Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

You'll ~ Always See It V ... ....... FI~ST • • • • : I,,-~----America's Weekly Motorcycle Newspaper" " z z 7 7 CAUTION: MOTORCYCLE HATRED This letter is directed to Bill Zaremba #224, of Covina, Calif. I know bow you feel Bill, I had a similar situation June 19, 1969. I was riding a newly purchased (2 days old) Yamaha 250 and was riding north on one of our main streets to see my girl friend. Out of a side street came this Jady with her tires burning. Add a little water and you get a fisbtail action. This is what happened and sbe (or rather ber bumper) bit my rlgbt leg. That wasn'tbad enougb, sbe then decided to take off and by the time I rega1ned control 0/. my bike, she was gone and I had no license number, or belp. Maybe I was lucky as my bike suffered not even a scratch and I was still driving my bike, but I think that maybe a sign like "Caution, motorcycle batred around" migbt be in order for people who like taldng off when someone is burt. I suffered four vertical hair cracks and two three incb gasbes with massive internal bleeding and blood clots of the rigbt leg, and lots of pain as I graduated the following night from Granada High, and did some walking. What gives with people like this? I know that some people bate motorcycle riders but that much? DICK WEST Northridge, Cal. , NO COURSE IS SAFE AT'12O M.P.H. Having just returned from Europe, and yesterday had a chance tOread Cycle News which I missed in the past-5 weeks. In one of your May issues }"read the remarks Al Mark had abouf'bictng at Orange County Raceway. AslftIibst of us who bave known Al for the past 10 years pay no attention to anything he says, I am sure some of your readers are probably wondering if be knows of what he speaks. 1 had the pleasure of racing 3 side-car races wbUe ..in Europe and I know any of the race courses here in Calif. are among the safest in the world. I am sure any true racers knows no course Is safe at speeds of 100 to 120 mph. The road courses in Europe would really upset Al if be saw them, brick walls, houses, canalsl We all know the chance we take racing and I for one don' t need Al to look out for my safety and interests. BOB BAKKER Altadena, Calif. ENIGMA UNCOVERED Accept my congratulations for the well written, informative article "Playing Cbeckers - A Close-Up Look at the Greenhorn" by Carol Sims. For the past three years I've been a consistent and enthusiastic spectator at motorcycle events in the U.S., England and Europe. I must admit that Enduros bave always been an enigma to me and I'm sure others who are not actual contestants were bewildered too. Your article helped clear uP some of my Ignorance and made interesting and enjoyable reading. OLIE HUNT Woodland Hills, Cal. REED VALVE DIDN'T BLOW I am writing in regards to the article on page 8, paragraph 7 of the June 24 issue. It states that the reed 1nstal1ed by tuner Tom Turner, on Gary Bailey's bike blew uP. This was not a fact, as should be reported. What happened was a defective crank. bearing forced Gary Bailey to stop. After this probIt:m was solved, the reed bas proved to make the Penton run much stronger. Since we do a lot of reed Publisher & Editor•• Chuck Clavton .- \SSlslant Editor ••••• Eri R~its nusiness Manager.. haron ("layton Office Manager•• Ga~ It>ne Thomason Production Manager•• Dennis Greent> Production Asst••Oean Curullne:ham Circulation Mana gt>r•• Ilruce F.aslt>.v Bookkeeper••• , .• usan IIhlwla" Lab Technician••••••Llly Lak.ch Want .-\ds••••••••• Sandra Pur~' Published weekly except the first and last week of the calendar year 7 7 7 7 work, we don't want your thousands of readers getting bad reports on the reed, as they are very reliable. TOM TURNER Turner Expansion Ohambers SEND MacDOUFFE TO ALASKA I read your littie inSignificant feature assaulting Darrel Triber's record setting Three- Flag run and I in no way can see any bumor in your article. The only place that article would bave beenfitting would bave been in Mad Magazine or l1n1ng the bottom of a garbage pail. If you do not approve of Triber's record setting run, why not attack and assail it on the ed1tor1al page? And then give bim a chance for rebuttal? Your article only brings dlscred1t UllOD the motorcycle industry and only serves to enhance the motorcycle image of a typical "onepercenter". Your article was done in very poor taste, especially in degrad1ng the very f1ne California Hlgbway Patrol, the Mexican Border GuardS, and California's Freeway System. 