Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

(Cont'd. from page 4) cops tell me a new law says written permission means nothing! He also told me that my J & R silencer is illegal. He said that my bike needs a license for dirt riding too. About four of us ride there and have had no problem in three years of riding there except until about four months ago. We used to ride every day but we started to get too many complain ts so we limited our riding to the weekends. Complaint problem, solved, now please tell me how to handle the problem with the police. TOM FOUGHT La Habra, Calif. Take a copy of your written permission to the Chief of Police and uk him to inform his men that it hiS been duly rendered. Some riders htlve been forging written permission which perhaps explains why the officer Qid it means nothing to him. At present, off-roild vehicles do not hove to be licensed and your J& R silencer shouldn't disturb the p..ce as long as its fiberglass is renewed periodicaUy ...'Ed. .ENDURO (Co"l·d. /rom page 14)_ camp. The best estimate was that there were about 30 riders stuck, but I had to leave before anyone returned so that figure could be qui'te wrong. It's unlikely that there were any more than that, however. Whether the riders had a fun run (early numbers) or had a real test of their endurance (late numbers) they seemed well satisfied. There were however a few technical points that could have been a bit better. There was only one check (not counting the noon check) on the morning section. That's pretty scanty. And there were no cards, either denoting the five-mile-eheck or the mileage and key time at the other checks. The serious rider needs this info. These are small points, but there was one goof which should earn them some sort of award: They didn't put the starting area on the instruction sheet. They did make a point that they were going to 'sell gas and lunch for the benefit of the Fout Springs Boys Ranch at Fout Springs, the noon stop. The seemed to imply that the noon stop and the start area were different, since it's hard to sell gas and lunch to a guy that has his truck righ t there. The AMA magazine said the start was at Lucerne which seemed reasonable. It wasn't there. Somebody in Lucerne said it was at Ladoga which seemed reasonable, too. It wasn't there either. You guessed it. It was Fout Springs, but the reasoning escapes me. (Results next week) By Rod Breaka' Dear R.B.: How do you lace and true a wheel? Best way to change a tire fast? Carburetion and timing an engine as the top racers do it? Tuning the front forks properly and setting the rear shocks to match the front? (How should the bike feel?) Main interest is "motocross" Dear Bob: First, to try to teach someone to lace and true a wheel by text and pictures is extremely difficult. It is something that I feel should be shown and explained; but if I remember correctly, I bel ieve that North American Imports once had a pamphlet on this, you might drop them a line (if I am wrong, I hope they forgive me). As for changing a tire fast, if you will check your back issue, I had a full page devoted to changing of tires. If you wish to be able to change them fast, only experience will help you here. Get an old tire and tube and practice R&R until you have it down pat. Another way to get some experience would be to go to your local dealer and offer to change all his tires for free. I am sure he would be glad to pass the job on and you would have the experience. As for timing and tuning an engine as the top racers do it, th is takes about as long to learn as it does to become a top racer. This is not something that you can be taught, it is something that you have to learn. You seem to have a preconceived idea that if you read the right books and articles you can become McCLELLAN INJURED Larry McClellan, owner of Orange Coun ty Cycles East and partner of Bob Maynard, received severe head injuries when he crashed Thanksgiving day at Escape Country Motorcycle Park. McClellan and passenger Ric k Herschburger were practicing for Barstow-to-Vegas on the sidehack when the rig flipped and landed on McClellan's head. He was equipped with a. Bell but the helmet could not withstand the force and collapsed. He was taken to Crown Valley Hospital in Mission Viejo where he is currently unconscious in the Intensive Car ward. He underwen t surgery Saturday to relieve pressure on the brain and repair some of the injuries. • GAMBIr it as a straight news story which criticized people. Some of them though t the people needed criticizing and to them I was a hero; others felt the opposite and to them I was a villian. And me? I was beginning to feel like J. Alfred Prufrock's girl friend, continually saying "That is not what I meant at all. That is not it, at aiL" To all of you who objected that the roll call vote followed the question of Open Sundays rather than the Penalty Question, I can only say, "you're right." I'm sotry. I reported a fact incorrectly. In my own defense, I can only say that I fel t I was constructing an allegory, a parable if you will, and I was using what I remembered. I dido't consider it news at all (after all by the time it was printed it was nearly a month old) and, except for a few involved clubs, the incident was trivial. It wasn't even worth news space except as a parable. Changing the roll