Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

.... ell N' i u. ~ w Z W ..J U > U "America's No. 1 weekly motorcycle newspaper. You'll always see it FIRST in Cycle News!" JIM RICE VOICES VIEWS This letter deals with views somewhat different than those shared by the rider's representatives from this region. I feel the need to express my viewpoin t on a couple of controversial issues. First of all the recent National Number change has stirred more interest pro and con than a really important issue which will be mentioned later in this letter. I believe the new National Number System which awards National Numbers according to the order a rider finishes in the National Point standings is the fairest and easiest way for the Publisher Editor Business Manager General Manager Assistant Ed itor Circu lati on Manager Circulation Ass't Lab Technician. Advertising Asst Bookkeeper Bookkeeper Ass't Delivery Typographer Receptionist Charles Clayton Sharon Clayton · . Tom Culp · John Bethea · Rheba Smith · Marla Tarbet .Diane Sosnoski · .. Ed Randell · Dorothea Lang · Eleanor Duke · . Larry Groves . Marion Hatash ita . Barbara Richard be elected by a p.opularity contest involving riders voting, who do not know what the rider they are placing their check next to will do fOI them. On the contrary, three will be elected by the old method, one from each region of the country. But four will be elected out of the top ten, by the top ten, voicing the opinions of the top ten along with the opinions of the regional representatives. This new system will eliminate the problem of rider misrepresentation! I know presonally the riders in the top ten are sharp enough and know enough about each other that they will elect four capable riders to voice their opinions. • ~olces A.M.A. to issue National Numbers. It has done away with the concept of, "It's who you know at the A.M.A." I believe it is easier for the new spectator, who is the backbone of this sport, to identify and get somewhat of an idea of the caliber of the various riders. The "hard core" spectator under the new system will know most of the riders by their new numbers, most likely, before the season starts. It seems that the riders who did well last year like the new system, but those who held low numbers and scored few or no points are not so happy. They argue the spectators know them by their numbez:. 1 say do well and they will know you by our name. Mark Brelsford, who held No. 87, deserves No.7. He worked hard to get to that position, along with the other top riders! Agreed, the new change loses some of its affect when it reaches riders that earned a few points. It is a step in the right direction! In the future, possibly award forty National Numbers, everyone else having a letter denoting district. Now, I get to a matter which is less con troversial than th e above men tioned item, but which has a far reaching effect on this sport. Anyone that can argue, "The more National Championship races the better", is thinking back in the "Model T" era. The more races the less prestige to win or do well. If there are twenty to twenty-five National Championships you can almost remember who won what. Although, to the racer it involves countless hours of machine preparation and roughly sixty thousand miles on the road, which, believe me is staggering when taken into consideration this is done in six montns. The more National Championships the smaller the purses. With a reasonable amount of Nationals, you might even see a few top riders at regular events, much to the dismay of the regulars, but to the benefit of the spectators. Less Nationals means larger purses, more contingency money and a greate~ amount of manufacturer support. Car racing has not reached its heights by having thirty or forty USAC Championships a season. They race for money of the six figure caliber. Just think, with higher- purses, a top riders such as Joe Leonard would not have had to switch to cars to make more dollars. Even thethought of thirty-one National Championships is ridiculous! Three of the Nationals I won last ye.ar were dropped from the schedule for various reasons, but this is beside the point. The methods for cutting the Nationals will have to be worked out. Do you want the best motorcycle racer or the fastest van driver? As for Gene Romero lobbying for these proposals which are the views of seven of the top ten riders, and I believe the opinion of the majority of the top one-nundred riders, he would not have done it if our rider representatives would have viewed the opinion of the majority instead of their own. All die rider representatives this year will nof Henceforth, hopefully, we will not have any more