Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Well, we were half-right last week when we said that John Cooper would be coming over here for Ontario - his application is official - but we kinda goofed in saying that he would be riding a Norton. He was asked by the Norvil rInD but he has decided to remain with the BSA team and will team with Dick Mann on a Rocket 3 ...Cooper, by the way, is the only man to have ever beaten the Great Ago two times in a row and Ontario will be his next ride so he's peaked at the right time... * • • "First Loop" will be shown October 18 at Pacific Coast Honda's regular free film fare. "Loop", Marc-ereighton's film which with the Southern California racing scene, bas gotten good reviews where ever it has sh own. Problem is, it doesn't get shown that often. Check the Calendar for details. • * • Local enthusiasts should be sure to drop into the "Bit of Sweden" smorgasbord and say "howdy" to owner Bengt Aberg. It's at 2131 East Broadway, Long Beach. * * * Ernie Alexander and George Conrad, whose ACE Enterprise was responsible lD & .. ... 111 for the a utstanding Can-Am Motocross Series which. ended with our own Larry Watkins becoming a Canadian champion and celebrated athlete, are at It again. This time, they are taking the can-Am team to Mexico City during the first part of December to compete. Motocross is coming on strongly down there and the event should draw at least 100,000 spectators to the cool green hills. Watch our pages for more info as it comes in. elated. Jimmy Pomeroy has 'been sponsored on Bultacos by Auburn Motor Sports for some time so his big win on Maico comes as a surprise. Actually, Jimmy qua1fied on his Buls but neither of them ran by the time the GP came to the line. The young lad borrowed a Maico, winning the championship and losing his sponsor in one shot. Just got word from the Pacific Northwest Motocross Championships in Colville, Washington. The word came from Maico. Bill Cook won the 250 and 500 classes while Jim Pomeroy won the Grand Prix, followed by the elusive John Maynard. Cooper Motors arc Los Angeles area, here are some others that will be broadcastin.ll the biggie from Ontario: KSOM, Ontario, Calif.; KRED, Eureka, Calif.; KEST, San Francisco; KLIQ, Portland, Ore.; and KGLR, Reno, Nev•...Ken Squier will be the chief announcer and CYCLE MAGAZINE's own Bryon Fransworth • • • • • • Along with radio station KLAC in the scram6Dn' arounif By Maureen Lee There arc actually three columns I'd like to do this week, but since I promised last week what the subject would be, I'll have to stick with it. Still, as a hint of things to come, the piece I did on heat prostration brought in some' good response including some great information from John Darby which will be saved and shoved at you before the next hot season starts; then there's one I'm dying to get at brought about by some squeaking emitting from a few big bore two-stroke riders about their scooters being illegal under District 37 rules and they think there may be some problems at Hopetown. Just maybe kiddies, but take heart twin-riders, there are still a few of us around who aren't going to let your class get shafted without a fight. So on we go, (oops, pardon a sec while I get comfortable in the armor O.K•..). What is to be the answer to giving everyone a more even break at getting that number one plate? Right now I'm talking about sporting events, not the pros. The sporting rider wants that number one plate, or at least a low number for his efforts and we've seen guys get to the point where they'd darn near kill themselves just to get into the two digit category. A few years ago it was possible and it was done, to earn your number one plate with, if you were lucky, a bit of a discount on your parts, a lot of wrench bending on your part and 0 f your friends who worked as mechanics if you didn't and didn't have all the expertise yourself. Not any more. That number one plate now goes to the fully sponsored rider and some of them don't even have to lay their mitts on their scooter except to pick it up at the shop before the weekend and toddle off to do battle with "a nice fresh engine. Joe Blow with a respectable two-digit number may be saying prayers that his bike can hold out for another hare and hound or whatever because he can't come up with enough bread to freshen it up a bit. Then to make Joe Blow feel even a more despondent, he sees the guy who won that particular Sunday go out and enter a pro race the next weekend on the same bike, placing high and happily bring home bread for his efforts, not to mention the other monetary benefits that go along with sponsorship. If we remember correctly, sponsorship started with shop owners helping the top riders