'Tis only a shame that your "cattle truck" that you struck did not carry you all the way to Alaska. DIsgustingly, PVT. MARVIN TRADITION As a final word, I cannot see how you can carry articles such as this in your paper. These very bad and mal-aligned attempts at bumor bave no business in a newspaper that does an excellent job in reporting the motorcycle events and happenings of the West Coast. Sincerely, PVT. MARVIN TRADITION APO San Francisco COMMENT: MacDouffe says, -Just try and break our record, nadition. Besides. what do you bave q:ainst Alaska?" WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR SCRAMBLES EVENTS? Last week we went to Perris to ride what was advertised (in your paper) as a TT scrambles only to find out that ithad been cbanged to a rough mote-x type event. Next week at Bay Mare is a Grand Prix, paying desert, moto-x, and scrambles points. And the following week is another rough scrambles on the same order. If I had wanted to ride moto-x I wouldn't bave paid my $3.00 for a scrambles license. Everyone keeps asking why our big bore class Is diminisbing. It is because we bave to ride these type of events. A forty Incber cannot possibly compete against a 360 on a moto-x type course. The opposite Is true on a fast course. Does anyone remember the buge turnouts at Prado Park, riders and spectators alike? They used to bave to run beats and mains and everyone loved it. Perhaps we are heading in the wrong d1rection. Let's hear some comments from some other riders on this subject. CONCERNED SCRAMBLES RIDER Inglewood, Cal. 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 matedal 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 mtes and circulation information will be sent upon request. 7 7 7 7 broken. My complaint is the way these sanctions were handed out. Pity the poor flagman 3 mUes out on the course who bad bis points taken away from bim and bad no say in the matter. This sociallstic action definitely makes prospective members reconsider joining any District clUb, it will also discourage present clubs from throwing future events. I'm sure we will hear more of this both pro and con but if this is the way our own District treats Its riders and clubs, District races w11l get fewer and fewer. These views are my oWn and do not necessarily state the policies of the STUMP JUMPERS M,C. I JOHN TOWNSEND Desert #282x Newport Beach, Calif. I just received my copy of the Dist.37 Competition minutes and find that I bave lost 10% of my Moto-X points for the year! I must admit guilt in that I am a member of the now infamous "STUMPJUMPERS" but that is where my guilt ends. The penalties were given out because one member of the club lets John Rice exhibit bis 125 in the 500 class. John asked the starter and had bis, not my permission to ride. This admittedly Is an infraction of the rules so do they penalize the club? No, they take away eacb member's points without a bearing, without any form of representation to answer the cbarges. This is a fair way to run the District? We laugbandjokeabout the cruel AMA and suspensions of Jolin Penton and Dick Mann but the same damn thing is happening now in our district. My brother John and I were CUsquai1fied for riding our own event because we suPposed1y knew the course, but_were told we could ride it if we signed uP for scrambles points. Alter a certain committeeman told us we could not ride because we knew the course he proceeded to make several laps around the course to cbeck the "flagmen" then lined up and raced in the 500 expert class! That was fair??? in closing there would not be any AMA races without clubs that work bard to put on events, we don't need any more conflict with some Gestapo typecommitteemen who can't find anytb1ng better to do than criticize a club's bard work. BOB MAYNARD #2 Santa Ana, Cal. The New Image by Chuck Clay ton U.S, MOTOCROSS TEAM THRIVES AND SURVIVES Ron and John are back bome after three months thrashing througb the motocross pastures of Europe. Four junior members of the U.S. Motocross Team are now either in Europe or preparing to embark. America is figbting back from the limp position we found our champions in when the European teams first came over the year before last. They proved to be very fast, but we know we can be faster. Ron Nelson was AMA POINTS LOST It's good to see that our fabulous District 37 is rlgbt on the ball, laying AMA type sanctions on some of its members. This month 1000feacbStumpJumpers members DIstrict points and 25%of John Rice'S points were taken away, because JR was allowed to ride bis 125 in the 500 and open expert race at our Grand Prix. John started behind the line and waited till all the bikes were on their way, he caused no problems except for a little burt pride, there were no complaints from the riders. '!bere is a District rule which states you can't ride a small bike in the big bike race, I'm not IcItocking this rule, it was American Motocross Team sllould. patch Is a beauty, cast $1.92 Just to make (tile U. S. coes nllt class!). S special offer In till s .. column. a tremendously improved rider lIfter his European sojourn and Gary Bailey, who bas never been. out of the western U.S., Singh' ('OP.'