Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

,r , J C':l You'll always 5ee it FI~ST In ~ ••• 6411 N. Long Beaell Blvd, Long Beach, Calif, 90805 Or: Box 498, Long Beach, Calif, Phone: 423-0431 (Area Code 213) From L.A. Plltaes; AH844 Guest Editor ial EDITOR'S NOTE- While we do not like to emphasize the dangerous aspects of two-wheel travel, we publish the following report, written by a medical student, in hopes that / riders will understand the importance of wearing protective clothing and that promoters will realize the necessity for danger marks, multiple checkpoints and follow-up crews By Jim Mann Here we are, just leaving Trona, the first cbeckpoint on our route for the Death Valley Run. In a few short bours Leslie and I will be at Furnace Creek collecting our Western Bean Feed supper. The night on tbe desert was cool, but the day is becoming pleasantly warm. Tbe scenery.is beautiful. I could cruise down tbe highway like this forever - with tbe motor rumbling steadily along, the air fresh and clean and mountains coming up that promise sweeping turns and panoramic views. Wboops! This ·desert road is a little rough. Better ride with both hands and watcb for speed wobble. We're climbing now. Tbe BMW is pulling steadily and the valley fioor comes Into view. Just look at all those little road down there. It sure would be fun, but I bad better watch my SPeed. These tW1lS are blind, and gravel and rocks tW1l up fast. Tbe road ahead is straight and inviting. I can tum it up a little bit, as Ion g as I stay alert. What's that ahead? Slowing down, it looks like people are stopping. My God! A rider is down and'he looks like he's really burt. "Has anyone gone for help yet?" "I'll go hack to Trona, then. Leslie, you stay bere and see if you can belp.· I'd better watch It going hack. I don't want to wind ull In tbe same position. Tbat jeep up ahead looks like it has a two way radio in it. Good. Help is on the way. I'd better go hack now and see what I can do. His BMW was brand new. It sure doesn't look like it now. I think I can push start it, tbough, and do enough bending to drive it back to a garage for biro. Tbose bigh-speed wobbles can sure get out of control in a hurry. It kind of makes you stop and think. Too had he wasn't wearing that leadler jacket on tbe back of his bike. It wouldn't bave helped his back mUCh, but it sure would bave saved the skin on his arms. It'll take a long painful time to grow all that back. That helmet probably saved his life, though. Now that the ambulance is here, we might as well bat this wreckage back to Trona and try to get to Death Valley before the check paints close and the sites are all taken up. I'm glad we're on our way again. Something like that can really take the enjoyment out of a weekend. Oh, obI People are stopping ahead again. Dear God! It's another one and much worse this time. It looks like his BMW never even bounced when it landed one hundred and fifty feet off the road. It just landed on ils back with its wheels straight up in the air and about two feet shorter than It bad been a few short momenls ago. The people who saw bim go say it was another bigh speed wobble. These rumors I hear about another wreck up around the bend surely can't be true. The whole run is taking on the grisJey aspect of a battlefield. I'm almost afraid to drive around the bend. But, yes, another! A big Hadey hit the shoulder on the tum and went down. Thank God for the guard rail. The driver is bleeding badly from scalp and shoulder wounds. They alwayS look worse than they are but a leather jacket would have prevented those shoulder cuts a lot better than that cloth one he's wearing. His wife is boldlng her leg, afraid to be moved. It's hard to tell the extent of the damage right now. From the conversation next to me, I discern that the woman who seems to be alone is worried about her husband wbo went for help on his BMW and should have been hack by now. The more I listen the more I'm sure of the awful trudL. How can I teU her that be didn't mak.e it? Soch tra&edies the Death Valley VOICES "THE VOICE OF CALIFORNIA" Charles Clayton •••••••••••••••••Editor Sharon Clayton •••Business Maoacer Gil Brown •••••• Advertl.sioC Maoacer D. B. (Dutch) Fielder .Asst.Ad. Mer. Dennis Greene ••••••••••Photo Editor Gay 11Iomason .Circulation Manteer. Published weekly ex(:ept the first and 'ast week.