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/125820
Mopeds cont'd. Continued from page 25 as reflective tape imbedde.d as a half inch sidewall in a motorcycle tire) on both man and machine greatly increases visibility at night and in bad weather conditions. Their look at motorcycle headlamp systems concluded the candlepower rating system was not a good measure of performance, and pointed out that the use of automotive headlamps as replacement units is not a good idea. Car headlamps lack the ceramic bar support for the filiments that motorcycles need to resist vibration and rough ride. A's a result, the iiliment in a car Ught used on a bike will be more likely to burn ou t at an inopportune moment. Their research also supported the idea that using the headlight during the day increases the abili ty of car drivers to see and recognize a motorcycle. Joseph Lucas questioned the use of headlights during the day due to the heavy load it'put on generating systems. . Another AMF presentation by John Bartol turned up a side impact protection ESM that looked like a hippo-on-wheels. It did its job in tests, but, being abou t four feet or more wide, probably did not handle too well. Any go-faster probably would be able to ground out the frame, which projected outward for a role cage effect both in front of and behind the rider. As indicated in Peter Bothwell's work, the plumber's (or motorcyclist's) nightmare would be a real leg buster in a frontal impact situation, and besides, J never saw such an ugly contraption. However, small children at a park playground would love it, parked in concre te righ t next to the pipe submarines and pipe rocketships. Nice hippo. HIGH PERFORMANCE LUBRICANTS AND ADD/T/PES go « (I) ~ z W ...J For a free brochure on "Klotz-Power to Go" products and a 6" Klotz decal, just send us your name and address along with 25¢ to cover postage and handling. If you include 50¢, we'll also send a cl9th sew-on patch. Dealer inquiries are welcome. U >- U WAYNE,IND.46801 Don't Lay It Down Hugh Hurt, in his second presentation to the conference, examined the investigation of motorcycle crashes, events involved, and how to tell from the aftermath what had happened, and how. While the paper was primarily of interest to other researchers, one importan t poin t needs mentioning. Hurt ,pointed out'that in a slide out on pavement, a motorcycle on its side decelerates (slows down) at a rate of 0.5 to 0.7 G, while an upright motorcycle can decelerate at a rate over .8 G (reaching 1.0 G in DOT testing). "Laying the bike down to stop could be justifiable if the front brakes were deficient or if the roadway conditions were adverse," Hurt said. uOtherwise, the greater deceleration available from uprigh t maximum braking would be the advantage i!' stopping while maintaining control." In other words, if you want to stop to keep from hitting some idiot car, hammer on the brakes, don't lay it down. You can stop faster with the bike on its two wheels than on its side. Last and for sure least, the Piaggio Company included a "paper" in the transcripts of technical proceedings, but did not present it at the conference. Their "data" upholding their conclusions was so doubtful that they probably did not want to subject their "work" to questions from people who knew what was happening. Instead of "suggesting modifications to existing vehicles", the Piaggio people preferred to present "a typical vehicle is an alternative solution". Offering a moped as a catch·alJ "solution" to '''many safety, fuel consumption, noise, and pollution problems", their supporting evidence was worse than the junk the EPA offered as justification for its clean air plan. It insulted one's intelligence that they would try to pass off as a research work a piece of junk that any halfway decent eighth-grade science class could have found fault with. They overlooked two basic considerations: 1) Bothwell showed that "step through" design vehicles are the ultimate in groin killers in a fron tal impact situation, and 2) no one in their right mind is going to give up their 750 for a 50cc moped. The conference was all a Utde bizarre. At the end, one felt a little outraged, a little stupified, a little gladdened, reassured that not all men are mad, disappointed that many are. It was a start, and any start is better than no slart. All we h ave to do now is watch for the finish. John D. Ulrich .... presents stuff designed to grab your greenbacks and otherwise deflate your wallet. SPECIAL WHILE THEY LAST $1.50 Nothing on a racing motorcycle is unbreakable! BUT you are always going to have our TOUGH levers on, because we UNCONDITIONALLY GUARAN· TEE our levers by replacing them free! BIKE BACK BAGS POSTER HOT HATS Just return all parts along with the CarTy it whether on your Hodaka or your 10 speed. The ideal way to carry your books to school or your lunch & spare plugs on the trail. $2.50 . snCKIES guarantee card plus $1.00 for shipping and handling. and we will send you another TOUGH lever absolutely FREEl SUPER 1I GHT. only 3 ounces for complete assy. Fits all models with 7/8 bar. Suggested Retail $5.95 each. 50¢ - 00 . - - - - - - - - - - - - - Please print clearly - - - - - - - - - - - _ _Posters @ S 1.50 ea total _ _ _ _Hot Hats @ S1.00 ea.............•...... total_ _ _ _Stickie @I>Oq ea. . total_ _ _ _Bike Back Bags @ $2.50 ea. Collins & Sons ':>65 E. Lincoln Anaheim (714) 535·5000 total_ _ Name _ Address' _ (714) 894·2623 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Zip PENTON 5.1., - Service - Parts - Accessories _ Allow two to three weeks for our sometimes post office. Send check or money order to: 0& R Cycles 7181 Westminster Ave. Westminster, Calif. 92683 CYCLE NEWS STUFF P.O. BOX 498, LONG BEACH, CA. 90801 [GREEVES:-OSS'A-HOOAK'A1 Husqvarna I NICK NlrnO!'foNMOTORS ! Klocker's SALES & SERVICE , CARABELA - STEEN ; ;. 11573 VANOWiN STREET .. ~ NO. HOLL YWOOD. CA. 1213} 764·8674 • ~.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. 6624 Atlantic, Bell, Ca. (213) 581·3983