Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

~ " By Chuck Clayton Bicycles to bikes, The Six Days' Trials, some thoughts on these and N .... other things Ol g> 11. One of the benefits of being publisher of Cycle News is that you get to travel u around with the Boss, and she goes to o most of the places I like. Take Amsterdam... better yet, leave it ~ w where it is and just visit. The Dutch Z solved their land use problem centuries W ago by winning it out of the ocean. ..J U >- Amsterdam is netted with hundreds of canals, where people live on bouseboats U and get around on 300,000 bicycles, about that many motor-bicycles (mopeds), and very few small cars and motorcycles. The highways of Holland (indeed most of Europe) are aided and abe lted by millions of miles of two-wheeler lanes. and trails. Even freeways have a white line to the right (or left, in England) marking off a narrow width of shoulder for bike riders, both the pedalled and motored variety. This two-wheel congestion in and around Amsterdam is incredible. Crossing a typical street, one feels trapped inside a runaway bread sticer. But the cycle and bicycle riders are skillful, c0l'rteous and seldom get in the way. European girls are slim-hipped and beautiful-legged from all that pedal-pushing. Now we have a great fad of bicycle-buying in the U.S. these days. Something like 30-million Americans are said to own bicycles and 'Wt1tm' will train me to be an au to mechanic and I will be foreman of an auto-truck repair shop," he replied. "Is that what you want, yourself?" pursued the reporter. With the briefest glance at the burly Communist Party members listening nearby, the Czech answered, "I wan t what the tate wan lS." oond Government has not been slow to respond by budgeting special lanes and trails for bicycles. I think this is a great thing for us motorcycle folks. Because you k.now what's the first thing you long for when you ride a bicycle - a motor, righ t. Already there is a proposal in California to let small 'motors be filled on bicycles without changing their legal status to (shudder at the word!) motoT vehicles. Will this mean that the mo-ped will finally make it big over here? I doubt it. Americans would not be satisfied with pedal.assisted power because we know better. Just think of all those neat, new, ex.pensive, scenic (bi.)cycle trails that will soon be humming with small motorcycles. About the distance from Holland that Las Vegas is from Long Beach. behind the Iron Curtain is Czechoslovakia (formerly Bohemia) - a beautiful place to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there. I was able to borrow John Penton's new 175cc enduro bike for a couple (')f days and ride some of the trails ahead of the Six·Dayers. The cart.paths of northern Bohemia are the most delightful motorcycle trails I ever rode. The terrain isn't tough, by itself (the worst one and a half miles of the whole Six-Days was a rocky uphill that even I made after stopping once to gather strength). But the wear and, especially, tear of a thousand miles of this "easy" stu ff is enough to render all but the best bikes and riders ready for the re-cycle bin before the final road race test begins. E'asy as they were, I hated to think of going near as fast as the Six-Days riders must to stay on schedule. 