call vote to the other question really doesn't change anything as far as th e parallel between large and small democracies is concerned. That's not, however, meant to be an excuse for poor reporting. What's at the root of this whole thing is a feeling that one reporter, and novice racer at that, has violated the 1 I th commandment for the umpteenth intolerable time. The 11th commandment is "While the District might hav~ its little troubles from time to time, there's no need lo air them in public." And the people who objected to the article were. already so annoyed and fed up with me, that they were seeing red by the time they saw the headline and the byline. In about three seconds they came to the conclusion that "Schneiders is badmouthing the District again." It so happens, that in this case they were wrong, but I've been critical of the District10ften enough that 111 .plead guilty to the charge anyway. an instant winner, this is not the case. If you want to become a top rider, it takes much practice, lots of midnight oil, many disappointments and most of all money. I have seen riders with the best equipment money can buy that didn't even make the program while other riders on mediocre equipment take home the wins because they got it all together. Some racers .are born, others are made, but the 'instant racer' is a fairy tale that belongs in a grade 'Z' Hollywood movie. This also goes for the suspension. Each rider is different, what may be ri!tlt for one is not neeessarily right for the next. As to how it should feel, I would say it should feel like you are contromng the machine and not the machine controlling you. When you are riding as hard as you can, you should feel that if you went just a little harder, you would still be in control. For myseif, when I am racing motocross or in the desert, when the machine and I both wind up going in the same direction, I figure it is just a coincidence. As for the machines used in the articles, I don't know about anybody else, but in my case it is a matter of cooperation from the distributors. Much of my articles are done on machines brought into my shop by customers, but often I have to lean on distributors for a particular model to write about. In this respect, I can say that I have had excellent cooperation from Kawasaki, Yamaha and Honda. Max Maxted from Norton-Villiers has also offered assistance with any of the models that they handle although, I have not had occasion to lean on him yet, but I know that Max's word is his bond. Anoth er th ing that hassi es th e poor maintenance writer is what is called de-humanization or the big business aspect of some of the companies where it is such a hassle 'to get something out of them that it is not worth the effort. Everybody is afraid to give the OK for fear somebody higher up will climb his frame so by the time you are done, you have been through the whole chain of command and it is just not worth it. I try to vary my articles as much as (Cant 'd. from page 5) I don't believe in the 11 th Commandment. The District is not some private club; it's a part of the AMA and it represen ts some 10,000 riders and 100 clubs. And most of them have practically no idea of how the district is run or what happens in those various committee meetings. They have a right to know. And until 1 get kicked out of their private club I'm going to' tell it as well as I can. And I'm going to write it as I see it, not as the oldies of the club would like me to see it. District 37 has done some great things. The best cross country racing in the country is in this district, so is one of the best Rescue Teams. But it's also fallen on its face in many, many areas. It's become so exclusive it's almost sterile. Come to the District meeting and who's there? Fifty desert clubs and two or three TT and motocross clubs. No road riding clubs, no trials clubs, no real enduro clubs, one road racing club. Who represents the thousands of trail riding AMA members in our district who don't engage in competition? Why is it that some members of some clubs can consistently cheat and get away with it? Why is it possible that a Sportsman Racing Association can form right under our very noses by simply catering to genuine novices? The questions could go on to the bottom of the page. The District has a bunch of members who've been in on the nitty gritty of things so long they think they have some sort of proprietary righ t to the District. They own it. They don't want anyone to rock the boat. Well, there's at least one AMA official who thinks District 37 might well be ,split into four districts for the betterment of motorcycling in general and Los Angeles motorcyclists in particular, and I'm not so sure that I don't agree with him. Do you feel the waves, Mr. Sloan? At the District meeting Mr. Ron possible and I also try to write things ~ about some of the less popular machines 8. as well because these are the ones that a :. rider needs the help with the most. ~ Keep reading Cycle News, sooner or Ol later, I will get around to your model. ~. ROD CL 350 HONDA, 1971 ~ Dear R.B.: w I have a CL 350 Honda, 1971 model Z that I want to take down to Baja next ~ spring. I wan t to know that if I have a ~ battery failure, is there any way I can U get an ignition spark direct from the alternator to the points and condenser to the coil to the