Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

""OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. ~ • '-ricl' I Oily lIeekIy M cycl. lew". . . ..... Q.. ... o' .s s 6411 N. Long Beach Blvd. Long Beach, Calif. 90.5 Or: Box 488, Long Beach, Calif. (,) o P'-n.: 423~1 (Area Code 213) From L.A. Phones: 636-8844 VOICES OF THE WEST HELPFUL SHAMROCKS I would like to thank the Shamrocks M.C. for their run September 8 and especially the guy that stopped for me and towed me In until his bike blew up, and the other Shamrock who brought his truck and trailer out. I hope I will have the opportunity to help you guys sometime. LLOYD POWELL #301 president, Desert Foxes M.C. CANADA THANKS CALIFORNIA AND WASHINGTON We, the membership wou1d like to thank some 01. your Californ1a riders for traveling a great distance to help us put on our event the Western Canadian MoioCross Championsh1p. Thanks to Kurt Lohmeyer, Larry Nolen, Larry Verdoom. Thanks also to Maureen Lee and her husband Gene for coming to cover the ,event. A specla1 thanks to a great sbowman John Rice wbo stayed with the leaders despite the track being rougher tban he is used to. Another special thanks to a guy from Spokane, Wash., Norman Kopp. No one knew 01. him before but they sure know now. He Is one ot the fastest, smoothest riders we bave seen in a lcmg, long time. So thanks again for a great bunch of people for coming a Icmg way. Hope to see you all again SOCD. WALLY SUKAROFF Totem Compet1t1on MIC Club Vancouver, B.C. Canada STEEP IT IS! In your Sept. 5 Issue 01. Cycle News West, you featured an article about the Muskegon Natol. Championship Hill Climbs. The meat 01. the article Included these statements: Length of Ascent _ 320 ft., Clay Starting Shute - 10 ft., H11I Slope - 60 degrees. I work with a bunch of engineers who claim it's Impossible to obtain traction at a 45 degree angle let alone a 60 degree. I bike ride quite a bit and although I've never measured any h1lls I'Ye climbed with a protractor . I couId swear I've climbed some that were at least 45 degrees. Is the hill in your article really 60 degrees or Is It 60% slope. If It's 60% that means It' s only 31 degrees or 32 degrees slope because a 100% slope Is equa1 to 45 degrees. I sure would appreclate an ansWer by maU or through the paper. I've had a running argument for the last six weeks at work about this subject. JAY RANDALL Long Beach, Calif. ED. NOTE : We were told it was a sixty DEGREE slope, by lIIe President of lIIe MuskelJln M.C. COll1la ri ng it to our 60" trillll gle, it looks close. As for geUin g traction on it, you can't, unless you ge t a good momentom i n lIIat first 10 reet! GASP! GIVE US ANOTHER WEEK TO SOLVE 11fE PUZZLE PUZZLE Little did we dream, when Cycle Ne ws published Motorcycl e P uzzle #1, that s uch a deluge of entries would flood our offi ces. Exactly 343 r eader s s en t s olutions In the "find the moto rcycles" con test, Including dozens of brands we have never heard of. To check them out, we are having to calion the accumulated knowledge of 'Mr. Motorcycle Encycopaedia himself, Floyd Clymer. Weshould be able to announce the winner NEXT week. Meantime, does anybody know If there really was a motorcycle called the MF? ~~~ By Barbara Adams Dahms Once upon a time (about a year and a half ago) in an eastern state (which though nameless Is not mythical) a law was passed to Incr e ase motorcycle safe- ty. The prime feature of tbis law was; of course, the mandatory wearing 01. helmets by rider and passenger . Standards for helmets were to be set later. Standards presumably have not yet been set or they are even more incredible tban in anotber eastern state where over 150 models have been approved. One sees all manner of helmets, even football helmets , war helmets and toy helmets. I saw one rider In a " tupper - Pabllsber ••••(!Jules C. C1ayllla BasiBess M_cer • 81111011 C1aylDn EdilDr ••••••••••••carot Sims Nalloaal Adv. DfreclDr •• Tam Calp Photo Editor ••••••DeDDis Greene Lab TediniciaD ••••BtU PeWgrew Boo1Ikeeper • • • • • .8aSlUl Mlitela.. starr ArUst •••• Cbades La Greca ClrcaJaUoa Dept•• .J_y McDonald Editodal& Adv. Asst. Saac1lll PanJy Published weekly except the fi rst and la s t week of the calenda r ye a r by C&S Pu bli shing Co .