Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .. Bookkeeper•••••• Susan MltteJaw Waut Ads••••••••SuzUee Evans CI., SUlgte copy price. • . . . . . . • . 2:1C' Subecnption: one year 2nd <'lass Published weekly except the [irsl and last week of the calendar year by Cl'cle News. Inc .. Post Offic~ Box 498. Long Beach. California, a Iso publishers of Cycle News East. Second Class Postage paid at Lon g Beach. Caiif. Erlitorial stories, cartoons, photos, etc. are welcome. Write for information. Addressed. stamped envelope assures return of editorial ml1tter. Reprinting in whole or in part only by permission of the publishers. Advertising rates and circulation information win be sent upon request. N,rtlJem mail ..•.• _ . . . . • • . • • • . 57 :10 "A.rlca'. #l _'plplr. Vou'll _kl, _ _rcle AI. .,. _ It FIRST In C,cl. N...!" Publ18ber••••••• (lllu'les ClaylDn General Manager. • • • • • •Tom Culp Feature Editor••••••• Terry Pratt Assistant EclilDr•••Gael IlUcbanao Business Manager••Shamn (layton Advertising Manager••PlIIIl Casner Circulation Manager•• lInace Eall1ey PIOducUon Asst. Dean CuDDin&bem Lab TecbntcillD. •••••L1Ii Laktcb om ce 1470 Broad••" W.lnut Cre.k, Calli. (415) 934-1995 DIs!. Jlgr. Bill SlIIllh Cycle News (WesU, P.O. Box 498. LonE BeacIJ, Calif. lIanl (213) 421-1433 L.A. 63&-8844 C,cle N••• East .nd N.tlonal Advert· 1.lnllnfonutlon: Tho Culp.JII.Uon.1 Adv.rtl.lnl Dlr. 2499 C lto. A.... Long Be.ch, Ca IIf. 90106 (213) 427·7433 or 636-1144 T.l.. 67·3474 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~,.. FLANDERS' SUGGESTIONS If'~ \WI~~lf As a member of the competition congress of the AMA I felt it was about time that some 11gbt was sbed on the sixteen (16) year old racing Issue. Please understand tbis Is my position only and refiects no other tbInkIng. First, consider the rumor that competitor,S under sixteen (16) at Bonneville sparked tbe legislation. This Is wbolly unfounded as no competitor at Bonneville tbis year was under elgbteen (18) years of age. Secondly, as an Individual I voted against the legislation as It stood. My tbink1ng at that time was that It would be an Imposition to clubs wbo bave a percentage of membersbips under sixteen (16). I also felt that If a young man wants to ride badly enougb this may entice bIm into buying a pbony birth certtt1cate thereby misrepresenting himself and finding other legal dttf1culties. Finally there was the problem of enforcement, for we all know that It the young man's father Is standing there telling the offtctaI that bts son Is sixteen (16) wbat can the offtctaI say,? The recourse I would suggest to those attended by this legislation Is as follows; Club petitions stattng your feelings about the issue and stgned by all anJlable members. '!bese petitions sbould be forwarded to Jules Horkey, Care of '!be AMA, p.O. Box 231, Wortbington, Ohio 43085. This action It in large enougb numbers would force the congress to revote on a by-mall basis and possibly rectIfY any unjust legislation. Before closing 1 would 11ke to furtber state there were no underage riders at Bonneville tbis year, no one knows tbis better than I. EARL FLANDERS Flanders Co. Pasadena, Cal. AMA RULE ON YOUNG RIDERS QUESTIONED I bave been told that the mintmum age 11mit for a sporting AMA rider bas now been raised to 16 years of age. Tb1s comes as a complete surprise to me since so many young people, boys and girls aItke, are riding motorcycles at organized event. Their racing sbould be os orne Importance to our entire society, since tbere are so many other young people participating in unacceptable acttvtties sucb as smoking pot, protesttng, and some otber unworthwbt!e acttvtties. It behooves the AMA to do everything in their power to be1p keep American boys and girls Involved In organized sporting activities. I bope that you sbaIl reconsider the mtnlmum age rule and leave it as It bas been In the past. DAVE EVANS Grossmont, CaIIt. UNIQUE TALENT Let this letter serve as a warning to Edison Dye, "promoter" of the Inter-Am Series, and perhaps as a note ofbopefor better tb1ngs for International MotoCross in the future. At both tbe San Frandsco and Los Angeles Inter-Am races, riding and spectator conditions were abomtnabIe. Dust covered spectators and forced riders to depend on foolbardiness rather than skill. Parldnc