Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

You'll Always See It FIRST G7G&a in " r j-....:::.~---_ America's Weekly Motorcycle Newspaper- ••• Puljisbt>r& Editor•• Chuck Clayton .- \sslstant Edilor ••••• Eric Raits Business Manag"r•• Sharon Clay Ion Ornce Manager••Gayl"n" Thomason Production Managl'r•• Dennis Gr""n.. Production .-\sst•• Dean CurKlInitham Circulation Manag"r•• Bruc.. Easl".v Bookkeeper•••..• Susan Wh,u'la" Lab Technician••••••Llly Laklch Want .-\ds••••••••• Sandra Pur¢,' Published weekly except the first and last week of the calendar year VOICES OF THE WEST COMMENT: see our Club Dlrecl.ory and laIIe your choice. only to look forward to driving another 400 miles home. All this work and money but no trophies after you earned them. This will be my last Greenhorn It they don't give me the two trophies tbatl bave earned. In tact it may be THE LAST Greenhorn after I remove all of the mileage markers and arrows as I enjoy my last trophyless Greenhorn Enduro. JOE PYLE Dirt Diggers North M.C. Orangevale, Cal. P .S. I'm brlng1ng plenty of help! GREENHORN '&HAl RS' LI KE I bave ridden the Greenhorn Enduro for the last two years finishing In a trophy position both years. 1 was second overall on Sunday In 1968 and s1xtb In my class for both da,ys In 1967. The problem at band Is that 1 bave yet to receive either trophy. 1 bave, without success, written letters to the Pasadena M.C. requesting my hard earned trophies. I bappen to live over 400 miles from the Greenhorn, and after you ride across the desert 500 miles two years In a row Anyone who liked Prado Park, or likes a bard-fast-smooth track, ..south Bay Speedway lives!! The fastest dlrt track I've been OD. "CRASH" ROESCH WANTS TO GO TRAILING I subscribe to your newspaper each week and whicb I might say Is very interesting. I am writing to ask If you mlgbt put me In touch with a family trail riding or desert riding club In which my young SOD and I might participate In, any information will be greatly appreclated. RON COVE Chino, Cal. / 11'7 Sidecar Tujunga, Calif. FEDS TO BLAME All the hulabaloo about state laws regulating the operation of motorcycles, (helmets, llghts on, etc.) comes from the Federal Government. A certain amount "FINISH THE FUNNY" by c&s Publishing Co., Post Office Box 498, Long Beach, California, also publishers of State Cycle News for the Eastern states. Second Class Postage paid at Long Beach. Calif. Editorial stories. cartoons. photos• etc. are welcome and will be paid for On the 15th of every month for material published the previous month (except press releases and ·Voice· letters.) Addressed. stamped envelope assures return. Reprinting in whole or In part expressly forbidden except by permission of the Pu blishers. Advertising rates and circulation information will be sent upon request. of money alloted to the state bas strings on It. In order to get this money, they (the states) must comply with Federal rules. So, although we must enlighten our state legislators - It seems to me that we must first realize tbat the Federal Government Is the prod tbat stimulates them. (State Legislators.) So let's let our Congressmen and Senators knowhow we feel. An (to me) Important point on protective clothing Is that I wear jeans and engineers boots" because If the weather Is such, to keep me warm, also a leather jacket, for the same reason, also gloves, although I bave a helmet, the purpose (to me) of a helmet Is for the same reason. What I want to bring out Is that when I get 0'1 my bike I don't get on expect1ng an accident. Nor do I get In my car, and wear a seat belt, a shoulder harness, an eye guard, and ear guard etc. Tb1s could apply to a train, bus, plane, etc. A little motorcycle background: I am 63 years old. 1 conned my father Into getting me a one lunger Excelsior, belt drive, when 1 was 13 years old. From there to an indian &out, more Excelsiors, to a Henderson, then- indians until 1946. Then BSA's, Velocettes, and Triumphs. I now own a '67 350Cc Yamaha and a '66 Brldgestone Dual-Twin. Most of my riding bas been street. I honeslly believe that a cycle Is the safest mode of transportation devised by man. They bave more than adequate acceleration to take advantage of breaks In traffic. The brakes are SuPerb. The handling qualities of these bikes are terrific. I am not writing only about a cycle to go to work and back, run errands, and go for a ride on weekends. I took a trip from L.A. to Crater Lake, Oregon, then to Wisconsin, then to Denver. And It was a ball. JAMES A. HAWLEY Bellflower, Cal. I"'TATION CYCLE NEWS Since the beginning of this year I bave been meaning to write you of my admiration for the Bengston and Barger Issue. That was one of the most valuable and Interest1ng motorcycle publications put out In this country since Cycle Action. Just after the Issue came out I was at a Suzuld sbop in Burbank. The counter man and I talked briefly about the Barger article. He bad been around bikes and racing for a long time. He said, "It's one of the best things- they've ever done." Anyway, welcome to the ranks of publishers of family newspapers. April Fool was a good Issue, too. The best part was the