• P os t Offic e Box 498. Long Bea ch, California . Second Clas s postage paid a t L on g Bea ch, Ca lif. COOLEY'S COLUMN By Wes Cooley The view,,'expressed In tbiscolumnare those of the columnist and his sources and are not necessarUy the op1n1ons 01. this newspaper or even the truth. Equal space w1ll be provided to those who wish to take issue with any or all 01. the statements In Cooley's CoIumn..the Publishers. Well, I have returned, to the dellghtol. some and to the sorrow of others. We will try to make this column as interesting each week as we possibly can. Don't forget, If you have any complaints, praise, comments, etc., drop a note to Cooley's Column, p.O . Box 2'13,Placentla, California 926'10 and we'll be glad to air your views or discuss them In this column and we will do out best to treat you as fairly as possible and quote only when requested. Loose Language ware" mixing bowl. But If your head Is bare you are liable to a fine. Most 01. the riders In tbis state are very young . There Is a peculiar quirk to the llcense law. To have a license you must be 16. To ride a "big bike" (over 5.5 blip) you're supposed to have a license. To ride a " ll ttle bike" you can be any age, any skill and ride anywhere. Many of the young riders (and their parents) tb1nk the helmet law is a good Idea. Riding 2, 3 and sometimes even 4 on a Honda 90 they feel safer in their helmets. It doesn't do much good to tell them that the helmets they have on their heads won't help much because they're not up to any sort of standard. Basically they know this, but the Idea begins to seep In: "Helmets mean safety, any kind of helmet means safety." Nor is It very useful to tell a merchant selling a ten dollar, Imported "safety helmet" (that ignores every rule of good helmet design) that there Is not only no " safety " In that lid but possibly quite a bit of danger. It sat1sf1es the law. That's what the people buy._the cheapest helmet that sansnes the law. This law also requires crashbars on , every motorcycle. It bas been a neat job to fit crashbars on some bikes but someone bas managed and they all have them, Any NEW rider can tell you they are safer. The state says they are safer and he feels safer because they are there. Besides, when he dumps the bike the crashbars protect the paint. The law was authored and pushed through passage by a medical doctorlegislator who Is so terrif1ed. of motorcycl es til3.t he Is afraid to pack across a park. It was passed alm ost unanimously by legislators who, for the most part, have never ridden a motorcycle. But the state KNOWS•.•by virtue of being the state. And the state' s err or s becom e the standard of operati on. Soon everyone Knows what the state Knows. The le s sons learned from exper ienc e and common sense gradually become false as what the s tate KNOWS becomes true, And the kids and their parents think the law is a good law becauseit1s there. As one of them put It, "There have been four kids killed around here In the last year. All of them were wearing helmets. If it hadn't been for the helmets If might have be en worse." Let's not have the motorcyclists In Southern Californla, or anywhere else In the country, duped by the recent ad placed by the Dirt DIggers Motorcycle Club concerning their lOth Annual Grand Prix. This has been the largest single motorcycle event, rider-wise, held In tbis country, at least In the past few years, and they did have two international sanctions. even though their ad states tbis w1ll he the 3rd InternatlO!!R1 M0toCross. No International riders holding FIM licenses will be competing at this event. On the contrary, there will he an international mota-cross event CD the 9thand 10th ~ November In DIJIas, Tuas where the European CZ and Husqnrna teams w1ll compete against American riders. If any readers are Interested In knowIng more about the International events to be held In the California area, contact your local dealer. Most 01. them have received Information sheets concerning the International Moio-Cross Series. If not, you may contact International MotoCross, 4'190 Palm Ave., LaMesa, Calif., telephone ('114) 460-4239. Editor ial stories, ca rtoo ns . phot os. etc. a re welcomed a nd will be paid for upon publicati on (except, pres s rel eas es and ·Voic e" Iette rs .j Addres s ed. stamped envelope ass ures return • Sinde copy JWke•••••••••• 2;,c Subscription: One yt"llr 2nd class Mail ••••••••••••••••• $7.50 Advertising ra tes and ci rculation i nformat ion will be se nt upon ' requ est, Speedway racing Is fine and the new assoclation bas a great deal of work to do In order