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/125414
CYCLE NEWS MEn ••• DON SPARGUR By David Sh aw Like the United States Marines, Don Spargur is trying to prove he can handle himself equally well in the air, on land and sea. Spargu r , now manager of Lon g Beach H onda, bought an airplane w hen h e left the Arm ed Forces in 1952, flew it expertly for a few years, then started goin g to motorcycle races with a friend. Ex it one airplane. Enter one 21-inch BSA motorcycle. In 1963, Don retired from competitive racing, and decided to spen d h is w eeken ds fishin g. Exi t one m oto r cycle - sol d to Eddie Wirth. Enter one boat - a 40foot cabin cruiser. "I miss the scrambles quite a bit," Spar gu r admits. " I go to As cot every Fr iday night and talk to the guys, and I get together with a lot of them for weekend fishin g trips on m y boat. .But I' m pretty busy with w ork and th e boat, and about the only time I get a real it ch to ride agai n is when I go to club meetings." He pa used an d grinned. "I'm still a California Gopher, you know. Th ey made m e an ho no rary life member." Spargur, now 35, is m anaging af fairs at Long Beach Honda w ith the same efficiency and d ispatch he once used to climb to the top of the Southern California scrambles ranks. Between the st ore' s two branches, he has more than 40 men und er him and only one - General Manager Ch arles Schott - over hi m . Th at' s q uite a climb in a very short ti me. When he started at Long Beach Honda in 1961, he was a service man - the service m an, a one-man departmen t . As the dealership grew, H e became servic e manager and then, t wo w eeks ago, manager of the main store and assistant gener al m an ager of the entire operation. An easy- goin g man who knows how to get the best out of his empl oye s, Don-as when he w as racing - gets th e job do ne smoothly and pro perly w ithou t h urtin g any feelings. Just as h e could whip the best scramblers three straight times wi thout getting them mad at hi m (as they oft en got mad at J im Gol ds mith or Edd ie Mulder) so he can now turn down a credit application wi th out getting th e cu sto me r mad at him . Spar gu r's riding caree r , like a sentence from an Ernest H emin gw ay novel , was sho rt, dynamic and successful. His first year, 1956, he carried No . 432. The next year he switched from 21-inch to 500cc and carried No. 16. He finished fo urth in the poin t standings in 1959, w on the No .1 • plate the nex t season, finish ed a close secon d in 1961 and was No. 1 again in 1962. On top and wi th .no close competition in sight, h e qu it. But he coul dn't m ake retirement sti ck the first ti me . He r ode a race in February, 1963. He won. He r ode another in June . He wo n . He r ode the national champio ns hi p TT scrambl es at P rad o P ark in Augu st . He w on , too k the No. 1 plate off h is mach ine and hasn't been on a scramble s course since, .except to help the Gophers sponsor an event each year. JDlLE55 • HOIIIA SALES· PARTS· SERVICE EDDIE elo ELL 10427 Pra ir ie , lng lewood OR.3·9S73 Competition Riden Always PAGE FIVE Thunday. October 21. 1965 w__ ' T 'IUNP eUL.T~CO GREEVES HONDA HOM E OF CHAMPIONS w. IRV BEAVER BSA 0 BMW 0 SUZUKI SALES. PA RTS ' SE RVICE 2402 N. MAIN,SANTA ANA( 714 ) 542·8691 7 Miles West of CorrigallYllIe SerYice AI Mc*es 794 Los AllcJeIes St. Jim & Dusty's Simi, Califonlia 526-9955 Looks Like a Hat. • • Protects Like a Helmet Patronize CYCLE NEWS advertisers Now there 's a way to combine safety and smart looks in a protective hat to wear for motoring, cycling, and sports. Buco Helmet-Hats incorporate scientific design principles to help reduce head injuries from vehicle and sport accidents. If you don't wear a helmet, play it safe, wear a Buco Helmet-Hat. Send name and address for free color brochure showing all models and styles for guys and gals. Include ten cents for helmet research report. Dealer inquiries invited. o Outer she ll of Bucoro n to help disperse t he force of an impact. o Bucollte liner spec ially formulated to absorb impact enern. o Head suspension adjustab le for eemfort permits ventilation. o Hold·down harness for stay-on secur ity , adjustable, stores as part of trim. o Secondary hold·down at rear for additiona l stabiliza tio n, flips inside when not in use . Also us ed for tl e- de wn s t raps and many other u ses • SIMPL E TO IHSTALL • EASY ADJUST MENT '''0 "' 001.' • • QI,/I_.l;)I • QU ICK RELEJ.SE • POS/TIVE HOLD • UCHT W EICHT • SELF LOCKIHC ~ - .. . . . J 0 S EP H B U E GEL E I SEN CO. , BOX 1065 NORTHLAND CENTER, SOUTHFIELD, MICH. • BEAUTIFUL FINISH . ~ ~ . -. ~~-- <& . ;; . "uco helmote ue covered by one or m ore of the fo llow l ng patents: U, S, Pat. 3015103, 2991478, 3082427, 3082428,3118490,3118488, an d 3137859, Br itla h Pate nt 1lO5358-othor patenta pend in g. • • • "• • , '.-. . ... . .. • ~. I "til ) • J. f,. 4 . ... ~ . ..