Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

"RULES ARE RULES" B y Robert O. Fee 'Ibat was the statementofRRC Referee 8tll M1ller at the May meeting of the Southern Califor nia Road Riders' Comml ttee when he put his foot down concerning the method of class11Y1ng motorcycles for dress competition at RRC events _ U Rules are rules ." " A man would be a fool not to try for tile· lowest classlflcation possible. However , once r uled lneli gible and told why be cannot compete In that particular class, it' s not goodsportsmansblp to disrup t the ac tivities with a half-bour speecb on bow It was last month or last year," Mill er said. The RRC Supple mental r ules allowany motor cyc le, as It comes fr om the factory . and equipped with fac tory avai lab le accessories, to stand as a stock machine . The r ider can attacb any three nonfactory accessories without moving into the next higber classification of Mod1f1ed Stock. In this case, the attachment mus t generally be with bolt or screw. Welding, etc. Is cons idered mod1fY1ng the original metal of the machine. The three accessories are up to tbe r ider. They can be as small as three cbrome nut covers or as large as a fairing, scoot boot, or speci al seat. As saddlebags, turn slgnals and windshields are cons ider ed standard equipment for the road, these ite ms are not considered in determ1n1ng the number of accessories that would move the motor cycle to the next blgber class. The mod1f1ed stock class is for tIlose riders who decorate their motorcycles by adding four or more cbrome goodies or accessories that are not available from the factory. "Factory," said the Referee, " r efers to the maker of tile motorcycle In question. Producing a Harley accessory catalog doesn't m8BD a thing when the goodies are banging on a BMW." " I th1nIc I have seen every accessory catalog In print, but maybe a new one will come out tomorrow. If so, it's up to the contestant to provide It if It inlght help his classlflcation. Wh1Ie I'm a reasonable man " M1ller continued " and will listen paUently to almost any ioglcaI WOULD YOU BUY AP IROF SHOES A WITHOUT TRYING THEM ON FIRSTl Siory and Photos Ill' Bill Hanner My father tells of a time, near the turn of the century, when be worked In the general store In the boom town of Goldfield, Nevada. He recalls that the stock of shoes was bung by their laces onpegs In the wall behind the counter. If a miner wanted a pair be called out his size and paid his money. If be wanted to try them on, be was handed back his money and the sboes were sold to someone else. There was only one store In town and the monthly shipment of sboes was sold out In a matter of an bour or so. Sucb was the way of doing business In tile West with nearly every kind of mercband1se , but as transportation methods improved and competitors sprang up, the supply soon exceeded the demand and then the progressive merchant took steps to get his sbare of the market. He made his store more attractive, bung up a few more kerosene lanterns (to sbow off his mercbandise better), kept his displays free of dust and cbanged them regularly. These merchants surv1ved and prospered while the ones who tried to continue tile old methods witllered away. Old-Fashioned Tactics It was recently brougbt to my attention that there are motorcycle dealers wbo are st1ll trying to do business In the " Hors e and buggy" manner. Mywifeand I had decided to purchase a motorcycle for touring, but we dldn'treallyknowjust what kind of macblnewouldbebestsuited to our needs. Our procedure was to look through the back issues of various cycle magaz1nes ,read1ng road tests and searcbing the beautiful ads of the various distributors and manufacturers. Our next step was to visit the local dealers of tile tbree makes that we bad decided wouid presentation , anyone pulllng out a pastedup catalog of his own creation or giving me a long-winded snow job, needn 't expect sweet words of loveandappreclation for wasting everyone's time." " The real bone of contention comes when we get to the Semi-Custom class whicb incl udes any non-factory paint. This lncludes p a tt ern s as well as colors," stated Big Daddy. " I am aware that some s imple pin-strtped fairlngs are available as stock item s, but I' m equally aware that they aren't elaborate hand-drawn pr oducti ons featuring the rider' s Initials a foot high." "Non-fac tory pai nt as sp ecified In Semi -Custom also extends to any accesso ries mounte d on the mactune, The saddlebags may not be counted for the stock cl assification, but if anyo ne s hows up with 42 coats of Acrylic on those bags, he can expect to c o m pl ete In SemiCus tom ." Mill er clarified that "Fac tory Metal" as used for the custom class, means any material as It comes from the factory or manufacturer of the motorcycl e or accessory . " It Is absolutel y unbelievable the amo unt of hassle and nit - picking that arises over this . One contestant took a s coot boot and modlfied it to look li ke a pil ot s eat in a jet aircraft for the comfor t of the fa mily pet. It was a beautiful job, but the fellow kept arguing that bis machine wasn't customized. The addition of any metal, solder, fiberglass (other than bolted-on accessories), etc. that cbanges the original des ign or li nes of the motorcycle or accessory will qualtty the rider for competition In the cus tom class. By the same reasoning any removal or alteration of any metal, fiberglass , plastic, etc ., from tile macbine or accessory that changes the des ign or lines will get the rider a spot In tile top ctasstncanon, "These rules are fairly s imple and straigbtforward. The r ider can easily cbange his motorcycle tb the