Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

Lamb Canyon English Trials D." E• .,s (Bul) s~les lIle rock cliffs to bke trophy In t1..b.ukar. Story and Photos by Gary Barton A total of 135 riders entered the day's competitioo located in a sectioo of the badlands approximately 2 mUes soutll of Beaumoot, california March 16. The name's tile same but the game bas changed. 'Ib1s briefly describes tile situation at tile Lamb Canyon Trials staged by tile SoUthern CalUornia Trials Assoclatioo. Malcolm Smith, noted motocross and desert racer, as well as SUver and Gold Medallst in the lSDT in Europe, rode his first Engllsh Trials. Malcolm scored a very good win in tile expert class with a loss of only 23 marks. Smith, riding a Bultaco Sherpa T, remarked that he was really enjoying tile new sport and hopes to be able to compete in more Trials. Second to Smlth and also doing a really creditable job of riding a 250 Cottoo, was first time Expert, MIke Hans. MIke just transferred from the Amateur class and showed really remarkable form as he rode the sl>: Master!Expert traps. Amateurs, Experts and Masters rode four laps around theapprOldrnatelyfour- Do JOu think you c.n do It? Why not eIYe It • try? The Viewfinders M.C. were very much in evidence for the hUlcllmb scene at Saddlebllck Park. The plot, which was more a set-llPfor the future series than a story, COllCerDS " Then Came A Motorcycle" Motorcycles made their debut 00 television tb1s week when beautiful NBC premiered the full lengtb movie pUot of a new series projected for fall, "Then Came Brooson." WhIle It Is not the first time the marvelous machines bave appeared on the tube It is the first series in which tile motorcycle Is the star, and in this first episode the SPortster had conslderably more to say than the actors. Despite a sizeable lack of plot and dialog, "Bronson" provided an enjoyable two hours of TV. A considerable footage of actual riding by Action Director Bud EkIns 00 HIghway 1, throughthesandand surf, dirt and street expressed mIlCh more clearly than thousands of words tile joy and freedom of the motorcycle. a rider-reporter for a san Francisco (Frisco! What's that mean?) newspaper who hangs up the straight 11fe after the unexplained suicide of a friend and an argwnent witll a strikingly 1nsens1tive managing editor and rides away on his Harley in search of himself and the real meaning of life. in tb1s episode there Is a girl, of course, who Is running away from a wedding (her own) In a "borrowed" ear. They meet when she dumps him inches from a several hundred foot drop into the ocean, and after the arrival of the heat, she decides riding with him Is better than nothing. The remainder of the film Is spent in riding and being in a manner reminiscent of the pastoral happening of" Hell's Angels on Wheels", (Groovin' But With Nowhere to Go) which remains the most pleasant sectioo of the previous motorcycle movies. The wordlessness, which Is as definite a technique as d I a log, Is a refreshing escape from a world which often seems in danger of being inundated by verbal communication. Bronson's explicit quest Is for a world not defined by words ("wear a clean shirt, cut your hair, come In 00 time, sit at that desk and write like everyooe else•••or you're outl") HIs rebellion Is aglnst the meanIngless verbiage which obscures and disguises reality. Bronson's girl-friends are likely to find love ~rs difficult with a man who J.ck W.d (Bul) looks like ...·s hune up on. rock, but lhl's how he eoel mUe course. Amateurs rode sections 1 thru 6, wblle the E!M's rode the more difficult traps 7 thru 12. The 12 women and 24 kids rode their own five traps located around the outskirts of the camp'Ing area. Among the 14 masters riding tb1s day, Jim Wilson rode his Greeves Anglian very forcefully and dropped only 2 points. Jim Is probably the best trials rider in the country and since moving Into the motocross games bas proven himself very strong In this area of competi tion as well. Bob Grove came In second with 17 marks off and Just edged a very strong riding Bob Nickelsen. (19 points). Both riders rode the very popular Bultaco Sherpa T's. Fourth place was decided by a run-off between Dave Evans and Tom Stowers. Evans took home the trophy in the tie-breaker. The Amateur Lightweights found a [our-way tie for first place, as John Brewer, Bob Hans, Bill Batzloff and Bill Smith all had Zero scores on the scorekeepers tally sheets. In the special ride-off that followed Brewer on his Cotton took the honors as well as the points to move himself Into the Expert 0_'.11. class. Hans took second with Batzloff and Smith, third and fourth respectively. The Amateur mtra-Lightwelghts also had a rldeoff between Gary and Dennis Lane. Gary's Hodaka carried him to first and Dennis took secood on his Kawuald. Bob Riggs earned one more transfer point with a fine tb1rd place flnlsh. Doreen Portner showed the girls that she Is probably top woman rider witll no marks lost. Joyce Davenport edged Donnie Stewart although they both had Identical score totals of 6 points. Joyce had cleaned 18 sections wblle Stewart had zero scores In 16 traps. 13-year-old MartIn Belair had only one mark against him, and was top kid for tile day. Steve Wright, also 13, dropped four and ll-year-old Debbie Evans took third place 6 points down. Four riders showed with over 300Cc machines with young Bob Moll doing a very good job on a 360 Husqvarna. Bob lost only 7 points on probably one of tile harder machines to ride in a trials. At the end of the day the camp cleared qui te slowly for I t was difficult to pull away from such a scenic riding area. expresses a I m 0 s t everything In occasional single sentences but this one, BonnIe Bel1lna handled her part nicely. With big, dark, expressive eyes and some good camera work she eJq>ressed a convincing change from a spoj}ed, obstinate brat to a woman in love. Michael Parks plays Bronson in a Brandoesque manner, meetingeverydlf!Icully with cool equanamlty but creating a believable man who can find himself only with his motorcycle. And since It Is a series, one gets the Impression that he Is prepared to do a lot of looking. An Important part of entertainment Is fantasy and this is Indeed an entertaining fantasy. lf It doesn't quite tell It like It Is at least It tells it like we wish It were! lf you'd like to see more each week, tell NBC in Beautiful Downtown Burbank. The actual address Is 3000 W. Alameda, Burbank, CalIf. (comparable to 4130 chrome moly), and heavily chrome plated for beauly and durability. Unllke stubby road racing clip-on bars, they are usable for all applications: street, desert, motocross, scrambling. Mounted to fork stanchloo tubes by double Allen bolt clamps, full adjustment to each rider's needs Is quick and easy. Bars may be rotated wide or swept back, depending on use and personal preference. Priced at $15.95 a set, bars are available from Rickman dealers or the Importers: Steen's Inc., Box 2276, Alhambra, California 91803. lic'_'1 Me,isse Hi-Lif' Cli,,-Ol I.rs Some o[ the newest English motorcycles will be on display at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena April 24-27, 1969. Greeves will present their new "Gritton" motocross machines In both the 300cc and 250cc versions. The Rickman Brothers will show their 650 Metisse with a motocross chassis designed for use in the California desert along with a model of the 500 Metisse. For the road entlluslast, Norton will bave Its famous ~45cc Commando and also Its 650Cc Mercury, a machine tile makers describe as the "no frills" sportscycle for the real enthusiast. A full line of accessories made In England will also be displayed ranging from mufflers to brake shoes and the newest in clothing for the rider. ~;:. . . ~ ; < ""'" Rickman Bros. Engineering, of England, has created yet anotller custom accessory in the Metisse line of motorcycle partS: riser cup-on handlebars. These Hi-11ft cllp-ons are made of thick waIl Reynolds 531 steel ~Ing Britisll Goods Star In C,c1e SIIow -

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