Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

'CHOp· Oregon Sportsman Scrambles OUTLAW By Eric Ralts "A chopper is more band built than other blkes, It's a true custom, built to suit you only, and it feels a real part of YOu." So speaks an Inglewood, Calilornia choPper rider. He Is constantly harassed by police, looked down UPOn by his neighbors, but he still rides his chopper and wouldn't be seen on anything else. Why? We asked him a few questions. Jerry (not his real name) says chopper riders want something really different from everybody else. "It's more the true individualist who gets one. I think tbere's lots of people who would llke to have a 'chop' but they never get one." We asked Jerry if he belonged to a club. "No, a club Is a real bang uP. When you're in a clUb, you're not an individualist anymore. You have to go along with everyone else. Most clubs have bad names anyway. Whatever you do involves the club and what the club has done in the past involves you. Lots of the guys in clubs have good heads on their shoulders. When you get them apart from the grouP and start rapping, you find this out. Outlaw clubs are really at the bottom of society but when you're in a club you're at the top really, because everything the club does Is right. TIlatis, the club makes It right." At this point in the interview, an outlaw club member walked in. I read my notes to him and he agreed with what Jerry had said. "I belong to one of the two Clubs, outlaw type, really active in the South Bay area and Jerry is right. Belonging to a club can be a hang up. Sometimes one guy who is a real lame duck does something screwy and the rest of the club had to back him uP. We stand behind a guy like that and the whole club gets a bad name." The club member, John (not his real name either), told us there were three basic types of chopper riders. There is tbe outlaw club member, the loner, and what they call "the plastic blke rider." This Is someone who has a chopper just to be showing off, who wants to be a part d the Hell's Angels image. "But they juSt don't cut it," said John. John's girlfriend spoke uP and said, "Tell everybody the difference between a Mama and an Old Lady." She very proudly said she was an Old Lady, John's Old • Lady. John said that a Mama is either a girl who bangs around the club and Is available to anyone who wants her or she is an ex-Old Lady who has been turned out. We asked John what turned out meant. "If 1 decide to dump my Old Lady she is made available to the entire club, with or without her consent. From then on she is a Mama." We asked the girl what attraction choppers and outlaws had for her and she found It difficult to put Into words. "There's a lot of excitement, and I guess I dig the long rides we take. We get to see a lot of the countryside and you can't see It better than from the back of a bike." was her answer. She agreed that the sociai life of the club was one of the biggest attractions to her. Her exOld Man Is presently In jail on what they call a bum rap. We asked If Jerry had just stepped In when her Ex went to jail but they "assured me the new relationship was with the permission of all concerned. Talk then got around to the subject of police harassment. They all took turns recounting numerous instances of being bugged by the law. "A lot of officers like to feel the satisfaction of pulling over a choper and writing up the rider", Jerry said. "DIfferent police departments use different methods of measuring for legality. For Instance, my handlebar height was checked by the C.H.P. (California Highway Patrol) In Inglewood and they said It was o.k. A few weeks later I was written up by the C.H.P. in another city for the same thing. Sometimes they will come up to the bike and jerk the handlebars up and measure from there." We then asked what percentage of outlaw tlders participate in illegal activities. John admitted It was close to 100 per cent. We pointed out that it seemed police harassment was justified In that case. John agreed. "It's all part of the game. You ride a chopper and you know you're going to get harassed. Nothing you (Cycle News) write Is going to make a bit of difference. Police harassment won't stop, and I'm going to keep stealing bikes as long as they keep making them. I'm an outlaw and a crook butbigfllppin' deal." The outlaws get to know some of the policemen from being stopped so often and some become friends of a sort. John and Jerry both feel that the cops would like to own choppers. "Half the cops would like to have choppers but all they can have are Hondas, and strictly stock B.S.A.'s and Triumphs or the department starts breathing down their necks," Johu said. PRE-DRILLED KNURLED EDGES made of duraluminum S17.oo to $23.00 ChtOll*l Staill!fSS Steel [ SpoIIes - ;sujI :S DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED .,eII Writ. 