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/125522
- by Dick Allen aDd Mack McAllister. Allen was bald luck man. be WOn the first moCo. crashed on the first turn on the second aDd by not touching the track surface (like flying, man) managed to work back up to around third or fourth by the end wben on one of the last laps as he and Jim Woolwine came around the House turn he got out of shape on the edge of the bank there, made it around by the skin of his teeth only to hit the side of that big rock with a mighty clang, but still he finished. There didn't appear to be any damage with Trusty Triumph so out he went again but at the jump he found out what that bash wi th the rock had done as his footpeg started drooping and that can slow you down like in a hurry. But he finished! ~ '" Q. (Results on page 16) CYCLE PROFIlES By W.M. Askin How is a motorcycle born? What determines its design, its styling, its production, its price? For the Harley-Davidson Motor Company these answers are to be found in a suite of rooms called the Styling Department in its Milwaukee headquarters, presided over by William G. Davidson, who bears the title, Director of Styling. Bill was raised in Los Angeles and schooled at the Art Cen ter of Design. which produces more than half of the car and cycle designers of the nation. Davidson is an avid cyclist himself, commuting to and from his bome and office on his Harley-Davidson. -We offer the basic product and a sensible piece of equipment that handles well: Bill says. ·.As a motorcyclist myself I can understand every individual's desire to personalize his machine. Carried to extremes, tbough, you come out with something that wouldn't be practical to produce. A lot of modifications often mean a sacrifice ir. handling or performance.· To Bill a motorcycle is·a beautiful piece of sculpture. Just the proportions of wheels to the frame and the layout of sprockets. chains, etc. are very interesting to view as artistic items. Walking through a parking lot at a race meet is like walking through an art show.· M be, 34 Jim ConnollY Iuds Ill. 250 Exports .... a project engineer will be assigned to it. -The project engineer has to give a little, and so do I, as the new machine is an involvement of both of our thinking. I want a certain appearance. He wants a certain function. We have to work together on it. ·We start with mock-ups. A mockup is actually a three-dimensional appearance model of the unit and this will be constructed of car~ board, wood, stryfoam or plaster. The model is developed from my rough idea sketches. CALIFORNIAN WINS COLORADO MARATHON CLASS On Saoday, September 3, 1967 at Noon. one of the lIIOat lIDique type of _torcycle races beld in tbe United States was started at the Wbeels, Inc. race tracli: in Tbomton, Colo. IL was a 24-bour enduro whicb ended on Monday, September 4, 1967 at Noon. A total of 24 entries with 48 riders entered this contest and of this number ten bikes and 20 riders finished the race. This was indeed an enduro - endurance of both man and machines. Before the race started the engines of the machines were sealed and major repairs were not allowed. Naturally, the purpose of this type of event is to see which machine and which riders could finish the race. The riders did an outstanding job. Two Denver men showed the rest how this type of event should be won. Leon Bechard and Clint Ellis riding a 250 Bultaco finished first overall with a total of 258 laps. Figuring four miles per lap, they did a lot of riding to win. This team was sponsored by Rink-a-Dinks 0 f Denver. second overall winners Gary and Denny Palmgren of Colorado Springs, Colo. riding a 100 Yamaha sponsored by Bill Brokaw Motors of Colo. Springs, Colorado, finished with 244 laps. Third overall winners were Joe Bauman of Goodland, Kansas and Bob Hornberger of Kansas City, Missouri, who finished with 237 laps. Also sponsored oy Rink-aDinks, they too were riding a 250 Bultaco. A Look At Tbe Future Today Davidson and his staff are working on the styling and cycle designs for 1970. ·Industrial design should encompass the engineering function, the man-machine relationship, the methods and materials of manufacture. An industrial designer is a jack-of-all trades. He gets involved in the nameplate, the color of paint, shape of handlebars, the proper choice of screw heads on the side of the engine and the tire sidewall design. - In automobile designing you can cover everything with a basic shell. While in motorcycle designing everything is exposed. There is no shell for me to design - I have to work with the basic elements like the shape of the cylinder, finish on the crankcase and the gear covers. -Tooling is definitely a chief factor where we're concerned because we have the same problem as General Motors in that we're building a complex piece of machinery, yet compared to Detroit our volume is minimal. "So, the Development Committee gives the gO"6heaa for looking into a brand new motorcycle and the project receive s an engineerinlZ order to start the ball rolling. That means Bill Davidson Riders' Influence The motorcycle riders exert a det:i.nite influence in design, Bill affirms. -You could almost say it is a mutual influence as an educational process takes place. By that I mean. the buyer was not always at the sophisticated level he is today. As designers show the customers what they can do in the way of an existing product, the customer's taste is elevated. Then in turn he starts demanding better designs over poorer ones. In the final analysis, the customer is the one you have to please. -Besides enjoying motorcycle riding, when I get on a motorcycle, I have a tremendous benefit in being able to see and feel what our customers see and feel. Therefo re, I am able to incorporate in design it,ems that riders will appreciate and understand. This rider approach is extremely important to me.· , " .. ', " :..•:,' '.. " :::,"0 " ::::.:. :::,0.:. :: 0'.' Ill. P.nts Jump. Cycle News Reader Wins While there were lots of blisters and blisters on blisters, the most serious injury hapjlened to the winner of last year's end\llo, Ralph Coen, who traveled all the way from Roswell, New Mexico to participate. Ralph suffered a broken collar bone while in the fifth hour of the event. Dale Dinkle, riding a 100 Yamaha and finishing second in his class . was taken to the hospital during the second hour of the enduro to have stitches put to his knee. He returned to tide and once again a mishap occurred and the stitches came out he was once again put back together and was one of the riders to finish the race. One entrant, Tom McCollum, 2805 Cornell, Bakersfield, California, read about the event in the Cycle News, and called in to reserve an entry. When he arrived be said he thought it was on a paved road, not cross country but as long as he came this far he would go ahead and ride. He entered his 150 Garelli and came in first in his class. This is the type of ride r everyone enjoys watching because he knows the odds against winning are tremendous but tries anyway and in this case, it paid off. Listed below are the winners according to their class: o-125cc Mam. Laps 1. Gary Palmcren DenDY Palmgren 2. Dale Diokle steve Brozotcky 3. Von Ericb John Bogll:s 244 100 Yam 205 100 Yam 90 Hon 145 175-25Occ 1. Leon Bechard Clint Ellis 2. Joe Bauman Bob Hornberger 3. Jan sebastian Mike Koplin 126-175cc 1. Tom McCollum Jim Beal 2. Dale stevenart Dusty Parker 3. LattY Long steve Markle 258 AND UP 1. Gene SChroeder Ted Bronson 2. Gordon Sanborn Bob Walker 3. William Toepfer Arthur Owens 258 250 But 237 250 But 172 250 Kaw 194 UOGar 169 175 Kaw 63 160 Hon 191 441 BSA 117 441 BSA 113 600 IIMll' OVERALL WINNERS Leon Bechard and Clint Ellls 250 But 258