Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

~OOOOOOOOOOoooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO fntertain.ent and Infor.ation fro. A.erka's Biggest Undiscoyered Motor Sport v......... ."" ~,1IV'Tt. . ~ ~ 0 § § - _; -i8 , ;_ - ;. . 0 8 0 i Publisher •• • •Charles C. Cl ay ton Business Manager ••Sharon Cl a.vton Ass·t. E di tor•••Wayne Flemi ngton National Ad". Director ••Tom Culp Photo Editor• • •• • •Dennis Greene Lab Technician• •• •Bill Pettigrew Bookkeeper. , , • , .sus an Whitelaw Circula tio n Dept. , ..Jenny McDonald Editorial & Adv, As st. Sandra Purdy P ubli s hed weekly except the first and last week of the calendar year by C&S P ubli s hi n g Co .. P os t Offi c e Box 498 , Lon g Bea ch, Ca li forni a. 0 0 0 0 0 Second Class postage paid at Long Bea ch. Ca li f. E di tori al s tories, ca rtoons, photos, etc. a re welcome d and will be paid fo r upon publi ca ti on (except press re leas es .a nd · Voi ce· Iette rs .) Addr essed . s tampe d envelope assures re turn. Single copy pri ce••• •• • •••• 25¢ Subscription: One year 2nd class Mail ••• • • •• • •• ••• ••• , $7.50 Adver ti sin g rates and ci rculation in- ' formation will be sent upon reque s t. § c 8 8 I • 6411 N. Long Bea ch Blvd. 0 Long Beach, Ca lif. 908 5 Or: Box 498, Long Beach, Calif. Phone: 423-0431 ~ o "Am . , W kl (Area Code 213) 0 enca s ee y Motorcycle Newspaper· From L A Phones: 636-8844 , . oooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOC1oooooooooooooooooontvV'\OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 0 O g 8 g S VOICES OF THE WEST AGAINST ENGINE S IZE CH ANGES I wish to voice my opposition to the Implimenlation of the new AMA engine size rules In 1969 instead of 1970. Under the seemingly wide spread but false assumption that no major rules changes would go Into effect until 1970 I have put a cons iderable porti on of my yea r ly income Into building a flat tracker for a local amate ur to race ' next s eason. I am will1ng to live with'the fact that this motorcycle may be competitive for only one year. I am not will1ng to live with the fact that we will be giving a way as much as 300cc the first time we take It to the track. I am a prtvate Individual (Professor of Mathematics) and when I found myself Involved In a system where it takes two months to get a frame and forks and where back ordering is the rule rather than the exception !felt that It was logi cal to start building early . I failed to realize that Ingic was not applicable to the system and certalnly s hould not be applied to the be havior of the A.M.A. JEFFREY R. DAVIS Albuquerque, New Mexico ENSENADA GRIPE The nine members of the Gyps y Wheels who made the En senada Run would like to give you our impression of the run. For the people who expected to camp out, facilities were essenti ally nonexiste nt _ rocks and gravel to drive tent s takes in, or s ewage- s tenchlng beaches to s leep on. Many people returned home satur day night. Although the ad vertising of the r un Implied a dinn er on Saturday night, there was none, nor were there organ i zed activities of any type whatsoeve r. Bec ause the trophy presentatio n did not begin until 11 a.m, on Sunday, many people who had grea t di s tan ces to travel could not wai t. We fe lt especially sorry for thos e who had r idden twi ce as far as we had . They felt It necessary to leave (as we did) very early on Sunda y mor ning _ lon g before the acti vities began. ( We didn 't even see a display of trophies.) , The am ount of the entry fee we feel was exorbitant, considering that the only benefit therefrom was a silver pin. And the pin could have been purchased In Ensenada shops for about half the amount of the entry fee . We hope that the disappointment and boredom experienced by all of the riders with whom we talked will not dampen enthusiasm for future ev ents. As for the Gypsy Wheels, we hope tovisltEnsenada again, but not on your tour. RICHARD J . COX. Pres. Gypsy Wheels M.C . Ridgecrest, Calif. ED. NOm: · W a re sony that 1IIe facilie ties in Mexico are not what you are u s ed to in 1IIe states. Nowhere did our a dve .. Using imply 1IIa t dinne r would be served. E nsenada has so many fine restaurants 1IIat we felt it would be like carrying coal to Newcastle . Too bad you missed 1IIe parade, 1IIe Ace of Clubs Drill Team perfonnance and 1II e trophy presentation on Sunday morning, Anyway. we are glad you liked Ensenada.· SADDLEBACK RESULTS The following Is a list of r iders who r ode the Oct. 6 Saddleback Grand Prix, but did not leave co mple te addresses on their en try blanks. They should contact me through Box 542, Capistrano Bch ., Ca . 