Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/1522963
Sneak peek into Trail Rider's inner sanctum Sneak peek into Trail Rider's inner sanctum The '72 Pioneer was considered a "Profession- al" enduro machine. In fact, at the me, Cycle World Magazine wrote "Without inspiring much argument, there are two 250-cc enduro machines sold in the United States today, the Ossa Pioneer and the Bultaco Matador. The Pioneer is to the off-road motorcyclist what Nikon is to a cameraman and was designed uncompromisingly to do its job". Priced at just under a grand, as with most Euro bikes of the day, the Pioneer was ex- pensive at almost twice the price. In return, Ossa offered a top-quality machine capable of winning races right out of the crate fi ed with components that were worthy of winning championships. Frame geometry, suspension, gearing, and res were up to the task. The front fork was from Betor and offered 7" of travel. Rear shocks were five-way adjustable to accommodate riders weight and load. Back in the day, a serious rider would make a num- ber of modifica ons to his mount. Other than personal add-ons and accessories, The Ossa Pioneer was ready to rock. During this evolu onary period, a well-designed enduro motorcycle was a bit of an enigma. In order to last the environment for which it was built for, it had to be a bit of a tank compared to the spindly purpose-built moto- crosser of the day. Yet had to be capable of dancing up and over the roughest of terrain. Ligh ng was required as most bikes in this category were for plated for road use. As for bodywork, whereas the Japanese bikes were fi ed with heavy steel fenders and gas tanks, Spanish bikes of this era u lized lightweight fiberglass in their body components as manufacturers of all makes and models were yet to adopt plas cs in the construc on of their bikes. Yes, Preston Pe y fenders were available, but only on the a ermarket. As for this par cular Ossa Pioneer, it has a rather inter- es ng back story. It belonged to a friend and lake neigh- bor Jim Dee. Jim had purchased the bike brand new in 1972 from Frank's Cycle Service in Hudson, Massachu- se s. Out the door, the price was $987.00. Although Jim was not a compe tor, even at a young age, Jim enjoyed the finer things in life and saved for months to afford a new Ossa. I'd been familiar with Jim's bike and thought it cool he'd kept it for so many years.