Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

-- ... ~r------------ : a.. ~------------------- I I I ! - ~ r&l :e r&l tl'- :... U By Barbara Adams Dahms --J SOME OFF-ROAD SURVEY INDICATIONS Your response to our survey has been most gratifying. From as far away as Germany, Illinois, Montaoaand Washingtoo answers have come. And there have been many more closer to home. Weare tabulating the replies and will SOOll have a detailed report for you. Meanwbile here is a thumbnail sketch at our rider as the survey portrays bim so far. Of course, since the survey was directed to diri riders, the enthusiasm for dirt riding is evident. Some who answered also ride street, but most ride 0Dly dirt. As many differept macblnes as are manufactured are represented but 250's, lOO's and 90's lead in popularity for dirt riding. Most who answered ride as often as ooce a week, some oftener, some less often. Almost everyone would ride more often were there a convenient area available. It comes as no surprise that motorcycle riding is a family affair. Those who have families generally report that riding pleasure is shared by all. Children too young to ride are often taken along as passengers. Many who do not yet have c:bildren of riding age have plalu; for them in a few years. A high percentage of those answering report that all of their recreation involves motorcycles. For those who have otber bobbies, hunting and fishing lead !be field with the total stretching across lfIe entire range of outdoor interests and even to such indoor occupations as reading and photography. TIle choices of. riding area will provide us with some definite lDformatioo to work on. Many, many riders have either been told they cannot ride in their favorite spot or have found It posted. In many cases there is coofusioo as to who owns the land, which is not surprising as the ownersbip and management of empty land in most states often takes considerable record-searching to discover. Even the BLM doesn't know exactly what land is in iis charge. One picture emerges, though, as we thought it would•••motorcycle riding is an important part of the recreational picture in the country. It is healthful, wholesome and rewarding and it is on the uptrend. It is necessary that tbls be recognized and provisions made for it. Our nation, while providing more leisure time than almost any other, has been woefully unconcerned about providing space for the recreation to fill that time. At a late date, after much of the land has been exploited for economic gain, the need and right of the people for their share for public recreation is beginning to be noticed. It won't be easy to obtain our share, but it can ~ will be done. Not just for motorcycles but for sportsmen, and water enthusiasts, and even conservationists. We are all the public and a certain amount of this land belongs to all of us. The first line of defense is to forestall commercial exploitation of the remaining space. Once that is accomPlisbed, we can work together to fairly share our rights. We are reprinting the survey so, that those who have not replied will have another chance to. If yoo bave not sent in a copy please do so now. If you bave, pass Ibis one along to a friend. We need as many replies as possible. You do not bave to be a dirt rider to answer • You do not bave to be riding at lfIe present time to answer. We want to anticipate our needs as well as try to fill the present ones. If you need extra copies please write to UME, Box 1154, Reseda, Calif. 91335. We 'will be glad to send them to you. OFF ROAD SURVEY If you baven't already filled out Ibis survey questionnaire and sent it to United Motorcycle Enthusiasts, please do it now. We are reprinting it here for your convenience. U.M.E. still needs about 800 more completed survey questionnaires to get a representative idea of what the typical atf-road motorcycle enthusiast wants in the way at land and facWties to enjoy his sport. Please take a minute to fill out this survey questionnaire and mall it to United Motorcycle Enthusiasts, Box 1154, Reseda, Calif. 91335. Results will be publisbed in Cycle News, aDd !be lDformation galflered in this survey will form the basis of the U.M.E. efforts on bebalf of atf·r:oad motorcycling in lfIe national and local legislatures. FIHVIIf/ TH;?rIJHHY Survey The following lDformatloo is needed to compile statlstics to accompauy our requests for riding space. Please on out lfIe questiooa!re aDd return It to UME, Box 1154. Reseda, Calif. 