to a ccomplish their goals. There are some very fine men Involved In the speedway association and I know they would like to see motorcycle speedway racing come back to the United States and regaln the prestige it had In the 'thirties. The area In which they w1ll have the mostdlfficulty obtaining cooperation will probably be with the riders. Most of the top speedway racers are past and present champion AMA professional riders. Speedway Scene After sitting In on meetings and talkIng with some of these men I realize they have really been duped by not only the sanctioning organizations but by the promoters In the past and, naturally, now that they know the truth, they find ithard to believe that anyone or any group wants to give them an equitable deal. Also, I tb1nk some 01. the promoters will probably use this as a wedge In order to get some of the sanctioning bodies to lean toward their terms. As some of you probably know already, Ascot w1ll not hold any more speedway events. Starting this Friday night they will be back with the half-mile flattrack events. This gave the promoter an excellent opportunity to put his admission price back in line. Also, anyone Intereslad in speedway and those of you wbo attended the speedway events not only at Ascot but at WhIteman w1ll rea11ze that a speed_y course cannotberectanguIar in sbape such as a Class C track, but mast be more ovaI-sbaped In ,order for the small, powertul motorcycles to put on any kind 01. a sbow. " The track at Ascot was really not COIIduclve to good speedway racing as far as putting on a good show was CCDcerned. We hope that the owners and riders as well as the promoters do not become disenchanted because Ascot has dropped their program. Speedway Is just another form 01. racIng and we feel it bas Its place In American motorcyclIng and that it will attract fans and gain acceptance like any otber form of motorcycling. But since this Is a group from the old school 01. racing as well as the new generation 01. riders, speedway racing w1llface many problems before there Is harmony. COMPULSORY HELMET LAWS TO BE TESTED AGAIN BY AMA WORTffiNGTON, Ohio, Sept. 9 - The American Motorcycle Assoctation announced today that it will again We suit in the State of MIchigan against mandatory motorcycle helmet laws. The new suit Is aimed at a recentlypassed Michigan statute requ1r1ng motorcycles to carry helmets for theoperator and each passenger. WUliarn T . Berry, Jr., executive director of the A.M.A. said the Assoclation 's Executive Committee plans to take this action against the State of Michigan early next month as part of a continuing effort to carry the controver s ial issue to the U.S. Supreme Court for a favorable decision. Last May, in response to an A .M.A . ac tion, the Michig an Sta te Court of Appe als fOWld unconstitutional a 1966 state law r equir i ng motorcyclists to wear helmets . The court could see no di rect relationship between wearing helmets and public health, s afe ty and welfare. It said the law "has a relationship to the protection of the Individual motorcyclist from himself, but not to the public health, safety and welfare." The new law attempts to make the helmet part of the vehicle, and theA .M.A . will claim that the intent of the law Is to ...... make the helmet a compulsory Item of wearing apparel. The motorcycle assoctation contends that the law Is, In effect, an attempt by the state to circumvent the earlier, unanimous decision 01. the Mlcb1gan State Court 01. Appeals which ruled compulsory helmet laws unconstitutional because of their basic infringement on the " due process ••• equal protection ••• and right of privacy provisions of the Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution of the United States." Mr . Berry said the A.M.A .'s objection to such laws Is based on the belief that an Individual bas a constitutional right to wear - or not wear - protective equipment . " The American Motor cycl e As sociati on bas pioneered the pr omoti on of mo tor cycle safety In the United Sta tes ," he added , "and we will con tinue to Iead the way by 1n1tlating and s upportIng r el evant traffic safety programs." The A.M,A. has assisted similar efforts In other s tates . It Is expected that the suit w1llbe med by the A.M .A. and Harold D. Farnam, a MIchigan resident, against Frederick E . Davids, Director, Department of State Police,

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