misunderstandings, such as we do now. JAMES RICE Palo Alto, Calif. STOP TRESPASSING In conjunction with your current series of articles, "CRISIS IN THE DIRT", I would like to convey my Cycle News East, Dixie Cycle News, and National Advertising information: Tom Cu",", National Advertising Director. C~cle News (West), P.O. Box 498, Long Beach, California 90801. (213) 427-7433 - L.A. 636-8844. TELEX NO. 673-474 Subscription': One year 2nd class mail 2 years 2nd class mail 3 years 2nd class mail Single copy price . . Published weekly except the first and last week of the calendar year by Cycle News, Inc., Post Office Box 498, Long Beach, California, also publishers of Cycle News East, and Dixie Cycle News. Second Class Postage paid at Long Beach, Calif. Editorial stories. cartoons, photos, etc. are welcome. Addressed stamped envelope assures return editorial matter, Reprinting in whole or in part only by permission of the publishers. Advertising rates and circulation information will be sent upon request. See S.R.D.S. 0; .$9.00 . $15.00 , $18.00 .. $.30 experience of a giant step backward for dirt riders. I live in Stanislaus County, where under serious protest, the Board of Supervisors were persuaded to designate approximately 600 acres of excess land a "Rough Terrain Area". Much hard work went into persuading the Board to give the bike riders a chance. The County Parks Commissioner and local bike riders had to promise everything but their souls that the area would not be a burden to the County. On January 9th I visited the area and found it almost unused. Approximately 10 riders used the area all day. On the other hand, 10 miles before you get to the Rough Terrain Area, 1 witnessed about 75 riders trespassing on private land. At the following Board meeting on Tuesday. the Superviosrs close the Rough Terrain Area. The Supervisors contended that unless the bike riders can police themselves to the point that there are no complaints from the people in the surrounding area, they had no choice but to deny the bike riders all recognition. I sincerely appeal to all bike riders who have been trespassing on private property in DEL PUERTO CANYON to stop immediately. Myself and other riders will try to get the Rough Terrain Area reopened, but we don't have a chance unless all trespass stops. The area we had was not the best, but unless the area proves to be a success there is not a chance that any other areas will be opened in Stanislaus Count)'. JERRY IRONS P.I.T.S. Member Modesto, Calif. WHAT CAN YOUNG PEOPLE DO? I read your article on th e cover of the Jan. 20th issue 1971, titled "CRISIS IN THE DIRT". Is there any way that young people can help abolish that law? My friends and I have raised a petition and are going to circulate it. Do you think it will work? We will be willing to do anything we can to abolish that unfair law. ANDREW LOFQUIST JAMES BLOCKSOM RICHARD WHEELER DANIEL MINNOR THEODORE CARNEY Los AlamitoS; Cal. Petitioning the County Boord of Supervisors is the first logical step. Also, try and get permission from Itmd owners to ride on their vacant property...Ed. GUEST fDffOI,jL The ProbleDls Facing Cyclists By Deke Houlgate Column for week of Jan. 18-24, 1971. Reprinted courtesy of Riverside Press Enterprise, Orange Coast Daily Pilot, Huntington Park Daily Signal, Ontario Daily Report and Pomona Progress-Bulletin. You're a golfer. How would you like your local government to make golf illegal? You're a parent. How would you like your city council to tell you your children can't play ball in your own front yard? Laws parallel to these are being passed indiscriminately against I million or more California motorcycle enthusiasts. More than 95 per cent of the available dirt riding acreage available in four Southern California counties has been closed in the last 12 months. This sort of thing is fast becoming a national trend. Chuck Clayton, pUblisher of the weekly "Cycle News", boldly headlines the story "Crisis in the Dirt." To the owners of 1.7 million motorcycles in California, it certainly is at least that_ To many it is a catastrophe. Motorcycling people and conservationists who are their most vocal enemies are working up to a showdown that could have important Constitutional and cultrual consequences. Out of their current debate should come an answer to the quest they pose: "Who have more rights, humans in pursuit of recreation or the fragile flora and fauna of OUf environment?" The ecologists got in their first licks in a series of legal maneuvers in 1970 that included enactment of California state laws, county and city ordinances of dubious Constitutionality. ITEM: Los Angeles County supervisors made illegal any off-road mo toreyclcing