Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

WHITTI. HONDA o o ., >- :; ! z '@:J S~' Motorcycle Trailen Bell Helmets Full Bore Products WHITTIER HONDA 14324 E. Whittier Blvd. (213) 69['-0055 Complete stock POOP (Continued from page 4) The downhill is in for sure at the Superl>owi of Motocross next weekend. There are predictions of a two·thirds sell out of advance tickets. Jawa says mat Falla and Baborovsky will be there. Hang on. * for street and dirt w .... U > U * * of Darts and Kcesso"es * With Sears Point re-opening, perhaps the AMA will have a Nationa' there next year. It sure is a neat, rolling, twisting, turning, writhing course. Why even the Harleys might have a chance there. * A GIRL!!!? At the Mini World California State Championship last weekend, Renee Payne dusted off the boys on her Honda SL 70 to take the minicycle victory. Don VanTassell was the minibke winner. Photo feature in the next issue. * * * * * TRIUMPH SUZUKI of POMONA 1049 W. Mission (714) 623·4431 Custom Porting & Engines by eMnda Lelek "WORKS MECHANIC" , Distributors of "J.H. CLEANSWEEP" Imoroved Exhausts For Fast CZ's MAIL ORDER DLR INQUIRIES INVITED Why did the Yamaha motocross team have reservations for the bridal suite in Salt Lake City? Better yet; why didn't the Yamaha motocross team show up? Why did one girl stay there by herself? * (714) 8~2-2252 ",,,f~ ,". ~.": ..a:"l~ •• ~. "p.~.") "4. po. 8oJ! Cvpren. CA 90630 17.41 827·7421 COMPETITION MOTORCYCLE WHEELS DESIGNED, BUlL T AND AE'AIAED. SEND 5O¢FOR CATALOG I Hodaka ~a~~~"f. Motorcycles 111 e4tIIfi4t'UeJr, ~l~~~Sport Cycle Malec GUY R. LOUIS (714) 893·705·7 7219 Westminster Ave .. Westminster. Ca. * C~'Y~jl'a N"I!'W-~ DISPLA V ADVERTISING DEADLINE WEDNESDAVAT5prn ~ (~'~ (213) 427-7433 * * * * * One of the writers on the Voices page this week wonders where they might find information about California eycle parks and places to ride. The answer just arrived. It is the "California Trailbike Guide," a big, I 24-page book with maps and details of just about every open trail and park in the Golden State. Author Joe Driscoll spent 10 months compiling it from BL.M, National Forest and city, county, commercial riding areas. He found rideable land and motor trails that they didn't even know they had. It's $S.95 a copy and worth mueh more. Ask your dealer to stpck it or order from Driscoll & Hough Publishers, Box 483, San L.eandro, Cal. 94577 (include 50 cents for handling). * * The National Road Race Icheduled September 30th at Ontario, Calif. has been confirmed by the AMA Executive Board. AMA caved in to the new owners' request for a purse reduction from $51,000 to $39,000 in order to help the raceway out if its present dire fmances. No reduction in mileage, though. It's still 250 long ones. * * At the same meeting the question of Uwhlt is an Americlln?" came up. Seems that Brad Lackey was awarded the trophy arid contingency dough at the recent U.S.GP. for finishing first American. Then somebody reconsidered and the cup and money were taken from L.ackey and awarded to Pierre Karsmakers because he had an AMA license. Pierre is a fine fellow, but he's about as American as apple strudel. The AMA Board decided to examine the rider's passport in future. Just because a racer holds an AMA I,icense, it doesn't mean he is an American. * * * MOTORCYCLE CLEAN-UP PROGRAM SEEN BY AMA AS SUCCESS WESTERVILLE, OHIO - In April, 1973, the 2,000 individual local clubs chartered by AMA embarked upon a national clean-up campaign in coopera tion wi th Keep America Beautiful, Incorporated, In addition to organizing clean-up days in their local communities, many clubs have begun to issue CLUB Part 3 Mid-range leadership and ORV polley reports to by John Ulrich * At press time we learned that fonner motorcycle racer'Swede Savage died of his i nj uries sustained during the Indianapolis auto race. It's a great loss. * 9008 Sierra Ave., Fontana,Ca. * Speedway at Orange County Intematio"",1 Raceway will start on July II (honest). * jM FisltbAcl(s YAMAHA. iDHf.AHA ~ SIERRA * After the San Jose National, Roxy Rockwood asked Gene Romero if he'd ever had a contest with two people that close together before and Gene replied, "Only in the back seat of my car." ~EXPERTS INSIDE THE the national headquarters of the AMA so that the total impact of the program can be judged, One example is the Hustlers·Tucson Motorcycle Club which coUected over 2% tons of litter in a single afternoon. The project was conducted under the fonnat of a contest with first place going to a Tucson couple who coUected 818 pounds of trash by covering a large area aboard their motorcycles. Similarly, on April 28 the Ft. Knox Motorcycle Association and local Boy Scouts filled 47 trash bags and a 55·gallon can from a single two-mile ,tretch of highway. In part 2 of this investigative look at the Sierra Club, we looked at the official Sierra Club ORV policy, and the upper hierarcy in terpretation of that policy. In this case we look at how a mid-range leader, Bill Holden, looks at the ORV controversy. Holden is Chairman of the Angeles Chapter Desert Conservation Subcommittee. CN, publisher Chuck Clayton pointed out in an not-too-Iong ago editorial prin ted, only a fool would enter the desert without a vehicle of some sort. Readers of last week's part of this series will find the comparison of official Sierra Club ORV policy to the actual in the field Sierra Club operations in the