cover cartoon. Fully In the tradition of American motorcycle poster cartoons, It still managed to be the best and most far out I've seen. The fink Rancbo Mirage shop sometimes sells a fake British uPstart Imitation, which It fobs off on my girl Judy when she goes In for a coPy of genuine Cycle News. You must put a stop to this. DARRYL SKRABAK Mt. Center, Calif. COMME T: It's a free ClKlDUy. We are oflen Imitated. but:never equalled. ". • •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• I" What do you say to a guy who bas a television receiver In b1s ta1rlng? That Is the question facing our Inventive cartoonist Jerry Barnett (alias "the Scarlett Streak"). We know what WE always do when faced with such a dilemma••• conduct another F1n1sh the Funny Contest. So how about It, funny minded readers? What Is the man with his mouth open saying to "star rider?" Write your joke line under the cartoon In the space provided and send -It post baste to Cycle News Finish The Funny Contest, Box 498, Long Beach, Calif. 90801. Deadllne for postmarks Is May 3D, 1969. Oh yes, the prIZe for the fln,niest funn1sh ••• that .Is, the funniest finny •••er, you know what we mean. THE FUNNIEST FINISH Is $5 or a reasonable facsimile thereof. Send In your joke .lIne today! MORE ELSINORE They bad this trophy presentation Friday n1gbt, and they gave me this trophy, and I thought to myself, "Self, you did pretty good, 'cause this Is a nice trophy, yes slree!" ..J re!Tlember falling off once and the two guys who helped push and get me started. And falling off again, and the guy In the buggy who towed me to get me going. And then stalling once, and a guY In another buggy who towed me and got me going again. And then stalling at the bottom of this muddy hill, and this spec- sure Slll~h' ('UP,\ PrlCP• • • • • • • • • • 2~)(' Subs('ription: nm' .' (,•• r 2nd <"lass nt-Iii ••••••••••••••••• !i;, .10 NATIONAL ADVERTISING DIRECTOR•• , •• Thomas R. Culp Cycle News (West). P.O. Box 498, Long Beach, Calif. 9D800 Tel. 12l3l 423-0431. EASTERN ADVERTISING AI Hauff Stale Cycle News (Easll P.O. Bo, 13, Amhersl, Ohio 44001 Tel. (2161 984-2433 tator, (who was clean even), who helped push again..... This trophy still looks pretty good, (It's the first I've ever won), but there should be a lot more names on It than just mine. This may be kind of late In coming••• but, "thanks a lot fells." JIM MEYER #206 Tbelnvaders M.C. Bellflower, Cal. ROAR FROM A TIGER FAN In the May 13, 1969 Issue of your paper, the results section for cycle events, you bave an error. On the Ascot TT for May 3, 1969, you show Gene Romero as f1n1shing second to last. Gene didn't even ride that nlgbt. Besides, I am pretty sure the "TIger" would bave finished better than that. MRS. JUANITA MURRAY An ardent Fan of "Tiger" Romero OOPS, EXCUSE ME 1 would like to say that 1 appreciate the help and concern of the pit crew of some club tbat I did not notice at the time. You helped me get my bike started to finish the race. I am sorry about hitting anyone with my bike at the Red Dot Run. 1 bad no other choice but lay the bike Into a slide, because the other rider I was tryIng to pass bad cut me off rather abruPtly. 1 sure hope no one was hurt badly. Thank you once again. TERRY GAGNON, #118 La Canada, Cal. IN MEMORIAM In memory of our son, Wayne Ragland we wish to express our gratitude to all the Red Dots and people for their deep concern and effort to locate our boy. We also wish to make this clear: There was no injury sustained. He fell off his bike In compie exhaustion In a hidden sand wash off the course and died of sunstroke. We especially extend our thanks to Mr. Clark and bls two sons Terry and Mike and Mr. Wes Anderson and his son Wesley. HIs greatest love was rld1ngand working on his bike. THE RAGLAND FAMILY REGRETS Our sincerest regrets to the Ragland Family. THE RED DOTS M.C. MINT 400 REBUTTAL DId Cycle News actually bave anyone In Las Vegas to cover the MInt 400? Chuck Clayton's account of the race Is so tar removed from reality that It appears to be based on thlrd- or fourth-hand hearsay, not first-hand observation. Major ott-road events like the IDRAsanctioned MInt 400 bave provided desert motorcyclists with more prize money and more publicity than they've ever enjoyed before. The $1500 that Mlke Patrick and Phil Bowers received for w1nn1ng their class In the 400 Is one of the largest cash awards any motorcycle team bas ever been given In a desert race. By the time all of the coverage of the Mint 400 bas appeared, Patrick and Bowers will liave become two of the country's best-known bike racers. And Yamaha will bave gained a finer reputation than ever for ruggedness and durability, not just among motorcycle enthusiasts but throughout a sizeable segment of the general public tbat Cycle News and other motorcyling publications would never reach. In his story on the Mint race, Clayton claims that the motorcyclists were the victims of some sort of last-minute switch that diverted most of the prize money to other classes. That allegation Is completely untrue. There were differences In the purses (Continued on page 6)

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