Nobody Could Ride This Unhinged Vintage Scrambler Back In The 70s
In the late 60s and early 70s, riding off-road as a pastime was exploding in popularity. Every year, manufacturers were releasing one dirt-focussed model after another in an effort to keep up with the ever-increasing demand. With a wide selection of bikes to choose from, the Japanese manufacturers in particular felt the only way they could stay competitive was by offering more value.
The Aptly Named Suzuki TM400 Cyclone Offered Unbeatable Bang For The Buck
Upon its release in 1971, the Cyclone sold for a mere $995, which was an absolute steal for an open-class machine capable of producing 40 horsepower. With a dry weight of just 230 pounds, these bikes had a phenomenal power-to-weight ratio. On paper, it looked unbeatable, but there is always more to a motorcycle than what a simple spec sheet might suggest.
In an effort to keep the price right down, Suzuki were forced to make some pretty serious sacrifices in terms of development. To say the Cyclone was under-developed would be the understatement of the century. While its chassis certainly was nothing to write home about, there were other more concerning issues.
The Cyclone Was Virtually Impossible To Ride
In an effort to offer riders a quick-revving throttle, Suzuki gave the Cyclone an ultra-light flywheel. Which in itself is not a bad thing, but this was coupled with an early pointless electronic ignition (PEI) system that never worked particularly well. It made power delivery incredibly erratic, which is far from ideal on an overpowered two-stroke that already has a relatively small powerband to begin with.
The light flywheel and erratic ignition would conspire, delivering no power at all for a moment, then all of it all at once. As a result, these bikes got a reputation for being something of a bucking bronco, sending riders skyward with alarming regularity. Suzuki’s own marketing material even hinted at how hard the bike was to ride in an ad which read: “For $1000 you can now beat any motocross racer made. All it takes is nerve and the Suzuki TM400 Cyclone.” Even if you had the “nerve” it would take a small miracle to get through a motocross race in one piece.
While these bikes were borderline unrideable, they were still affordable enough for people to get tempted, most often in vain, into trying to tame them, and sold relatively well. For around $2k (at the time of writing), you can get your hands on this vintage scrambler and see if you have the “nerve” Suzuki speaks of. The bike in question doesn’t have an hour meter, but we can say with some degree of authority that it won’t have many hours on it!
Sources: Bring a Trailer and Dirtbikes.com
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