desert extremely in teresting. The frrst question I asked of Mr. Holden was whether or not he felt that ORV use should be" allowed in the desert. Speaking from the Desert Conservation Subcommittee viewpoint, he replied, "Bear in mind that because I am a 4WD owner I probably am more 'liberal' about this thing than someone who is a straight out posey.picker is apt to be. You'll fmd that most of the committee members run 4WDs just because of the neceslity of getting over bad trails ou t there. " "When a Club member says 'cut it out totally' (refering to ORV use) this is a bargaining deal...we can always give a little that way. If we start out saying what we want, we might lose more than we want to lose. We realize that there is 'going to be mo torcycle use in the desert~ but to have no control over it whatsoever is objectionable. We have Highway Patrol supervising our highways. Seventy MPH down a residential street may be fun, but if a little kid runs out... Similarly, law and order must come to the desert. There must be supervision." "We can work out areas (for ORV use). When you talk to a motorcycljst maybe he's taIkmg the same way others are. He says he wants everything. He figures he is going to have to give up something, so he might as well start by talking for the whole thing." What about his view of the very strong ORV official policy put out by the Sierra Club Board of Directors? "The Cluh got into some hot water about the definition of a road. "Maintained", that was the key word. Some of the mining roads have been there for a hundred years." (To really undersand this last passage, dig out last week's Cycle News and check out the Sierra Club ORV policy). The Desert Subcommittee's basic concern about motorcycles in the desert? "The big thing is the bikes racing where there was no road before. After 400 of them have been over it, it is hard to tell it wasn't always there. They ,don't want to accept any limitations so they can't take a new route every year. Where will this end up? That route is going to be there 20 years from now. It's a question of values. We don't want to see the whole desert scarred up. "Some people say, 'What the hell, you aren't using it'. But do we have the right to rip up everything? At the present use rate, in five or ten yean it's going to be a mess. That's why we're howling for some kind of referee to make sound decisions. n "There is going to be bike use out there. But there's going to have to be some restrictions so that you can't run a race track everywhere and anyplace you want. If not, eventually the desert's all going to be plowed up. That is our concern." "'f.hey say that once they've been over a trail it's no fun going over it again. Your fun againlt somebody else's desires. I like a big hunk of the desert natural. " It is important that the reader of this Sierra Club viewpoint expressed by Holden not automatically shut off to it. Instead, think about it. Cycle News gets letters from indignan t bikers angry that the Sierra Club is trying to close off the desert, and that they will not be able to take their children trajJriding to learn about the desert first hand. That is, however, a rather dumb viewpoint to take. What the Sierra Club is really against is bike use on virgin and special value land areas. If the indignan t letter writer trail riders, the Sierra Club basically, in the practical view of Holden (contrasted with the fanatical stand of the Official policy that makes Holden a desert ~estroyer), has no hassle with where he rides. It may still hate his noise, or anything he may leave behind, but trailriding is basically "safe" from Sierra Club contlict in the. desert. Now look at this letter writer's concern that his children will not be able to Jearn of the desert firsthand. Well, if ORV use is completely unrestricted, and races uncon trolled, his grandchildren will not be able to learn about the desert firsthand, the way it was before man, because it will all be ripped to shreds. No one can argue that ORV use does not damage the desert. If you do, the BLM and Sierra Club will anniliiJate that stand easily with mountains of data. 1 wondered if Holden supported the idea of a multi use concept supported by Congressman Barry Goldwater Jr., and at least m,.a, Cycle News interview, Senator Alan Cranston. Holden answered, "I think this is implied. We're basically saying we want ORV use Iimi ted un til studies can be made by the BLM on damage. The damage isn't evident immediately in all cases. Before we tum over the whole desert to ORV use, let's find, out what we're doing. Once the facts are in, the ORV people will have a better time of it. Right now there's a lot of concern because of ignorance as to what is really going on out there." The next comments made by Holden indicate that he, at least, is trying to make an effort to understand the ORV interests. It wouldn't be a bad idea'if ORV in terests tried the same thing towards Sierra Clubbers. "I can understand 'that ORV people like to get out of town. I've listened to a lot of hearings and I think the (ORV) people are really sincere. They take the family out and do some thing. Why they take machines and don't do it on foot is a difference in orientation." What about Holden's view of desert •areas for unrestricted ORV use? "There will probably be certain areas where you want to tum it loose, a thousand acres

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