Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

arnlng · ontagious. Motor Bike Bug BJ 1be motor bike bug bas a YicJous blte. ~ It's not one ot those "ooc. bltteD, tw1ce :i!: shY" affatrs. It's more the "Once bltt8D, [o:j JOu've bad It, Sister" type. Since there CI) ..,J are no bug repellents on today's markets U yOID" 55 year old busllaDd starts eye!Dg motor bikes with a covetous leer, Is to prepare a sensible tally sheet separated loto FOR &lid AGAINST WOII't sway him one 10 JOu wtl1 go down flgbtlng. Yet you may start t flgbtlng a losing battle.At4!~, married to a man tor JOu've learned that b decided to be a free as well goaloDg,oryou YOID" first mare theD bike. You el1mb aboard &lid try to convtoce bl teD pound blob bang1ng seat doesn't really oe just coming alooe or tIMlPfj~.' A ~ to help figbt It, yOID" ooly defense when caJl to the repair sbop, tno's a 75~ sprtllg, &lid with an hour ot b1s genius llIbor, bad the baDdY l1ttJe errand- runner bact 00 Its rubber teet• Not ooly does the new toy help malee frlllDds, It does a good job of rUDDing errands, and only sips cas, ustog about a tablespoon an bOlD". And bobby maJces matters more agr some solt foam hubby takes you rldlDg dally, showlDg how to ease those leg cramps by stretehtog otten, teachlng you how to lean with the turns, and belplDg you soak fresh air and sunsblne aI dust In one easy r. He starts nts on how your to be , due to the bike's • He polDts out that as a balr , It 15 just as fast and ettlelent as ectrlc one, and twice the tun. such favorable progress, you beore suscePtible to the bite. 1be seems to be l1cklDg Its l1Ps &lid OU up as a vlc!tlm, and you don't It no longer bares Its tangs u cl1mb aboard, and even purrs a tead ot snarl1ng. Samewbere tral1 you've lost the tear thatlt h aroUDd and chomp a leg ott at ee. And either your skID bas bec, or It really bas , because those mer. YOID" mate are~'~~~~! suddenly,b1aekthe wtld there bllHl tog your bus s onr b1s sboulde at the Ilaek side ur Its lostog Atterd Iy onr b1s ehatt8rtog teeth "Gloe," wooder1Dg bUe bIm 10 Decem arrive Ilaek 10 the the motor popplog &lid soarl.lDg accusm,tY. out ot the corDer ot your mouth you turtlvelY s.-k a snarl Ilaek. But bubby Is happy, so you gO 10 -and mix a stiff drlDk - to warm UP, ot course. Next day, after a Dlgbt ot fitful drlllUDS ot be1Dg eateD by a yoraeious tricycle, l1ttJe mlDor problems start developlDg: 11ke, wbere do 1i'll tasteD the bib to tbe camper tor haul1ng on trips? It can't go on tbe bact bumper because ot the proPlUM! tank &lid boat bltcb. But If It's put OIl the front bumper, the beadllgbts lmpulsively disappear. Then comes the lDsurance query - "to be or not to be, that Is the question." Twere better, tar, to have lnslU'ed and lost than never to have 10sured at all. But good tblngs happen, too. Suddenly It seems you are buddies with many people you've only nodded to before. Any time two motor bikes owners run Into each other, figuratively speaking tit's there - lostant friendshiP - wblle they compare how and wbere the bug first blt them, and various other data such as cas mileage, power on hllls with wife beblnd, power on bllls mlous wife behlDd, ete. However, comparlDg notes with these new buddies brlDgs out the disturblDg fact that your bike WOIl't shift Into lowsometblng friend busllaDd, as a neoPhyte, didn't realize (whicbprovedltwasn'tthat extra blob whicb made the bike turn onr and play dead on every blll). After the VIrg1Dla Sc:hm1dt nmllal:Ioo, bubby maIats a furious pboae ~II~ii~ ~ JOn ~to~ the bike on the per, and It Is ever you go, ~~~::J: IBtlonsheet, "vl shreds from FOR side, &lid wblle It lasted. aver the lDltlal bite bas gone rienee bas taught slbatioo.~ eltber refuse to ride any more, hurting hubby's teellDcs &lid ruimotAr risk ot be1Dg left hom. alone a lot time, or JOU can show the bike boss. If It were a horse, the timeprocedure would be to get Ilaek on ride It to submission. Obviously mecbanlcal monster bas less lDtel11geoee thaD a horse. From that angle alone It would be easier to conquer. You decide to learn to ride tbe @f$%~ tblng or end Ie> 10 a hospital trylng. This decision, al COlD"se, means "gettlng to koow you" , whieb· 10 turn means accumulatlng all the S1D1dry facts about motor bikes. In the first place, motor bikes are differeDt from motorcycles, at least what we caJled motorcycles wbeo we were JOung. They are smaller, l1gbter and less expenstve. They are more apt to be hauled along on huntlng, fishlng, and prospeetlng trips because ot tbe1r sturdy l1gbtoess. Prlees raoce from $250 tor small bikes, UP. to $2700 tor big