1 thought l was flying at 25 bug-eyed MPH through one section un til I asked an American who was too slow for a Gold or ilver medal and was struggling to hold onto his Bronze, how fast he went through there. "Only about 40 or 45," he replied with perfect honesty. * * * * * * * * * Everywhere, all you see in Czecko are these red J awa road bikes. What Americans refer to as "the peasant model. ,. Some have sidecars. some are pulling trailers. "We sell a large amount of OUT production to Russia," one Jawa factory man told me. "This engine was designed in 1947," he emphasized. "We know that the cylinders are too dose together, and the crank bearings are designed wrong, etcetera, we know this. We have motorcycles with new design, modem two-strokes and fo'\.lr·stTokes. We have built them and tested, and they are wonderful. But Russia buys 50,000 of this model a year because they go 50,000 kilometers without repair. "You see," the factory man concluded, raising his brows with the eyelids lowered, "We cannot have the resources for retooling ... that is a, what do you call it? A planned·economy." In other words. the stale decides. How fortunate we are in Ameri~a to have free competi tion and private enterprises, compared to the people who are subjects of the alternative system. Yet little Bohemia, a country about the size of Louisiana, has three motorcycle factories to our one. * Pretty as Bohemia is, and every view was a postcard, uncrowded by tourism as yet, and probably the richest little country within the Sovret bloc, I was glad to get out of there. Every evening in prime time the one TV station showed newsreels of the Russian Army on maneuvers, on parade, and blowing up things. 1t obviously reminded the poor Czechs to not try anything for freedom like they tried to pull in 1964. Talking through an interpreter with the star of the Czech Six-Days team, one reporter asked the young-man what he wanted to do when his professional motorcycle days were over. "The state CHASE"I~· CHECK ,Tt.,~ - ~ '-~ SAT.-..wr T.OtIINV P.~,"ION 0.. ~U"QAV Z!!P.:M. AT llLUe (Ga. PI .. Call"'. ~ .. 0Ul.0 L.u.,,5 51'.... - . - fWO _ _ ' - ' - . ,... ,.",telt _ _l _r .....INA {*,-_ ... s,a.') - ~L LOSe. \ll ....... PIQl'" - ML . . . . . . . . UTTeJt rr MOM• ............ 1 ~ TWAN( \01 o.do..... -.c. _ _---' ... - l.eco.e·N 0 ..... '""'-'tT00 (1.105_ 'YeO! 1 - E9 c:o.o_ CALL BeKooI! T6ted and used by the 'ollowing Dist. 37 ,'iders: ERIC JENSEN • BOB McLAUGHLIN • LARRY BERGQUIST' LARRV PFUTZENRUETER .. EO SCHEIDLER' WALT AXTHELM· LARRV HEARN • GEORGE MACALLON. M.D. S8.50 lor 3 months FIND OUT WHE·RE YOUR NEAREST CARABELA DEALER IS. L"U ~ Your engine actually runs 10-15' cooler' with KLOTZ Chemical Racing Oil ... and carbon free to' STOP PLUG FOULING once and for all! KLOTZ contains Techniplate*, a very special ingredient thai gives vastly superior film strength for reduced friction and increased RPM's. Run faster, cooler, cleaner, longer with KLOTZ. Want proof? Just try it ... and you'll never settle for an ordinary lubricant again! Write for further detaHs on KLOTZ Chemical Racing Oil and other KLOTZ products like Ether Performance Additive, Nitro Racing Additive'and Chain Lube. If you include 50¢, we'll also send a sew-on patch and decal. Dealer inquiries are welcome. 'III Klotz Special Formula Products ~ Box 1343, Dept. CN072 ~ I Ii' Ft. Wayne, Indiana 46801 ' • I supply {ca~l:'i/~~0~e~:~"d~I~IIft,Et~lTURAL $7.50 fOr 3 months supply (Calif. resl1:Hmu add 5~ lall). Selld ctlecl< or money order to: Endura V.tamin. Dept. A. G38 S. Glendora Ave., Glendora. Ca. 91740. ' rna"orcyc". corporet;ian T-SHIRTS Printed in 3 COLORS / Top quality cotton pull·over shirt, guaranteed washable with pocket on front. Available in 2 styles: long or short sleeve. Short sleeve available in yellow, gold, light purple, light blue or beige. Long sleeve available in gold, yellow or light blue. $4.95 $5.95 CIo4EMfCAL L.U"Rl'C"At'IIT Send cash, check or money order and state color, size (S, M, L or XL) and style to: ORBIT ORDER P.O. Box 31 "'Trademark h" 80DYFUELBYENDURA (714) 870-5243 J .l. ... ~ ..... ~, , I H.eron~~ !3~tch"f~' ~O~~4 : dJ t -,: )tJ:)~ ., r" , Calif. residents add 5% tax. P.ostage and Handling "'tiS iP~I~d~~.i\'l ft}i~ 10V-: p,r!c~. .. J ,.. (rT~ ~ -'1 C· . \ r '} a",. ., J !- r r- 'f I ,.., ~ , I

• Cover