91335. TIle more complete aDd accurate Ibis survey !be better our c!lances of gettIDg !be area ~ need. All lDformatioo will be coofidentlal. Do you ride or wish to ride atf-the-road?: How atten? What CC's do you ride: street? dirt? How many riders in family? _ _ _ Children included? Do you wish to go for a day? _ _ weekeocl Camp? weekdays Do you want campsites? GOO day? _ _ How do you baul bikes: truck _ _ trailer How far will you go fN: _ other . _ For more than one day? _ _ Would you be interested in riding area in your immediate vicinity? _ What kiocl of off-road riding interests you: organized events? private riding? (trailS?) _ (c,ross-country?) _ What type of terrain would you want: bJIls? easy? - - - - - - flat difficult? _ _ _ in-between _ participate? _ what competition events do you prefer? _ Are you interested in competition events? spectator? _ _ You be willing to pay to ride? _ _ What would you coos1der a reasonable fee? What portion of your recreation is involved with motorcycles? How much of this is atf-road riding? _ Would you ride more if you bad a convenient area which you knew was available? Do you consider this a tam1ly activity? _ What olber recreation do you enjoy? Do you presently have an area you like for dirt riding? ~--------------- Where? Have you ever been told you cannot ride lbere? _ Do. you know who owns or IDlIIIIIgeS this land? Comments: Name Address ...,....__ Please inclOOe your name and addreSS'. 'JlI1s is a pilot studY. We may have turtber answers which we will need to know as the procram develops. Your cooperation 15 1!J'gently needed. - --- --- - - ... - .- -- -- - - - Amer;can Speedway Con'ro' Board formed flM Sanc';oned In The U.S. By MICUS By The Scarlett Streak is at it again. Jerry Barnett has discovered be doesn't have to tblnk up captions for his cartoons anymore. All you budding BuddY Hacketts out there swamped us with entries for last month's Finish the Funny but there can only be one winner so her's another chance. Deadline for this month 15 a June 15th postmark. We wanted to offer as first prize Talon Zipper Company's new kittor attaching carburetors to H-D flat trackers but the only one we bad was snapped up by a rider from San Diego so we'll stick with the usual $5 prize. Tell us what the moon-man is saying to bis partner or the bike riding astronaut. Write your joke line on the cartoon balloon, tear it out, and send to: Cycle News Finish the Funny Contest, Box 498, Long Beach, Calif. 90801. There is no limit to the number of entries you may submit, so send as many as you like. Mike CllPallte Mr. Wes Cooley, president of MICUS, the governing body in the United States of the FIM, announced that a Speedway Control Board has been sanctioned through the ACA to regulate and control speedway racing sanctioned under FIM rules in this country. It will be the function of the American Speedway Control Board (ASCB) to set up rules and regulations for speedway racing in the United States and to sanc-. tion speedway tracks throughout the country as well. The ASCB will also issue speedway competition licenses to riders that will be honored throughout the world. One of thE> major alms of the ASCB is to bave, if poSSible, by next year, an American qualifying round for the world's speedway cbampionship to helP bring back to the U,S, some of the prestige we once held in the speedway world. Speedway Rules and Regulations are now being drawn up similar to the rules used throughout the world. A number of top U.S, Speedway stars will be invited to sit on a Rules Evaluation Committee to discuss the rules and offer suggestions and cbanges before the regulations are flnallzed. Having a specific sanctionlngbody will benefit both the riders and the promoters. The promoter will be protected in the fact that if bis track is sanctioned to run on a certain night, no other promoter will be issued a sanction for the same night unless the USCB feels that neither will suffer as far as rider and spectator attendance is concerned. The rider will benefit by not only having a definite set of rules to race by, but also by the purse requirements, which will be a straight 40% of the gate in open competition races or a definite set purse in team competition. It is boped that team competition will flourish after more tracks are opened around the country. The ASCB will not only have a very reasonable fee for acompetitionlicense, but the promoter will pay the sanction fee to have his track sanctioned for the season instead at paying for each race held. Sanctions will also be issued for special races such as fair dates and exhibitions. An attempt will be made to bring speedway racing to the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. Mr. Cooley also stated that neither the ACA nor MICUS will have a hand in lfIe operation at the ASCB, but are merely acting as the sanctioning body in the United states for the FIM. TheASCB will also lend assistance to promoters who desire to go into speedway racing but are unfamlliar with tbls type of program. Any promoters or riders interested in any further information should contact ASCB, Box l747,HuntingtonBeach,Callfornla, 92647 and watch Cycle News for further information.

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