Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

I ~ ~ ~ ~ H H H I II I 1111'11Io ~ ~ ~ BOOK REVIEWS: "Motorcycle Sport Book,o "The MGtorcycle Book," "Light Motorcycle Riding,· "Hells Angels" By George Martin "ol 1'1' I I I I I I I T ~ H H I .J Few presents turn on a cycling enthusiast at Christmas like a gift with a two-wheeled angle. Gloves, goggles, helmets or accessories of almost any sort are super welcome under the cyclist's tree. Perhaps the bike rider on your gift list would enjoy one of the many books on his favorite sport which can now be found at many cycle shops and book stores. -Moiorcycle Sport Book,· edited by Bob Greene and published by Petersen Publishing Co. of Los Angeles Is one of the best of these. Greene is an editor on the staff of Hot Rod magazine. He has written about half the book himself and farmed out the rest to a number of very capable contrIbutors. Among these are Philip Vincent, the noted British engIneer and designer of the famed Vi n c e n t motorcycle, who writes on suspension systems, exotic works racing engines and competition developments; Alex Tremulis, the aerodynamlclst and gyroscope expert, who discusses the future of sIngle-track vehicles; and motorcycle hop- up expert BOb Braverman, who takes reader s through the super-tuning of a Yamaha 100. Noted cycling journalists Bob Ebeling and Joe Scalzo are also inclUded. Ebeling writes about his first love, dragging, and Scalzo contrIbutes pieces on dirt tracking, indoor short track, and road racing. Greene himself writes about how to choose a bike, aspects of safety, buying a used bike, the art of the "Chopper," and engine swaps and cusiomizing. A long treatise on tuning, us1ng information supplied by BSA wizard C.R. Axtell Is Included, and the 224-page boQk is filled out with a large catalog of every bike available In the U.S. This last IS a tr1fle out of date, however, sInce the book haS been out for some time. The paper bound volume Is large, about magazIne size, contains hundreds of photos, and Is ava1lable In most motorcycle shops. ·The Moiorcycle Book,· by Peter C. ReId and Don Lehrbaum, is published in hardbound and' paperback by Doubleday and Company. It is largely Intended for the novice rider or the person who has not yet purchased a bIke. Reid and Lehrbaum have tried to put down on paper the many things a new motorcyclist will learn (often the hard way) in his first year or so of riding. The book's tone is relaxed and chatty, and the authors have a good grasp of what theY're trying to say. Chapters Include "The Infinite Variety of Motorcycles," "Choosing Your Motorcycle," "How to Make It Go - And StoP," and nine others. A troubleshooting guide, "First Aid for Breakdowns," Is inclUded, and the authors even toss In a chapter on "Oneupmanship for the Motorcyclist," for fans of British satirist Stephen Potter's school of lifemanship. "The Motorcycle Book" is completely indexed, so you can quickly find anything from Acceleration to Zippered jackets. A third book, recently published by Collier-MacMillan, is "Light Motorcycle Riding." by Ross R. OIney. With its mildly psychedelic cover and Its utter dismissal of larger motorcycles - "bikes such as this are fading from the scene" it says _ this is the least successful of the trio. In the world of ·Light Motorcycle Riding,· motorcycles start at 5Occ, range upward to 305cc and then stop. In view of this it Is ironic that a great number of the handout photos used in the book are from Johnson Motors, the U.S. Triumph distributor, which haS only one machine In its range under 500cc. The book is 112 pages long, haS large readable type, lots of pictures and can be found at many magazine stores. A comprehensIve survey of cycling, however, it is not. In 8. iotally different vein is ·Hells Angels,· by Hunter S. Thompson, which haS just hit the stands in paperback and is clinging to the number ten spot on the best seller list. Thompson spent about a year banging around the Angels' scene and more months doing exhaustive research Inio the many horror siories about the outlaw cyclists. One finishes the book feeling a little sorry for the Angels, who often turn out io be victims of their own legend. Thompson Is especially good in his debunking of offictaldom's many panicked screams about the Angels' rampages, often when there isn't a sIngle Angel within a hundred mUes. He examines the famous Monterey "rape" case, the Laconia rIot, and the Bass Lake Run, showing hour by hour how