'or FREE ht~'.tu,e NORTH AMERICAN IMPORTS P. O. lOX 621 .. .. GARDEN GROYE, CAL 92640 Foot Pegs for Yamaha Dns, en,,, An Fits Models 12mm x 125m Li&tltweigllt ISO 11lread Low Cost N9,!BA!~D~!OCK ~ 4915 Pacific BlVd., Vernon, Calitllrnia, Phone: 589-5488 Bill (60v) Donaca won tho trophy dash and A Main lor a cloan swoop on his 250cc Bullaco. By N. Willlams PORTLAND, ORE., June 21, 1969 - A Portland, Oregon Kawasaki dealer's over bored 238cc Kawasaki was protested to the track referee at the Sidewinders Sportsman scrambles. This dealer has been running a bored out 238cc In the 500Cc class all year and most of the true 500Cc riders have verbally complained about this atpast races but nothing was done until now. At this race a formal protest was made to the track referee and the machine was withdrawn from the 500Cc class. The protest was not formally sent Into the A.M.A. The A.M.A. rule Is that no IIghtweight machine can ride in the heavyweight class whether it is over bored or not. With about 60 riders the races were good fast ones with just a few boys going down and none of them were hurt. It was a clean sweep lor Bill Donaca #6OV (Bul) in the 250Cc class. Bill took the Trophy Dash and A Main first place. Lowell Carey aiso cleaned house in the 500Cc class on his Honda #49v. Lowell took both the Trophy Dash and first place A Main. (Results on rage 21) ~t'u~4d,4'W~4 'Re~,4t Lt6It~ By Betty Nichols June 22nd was scheduled as "Record Breaking Day" out at Lions Drag StriP. While our dragsters broke three A.H.R.A. spJed records. They also broke the attendance record for this year. The reported entries amounted to 59. Much more than In the past few months of this year. A little excitement during one of the roundS, but It haPpened so fast, that not too many people realized that It even happened. Fred Wetterau touched upon a spot of 011 juSt as he changed into third gear. The bike just dropped onto its side while Fred took a complete nip into. the air, hi t, skidded back towards the starting line, bands first, nipped, skidded some more, scrambled, threw down his gloves, then ran over to shut his screaming engine off. He tried to wave off the ambulance, hut they continued in, then helped him get his gear together and get his bike off the strip. He escaped Injury outside of a badly scraped arm and a very bruised ego. He entered two bikes that morning. The H-D that went that-a-way, and a Brldgestone. Since he was In no shape to do any more riding that day, Mike Velasco volunteered to ride Fred's Brldgestone in the J Modified Class heat, and darned If he didn't win ItI Moulders and Johnson came out for the record event and managed to break tbe C gas record. They reported In with 11:01 and 124.65 mph. George Jonovlch took the Street class win on his Norton with 12: 86 and 105.42. He didn't break any records, but he dld come Into the money. Joy Houston took top honors in Modified after running aginst her husband, Art, a few other guys, then Dick Strickland. There Is nothing but admiration from all the viewers and riders for that young lady. H-D of Inglewood took Top Gas, buthe didn't stick around long to let us know what his speed and E.T. was, so we are all left in the dark over that one. Jeff Gough didn't disappoint anyone. He took first in the Fuel class, plus he broke a record. In the B class he broke the old record of 10: 72 and 138.81 with a new record of 9:98 and 147.29. Troy Pegeus claimed runner-up on this event, but we have no record of his speed. "Jim Jones didn't take any honors, but he did all right with his Triumph fueler in C class. He made a new record of 11.27 and 130.62. That was good enough for him, he says. "At least I broke the record." Dan Zeman, the pit director for the motorcycles was on an impromptu visit to Iowa, so Jack Linn took over in his stead with Norman Nichols and your reporter as back-uP crew. Jack brought out his own Uttle Suzuki In hopes of making a COuPle of runs, but after one try, one of the loca1 boys, Vince Rowles, blew a plug, so Jack gave him the loan of the right head of his own machine so he could flnlsh out his runs. Jack was pretty busy most of the d;ly anyway, but dld get his machine back together again to make a run later in the day. No records were met or made between these two, but they both had a lot of fun. 'That ls the Important thing. With such a great turnout on this meet, we sure hope to see every one of you, plus a whole lot more out to the strip for the big money meet on July Fourth. It should be just great. 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