· pnu'••••••••.• 2;eSubs('riptinn: 00(" ,no"lr 2nd (·I.. s~ mail ••••••••••••••••• Si ..iO NATIONAL ADVERTISING DIRECTOR, ••.• Thomas R. Culp Cycle News (West), P.O. Box 498, Long Beach, Calif. 90800 Tel. (2131 423-0431. EASTERN ADVERTISING Pall Co..er St.t. Cycl. News (E.,ll P.O. 80. 13, Amherst, Ohio 44001 Tel. (216l 984-2433 7 7 7 7 beat some of Europe's best on the 4th of July at saddleback Park. Since the debut of international motocross in the U.S. American riders are racing every chance they get, building intensified motorcycles and going after the world champions on their own home ground. The competition cut their teeth and part their hair on courses you couldn't believe you can race on. U.S, motocross races are fun, something you go to on a weekend. The Swedes, Belgians, Czecbs, Germans, etc. ded1cate themselves to it. It is worth doing and they do It well. Early this year an American Motocross Team was put together by Dan Gurney, J,C. Parkburst and Kim Kimball to belp sponsor young American pioneer raceJ'f in Europe. With funds limited by the generosity of the motorcycling public and the ingenuity of D.G., J.C.P. and K. K., only a dribble of support reacbes the pioneers. The U.S. Motocross Team isn't mucb, yet, but it Is something. It's got a good start and it's got to grow. So we are making a special offer, to sbow what we mean by ingenulty, and to belp Russ Darnell, Bob a~ie, Gary Bailey and Jim Wilson concentrate on becoming the world cbampions of motocross racing. Every NEW subscription you send to Cycle News before Sept. 1. 1969 plainly marked "GIVE TOU.S.M.X. TEAM" wUl put $5.00 d1rectly into the team's treasury. We' n see to it that it's divided up equally among the four American riders. In addition, we' U see that you receive the otficial team sboulder patcb. If you alreadY subscribe, get the guyswboborrow your Cycle News to subscribe. The sub blank is in here somewhpr" THIS IS A ONE-TIME:OFFER AND WILL NOT BE REPEATED (we'll think of something else. But if other publications want to copy us, may they do so with our blessings). THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION An Iowa State College professor named O'Mare, addressing a convention of safety otfic1als in New York City recently, cautioned against schools allowing rider education for motorcycle operators. "It only entices more kids to take uP motorcycle r1d1ng," be warned. "The only way to reduce the number of motorcycle accidents," tile professor reasoned:'Is to reduce the number of motorcycles in use." We think the old pro/. may bave bit on a solution not only to the safety problem, but a good many other d11emmas that nag public officials. Extend1ng bis logic just a littie, the good professor apparently advocates eliminating colleges to reduce campus disorders. What Prof. O'Mare didn't want to reveal is that studies so far bave sbown that minimum rider training results in ZERO accidents for the riders involved. The results are so good that they are bard to believe. For they sbow that even without courtesy from car drivers, perhaps everyone can be taught to ride a motorcycle so as to neverbave anacc1dent! The new rider training program prepared by Yamaha's Public RE:iatl.ons Director Roxy Rockwood Is a casE' in point. But we wUl relegate Professor 0' Mare's simple- minded idea to the crackpot category along with the reasoning of another safety fool whose name bistory bas lost, who suggested thatdrlving during the rush hour sbould be probibited, since that's when most accidents occur! BE A FAMOUS MOTORCYCLE RIDER "if you're in a burry but don't want,. to fly - ride a bike!" That may become the new slogan of the motorcycle movement If the long distance records keep getting broken. North America was recently traversed horizontally and vertically by record seeking motorcyclists. The old U.S. bas been raced east to west by Ttbor Sarossy

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