was cbaotic at Westlake; sucb that cars were allowed to cross the traek during races. Lack of spectator control resulted in multiple near accidents for men wbose talent Is rare and unique in the world. BENNY CHIEN, M.D. NORVIN G. PARR, M.D. MICHAEL MILLER, M.D. Orange, Cal. A TOUCH OF GOODWILL On Sunday, November 23, 1969 Lt. J.R. Street of the CaIIt. Hwy. Paaol POWDER PUFF DISPLACEMENT TO BE RAISED Girl Scramblers' engines wW have tbelr displacement raised from 100Cc to 125cc as of 1970 unless the girls protest the boost to Ben Bot. Secretary Treasure of District 37. The change is fine for scramblers, but wben a Grand Prix comes uP, It pays desert, motocross and scramblers points, so tbe Powder Puff class would bave to be 125cc. Rlgbt now all the desert girls ride 100Cc macbtnes. And U someone r1des a 125 in the desert, they race against tbe 250 class, which is impossible competition for a girl. However, in the traU class, you can do pretty well as some riders bave proved. I for one can't afford a 125cc machtne for four G.P.'s a year and a 100cc macbtne for the desert, so in the G.P.'s I would be out 25OCc's. I'm for leavIDg the Powder Puff at 100cc alI around. If 100cc Isn't eDOugb for you, girls, then get out and scramble with the guys. PATTYDOMAY Los Angeles, CaIIt. befriended me Immeasurably~ I drove from SalInas to attend the F.I.M. Motorcycle Motocross at San Rafael. Absent- mindly, I thougbt that $5.15 would be adequate. Tbe toll cbarge going north on the San Rafael Bridge was $.75 and the entrance fee to tbe motocross was $4.00, tbus leaving me with 40~. (I bad credit cards for everytbing but casb). Knowing that I did not bave enougb money to pay br1dge tolls driving soutb, I stopped Lt. Street and asked him bow tar east I would bave to travel to escape the toll cbarge. After discussing tbe var10us routes, we discovered that I would bave to drive east to Tracy and then down btgbway 35 and over the Pacbeco Pass. He offered me the loan of $1.00 so I would not bave to take the long clrcultous route borne. . Tbe loan was certa1nly appreciated, and I want people to know that tbere Is an officer in the Hlgbway Patol wbo Is a good samaritan. - Lt. Street bas been repaid by a separate letter addressed to bts bome. SANFORD A. COLBURN SaItnas, CaIIt. The Minibike Population Explosion -What about itt By Cbuck clayton Bart IIark.1 "", "'n 1969 •• started r.clnl big. molar. an dirt tracks .nd ...."bodr .as .fr.ld there'd be mar. IIlJS hurt. V.t In 1969 tlllre .ar. I••• InJurl•• on dirt tracks. lIeca... that . . . , _ we stert.d brlnllnl aur .Inlblke. to the ~ .. 611,. aMd til.... to ...11II . the track boten llIe rae.. .Ad whlcb pl_. . . . ung.au., tIlat .hould .vold. IIlnlbll,. . . .)' have .... r.c· Ing safar.· H•• Bart Indalp. In • plartal wlIe.lI. with hi. Bonanza. 'tile, .am Wby mtntbtltes? we motorcycle riders are likely to ask wben confronted witb the unmIstakeab1e boom 1n these small-wbeeled products. Why DOt spend the same money on a lIgbtweJght motorcycle, that does anytb1ng a mint can do, only better, and more besides? True, mints cost as mucb as $400 for the top of the line models, but they start at around $120. ADd there aren't any used ones for sale. A pre-teenage youngster sbopplng for his first two wbeeler may be better off paying $120 for a new mint than buytng a fiogged lIgbtweJgbt It be could find one for the same price. It you recaII, the tun of one's first motor·powered two wbeeler ia just as great wbether It goes 15 mpb or 150. You can tinker away with a rntntblke and still r1de It, wbUe even the simplest motorcycle calls for skilled bands at tbe wrenches It it is to survive. Statistics collected by Bonanza Industr1es sbow that 78% of mintblke buyers eventually purcbase real motorcycles, so 3 out of 4 minibike sales mean another motorcycle sale later on. Althougb there is no evidence collected to suPport it, we contend that a person learning on a mtntbtlte becomes an exPerienced rider and less 11kely to burt himself wben be or sbe graduates to a tul1-fiedged motorcycle. . Children are allowed to bave mintbikes because parents are fairly certain they wW not be riding tbem in tratttc. In most neigbborboods you can see the kids pusbtng their minibtltes along sidewalks to the nearest vacant field every Saturday