spark plug and by pass the battery in an emergency. Lights would also be nice to have without a battery but I would gladly settle just for ignition with ou t a battery. A REGULAR READER To Regular Reader from San Ratel: There are many models of capacitor ignitions on the market. Check some of the ads in Cycle News or in the trade magazines. These systems consist mainly of a capacitor (condenser) which stores the electrical energy put- out by the alternator until the engine has need of, i.e., when the points break for ignition. Some are reasonable, some high priced. What I would suggest comes under the old adage of "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." You should take every precau\ion to see that your battery does not fail. You cannot be guaranteed 100% that it will not but you can put the odds in your favor by first checking your battery. If it has any accumulation of sediment in the bottom which indicates that it has been sulphating, replace it. Also, inspect the cells carefully and note if there are strands in it that look like spider webs or someth ing. This is the fiberglass insulation flaking away, usually due to hard usage of the machine, in which place it should be replaced. While a battery can have both of these things and still have a lot of life left in it, don't gamble. Clean all of your terminals of any corrosion that may be present and make sure you have good tight connectionS. Then smear them with petroleum jelly, never use grease or oil on battery termi nals. Also check that you have a good ground on the machine, some bikes are grounded to the frame after it has been painted and as such, the paint keeps it from having a good solid ground . Be positive that the battery is protected from vibration or shock against the case, 'besides the rubber pad that is under most batteries. Cut some large rubber bands from an old inner tube and stretch them around the Sloan, whose gift of gab is surpassed only by the vacuity of. his ideas, nicknamed me Mr. Negative. At first I was insensed because it wasn't true. Whether you measure my articles by the battery so it is protected from the sides number, the column·inch or the pound, as well. Check the system used for on balance, they're positive. But after a holding the battery down solid. If it gets bit of reflection, I decided that, whether to bouncing around, it may give you I really deserved the title or not, I like trouble. Most important, check the level it. After all, there are dozens of guys of the fluid before leaving and top it up who can fmd nothing but good in the each morning. This is most important in District. One Mr. Negative is sorely hot weather as much of the.water will needed. So I accept the position. Just be lost' due to evaporation. As the don't forget the Mister, Mr. Sloan. While on the subject of jobs, a sulpheric acid does not evaporate, you number of readers have asked why, if do not have to add more electorite I'm so critical of the District, did I pass unless the battery is spilled. Top up up my opportunity to get in there and only with distilled water if available. work? I was nominated for two offices, As a last resort, two of the 6 volt Recording Secretary and Competition batteries as used in camping lanterns Committee. Now there are many jobs may be wired in series to produce 12 where I could be of some legitimate volts and if the lights or the horn or the service to the District (for instance, on the Rules Committee), but Recording electric starter are not used, they will Secretary isn't one of them. In fact, if get you, quite a distance in an my wife weren't a secretary, I'd be out emergency. It is also just common sense of the writing biz. Accepting that to carry a number of extra fuses with nomination would have guaranteed two you. things, if I'd been elected: The District As for converting to energy transfer would have a lousy recording secretary ignition, this would all depend on the and I would have been silenced, at least phasing of the alternator and while I for a year. You can't be an officer of an have not experimented on the CL 350 organization and criticize it at the same Honda, I did convert a 160cc Honda to time. It's not cricket. My cynical mind leads me to wonder if that wasn't the operate without battery and have lights. reason 1 was nominated. I'd have had a But as the coils are DC coils, operating much tougher decision if I'd been them on an AC energy transfer system eligible for the Competition Committee shortens the life considerably. job because there I might have served There is a system for checking to see some genuine function and I'd have had if your machine will run as an ET to weight the job versus the reporting. system before converting it, but it .is As it happens, there's a rule that states pretty complicated to explain. If that you must have attained amateur enough readers are interested, possibly I status to be on the Competition Committee, so I wasn't eligible. can draw a diagram and have one of the The next time I decide to construct staff artists convert it to something that an allegory, Mr. Sloan, 111 begin it with you could make heads or tails of as my "Once upon a time... " That should help art work leaves much to be desire. you ~*'~ Lt",a.bit ~i acc~raJ.~ ~. _ _ ••• ••• ROO

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