Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1000688
CN III VOICES W H A T Y O U A R E S A Y I N G "Motocross has always been a physically demanding sport with injuries pretty much a given." Ryan Sipes I was really glad to read about Ryan Sipes' venture into TT. He is a very talented rider and it would be great for the sport for him to continue in the adventure. I am certain he could eventually win. Another reason I like seeing him participate is because he reminds me of another racer named Steve Wise. Steve is the only racer to win motocross, supercross and superbike nationals. He also won two Superbikers events at Carlsbad Raceway. This race was the precur- sor to supermoto racing, only on a bigger scale. What I really enjoyed most was when he almost won the Houston TT in 1982. He had caught up to Ricky Graham only to have his rear brake rod break. He faded back to third at the finish. I would love to see Ryan improve to the point where he could win the Peoria TT. That would make Steve proud, I am sure! Dan Henry H-D And Tariffs There are three major factors that have led to Harley-Davidson's down- fall. First being the rise of Indian, backed by Polaris' strength with enough money for the Indian brand to evolve. Second, H-D is losing the race battle on flat track with a motorcycle developed and manufactured for the Asian market. And finally, if you look at the Sportster's great grandpa, the KR, you see pretty much the same motorcycle as today. But at least the KR had all American parts on it. I was sitting at a bar years back when an argument ensued. One guy was saying how his Harley was better than the other guy's "rice burner," because it was all American-made with American parts. (Seems this is always the argument.) The owner of the bar stepped in because the H-D guy was getting loud, and this is what the bar owner said: "I bet you $100 I can find a part on your H-D that is not American made!" The guy said okay and took the bet, so they went out to look at the guy's H-D. The bar owner got down on the ground, wiped the grease and grime off the bottom of the fork leg and said, "Come read this." The guy did and what did he see? Showa! "Isn't that a Japanese company?" The owner said, "that's all right, you don't have to pay me, but you do have to admit it's not all American made is it?" So, back to the downfall of Harley, do you think this tariff BS is really a way to cover their butt with the diehard H-D crowd? Look, they will have to pay a tariff on the Showa parts they already have built out of the country. Personally, I think this is a smoke screen to cover their tracks. Why hasn't this been reported on? Maybe if you want to buy Ameri- can, the Indian motorcycles are the way to go. I think they'll be here for quite a while this time. What do you think? John Holman Empire Of Dirt: Rough- est Sport On Earth? I wanted to respond to Steve Cox's column about rider injuries in the 2018 motocross season. Motocross has always been a physically demanding sport with inju- ries pretty much a given. But now, if you look at the tracks that are being used at the national level it is clearly more dangerous then ever. Yes, they are basically the same as they have been for the past 20 years, so what has changed? It's the bikes. They are heavier and more powerful. They dig deeper ruts and berms. They carry more speed and don't stop as well. So they either need to change the bikes or the tracks. Bikes: Go back to two-strokes (unlikely); reduce displacement, make them lighter (expensive); require less aggressive tires? Tracks: smooth out the ruts be- tween motos; reduce straightaway length; reduce number/height of jumps. If something is not done, expect more of the same where at the end of the season only the slow guys are left to compete. Colin A. Macdonald Kitty Litter Is there a rule, or should there be a rule, that says once you are off in the kitty litter that you may not come back on the track? At the Mugello MotoGP race (a few weeks ago) Marc Marquez about went down because of gravel on the track, and then a race later he is the one that went down and into the litter. He then scrambled with the marshals' help to get back on the track. Good idea? Joe Wahrer Letters to the editor can be sent to voices@cyclenews.com. Published letters do not necessarily reflect the position of Cycle News. Letters should not exceed 150 words and are subject to editing. Anonymous letters won't be considered for publication and each letter should contain the writer's name, address and daytime phone number… Editor P6