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/125684
•••• '" tol ~ :c: tol ...:l ~ U By Robert Bradford Is there any connection or resemblence between a rock music festival and a motorcycle race? It seems that any similarity amongst this great family of man's creative impetus must lie within the artist himself, that is, what he feels, why he is doing what it is he's doing and how he does it. ' On the feeling level a motorcyclist follows the freedom of moving and the internal balance achieved by winning. A musician does essentially the samething; he flows within an endless sense of rhythm and melodic tones reaching beyond though t. As for the why of the matter, there is only one real answer: To master his bike or instrument and let it speak for him in a controlled way in this time and place. Actually, the why also speaks to an outside medium: the audience and the seer almost merge as forms are communicated and images or identities interchanged. At a rock festival personality is out and essence is in, whereas, at a race must be pretty well defined or else. This alone bteaks into the realm of the intrinsic. The how of it is, indeed, another matter. Some may tell, if you can ask the right question, others mimic and still not succeed. We've all heard stories of seemingly impossible feats dUring races and watched motocross riders sculpt those midair realities. It opens our heads to something higher. Rock musicians do their thing to: the body plays heavy into the stream of limitless energy, changing keys maybe five or six times in one ·song that may last up to forty minutes. The body even may set the pace and tune the guitar to respond to just the right pitch. It's like a groove. A bike tuner also hurls his bit of thunder and lights the way for the spirit to see. Some say its a question of sovereignty or what your aiming for enables you to accomplish that near perfect place where fuel or vibration quickens the glow. Sound is really important. One ·type of sound can tell just about all. In 'racing, if one listens he can determine an entire list of interesting associations ranging from the type of and size of bike to what's keeping it from running right to how hot it might be. Frequency in music can ]>e very mellow or completely out of hand. If a person is in tune and feeling awake to a certain sound and that sound changes his mood will also change. The sound of a motorcycle is one of contraction, unless it blows, and the sound coming from a rock group generally one of expansion. From this it can be reasoned that people go to motorcycle races to center and to rock concerts to space. Any way, a combination of these two momentums gathered in a soybean field near Bryon, Georgia last weekend for The Second Atlanta International Pop Festival. Three hundred-thousand people really did their thing. You could see it happening on sunny faces while they swam in an muddy old lake, tripped out by a thousand mile stare, or riding through the hot-prickly wind. The ease by which a bike could make it ,around the festival was very apparent unanimous that freedom was a bid to national acclaim. Questioning further into the possibility of a race-rock get together got some eyes rolling-now that for sure would be something else. Both a motorcycle race and a music festival are more than just that. They are many hours of hard work with love, devotion and play. They both are not afraid of freedom, they each identify with the infInite and exist in our own lifetime, and they promote the fascination of change which may bridge Guitars and bikes go together ~t the Pop festival. because of the huge parking jams etc. More bikes would have made it smoother for everyone. Most of the bikers were pretty well behaved, however, a few swung around in their boozed fog and acted tough as lea ther but cooled off as the music soothed their armor. Promoters hired some dubs to ward off the young folks who couldn't or wouldn't pay, but there wasn't any evidence of strong arm tactics. There were a great number of peaceful bikers who came from many sta tes away toting incredible loads of bags, bumps and bundles as well as a neat chick on the buddy seat. As for the question of biking and music it seemed r toward .the sense of giving and doing. Races surely are more aggressive and rock concerts probably are a little more friendlier of the two. Of course there's a lot to be said for the fact that whatever you give you 'get back that much more. An offer to escape lies within. each of these arts and the freedom to do so. is an essential part of our American heritage. Usually a guy feels most free on his bike; so it must also be with a musician. A whole new tempo is created when . certain sounds combine and likewise with the rider when he accelerates to exhilarating heights and dares to feel more. Both are like good food, they nourish us to a place farther than we have gone before. National Point Standings TUNED EXHAUST FOR YAMAHA Mert Lawwtll was tile 0D1y member of the top 10 to go IlP In the standings after tile AMA change In--POInts last week as he moved out of a tie for s1xlh place with Yvon D1iIamel (210) aDd took over f1flh place•• Gene Romero bad the biggest boost of all as he picked IlP an addttiona118 potnts Dick Mann Jim Rice Gene Romero Dave Aldana Mart Lawwtll Don Casto Yvon Duhamel Gary Nixon Dave Smith Dusty Coppage tos~e~enMs lhUdplace~tioo aDd pull Mm closer to the leaders, Dick Mann aDd Jim Rice. HT-1-37.95 AT·1-38.95 CT·1-38.95 DT-1-44.95 RT-1-49.95 Down pipes available for all models - same price. Specify torque or high R.P.M. 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