92624, so that I can s end them their res ults. Som e are eligible for trophies. Tillson Shum ate, Harry Bandfleld, M.R. Mahoney, Dan Daigh, C. Pumphrey, Don Prosser, Al Engleking, Ron Clawson, Tom Mutn, Mike P er a, Kirk Willis, DON DAY LIKES W GfT' SARTICLE Rl Congratulations on your article "So You Want to Ride the Desert" , which appeared in the November 28 issue. I'm sure the article was a help to many motorcyclists. With motorcycling Interest continuing to grow, I feel there is a need for this type of helpful infor ma ti on in your publication periodically. L.A. RAYNOR Van Nnys, Ca l. DIFFERENT MAKE I appreciate the fine article written by Tom Dlll1ng In Cycle News December 5 issue about the Big Foot Enduro at Willow Creek, Calif. The article and results stated I was riding a Hodaka, I own, a Hodaka but I was riding a 125cc sachs which I was checking out for a dealer. PAUL SCOTT ?:URPHY Roseville, Calif. MO RE AMBULANCES I think there should be an ambulance at all AMA races . At the Visalia Ramblers M.C. cross country race for District 36A Nov. 17, there was a rider In a accident In which he received a broken foot. Two of the women from our club helped him back to his truck. Then I left the r aces to show a friend of hi s how to get him to the Coalinga hospital, so I didn't get to s ee the finish of the race In which there were some of our club members riding. GLEN JORDAN Trail Trotters . Coalinga, Calif. PRETTY SHODDY Sunday, Nov. 17, the Rams M.C .puton an excellent r a ce near Pearblossom, to be sp ecific , a t Hy. 18 and the L.A. County lin e . Th ere was an Incident In the region of the pi ts that severly endangers the pos sibility of any events in thi s area in the future, Including the Greenhorn Enduro. About a quarter of a mile from the pit area are several houses, my fa ther an d myself have a small ranch In thi s area. During the layi ng out of the race c ours e , my fa ther talked to members of the Rams who assured that no one would be r iding on our land. We have spent a great deal of time and money getting this ranch shaped UP. About 5:00 p.m, two r iders on lightWeight motorcycles rode onto the ranch, defecated, then set fire to a tree for good measure. The underbrush is quite thick In this area, and I think anyone who lives In California is aware of the danger of brush fire . One of the several dune buggies In the area also took several spins on the ranch during the day. Now we ha ve one very peeved landowner who wlll oppose any effort to stage any more ev ent s In this area. It was most likely non-racers whoare responsible for the s e incidents, but if we are to hav e more race s in or near pop ulated areas , s omething wil l have to be done to prevent Incidents of this na ture, or there won't be any desert events left In California . As a suggestion to help prevent future trouble with residents near our races: 1 noticed a Deputy Sheriff In the area In the morning, but not later In the da y. Perha ps the sheriff would be will1ng to provide a Deputy as a deterrent to the uncivilized element. An offer to hel p pa y the ex penses for su ch s ervices would go a long way I' m s ure. I hope tha t more races can be held close to town, drivin g to and from Red Mountain for a race doesn't appeal tome. not since the first time . On the po sitive side. the Rams did put on a good race. JOHN r . JOHNSON Manhattan Beach, Cal. g ~ ~ ~4tatwe1t~ By Barbara Adams Dahms FREEWAYS, M OTORCYCLES, AND IDLE ROADS No one who has ever tried to ge t somewhere In a hurry on pre-freeway type highways would deny that the freeway sy stem is a great and necessary Improvement In motor transportation. But In the creation of the freeways there has often been a tragic and perhaps unnecessary waste ...the destruction of the existing highway. Super speed is not always the oniy requisite of travel. Almost forgotten In our haste i s the pleasure. U this is true of automobile travel. It Is even more s o with motorcycle. For all Its utilitarian aspects the outstanding feature of the motorcycle Is still the pleasure of riding. Ye the mo tor cycle rider Is frequently confronted with the choice between freeway travel and going nowhere . In several di rections, for example. there is no way out of Los Angeles except by freeway . It Is disconcerting to see the old road, sometimes a beautiful four-lane high way lie unused for ma ny miles, chopped across In places to prevent Its use and with all acce ss torn up. What a recrea tio nal pos sibility wastel With the billions spent for super hi ghway construction It would seem that the additional funds required to retain 8 8 COOLEY'S COLUMN By Wes Cooley lb e views ex pressed in 1II is co lunm are 1IIos e of 1IIe colu mnist an d are no t ne ces sarily 1IIe opinions of 1II Is newspaper. Eq ual space will be provided to 1IIose who wish to ta ke issue wi1ll any or all 0 1 1IIe statements in Cooley's c olumn. -The Publishers. FINGER TO THE LIPS Afte r last wee k's furor concerning Bryan Wade, I thought I would start my column out this week with a little