1972 BSA Victor MX500 Motocross - 4-Page Vintage Motorcycle Road Test Article

Description

1972 BSA Victor MX500 Motocross - 4-Page Vintage Motorcycle Road Test Article
Original, Vintage Magazine article
Page Size: Approx. 8" x 11" (21 cm x 28 cm) each page
Condition: Good
BSA planned a motocross racer, but really produced a long-distance bike for woods and desert riding.
• As often happens to motorcycles, the BSA 500cc MX (mo-
tocross) got christened with the wrong name—at least for rid-
ers in this country. True enough, the bike was born as an
exotic magnesium and titanium racing machine, handcrafted
for the BSA works motocross team. Later, the BSA manage-
ment decided to manufacture the MX (in steel and aluminum)
as a production motocross racer. Many prototype racers do
not convert satisfactorily into production racers. The BSA
MX made the transition beautifully, except for one fatal flaw:
in the ferocious jungle of Huskys and CZs, the MX just did
not turn out to be competitive.
But although the MX doesn’t make it as a winning moto-
crosser, it is definitely not a failure as a motorcycle. No in-
deed. As a long-distance woods or desert bike for the experi-
enced rider who likes to go faster than the regular enduro
machines will carry him, without sacrificing low-end torque,
the MX is the answer.
Understand, the MX is not for the average trail rider; it
doesn’t have lights, so it’s not street-legal, and you can’t ride it
at night. And for what it is, the bike is expensive—SI300, Port
of Entry, to which you then add freight and setup and taxes
and whatever else the dealer wants to tack on. But for the...
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