Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

A Nice Place To Visit But . ............ __ __ _- _ ._ Darryl Skraback NEW YORK - This morning I was following my friend Phill Niblock through the crash of downtown sidewalks to Phlll's office. In an Intersection a motorcyclist was trying to squeeze through trafflc. The rider was going between cars and mak1ng good progress, unW he was confronted with two vehicles too close for hlm to contlnue - or so It appeared to us. But the rider was undaunted. He changed down his ratt;, SuPerhawk and charged Into the space between the cars. He bounced off first the side of one car, then the other. The engine wrapped uP a bit, and he was through. We shook our heads at this maneuver. It was dangerous to being with, and the streets were slick with rain. But the move was credible In this dense, complel<,. crushing city. Here tensIon 15 a way'of life, and the motorcyclist simply responded In the prevalent style. When the space got tight, he didn't wait. He pressured through. New York: It's a rough place. In this tough environment, the motorcycle, Is surviving quite well. It 15 gradually become more popular for a number of reasons. A car Is Impractical here. It costs a lot to buy, and then It must be garaged. It cannot be parked on the street because of towaway laws. Leased space for a year In a commerc1aI garage costs $750. Insurance rates are also high, and Insurance Is compulsory. Then there Is the New York traffic. It Is terrible - period. To ride In a car Is to get stuck. Our friend, Phlll Niblock, Is a filmmaker and photographer. His only personal transportation Is a YamaIla 350. We met Phlll In Oberlin, Kansas, when he was returning from a trip to the West Coast. Aboard his bike Phill carried a good amount of photo and movie gear. HIs trip was both a vacation and working journey. The film he shot along the way Is now going Into his work. For PhUl the Yamalla Is a means to get out of New York. This Is Important when business requires him to travel. It Is also Important to him personally: at times It 15 good for one's health to leave the abrasions of the city. Without personal transportation, getting out of the city Is difficult and expensive. Public conveyances are great for gettlng about inside the city, but escap Ing Is a iI1fferent story. Phlll pays $180 a year to garage h1s bike. Parking lot fees and Insurance are lower, too. So are tolls for bridges, tunnels and ferrys. In traffic the bike Is by far the superIor vehicle. When cars stop, a motorcycle st1ll finds room to contlnue, even if the rider Is more cautious than the one we vtewed this morning. Service costs a lot for both bikes and cars. It 15 dlfflcult flnd1ng a place to do your own servicing. But certainly the New York difficulties are more easily overcome by the motorcycle owner. In Phill's case, he can bring his Yamalla In 110 h1s office if he first empties It of gasoline (to comply with fire laws.) Ownership of any kind of vehicle In New York has Its drawilacks. But the drawbacks are much worse for the car owner than the motorcyclist. In N.w York City, where a motorcycle Is a practical answer to the problem of concestlon, Judy sets up housekeeplnc In a dlsappea,lnc American seltlnc: the 'Manhattan loft. Iol._ , ~ Cycle Screen HfJppening ~. It Is Interestlng to note the preponder- By Iol. ance of cycle fllms flooding theatres today, dealing mostly with a faction of the sport that has In the past done much to further the public's opinion that all motorcyclists are the long haIred, cutoff iiLcketed, unwasbed variety. The great sport of motorcycling has by leaps and bounds, broken out of the cocoon that for so many years surrounded those who enjoyed the freedom motorcycling affords. People have learned the exhilaration of riding a machine that puts you out In the air and satisfies a typical human need to do something daring - a little 'out of the ordinary. Noting thIs, the Motion Picture Industry has looked beyond its .. WUd Ones" attitude and has started to weave the sport Into scripts, showing Its other side • .. Big Halsey and Little Fauss" Is a multi-mlll!on dollar production showing road racing and other forms of national competition withIn Its story lines. In another vein, .. Easy Rider" has bridged the creditability gap between both sides and laid bare some aspects of human emotions that are prevalent In us all. . As yet, no film company has attempted to wrap a good story line around one aspect of the sport, the Intrepid riders who master the wide open spaces In desert racing. With this In mind, Vega International Pictures has charged two of Its staff members, Gene Drew and Carme Pltrello, with the responslbII1ty of writIng a script showing thIs facet of the sport with a SOlid, action packed story. Opening with a mind tweaking title, ..A Happening In Second Gear", It explodes Into pulse tingling action, comedy and the latest approaches to cinematography with stop action, slow motion and split screen attitudes that sbould keep viewers right on the edge. The story line divides Its time between a grouP of typical desert racers and dune buggy enthusiasts who Involve themselves In some far out antics dealing with one of the most daring and far out robberies ever pulled. A cacophony of sight and sound fllls the screen as the cyclists and the buggy guys team uP to thwart a plot against their country by raIding the enemy camp at full throttle In second gear, scattering the enemy and the equipment all over the Nevada landscape. In and out of the story line are real people living and loving their way through "A Happening In Second Gear" • = Col :i!: Col ...::J U ;:..., U

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