class be desires," M1ller said. "The error made In not enforcing these ruiesim medlately after they were or1g1nally adopted will not be repeated. The rules haTe been iried, reviSed, and re-adopted and the y will be enforced. if the rules don't work, the RRC will cbange them. If the riders don't like them, the RRC can change tIlem. However , until the rules are changed, rules are rules." MOTORCYCLE MANIA BY BOAT & SKI CLUB Story and Photos Ill' W ells B. W ilson The Los Angeles Boat & Ski Club recently hel d another of its popular motorcycle outings. Definitely, this was not the fir s t event of this kind held by tile Club. In fact, it was the Third Annual "Motorcycle Manta." Although they have had numer ous other motorcycle outings, the Motorcycle Manlas are, more or less, or gani zed races. These are not merely adult races, for cblldren are Included and encouraged to partici pate. In addltion to the actual motorcycl e races , there are other events for the women and children. events. Also, they have many amateur and beginner riders in addltion to the expert cyclists. Many of the Club mem bers bave won state-wide and national competition In boat and ski racing, and bave turned their natural talents toward the desert and motorcycle events. Wben not boat and ski racing in Califor nia, Arizona, or wherever the circuit takes them, you will always find them heading for a motorcycle event, or just to the desert for some good weekend It's Only Natural f111 our requirements. For one reason or _ records shows that appearances are not deceiving. another (price, parts and service availOf the dealers who have a demonstraability, wrong-side shift, etc.) we decided tion plan only 15% require the prospect against all but one. I will admit that the to sign any kind of r elease form before national advertisements and the many taking the machine out. 80%of the dealers . travel stories involving the make of bike bave an oft-street area where an lnexthat we decided on, did a good job of preperienced rider may be given Instruesell1ng , and the idea of not having a cba1n tions In riding and safety precautions. to adjust and oil every evening after a Only 30% reported that they bad lost mabard day's run, also appealed to me. chines by theft or accident while on a We went to the local authorized dealer demonstration and it was inte r es ting to an d looked bis stock over. Af1er a few note that they were dealers In large mlnutes we found a nice used ma chine displacement EnglIsh and Americanthat we decided to purchase , but bef ore I made motorcycles. handed over any money I asked if I might take the machine for a liWe tes t dr lve . 1 was curUy answered in the negative, I asked if they bad a demonstrator that I might r ide on, and again got a negative reply. I asked If be expe cted me to buy one without a demonstration and was Infor med tha t if I wanted to buy his make of macb1ne that 15 exactly the way It bad to be. This negative attitude of merchandising got me to wonder ing if this was the general state of aftalrs among cycle dealers and I dec ided to make a survey to see how well the mercbants follow up the high-budget national advertising of tIleir distributors and manufacturers. I lnterviewed a number of other dealers so I could figure percentages and am happy to report that the majority of The most progressive appearing dealmotorcycle merchants are progressive ers were the Yamaha and Honda outlets businessmen and a credit to the lndustry wbich also sell a popular Englisb brand. and an asset to their community. Their salesmen are seemingly always busy with a prospect. if they are not busy Snrvey Time with a "walk in" prospect, they are discussing their new models with waiting The surVey reve8led that 30% of the parts or service customers. The ce1llng dealers have no provision whatsoever for Is aglow with fluorescent lights and the giving tile prospective buyer a demonfloor samples glisten like jewels, creatstration. Being so few In number, it was ing a desire to own one . The two or tbree easy to recall the type of operation that parts clerks are not able to handle all these dealers represent. Generally their their customers and there are always store lighting was more suitable to a several waiting. The staff of mecban1cs theatre lobby. Their floor samples bad cannot keep ahead of the work of servic"Keep of!" or " Do not tollCh signs on " ing customers' vehicles. A general air the seats and some showed a need for a of prosperity is apparent. dust cloth. Advertising literature was The H-D dealer bas per haps the largeither scattered among other papers on a est dlsplay of new and used macb1nes and table or had to be searcbed for through a modern bright service department desk drawers. The salesman was doing whicb is a beehive of ac tivity. The salesdouble dUty as parts counter man . The men are neatly dressed and go over the service dept. looked cluttered and the merits of their motorcycles with the lone mecban1c In ditry coveralls was prospects. They are s o busy that mucb sitting on an overturned box tinkering of the time they have to alternate their with a motorcycle. There was a general attention among several inte r es ted prosappearance of inactivity and a cbeck of pects. The parts clerks are also neat the D.M,V. report of monthly sale 00 ;;g ... s?-~ § .., t :- ~J ., For 15 years the Los Angeles Club bas bad many outstanding names in the field of boat and ski racing, and the field of motorcycle competition seemed to be a "natural," plus the fac t thatmanymembers actively participate In AMA racing c': Getting back to the " Mania," the races

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