· bf the calendar year by C&S publishing Company. P.O. Box 498. Lo'ng Beach, California. at Furnace Creek. the wages of those who took the time off, the loss to those who closed their business for the day, the gasoline. the wear and tear on our equipment etc.. etc•• etc. All we asked in return was the courtesy and consideration from the officials. They always request our assistance on this event. Due to the treatment we received this year 40 of us will not be there to lend a helping hand in the future. We sincerely hope we will not be needed. EUNICE LA RUE Chainnan Mlc events, desert areas Second Class Postage Paid at Long Be ach. Calif. Any part of this newsPIlPer may be used wi thout permission as long as credit Is given. Editorial contributions, cartoons, photos are welcomed and will be paid for upon publication. Self-addressed, stamped envelope assures return. Single Copy Price 15t Subscriptions: One year 2nd class mail . . . . • • . . . . . . • . . • ".50 Advertising rates will be sent on re_st. Operation Motorcycle District 37 motorcyclists will meet 6 p.m. Monday. November 14th at the Los AngeleS Red Cross building to contribute blood to the Operation Motorcycle Blood Bank. Operation Motorcycle is a joint actIvity of the District 3,7 Sports Committee and the Southern California Road Riders Committee. Although the bulk of the bank's distribution is issued to the public, motorcyclists and their families have the first call. SWEDISH CHAMP ARRIVES Torsten Hallman, the only cross country motorcycle rider in the world to win the title of "Moto-Cross Triple Champion" arrived in Southern Califoenia November 3 to begin training for the Corriganville Annual Grand Prix. The 28-year-old Swedish racer, who won the world championshiP in 1962, 1963 and 1966. attended a reception in his honor at the Pacific Palisades home of Bengt Hofvander. Swedish Trade G.ommissioner for the Western United Stlites. Then Hallman participated in the California Hare and Hounds Championship in Jackson, California On November 5 to train on our terrain before the Corriganville Race scheduled for November 19 and 20.. Torsten Hallman, 28·year-ol d Swedish crosscountry motorcyclist, Is the only man In the world to hold the title of "Moto-Cross triple Champion," He has for hln years been winnlnc titles aboard Husqvarna Motorcycles and this month tries his skill In sev...ai California cross-country events aboard a 250cc "Husky." . Througbout his distinguished 10 year career in endurance racing. Hallman has raced only. th'e "Husky" a 250cc cross cuuntry motorcycle bu1lt by the Swedish firm of Husqvarna. Maicolm Smith. John Rice and Dub Smith. also "Huskys" mounted. will be Hallman's chief local rivals for the Corriganville crown. Thanks A Lot, D. V. Committee The Death Valley Tour has once again been covered by an emergency communications network of Citizens Band radios. This year there were 20 mobile radio units from Trona to stove PiPe Wells. covering this area including WlIdrose route. too. Each unit is equiPped with gasoline, two lines. flares. tire patching kits. hot coffee. blankets. cots, first aid kits, and every other thing that might be useful in an emergency. Each unit tries to be In their assigned spot by 6 a.m. and stays until one hour after the check point at Trona closes. Each mobile unit then proceeds-to Furnace Creek picking UP or repairing bikes along the way. There is no fee for anything we do. In fact. we could not remain as members of our organizations if anything hut thanks were ever accepted. Each year at Trona we try to inform each lone rider and each group of riders that there is a radio car every few miles along the w~ waiting to be of assistance if necessary. We are never through until we reach our homes on Sunday evening. Even then some are not through, becaase they have hauled bikes home to keep until their owners come to pick them up. These radio units from the high desert areas are not new to responsibility on motorcycle events. Most of us have covered at least 40 events such as H and H, Scrambles. Enduros and the Greenhorn in the past three years. It was our third Death Valley Tour. This year we received no maps to lay out our radio course ahead of time so we made copies of last years to work with. When 40 tired, hungry. and exhausted radio people reached Furnace Creek we were told we would not be fed this year. When we asked about our lighters we were told by an 'official' that only those who paid the entry. fee got them this year. Can any of you explain how a $3.00 entry fee compares with the over $100,000 worth of mobile radio units we put at their disposal, plus the priceless training and experience in handling emergencY situations. Add the cost of our trailers. campers and rent for cabins By Peter Rachtman