Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

have green stickies~ etc. These are the ones we have to reach. As abhorrent as it is, I'm in favor of mandatory licensing of some sort to force these people to help us pay our way. We either can not or will not police our own. (Wouldn't it be great if more clubs disqualified open chambers at 'the start line?) Can the green stickie program be re-worked so that all bikes not street licensed must have a green stic kie? If not, your licensing program may be an answer but what about the ones who ride both street and dirt? Who gets the money then? As far as spending the money, all I want is a place to camp and room to ride. JIM BOGUE 270-L Desert (Dist. 38) Santee, Calif. America's No.1 Weekly Motorcycle Newspaper Sharon Clayton; Publisher Tom Culp; General Manager Edna Mewton; Secy to Publisher Too Rafferty; Managing Editor Catherine Lampton; Art l?i!ector Art Friedman; Editor Dave Schoonmaker; Assoc. Editor John D. Ulrich; Cal. & Controversy Howie Fowler; Advertising Mgr. Wendy Blanton; Advertising Asst. Rheba Smith; Circulation Manager Cheryl Steinberg; Circulation Asst. Rosalind Ouinn; Production Asst. Hector Aguilera; Lab Technician Marion Hatashita; Typographer , Melvin Phelps; Asst. Typographer Dave Crowe; Collection Manager Grace Camp; Accounting Manager Barbara Bebeck; Accounting Asst. Chris Kolbet; Accounting Asst. Michael Colikas; Svc. & Support Ken Lee; Services & Support Squeeky Haynes; Svc. & Support National Advertising Dir; Tom Culp WEST P.O. Box 498, Long Beach CA 90801 (213) 427-7433; LA 636-8844 TELEX NO. 673-474 EAST·DIXIE 4190 First Ave., Tucker, Georgia (404) 934·785.0 ' CENTRAL 1118 West 6th St., Austin, Texas (512) 476-7571 Subscription One year, second class mail, S12.50 2 years, second class mail, $22.50 3 years, second class mail, $30.00 Singl copy price, 504 Published weekly except for the nrst and last week of the calendar year by Cycle News, Inc., Post Omce I!ox 498, Long Beach, California. Second class postage paid at Long Beach, CA. Editorial stories, cartoons, photos, etc. are welcome. Addressed, stamped envelope assures return of editorial matter. Reprin ting in whole or part only by permission of the publishers. Advertising rates and circulation information will be sent upon request. See S.R.D.S. Copyright iO Cycle News, Inc. 1973 all righ ts reserved ImBllL Check out the Guest Editorial and see what you think...Ed., DistUrbed Desert Father Writes Is The E.P.A. Wrong? I was about to resign myself to the fact that motorcycling was facing another crises due to recent articles in "Cycle News" concerning the attempt to ban motorcycles in Los Angeles. 'Then I came upon an article in the July issue of UAutomotive Engineering" entitled "Motorcycle Emissions are Insignificant So Far". The most surprising thing about this article is that it appears to be a synopsis of the very same report by the Sou.thwest Research Institute that the EPA is using as a basis to ban motorcycles! What's going on here? Is the EPA mis-interpreting the results of a study they paid to have done? Is the SAE Journal mis-interpreting the results? Is Cycle News manufacturing a crises that doesn't reaJIy exist? The article (copy enclosed) contai,ns tables, one of which shows that the maximum amount of any single kind of pollutant attributed to motorcycles is less than one percent of the total from aJI sources. This is in hydrocarbon emissions. Most other pollutants are less than one half percent of all sources; surely not reason enough to outlaw'motorcycles. GERALD URBAN Gorona, Calif. You wouldn't think ro, but the EPA a/J1l.arently sees us as an area where they can do something and meet little or no resistance. The article in Automotive Engineering" would seem to give motorcycles some support... Ed. Cranston On Cranston Etc. I want to thank John Ulrich for 'writing, and you for publishing, the June 19, interview of me headlined: "Is Cranston Out to Get You?" As Mr. Ulrich's article makes clear, the answer is UNO!" It. is indeed unfortunate, as Mr. Ulrich notes, that my bill (S. 63) is so "misund'erstood and disliked by off-road vehicle enthusiasts" since it is designed to bene'fit cyclists and others who love the desert. , I think every cyclist who loves the desert and wants to protect it would agree with the central aim of my bill Religion 20 Dept. of suspected blasphemy Speedway Safety 22 , 24 Ciao Test 26 The fairy tale comes to CN Desert _ 30 Why is it a European Scrambles? European 32 A real European race Laguna Sec,! : : .8 Kawasaki pays off Gary North Another Test , ..' 33 36 Technical., . .,., .... .,14 Another rotary engine Guest Editorial 17 Bob Ham strikes back Inter-trans-ARAMA .....18 COVER: The nrst lap of Laguna Seca. Yvon DuHamel leads the Kawasaki Parade through the corckscrew. Photo by Tom Culp. that "to maintain environmental,quality and ecological diversity and to control resource use, immediate steps must be taken to develop a comprehensive plan for the preservation of the desert environment and for the utilization of the desert's renewable resources within a framework of management which relies on the principles multiple use and the main tenance of environmen tal quality," In at least three separate places, my bill points up the need to protect "recreational" uses of the desert. And in one key section defming "multiple use," my bill stipulates that provision must be ' made for "the use of some land and resources for recreati<:>nal purposes." Moreover, my bill specifically calls for the appointment of "representatives of groups which make use of the California desert and its resources for purposes of recre'!