motorcycles. But the statlstlc that really slaps one 10 the face Is that there are over 1,5000,000 registered motorcycles and bikes 10 the United States, and this doesn't lnelude many trail bikes whicb are used exclusively ott the blghwayslltls rapidly beeomlDg a popular "tamlly sport" with riders rangt.ng 10 age from the very young, hoisted on Daddy's knees, to eighty year aIds. Economy Is another couslderatIon. One man rides b1s bike to work twenty mUes a day at the pbenomenal cost of 40~ a week. That does It! The motor bike Is here to stay, wbether It's bltteD you yet or notl DelIghted at your change in attitude, "'''iiiJIl'r; BONANZAS ATwasBONNEVILLE There amazement &lid coosteroatlon among veteran motorcyclists at the Bonnevllle Speed Trials receotly. Two motorcycle SP8ed records bad been set by - ot all tblngs - a mlDlblke. Uooff1clal tlme sl1ps clocked one tIDy bike as high as 120 mph as 18 year old novice rider Jobn Conlan raced to the new records. One Bonneville oMclal eXela1med, "They stole the showl" But It was no surprise to MIke Farrand, president ot Bonanza Industries, Incorporated, bnllders ot the mlDlblkes. AccordlDg to Farrand the purpose 10 golDg to Bonnevllle was to prove ODce and tor all that mlDlbikes could have safe bandI.lDg characteristics even at Bonoevllle speeds. Mtntblke manufacturers, Uke many other maJcers ot powered veblcles, are coocemed about safety; and some ot them work clusely with youth and police organizations to promote safer rldlDg on two wbeels. An excellent example ot tb1s concern Is that although it costs them sales, most reputable m1n1blke makers recommend the smaller bikes be confIDed strictly to ott-the-road fun rldlDg. They further argue that It Is far better tor a youngster to start handllng a powered veblcle by controI11ng a 100 poUDd mlDlblke 10 an empty lot than to start by drlYing a 4000 pound car 00 a 65 mph freeway. Many pollce ottIelals agreeand encourage supervised mlDlblke rldlng programs. Deslgoer and bnllder ot the bikes was Jack Costella ot Bonan Zll • TunlDg was by lrv Kanemoto. The records won were: PSA-AG-175 @ 92.561 mpb (Bonanza gave away 41cc 10 englne size to wID tb1s one), and A-AG-IOO @ 79.774 mph. Whitem.an. Closed English Trials Held At Loon Lake SACRAMENTO, CALIF., Sept. 7, 1969Loon LaJce was the sight ot the English Trials conducted by Sacramento's Pae1tic International TrIals Society on Sept. 7. Divided lDto eight observed Sections, the course was three and a halt mlles ot water crosslngs,~, rocks, and rough slopes. Experts r tour circuits, wblle Amateurs and Novlc rode three. A the request of the Placerville M.C., wbo donated the tropbles tor the class, a class for Novices on maehlDes ot over 300cc was lneluded. Special meDtion goes to Mrs. Barbara RobersoD wbo completed three circuits on her 120 Suzuki and rode every section. She 15 the first woman to complete a tralls held by PITS/Sacramento. (Results on page 20) BY MIke Capal1te PACOIMA, September 20- Wlthmuebregret, but due to a legal mix-up, the Bell Development Co., promoters ot the SP8edway raees at Whiteman Airpark Stadium tor the last cOlqlle ot months were forced to cancel SaturdaY Dlght's eveDt as well as the proposed championshiP series. This closlDg ot the season leaves Steve Bast as blgh polot man tor this track althougb Rick Woods. was a close second with only a matter ot a few points separating them. This means that 10 addition to the CalifornIa State Championship that Steve won recently at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, Steve also wtl1 carry the title ot champion ot Whiteman. Although Steve's earUer vacation from SP8edway raelDg put him out ot the rwming tor the U.S. ChamplonsblP 10 which R1ek Woods has built uP a terrific lead, Steve bad ga1ned enough polots at Whiteman to carry over the lead until he started ridlDg agaln. BY the time the season opeus next year, the Bell Development Company hopes to have their proposed Indoor arena bullt and ready to go, so It looks Uke next year Is golDg to be the year ot the Speedway. BR'DGESTONf Sales-Senice • TIle ..., ........ ..., . . . . . 1CtiH. Barney Tillman's SPORT CENTEB &027 Wlllltier B1 veL, E. Los Angeles (213) 7~3523 III"" ............. .,......,. .......... KAWASAKI SPEED KITS lit .. ,.,... .... l20cc & 175cc wrlle or call ..... ~.., '" .,.rtIII riIIIn ... . . . . .., ...,... ... IIIIIIt 1II1tIIIn. Nell Haney • • '. _ ., Lomita of ••• newly dMloped S & Wshoc:ll spri. for IUlIII shocb. Avlillble in either 60/90 JII'lIII"SSRe type or straight wound 88 lb. !lnsian. 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