thought to those of you who dwell a little deeper In the letters . "Go placldiy amid the noi se and haste and remember what peace there may be In silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good ter ms with all persons . Speak your truth - quietly and clearly, and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too, ha ve their story. Avoid lo ud and aggressive persons, they are vexa ti ons to the spirit. U you compare yourseU with 'other s , you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater an d lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achi eve ments as well as your plans. Keep Interes ted In yo ur own career , howe ver , humble; it is a real posses sion In the changing for tunes of ti me. Exer cise caution In your busines s affair s. fo r the world is ful l ·of trickery, but let this not blind yo u to what vir tue there Is; many persons sirive for high ideals and everywhere life is full of her oism. Be yourself; e sp ecially do not feign affection. " Many peopl e have asked me questi ons concerning the Wade affair . As s oon as this proble m Is s traighte ned out between MICUS and the ACU, this co lum n will carry " Th e truth abou t Wad e' s s us pe ns ion ", an d 1 hope to be able to r eturn to the Editor of Cycl e News the F lyi ng Fickle Finger of F ate award. . FIM Rule Changes the old as well as the new would be less than the over all value fr om such a double road system . Where old roads have remained they are certalnly used by at a much gentler pace. We are. for good reason. all Interested in gover nmental economy. No one wants to see tax money wasted. But provision for the needs of the citizens Is an essential business of government; and a clear case can be made for a multi-type highway system. Recreation need not begin only after the destination Is reached. The trip there can be relax1Dg and invigorating. Yet we are often dep rived of this part of our pleasure time, e specially In the case of motorcycling whe re room to ride Is so often far from our homes . For the thous an ds of r ider s of smaller cycles the pr oble m Is even more ac ute. For these enthus iasts the bottleneck of freeway-only travel often requires riding on heavily travelled city stree ts or haulIng the cycle to some distant point. Even bicycle riders mourn the passing of pleasant li ght-traffic roads. Finally, and perhaps most Important of all, there Is the safety fa ctor. Statistically the freeway i s the safest place to ride but these s tati s ti cs renect only the s mall percentage of motorcycles that try to negotiate fr eeway traffic. Unquestionably the combatablllty of cycle and auto diminis he s as speed an d volume of traffic Increase s . And the hazards of city s treets would be le ss were these mor e open sp aces a va il a b 1e for pl easure riding. We are con siantly confronted with the expanding need for r ecreational areas. While the re Is s ti ll ti me let' s rescue these roads tha t ha ve alr eady bee n bug~•• •, 1 have received the official minutes of the CSI meeting of the F IM, and a decision was made that starting January 1, 1970 In world's championship road racing the 125cc and 250Cc classes wlll be limited to two cylinders, 6 gears, and the weight of the 125cc machines will be 75 kg. and the 250cc machines 100 kg •• minimum. This will certainly helP the privateer In competing In International r oad racing. Also, a new world's championship points system will take effect in 1969 with ten places being listed, starting with first place. 15 points, second 12. third 10. fourth 8. fifth 6, sixth 5. s ev enth 4. eighth 3. ninth 2 and tenth 1. The FIM fee ls in this way a great many mo re riders wlll have the opportunity to gain Inter national points and the possibility of monetary help from the manufactur er s of not onl y m o t or c y c l es but ac cessory equipmen t. Also, next year, in all world's champion ship moto-cros s grands prix the even ts will be ' 40 min utes plus two laps Ins tead of the 30 mi nutes plus two laps which Is us ed at pr esent. Mor e F IM inf or mation in future c olumns . ,. • Santa Cmz Swung Any of you who did not have the opportunity to attend the International motocross this week at santa Cruz missed an excellent event. Many comments were made concerulng the course. but this course, In some aspects, was closer to an international moto-cross cou r se than any we have seen. One of the constructive criticisms made by the European riders was that the course lacked an area where the machines co uld be turned on to full speed. A lot of thanks should go to the Ridge Runners of santa Cruz for the ir tremendous helP in putting on this event. I think ev er yone will agree It was a very beautiful spot a mongst the pine tr ees In nor th er n California . • . " . ,)

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