-tion" to the California Desert Advisory Commission which S. 63 would create. My bill seeks only to limit "indiscriminate" off.road vehicle use which, and here' again I think most cyclists would agree with me, seriously threatens the beauty of the desert along with air pollution, improper grazing, careless mining operations, unplan.ned development and construction, and poor land use. I hope that with your continued help wee an clear up any reinaining misunderstanding abou t the bill and thus help insure its passage - to the benefit of all Californians. ALAN CRANSTON U.S. Senate Washington, D.C. or Hot Dog, A Moderate Taking pen in one hand and beer in the other I prepared the following for consideration: For Kurt Nelson: I am also "bugged" by the E.P.A., B.L.M., Sierra Club, et al; however lets don't be like Dop Quixote. Diesel-powered engines may emit more smoke but the real pollutants are invisible. The E.P.A.- has already reported that diesel engines are inherently cleaner than gas ones. In fact, the car that comes closest to meeting the very strict 1976 Federal control standard~ is the M~rcedes-Benz 220 D, a diesel. At a time like this, we don't need to be jousting windmills. Not trying to start an arguement Kurt, just clear the air a little. For Ron Schneiders: My rear is solid scar tissue so I'm not afraid of your biting sarcasm. Be my guest, bite away!! I'm one of the fish who rushed down to shell out $45 on green stickies for the fenders of my three, dirt-only, competition-type bikes. (I immediately destroyed one of the fenders in a get-off, try to get advice from the DMV on what to do in that case!) I didn't have to get those stickies since they have never been a requirement at any event I've been to. I did it for the same reason my bikes hi've silencers, I fight pit-racers, write letters, go to meetings and try to respect other people's rights. Now don't tell anyone, but we have a lot of O.R.V. nurds (yeab - even bikers) who ride on posted property, race up and down residential streets, scare horses, use open chambers, don't (Keith Mertz sent in this letter his father wrote to Russ Penny. The Mertz family has lived in the Mojave Desert for 40 years, and is concerned about the closure of local riding areas...Ed) Mr. Russ Penny State Director of B.L.M. I have three teen-aged children that have been very active in motorcycling since the early ages of five years, along with my wife and myself. There are thousands of acres of idle desert land that my family and I, have ridden on daily for over twen ty' years without any damage to the land by our so-called, "Desert Destroyers." But it is now Out of Bounds, and some of our local boys have received as many as five citations from the Sheriff for riding over this desert. All the local bike riders, ages ten to twenty years have to use our present little five acres as their riding area, because everywhere else is now "Out of Bounds." Our Ii ttle Motocross piece of property is adjoining or across the stree t from four trailer [parks, and this reaJIy creates a problem with the flood of complaints to the, local Sheriff every time the green flag is dropped, but to ride on idle adjacent property has led to nothing but Cops and Robbers chase by the young locals and the Sheriff's ,Department. This happens much too frequently, and without a doubt could even tually lead to some type of serious misfortunes. We can hardly, move much further out in the desert than we already have, so, what is the solution? Sell the bikes, and let the kids all hanl{ out at the local Foster-Freeze! Or Smoke-Pot! Or look for other types of entertainment! Let's Hope Not!! I think that your department, along with the different Conservation groups must certainly realize that about two million O.R.V. enthusiasts should be given a little consideration for their kids. We're not asking for it all! Just a portion! HARRY MERTZ Rosamond, Calif. Yankee Not ~elly Up There have been quite a few rumors, and misin terpretations of my April 30th I etter regarding our manufacturing operations. I wish to make it emphatically clear that the Yankee 500 Twin motorcycle line has not been discontinued. Further, Yankee Motor Company is not going out of business. The motorcycle press and some dealers neve,r read beyond the first sentence of that letter. Stated clearly, the only thing that has changed at Yankee Motor Company is that we have transferred the manufacture of the Yankee 500 Twin to OSSA rather than continue to build it here in Schenectady at a loss. The 500 Twin series is very much a part of our product line - now and in the future. We have stocked large amoun ts of spare parts to keep the Yankees r~nning and have sufficient quantities of the Twins in our warehouse for sale un til OSSA can resume production of the Twin next year. JOHN A. TAYLOR . President Yankee Motor Company SchenectadY;,N.Y. c;: i!' a... ~ ~ ui '" ~ z W ..J U >U

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