Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125626
:l ---- - - - .. t ll., If tile - . . , 11'_ 011 IbIm, . . , woaJd etIIer flIl8IId tile _ _ or jaDk lIIe tooGce c:oIIIIIJeIel)' and IIlart - 0II1U11llG1er 10000ttOll. eoa.tder1Dr lbe "h1ppIe" trPe c0stumes worn by most at tile cut lfIeJ es.pected and ant1ctpated a lI'eat deal at trouble aJoac lbe _Y. Much to lbe1r sUrpr1.se 110 problems were eocomItered. No ~ IoiI ~ '110 ~ (,) "Easy Rid,r" Peter Fonda was on tour promoting another fUm when he conceiVed the ill\aie at two young men experiencing "tile ultimate freedom," as they saw it, a trip across the country on motorcycles. The more Fonda thought about the idea !be more he felt it could make a new and daring type at motion picture. He called his long-time friend Dennis Hopper and told him the idea. Hopper was ecstatic and immediately the pair began planning tile project: a fUm called "Easy R~r" • Before it was f1n1shed the fUm would entall tile traveling at hundreds of thousands of veb1cle miles and lbe IIHJfzaHoo of the largest motion picture set ever devised - lbeentiresoutbwestsrnportion at lbe United States. The story is as dUf1cult to describe as freedom is to det1ne. fllIslcally!bat is what lbe story is - freedom. The complete freedom so yearned for by a larre setrment of the youlbM population at !be world today. ProbablY tile two key wordS in the story at "Easy Riders" are freedom and today. In essence tile fUm 15 about tboN two bure 511bjects. Two YOUlllr men leave La. AnreleS, tbey have 110 problems and 110 lIcbedule otber tIIan tbey WlIIIt to be in New OrJeana in time for tile Mardi Gru wtJ1cb 111 several weeks away. SymboliCAlI)' !be Jut act tbey commit in La. AnpJes 15 to throw a.., lbe1r watdIM. 'lbey traysl Euhlard. Wbat bappeIIS aext 111 JUe, JUe as it 111 in America with all the variations !bat permeate our complex society. What they meet Is neither good nor bad and none of it is planned, it just baWens. Starting out with a basic story outUne, but with no restricting script, the crew set out trom Hollywood without schedule or time limit. All the dialogue was ad libbed by the players and the company would drive until they spotted a place !bat they liked, then stop and shoot a scene. problems, tbat is, at an omclaI nature or tbat II1IIdered sbooting in lIllY' way • One amusing inddeot occured Wben Hopper 'll8llted to sboot a scene sbow1n&' lbe two men r1d1ng tlleir motorcycles at h1Cb speed througb a natlooal park. Arrangements were made tohaveapol1ee car proceed tllem to clear tratt1c and all the proper permits were obtained to break speed laws. The motorcycles were to be follOWed by a car with a camera mounted on the hood. The camera was to use a huge telephoto lens. The scene was tUrned with no problems and the crew was congratulating themselves on getting tile trickY shot so easily when the police alticer called them over to hear a report over his radio. It seems a civillan, who didn't know about the fUming, had seen the chase and reported !bat "a police car is being chased by two hippies on motorcycles who are being chased by a car load at gangsters with a machine gun on their hood." IIts Ken MaeIJ, or lhe 'The Sboeman' as be Is kDOwD to tbcI'•• octs ot1lattrackand TT racers Is beading east to give more people a cbaDee at b1s wares. Ken and his wUe ludy left tbe1r Corona Calltornla ranch July 17 and their tirst scbeduled stop will be in Waco, Tens on lbe 19th. The oext day sbould tlDd them 10 Austin and !bey wtll be carrying a full 11De of bot sboes in the completeI)' equlpped van seen every Friday nigbt 10 tile pits at Ascot. Judy said the main reason 10r the trip is so they can meet their customers face to face and give some oflbe racers at tile smaller tracks an opportunity to have their hot shoes repaired or hardened. The Maelys will catch all the races they can as they head east from Texas. They w1ll be in Jamesto\1lll, Pennsylvania on the lOth of August and plan to make Sante Fe Speedway and Peoria, ll11nois on the 15th and 17th. Their last scbeduled stop