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/125715
Sells Noisy Pipes To Kids ..•IIut wisltes Ite "i".'t Itaye to N .s:: " ~ ::; ~ w z W ..J (J >- (J Bob Bailey holds new "peace Pipe" in his right hand, standard noisemaker in his left. Noisemakers still outsell silencers 2: 1. By C. Clayton Bob Bailey is into motorcycling. A 3rd-generation motorcyclist, he races the National circuit as No. 77, owns and operates a m/c shop and mainly manufactures expansion chambers, silencers and spark arresters of his own design. With so many things going, Bob chose to bow out of our recent great expansion chamber contest at the last moment, eliciting some ribbing in print from our exasperated researcher-writer. A high quality product proven thoroughly in competition, Bailey's noisemakers are probably second to none. But Bob was among the first to realize that every noisy pipe he sold was a nail in motorcyclin~'s coffin. The deadline for our contest happened to coincide with the' AMA's fIrst indoor race requiring silencers. Knowing racers would demand a quiet exhaust that still delivered the power, Bailey packed up a suitacase full o~ his bolt-on silencers and headed to Madison Square Garden for a little racing and research. He didn't win, and he missed our contest, but he flew back to L.A. with a bunch of experimental data and information on quieting powerful exhaust systems. His simple silencer modified the sound all the way down to 82 db at 50 feet on the A-scale, Keith Mashburn set fast time with a Bailey-Silenced Yamaha registered on the AMA's db-meter. Convinced that he was on the right track Bob returned to his Gardena work;hop and designed a one-piece silencer/ncing pipe combination that follows very closely the J ennmgs KAWASAKI ONLY! Draco's Motorcycles I, , theory, which yielded the highest horsepower gain in our contest. Coincidentally, Bailey's own extensive research encompassed many of the same sources Jenoings used. Based on preliminary tests, the combination pipe tones down the bark enough that Bailey has trademarked it "The Peace Pipe." Dynamometer and decible tests are still in progress, but it appears to Bailey that the Peace Pipe is a big improvement over the old-fashioned noisy expansion chamber. "It's a lot lighter than a pipe with a boh-on silencer," says Bob, "and it's hard to break." Bailey stresses that the sound absorption is lost unless the fiberglass core is replaced periodically. Replacement is simple and cheap. The latest prototype incorporates a spark arrester as well as silencer in the tuned length. Bailey's factory still produces the noisy type pipes to fill dealer orders, which sadly outnumber silencer orders two to one. "I'm using the money from the loud pipes to fInance production of the quiet ones," Bob admits. Fortunately and unfortunately, sales are up. As more of the industry and buying public wakes up to the fact that loud exhausts are stupid, Bob looks forward to getting out of the eardrum-busting racket entirely. "I want to be the Number One quiet racing pipe manufacturer," says Bailey intensely. . The Peace Pipes for bikes under 250cc retail for $59.95 a unit, 250cc and over Peace Pipes are $69.95. Replacement cores are $2.95. Send purchase orders now, before the big rush, and help ease Bob Bailey out of the noisy-pipe racket. Write to Bitchin Bob Bailey, listed under EXHAUST SYSTEMS in the Dealers and Services Directory. AMA PRO INSURANCE EXTENDED TO HILLCLIMBERS The American Motorcycle A ssociation has just extended its professional competition life and medical insurance to cover professional hillclirnbers. Forrnerly, these specially licensed riders competing in Class A and Class B professional hillclimbs did not have such coverage. Like the insurance that covets AMA professional racers, the new hillclirnber's coverage includes $5,000 death and dismemberment coverage and medical reimbursement that pays the fIrst $100 of medical expenses and 75% of all additional expenses up to a maximum of $10,000. This AMA program has paid over $750,QOO in benefits to members since it was founded. : SUZUKI .. 111 Stock .. .. .. .. HONDA All Models it . .. .. .. everything for both dirt & street rider • .. Huge Inventory • .. parts & accessori es • .. 