I have just discovered a new type of anti-freeze for motorcycles ••• It's called a fairing. I've always been the real win-in-the-face type • • • and unfortunately, far too often the bugs and gravel-In-the·face type also. Despite this, I swore that nodllng would ever come between me and the great out.doors. I li ve in the San Fernando Valley and my offices are on Sunset Blvd. I always try to schedule business appointments that require a suit and tie only one or two days a week and look forward to those days when I can dress casually. mount my trusty steed. and ride to work via Coldwater Canyon and Mulholland Drive. The trip on a bike is just the thingto wake me up in the morning, and also relax me after a long day of hassles with clients, agents. etc. Lately, the weather has started to change, and on more than one occassion, the trip home late in the evening has been something less than warm and comfortable. Since it is still only November. and there will be many colder days ahead, I faced the decision of using my mota.,.. cycle only on week-ends, or else adapting it to give more comfort for coldweather riding. I decided to call Dean Wixom, of the Wixom Brothers who manufacture the the "Ranger" fairings. Dean invited me down to their Long Beach plant and installed a fairing on one of my bikes. I've driven with the fairing for the last two weeks. and while I have not become an absolute convert. I do believe that it will satisfactorily solve my winter riding problems. First of all. the fairing itself (priced at a modest $49.50) is very attractive. The body of the fairing is made of ex· ceptionally rugged fibreglass (to illustrate, Dean took a hammer to one and gave it quite a beating before it began to show any damage). It's streamlined shape looks great and attracts quite a bi t of attention. l8 ... .... Q .... j ~ ::0 :i!: CI) ~ To:l :i!: To:l ...::l U Good Guys Get Disqualified On Sunday. Oct. 16 two of my friends and myself were in transit to attend the run sponsored by the California Eagles M.C. Having made two of the checkpoints we were proceeding to the third (which incidentally was incorrectly printed on the directions) and we were running late. On the way we came across a fellow motorcyclist whose bike was on fire. Being it's a tradition that we help each other. I stopped and put the fire out with the extinguisher my bike carries, then helped this individual get assistance. which took considerable time. Arriving at the final checkpoint fifteen minutes after the deadline that had been set by the club,I was informed that we were disqualified from entering the contests. The club's decision was that regardless of any actions on my part to help a fellow motorcyclists in need of help I did not meet their deadline and so I was disqualified. My conclusions and convictions In this matter lead me to believe that in the future any motorcyclist on his way to any of the many motorcycle tours will think twice before stopping to render aid. to a fellow rider in order that he can meet a certain deadline. This would create Ill-will and had sportsmanship. I have filed a protest with the road riders committee which has so far gone unheard. . JOE H. (TONY) SOTO Los Angeles (Ed. Note - Whatever the committee decides, Tony, you still get the Cycle News Good Sportsmanship award for your samaritan actions.) : Q., WEEKENDS ON WHEELS By Peter Ra"htman fairing Is virtually unchanged.·1 have not had a chance to do any high speed cruising, but from the way the bike gets up to 75 mph, I would guess that top end has not been affected at all. Possi bly it is a little faster since the addition of die fairing. However, I do notice several distinct changes since the addition of the fairing. First of all, up to about 50 mph (this Includes Intown riding) there is a considerable increase In noise level. I am suddenly awareof all sorts of clutch, transmission. and valve noises that I oe-ver noticed before. The fairing acts on these noises much In the same way that the body of a quitar amplifies die sounds of its strings. However. once you get up to freeway speeds. dlese noises become less proooooced and I found an overall quieter ride because of the total absence of wind noise. Another change which I noticed is that I have to keep a closer eye on my speedometer. The pressure of the wind on my face and body had aiways acted as a sort of built-in speed indicator, and natura1l;y this resistance is absent. I am sure that this cbange wID just take a little more time to fret used to :... U

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