after a sbort tour of Wisconsin wtll be Sedalia, Missouri on the 24th at August. They hope to be home on Septmeber 6th. AUTO ACCIDENT KILLS JOE SMITH Joe Smith, 55, died July 6, 1969 in a California bospila1 from injuries suffered in an automobile accident. Joe was tile father ofDave(1b)Smilb, who is just coming into prom1nence as a flat track racer. Joe was perhaPs Dave's biggest tan, bac1dng bim from the time Dave tirst decided to race. Joe took his son out and made bim pract1ee for six moolbs before letting him compete. He tuned and set tlP Dave and Mike's (the older SOD'S) bikes and made many sacrWces to allow the boys to have what tlley 'll8llted most. Joe went out with tllem to Prado Park and attempted to race several times but renerally found b1mBeU work1nr 00 Dave 01' M1ke's macblnes. Joe IIWIICed to see 0II1y two races 1n wb1cb Dave acb18ved lbe exceJl8l!CA! be .bows promise at atta1nJng but be was proud IlIlOIIP to tbose two w1DB to IIbow what a true entbu.s1ast and ra.etnr s~ porter be was. Joe 111 lIlIl'Vived by b1s wUe JeaDae, a s1lIter, Mrs. EveJyn Street at Nat1oaa1 two SOOB. V_AHA IITRODUCES lEI RIDER TRAIIIIG PROGRAM rwo-" I. .III.1t DeU,.r, R ... Fw Yamaha International Corporatioo ba.s ..7 •• Collllll Aft. S. ....... 110, C.I. (714) TV 5-3445 P.ter I'ollll• •d Denal. Ilopptt 'Id. p.at .... blC - " J In tllel, at. ",., 'Eaay fll...". T., portray two , _ . _ 011 tile 100.. tr.v.llnc uro.. tile Soutll...t u.s. In ...ch of tile 'Ultlilit. F'Ndom.· . I HAALaV-QAVID.aN I 69 r'e rr.;' By Eric Ra1ts City, Cal" and b1s "'E Of II6lfWOOD All Colors SPORTSTERS 'mmldlate D.II very 111-7. or 111-118D So. Cal. Enduro Champion - eUL.T~CO For Your Ne.est "Buill 'TO' Go " Dealer Call TR. 7·2400 or PO. 9-0441 TRIUMPH • SUZUKI Wall Axlhelm's Tri umph - Suzuki 1,101015 1049 ••It 51h St., PO_., CellI. (114)629-8642 ImRnl - s,..••• 350 'Universals are stock equipment on your race ready100XR. Qr_.r._ Bill fItd_d of Down." CellI. Mdllll the 1HI • • •n .. IIrlt o_ell ",duro rid. fo, AlIA proudl, dllPl.,. hi. hlp polat tropll7. DIstrict 37. Tilt 250cc UIDOWICed lbe 1nst1tut1011 01 a natloow1de Basic Rider TraJ.nl.nr Promm throach its more t:baD 1200 dealers aerO's the United States. This program is !be first to be ot!ered in a complete packap byamajormotorcycle manufacturer. Its sole purpose is teacbing people bow to ride a motorcycle before they purchase 008. In the past, the motorcycle industry and Ita dealers bave been criticized for tile lack 01 training, or promms to stlPPly the tra1n1ng needs. Yamaha bas now taken the lead with a realistic training package !bat devotes twelve bours to teacb a person bow to properly start, operate and stop a motorcycle 10 a safe and legal manner. ApproximateIJ ten at the twelve hour prorram is devoted to actlaJ riding. The remaiDinr two boars tam!!lartze tile student rider with state laws tbat awl)' wberever the school is betnr eooducted, and also, bow to take - and pUS - a speelal operators license teIIt, If lbe state reqn1res ODe. The Yamaha system bu a unique metbod for teacblnr proper starting (taJr.ott) proeedures. IUuures tbatatirst time rider w11l not "wbeeI.Ie" 1CI in lhe air or OftI' backwards.ltalsoeUmlDates "stal.l1nr" lbe enctne. Anotber well covered aspect in lb1s aew promm 15 !be motorcycle stoppInr pbase. Tbe Yamaha metbod not 0II1y bu tile student. stql tileir macM_ under cootrol, but 1neludes an "Emerpncy Stop" procedure tbat sbows a new rider bow to avold coll1Bion and injury UDder emerpncy cooditiOllll. This pbase ba.s also met with 100% success in all pilot scbools. Tbe complete package comes in a "ldt" IncllldlDfr 1D!ormatioo to obtain 1n.suraDce and a IIlUDple test questioonaire for new riders. TIle success at lb1s promm 15 eY1deDt, says Rockwood, as scbools and orpnizat1ODs from all over !be country are asldDc for assistance and advice to set up promms; even motor veb1cle departments in several states requested Yamaha International to teadI their drivers license examiners bow to ride motorcycles, UB1nr Yamaha's Basic Rider Tra1D1ng Promm.