lever was lengthened, so that now even a 90-pound novice could start the engine with one or two kicks.

The solid-state ignition system had gone through a whole series of design changes. Now it had stronger wiring with better insulation. The stator had been epoxy-encapsulated, to resist heat and vibration. The high-voltage unit now delivered higher voltages, particularly at low rpm, which means easier starting and less sparkplug-oiling.

The frame has changed since 1967. The tubing has thicker walls, and the gussets and fillets have been redesigned for greater rigidity. The steering-head angle has been increased, for better high-speed handling. The footpegs have been moved back on the frame, to increase the stability and lighten the front end. The new pegs, designed by Dick Mann and already copied by a number of makers, don't break. The sidestand, which used to bend like a pretzel if you looked at it hard, has been strengthened.

The swingarm has been strengthened and lengthened, and its shaft is now made from a stronger steel. The wheelbase has been increased to 55 inches.

The front forks, which still have a total travel of seven inches, now have stiffer springs, improved damping, chrome-moly tubes, forged-alloy yokes, and seals that don't leak.

The rear shocks have been relocated rearward for more travel and greater rigidity of the swingarm. These Betor shocks have 3-9/16 inches of travel, progressive-wound springs, better damping, and stronger center-rods.

The fiberglass factory that had supplied the original leaky gas tanks and breaky fenders has burned down, and the Ossa factory is now dealing with a different supplier. The glasswork on the bike that we tested is beautiful. The tank is now separate from the saddle mount and rear fender, to eliminate the danger of a leak at the bottom-rear seam of the tank, or breaks in the glass at the saddle mount. Tank capacity has been increased from 2.6 to three gallons. The fiberglass front fender has been lengthened, to help keep mud out of your eye.

The bright orange color and black paint job doesn't hurt appearances any and neither does the new, more American logo on the gas tank. The whole bike looks leaner, somehow.

We don't know what Ossa had in mind when they designed the 1970'/2 saddle. It had gotten thicker, longer and softer since the 1967 model (which resembled a board), but the new saddle is thicker and stiffer. Come on Ossa—give us a good saddle; you can do it.

The handlebars have grown wider, higher, and stronger, and the grips have been improved. The mounts have been redesigned, too, so that they won't stretch. Control cables have gotten stronger and more durable. The tiny little speedo has now gotten big enough so that you can read it, and it is now mounted in rubber next to the headlight. The odometer is resettable for enduros, and the speedo is quite a bit more accurate than some of those on the first Pioneers, which used to read about 15 mph slow.►