9735 LONG BEACH BLVD .. SOUTH GATE, CALIF. .. .. .. (213) 564-5666 .. ••• **********.*** MX RIDERS Hard bme getting parts and accessories? WESTOCKEMI Lniversity Honda Bultaco Kawasaki & e/z -_.._5908 Roosevelt way NE Seattle Wci3h 98105 ~..... SEND FOR FREE CATAlOGUE HI DESERT LAND '0 wi'..., r.s'ricti••s' fr.e~ .. ri~. 40 to 1000 acres of beautiful trai.1 country less than 2 hours from LA. Need t•• t extr. power? Downswept Chambers CZ 250/360 $39.95 Northridge Cycle Products ;8854 Muirkirk Dr. Northridge. Ca. 91324 (213) 360-nS1 BOY Billionaire recluse Howard Hughes fIrst came to national attention while still in his teens, when was granted a patent for a motorcycle muffler he invented. KNIEVEL'S MOST DARING JUMP SLATED FOR ONTARIO FEB. 28 Harley-Davidson's ambassador of thrills', Evel Knievel, will attempt the most difficult stunt of his life when he tries to launch his 750cc XR over 18 Dodges parked door-to-door at On.tario Motor Speedway this Sunday. The 33-year-old daredevil also ppears Wednesday night, Feb. 24th on the Merv Griffln TV show with Mario Andretti. All of Evel's fans and well-wishers are invited to come and cross their racing fingers for him to make it this Sunday at Ontario. Tickets start at $8. Ontario Speedway is located on the San Bern;miino Freeway in Ontario, Calif. ASCOT MINIBIKE PARK With minibike and trail bike riding areas dwindling in metropolitan Los Angeles and property owners and motorcycle enthusiasts gathered in opposing camps, Garden's Ascot Park raceway has come up with a solution: MinIbike Park Ascot. Scheduled for a weekend opening March 6th and 7th, the newly-developed minibike park will cater to young motorcycle enthusiasts with the accent on safety and responsiblity. "We've tried to tailor the park to fit the needs of the commu nity and the rider," explained Ascot director Stu Peters. "Supervised and patrolled riding will be the key to the operation." Accordingly, a 90cc displacement limit has been placed on bikes using the park's varied terrain. Engine silencers, protective clothing and helmets and a notarized registration card for minors are other important requirements for park use. A full liability insurance program has also been planned, according to Peters. Riding will be divided into two sessions on the opening weekend with activity from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 .p.m. to 4 in the afternoon both Saturday and Sunday. Peters envisions daily operation of the new facility during the summer months to keep pace with the rising demand for a safe, properly zoned place to ride. Minibike Park Ascot, located on the grounds of the raceway itself, is freeway close to all parts of tbe southland at the junction of th e San Diego and Harbor Freeways in Gardena. For the first time in·the history of drag racing, the NHRA Winternationals held at Pomona California invited two motorcycles to attend their races. Joe Smith, sponsor~d by Laidlaw's H-D of South San Gabriel, Cal., riding a Harley-Davidso.n . powered single·engined dragster took on Bons Murray of LaVerne, Cal. and hiS twin-engine Triumph. . . Smith and his H-D knucklehead hold the NHRA qUIckness record With and ET of 9.16. Murray holds the speed record at 166 mph. The dragsters were set to run a two-out-of-three match race. A crowd of 47,000 saw Smith take it in the first two runs. He blew off the twin-engine machine in the first round with an ET of 9.07 to Murray's 9.89! Smith clocked a 163.33 mph to Murray's 162.43. The second round, Smith's Harley-Davidson did it again with a 9.09, well under Murray's 9.51 to win the match race. ••••••• *.* •••••• * .. ONE DAY SEIVICE HUGHES H.r'e,-D Wils NHIA lunoff In Record-Brea.ing Ti.e 1629 S. Standard Santa Ana, Ca. 543-9688 Best Available in Kawasaii Parts and Service. : HOWARD INVENTOR Perfect for club or group buying, or for individual leasing back to clubs. Excellent financing. and I.ow down payments. Call now ...this land is appreciating 25% every year! Bob Emlev,agt., 213/331-1958 P.O. Box 1677, Covina, Ca. 91722 S",~tl&~,~,i'~lIn NOW AVAILABLE at your dealer or write Chain, Box 2264. Cypress, Ca. 90630. Dealer inquiries invited. YAMAHA : ' fONTANA Yamaha-Sach'sHodaka,...Maico- Pa~~ - Se~:i:: - 9008 Sierra Ave. Fontana, Calif. (714) 822-2252 NUI~t;: The sound that kiDs the sight.