because most of the owners were ex-riders themselves. At one time a shop owner could build a business on how many of the top riders sported his colors on the track come Sundays, remember when the top names in the District in scrambles wore Norm Reeves colors? And there arc a few businesses around that made it because their owners once carried that number one plate. Naturally, if you thought about starting racing you'd notice the shops who had the stars and knew their equipment must be good and you could get a sympathetic car there to your racing woes. It wasn't long before the distributors realized this advertisement value and off we went. Now they woo the top riders with promises of wine and roses better than what he's getting from his curren~ sponsor and you can watch the musical cbairs take place either from season to season or as a season progresses. Still, they're all in there for that number one plate. Hope I don't sound like the President but I'd like to make this clear. I'm not against anyone taking any offer he can get. All these men who arc at the top of the ladder deserve all the praise for their obvious talent, they wouldn't be getting the offers if they weren't well qualifed. But, in any sport there is a difference between a professional and an amateur who pays his own bills and makes his own way. Most of them don't make enough off riding to make it their livelihood, therefore saying, "I'm not a pro, I can't support myself at it." Baloney. If you arc receiving any monetary compensation or help that money changes hands to provide, you arc a professional baby! Remember Jim Thorpe? A few lousy bucks paid to a magnificent athlete just off the reservation who didn't know any better cost him his Olympic honors in future years. His country gladly took the glory he brought it but the Olympic Committee took his trophies. So, why not create that Master Expert class we've talked about before? What's so bad about it? Move these chaps into a separate class competing for their own number plates and let the rest of us also-rans have a fair chance. No one's denying the super-stars a chance to compete but they'll be riding with their own like or does some of the hostility for this idea come from some who are afraid they won't be such super-stars should they lose their expensive equipment? I can nastily think of a couple who manage to squeak into the super-star category by the benefit of horsepower freshly provided while there arc others like J.N. who will win regardless of what they end up riding. So, come on troops, let's have the comments. Write 'em in, phone 'em in, let your club representatives and your competition committee know what you think about it and we can make it a bit more even-Steven for all concerned. And let me know, even if you disagree. I love a good discussion that borders on an argument! ~y Russ Sanford NOISE ANNOYS In the 25 May issue of Cycle News, we reported on 18 separate Bills aimed at reducing motorcycle noise. This number has now grown to 22 and their status can only be explained in the following manner: OPERATING NOISE STANDARDS Section 23130 of the Vehicle Code prescribes the maximum acceptable noise levels for registered and licensed motorcycles operated upon streets and highways as follows: A. Any motorcycle other than a motor driven cycle - 35 mph or less: 82 dbA. Over 35 mph: 86 dbA. B. Any motor-driven cycle - 35 mph or less: 76 dbA. Over 35 mph: 82 dbA. Five Bills would have revised these standards downward, but the only Bill which now appears headed toward passage is AB 1045 (Assemblyman Schabarum) which adds the following provisions to Section 23130: -The noise limits, within a speed zones of 35 miles per hour or less on level streets, or streets with a grade not exceeding plus or minus 1 percent, for the following categories of motor vehicles, or combination of vehicles, which are subject to registration, shall be: A. Any motorcycle, other than a motor-driven cycle..... 77 dbA. B. Any motor driven cycle..... 74 dbA. AB 1045 also adds other provisions associated with testing procedures. It also provides that no person shall have ·recourse upon a manufacturer unless it is proved that the manufacturer did not comply with standards of the Vehicle Code at the time of original sale. The net result is that even though a manufacturer was legally allowed to sell a motorcycle which produces up to 92 dbA, you must operate it within the prescribed limits of 77 or 74 dbA under the conditions specified above. NOISE STANDARDS FOR SALES Section 27160 of the Vehicle Code prescribes the maximum acceptable noise levels for the selling or offering for sale of new motorcycles subject to registration and licensing. A. Any motorcycle manufactured before 