the press and the police complement eacb other to create total (and unnecessary) hysteria. Thompson is a good writer, but more Important a good reporter. Especially for a cyclist, his book is well worth reading. TRAffIC SAfETY EXPERTS URGE UNIfORM LICENSING fOR CYLISTS, PROGRESS REPORT ON THE YANKEE MIC A group of the nation's top traffic safety experts, after meeting in Washington, D.C., December 12, have recommended that cyclists be given considerations similar to that of an automobile operator in areas of driver licensIng and safety equipment required. The Advisory Committee to the Motorcycle, Scooter and Allied Trades AssocIation Is comprised of 12 men promInent nationally for their con t rib u t1 0 n s to traffic safety, according to Chairman Louis P. spitz, Executive Director of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. The group unanimously recommended that the age at which both a cyclist and an auto operator be able to obtain a learner's permit be the same. Recent deliberations by some national traffIc organizations and several states have recommended that the cyclist not be allowed to obtain a learner's permit until age 16. In most states where a youngster can obtain a drIver's license at 16, he now can obtain an auiomoblle learner's permit at age 15-1/2. ••••••••••••••••••• .. Fi limn Ai r Filters, Judson Prods. It .. Francisco ('astoroil, Dri-slide, Fi- .. It glass tanks & eat. John Coop r & It .. HiI'; John Iloots. All Available From .. .. SIMPSON MOTORS 4210 San Fernando Rd" Glendal., Calif. 91204 .. .. .. (213\ 247-3068 .. ... .. CI) ~ ~ r..J a_, .. *****************~* ..:I c:...> DOlI't call tho•• two pys .. road......• They f••1 th.lr prom.ct deserve. a quality llellce :>, ·.atle..... of the hlpways.· SIIown, I.ft to rlehl, at the recent ADa....... CaK'. T. . . SlID. c:...> are Jack ·Honest John" lIercer, and Horman ·Bicycle Kine" Reldel.Start!ltclD J . .."lhI'I:or will repres... t Bull. & Smith In the East. whll. H.nnan carrl.s ... for Flanders Co. In . .at. JOMO HOLDS SUCCESSfUL DEALER MEETING With the largest Triumph motorcycle dealer attendance in history, the 30th annual Johnson Motors Meeting and Awards Ban que t was a resounding success, according to Vice President and General Manager E. W. "Pete" Colman. Held at the Hotel Grand near Disneyland in Anaheim, California, the one day session was highiighted by introduction of the Triumph motorcycle line for 1968. Dealers representing every western state except Alaska, heard reports during the day-long meeting concerning sales projections, service policies and management concepts. Speakers illcluded Pete Colman; Walt Fulton, Sales Manager; Bill Jacob, TrIumph Marketing Service, Baltimore, Maryland; Fred Jones, Sales & Staff Development; and John Nelson, World Service Manager for Triumph. An evening dinner dance at the hotel provided a fitting clima.x to tile event with an attendance in excess of 350 persons. Shown addresslne the 1967 Western Triumph Motorcycl. Doal'" s Awards Banquet Is Walt Fulton, Sales Manapr, JohnsOll Motors. lIeetlne attract.d tho Iarpst att.ndanc. In the 30 year hi stlllry of tbe ....... Tbe Molo-Cross - Scrambl~r you've been waiting for - your cboice CAR DRIVERS Yank•• Motor Corp. of Sch.nectady, New York has announc.dthelr commercial arrane. ment with Maqulnarla Cloematoeraphlca, U. of Barcelona, Spain (manufacturers of Ossa motorcycles) for the exclusive d.slen and manufacture of the Yank.. 460cc, 6-sp••d, _cycl., twln-c:yllnd. ..&tne. Plctur.d around the c.nt. castine of the Yank...... &loe at the Ossa factory are (left to rI&ht) Em.ardo Wenlne. Ellport Manae.r; Mr. Rubio, Work Manapr; John Taylor of Yank.. and Manu. I Giro, Presld..t of the Ossa factory. Yank.. will be bull dI nC a uri es of II &ht_I&hl, $porlne motorcycl.s based 011 the 4&Occ Ya........ &1.... T.stlnels now underway with full proGlCtiOll sch.duled In Jun•• BMW "GENTLEMEN Of THE HIGHWAYS' 350cc ••• 42 bpI @7,500 rpm 360cc ••• 43.5 bp. @7,500rpm See your local BULTACO dealer for full specifications. 1st sbipment arriving in L.A. January 26,1968. Wby wait until spring, get your 360cc in January 1968, QR if your bag's a 350cc, it will be bere also. You bave 30 days in wbicb to decide •.. A 350ccor A 360cc? DON'T WAIT! See your· Builteto·go dealer NOW! Merry Cbristmas and a bappy New Year from your Bultaco pealers. Call Bultaco-Westem for your nearest dealer TR. 7·2400 or PO. 9-0441

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