I was at either Indian Dunes or Corona in 1977 or 1978 (it is a long time ago and I am an old man)and Suzuki turned up with a pair of RM production bikes fitted with different versions of the leading link style front end. Both bikes started the day with vinyl shrouds covering the 'forks' but after a couple of laps of each bike by both test riders and surprisingly one of the Japanese mechanics in his overalls and a borrowed helmet, the shrouds were removed.
From memory, bike one had an almost exact copy of the Ribi front end shown on the above Honda CR while the other bike had a simpler, cobbier setup similar to but not the same as the setup shown on Howertons bike that Doc posted. I recall speaking to one of the test riders, a young long haired 'California beach boy" looking kid who reckoned the Ribi forks worked great, especially in stutters and on the landing after jumps. The other rider was a Mexican, possibly Carlos Cerrano, and he was hooting on both bikes. The next time I saw a Ribi front end was two or three years later on a Honda, in REVS after I came home.
I took photos at the time but over the years they've been misplaced. Damn I wish I could find those slides, then we could recognise the rider, (the blonde one.
ps....It's funny how the mind will always dreg up something from the past when you least expect it. I had my green tank Husky 360 auto there and despite this exotica drawing a crowd, the Japanese Suzuki mechanics were all over my bike once they realised it was an auto.
Even though I didn't actually own the bike at the time (it was owned by my boss) I relented and gave one of the Japanese guys a ride (a different one to the one who did the hot laps on the Ribi bike) and after about three laps came back with a smile as big as Luna Park and got into a very animated conversation with his Japanese mates. He loved the auto and winked at me when I asked if Suzuki was going to produce one!