on undeveloped land in its jurisdiction. Following this lead, Orange, San Bernardino and Riversi.de County legislative bodies passed similar ordinances. ITEM: In Kern County, where riders for years had enjoyed use of Bean Canyon, surrounding property owners pressured law enforcement officials into citing cyclists who crossed their land. More than 100 prosecutions for trespassing are still pending. Some officiala confide that they hope none of the cases will ever go to trial ITEM: A rider near Newhall reported discovery of a series of deadly booby traps along a popular cycle path invisible wire stretched across the trail tau t enough to behead an unwary victim. (Nobody, of course, blames this on conservationists. It had to be the work of some sick person.) ITEM: Good Samaritan motorcycle club members cleaned out a box canyon near Lancaster. As the final truckload of litter left there by thoughless campers was being carted off, there was the property owner, nailing up a "no motorcycles" sign. ITEM: In Riverside a U.S. Bureau of Land Management official issued a statement that riders are still welcome on public land in his jurisdiction (San Bernardino and !l-iverside Counties). He said county ordinances couldn't be enforced on federal land. He also cau tioned that riders must respect the righ IS of others, including animal and plant life. ITEM: At Pt. Mugu conservationists are fighting establishment of a fenced-in cycle recreation area on ecology grounds. ITEM: In Anaheim a city ordinance was passed to fOlbid even the riding of a minibike on the property of its owner without police and fire department permission and a permit issued at City Hall. "Like many of these laws," "ported Lomita Honda dealer Tom Cosgrove, "it is unenforceable. When I lived in Anaheim I wanted to try to force the issue, but my lawyer advised me not to. "He said he doubted that a policeman would come out and write me a ticket, even if I called up and requested it. And if I got cited, my lawyer said, the case would get thrown out of court before I could get the law tested. I was just going to waste my time. " Fighting a sense of frustration, the motorcycle people have spent much of 1970 trying to get organized, both to lobby for repeal of what they consider unfair laws and to presen t their arguments against future "unreasonable" restrictions. Cosgrove is one of the leaders of the organizing move, being the head of the new Motorcycle Council of California and active in the nationally organized Motorcycle Industry Council. uLaws are becoming muddied," Cosgrove said. "Some of the police are getting furious because many of the new laws are unenforceable, and they put the police officer in a bind. "To begin with, what's a policeman to do if he catches me riding somewhere, and I produce a piece of paper that says I have permission to be there. How's he check me out? It's a lot of trouble. "Another thing is that good riders can't be caught. There's a new sport around here. A number of the good motocross riders who compete at Ascot have a game they play. They call the sheriff's office and tell them that they are going riding at the slough at Sepulveda and Wilmington. When the sheriff's deputies get there, they can't catch anybody. "Things like that really put the police down, and that's not good." Cosgrove believes that a lot of opposition to off-road riding is created out of a lack of understanding of the sport. "When people talk about motorcycling, they think in general terms," Cosgrove said. "I can tell because of the type of customers I have that the lawmakers don't have the right picture. "One rider is a kid who has a minibike. All he cares to do is ride around on a vacant lot in the neighborhood. Another calls himself a trailrider, but all he really wants to do is just ride around the campsite. One couple I know has a pair of Trail 90s, and they're rock hounds. All they use their bikes for is to ride around looking for rocks. "Another type of trail rider likes to explore trails. He'll ride ou t to the end of an old trail just to see what's at the other end. "The real crosscountry rider likes to go from Barstow to Las Vegas, and the legislators base most of their objections to dirt riding on this small group. They talk about closing off the desert to the rider_ If they do, I say let's close off the desert to everybody. "The problem is compounded by weird cyclists who modify their muffler systems to make them louder. It's been' proved not to help them go any faster, and I guess all they want to do is sound like they are going faster, maybe to satisfy themselves. But all they do is annoy their neighbors."

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