morning. Now that the AMA Congress, in Its wisdom, bas raised the mtnlmum age for motorcycle racing to 16 years, we can look forwad to swttt growth of miniblke/lIgbtwelgbt motorcycle racing associations. Our Idds need supervised events to r1de. It the AMA won't have the young ones, some new racing association sbould. It is almost a cUcbl! to point out that some of these cb1ldren wW become the motorcycle racing stars of tomorrow. But, like everytbing else in American motorcycling, the demand Is tar greater than the supply of prodUCts, accessories, organization and communication in the mintblke field. Whether manufacturers, merchants and enthusiasts in the mintblke movement wW avoid the pitta1ls of selflsb greed, laziness and stupidity that otten handicap motorcycl1ng and invest in the future of the mintblke remains to be seen. We bave learned not to be too optimistic. Certa1nly, bowever, U the mintblke scene does not get Itself together this coming year and use some good Judgement, It wW be cruelly dealt witb by the forces of anti-tun. Already tbere are rumbles of repression in government, and the eastern press Is bavIDg a field day with mintbtlte scare stories. Fortunately, at least, there Is no Junior Hells Angels movement, so perhaps tbe minis will bave an easier time of It than the good 01' motorcycle bas bad. THAT BEEZER IS NO TURKEY Your November 18th Hopetown Issue said Brad Lackey was just uncatcbalile on an American Eagle. "Uncatcbable" yes, but not on an Eage - on a BSA. How could you mistake the sound? DEBBI SANDERS Mill Valley, Cal. _.Of course Brad Lackey was "Just uncatcbable" • After alI be was riding bIs ever-faithful BSA not the American Eagle someone on your staff Imagined. TOM ANDERSON Concord, Ca. WESTLAKE OBSERVATIONS W1th regard to the recent Inter-Am round at Westlake, CaIU., 1 would like to offer the following observations. It Is, of course, anunderstatementtocomment that the Inter-Am Series provides an Impressive set of races and tbis was certainly true at Westlake. However, there also appeared to be some equally unlmpress1ve aspects to the Westlake meeting. Among these I include: an insufficient number of refresbment stands, inadequate tollet facilities, 11ttle or no direction of traffic both before and after tbe races, and negl1g1b1e attempt to control dust created on the racetrack. DR. R.H. LIEBACK Huntington Beacb, Ca,I. DON'T FORGET THE LADIES After attending the Inter-Am Motocross races at'Westlake,1 wisb to report that It motocross racing is to survive in tbis country Mr. Edison Dye and other promoters better expend a few extra bucks on tollet facll1ties for women and cbUdren (the men take to the brusb). It seems to me that U one Is required to pay $5.00 to get In sbe sbouldn't be required to spend 55 minutes in line and mw two races just because nature canDOt be denied. Wby Is It that cycle promoters can't recognize that women wW put uP with dust, dirt, noise and sitting on the ground but would pay almost anytb1ng for available and decent potty facilities. HELEN GREGORY Woodland HUls, Cal. WHO REMEMBERS MOTOCROSS IN 1!15!1'? I went to the Inter-Am at Westlake. It was absolutely the worst organized motorcycle race I've ever attended. It someone Is trying to promote more International Motocross races bere in Southern CaIltornta, this race set tbem back 10 years. KARL W. JACKEL Glendale, CaIIt. $5.01 WILL ALMOST BUY A SUBSCRIPTION All year I waited to see the fine European riders that we read so mucb about in your paper. When I read that they were cbarglng $5.00 a bead, my plans become sbort 11ved. For family entertainment It Is beyond the'budget of tbe average motorcycle enthusiast. Wbat these Inter-Am promoters faII to remember Is that race fans are the people that bave made the motorcycle Industry what it Is today by buying btltes, parts, paying racing entry fees, belongIng to tbe A.M.A. and everytbing else that goes with being a motorcycle suPporter. When the Inter-Am ser1es comes these money bungry promoters get every 11ttle penny that they can. I won't bave to anticipate next year because I'm sure the prices will even be btgber.l'llwaitandseeiUnthe paper. CHUCK METER Van Nuys, CaIIt. We hope everyone &lit bis CYCLI:: NEWS $1 Discollllt 'fickeL •• Ed.

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