1 January 1970.....92 dbA. B. Any motorcycle, other than a motor-driven cycle manufactured after 1 January 1970, and before 1 January 1973.....88 dbA. C. Any motorcycle, other than a motor-driven cycle, manufactured on or after 1 January 1973 .....86 dbA. D. Any motor-driven cycle manufactured after 1 January 1968, and before 1 January 1973.....86 dbA. E. Any motor-driven cycle manufactured on or after 1 January 1973.....84 dbA. Seven Bills would have revised these standards downward, however it now appears that these standards will not be revised as all seven Bills have been effectively blocked. UNUSUAL OR EXCESSIVE NOISE There arc two rather innocent appearing Sections in the Vehicle Code which read: -"Section 27150. Every motor vehicle subject to registration shall at all times be equipped with an adequate muffler in constant operation and properly maintained to prevent any excessive or unusual noise, and no muffler or exhaust system shall be equipped with a eu tout, bypass, or similar device." COMMENT: This section makes no reference at all to a test procedure and leaves the decision of what is "unusual or excessive noise" up to the individual interpretation of any enforcement officer. Many motorcyclists have received citations under this Section which have held up in court even though their muffling system was within the limits prescribed for manufacture w will assist. Z * * * Another announcer at the Ontario bash - the public address talker Roxy Rockwood, is gonna be on all kinds of TV programs in the Southland area, including Steve Allen Show late in the week; check it out and sec what Tommy's dad looks like... W ..J U > U • • • Speakin' of "0" (which we're continually doing right now cuz we're all pumped up on it) here's a few of the celebs who're going to be there: Sydney Portier, Mike Cole, Mike Conners, Barbara Eden, Michael Ansara and Dean Jones ... * * * * * * * * * VERBATIM FROM THE ENGLISH PRESS: Paul Smart got a real surprise when he got out of his van to have a few words with the driver of a car that collided with him on the outskirts of London. For at the wheel was grass- and sand-tracker Don Godden. "We arc almost neighbors," said Maidstone rider. "I couldn't believe it. Still these grass-track riders aren't used to driving on their brakes." Damage in the incident was slight and the worse injury was t,o Paul's girl friend, Margaret Sheene, who was struck on the back of the head by a sliding petrol can. --Motor Cycle News Varsity Pat says: "Give me a beautiful day, a bottle of win, and a beautiful girl, and you can forget about the beautiful day and the win". All you riders out there in Trans-AMA land: be sure to tell your tech inspector if you have a Cycle News stickie or he won't put your name down for contingency moolab. We just got the list from the AMA missing ten names that we know were wearing stickies; the rider just didn't point it out. • • • The Isle of Man International Six Days Trials of 1965 ended with 19 Gold Medals being awarded. The score for the 1971 10M ISDT: 143. and sale (Section 27160) or operation (Section 23130). --"Section 27151: No person shall modify the exhaust system of a motor vehicle in a manner which will amplify or increase the noise emitted by the motor of such vehicle, above that emitted by the muffler originally installed on the vehicle and the original muffler shall comply with all of the requirements of this chapter." COMMENT: This section' has not caused too much problem in the past because the wording implies that a test procedure must be followed. There have been eight Bills which would have provided a variety of changes to Sections 17250 and 27151: --AB 1003 merely added these words to Section 27151: "N 0 person shall operate a motor vehicle with an exhaust system so modified." This Bill was signed by the Governor on 10 August. --AB 1046 entirely revises Section 27150 and requires that the CHP conduct tests and develop regulations setting standards for vehicular exhaust systems which shall require the lowest level of noise consistent with economic and technological feasibility. This Bill further prohibits the sale, installation, or modification of exhaust systems which do not meet the standards. Both AB 1003 and AB 1046 apply only to registered and licensed . motorcycles operated on streets and highways. However, there arc six Bills which extend the provisions of Sections 27150 to off-road vehicles. --AB 519 which was signed by the Governor on 24 August, originally applied only to snowmobiles, but through an oversigh t in a last-minute amendment, was expanded to include "p assenger vehicles" and this encompasses motorcycles. (Please turn to page 21) ..

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