Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Page 15 October 23, 1973 , " ...Daddy's in the den, shootin' up the evening news" Jackson Browne JA note on the words in this space: This column seems appropriately titled, since it originated in Ohio, migrated to Georgia and was recently speed-shifted to California. The line above is from a song I heard on the radio at the same time the television reported that Spiro Agnew had resigned. It was a serious case of multi-media overload; more information than I could easily absorb. So this column attempts to deal with what will be termed "media selectivity. ") Last week we had a letter from Mrs. Claude Hailey of Oceanside. California, in which she complained that this has been "a disappointing year· with Cycle News. " Her disappointment was based on the deficiency of local coverage, of scrambles in particular. We could reply with the old you-can't-please-everybody axiom, but that's just part of the story;just as scrambling is only part of the local dirt racing story. But our interest was sufficiently stoked by ber letter that we checked back through several issues to d~termine what sort of balance had been achieved. Here's the score of events: International - 10; National - 12; Local professional - 13; and Local amateur - 41. The types of competition within the last category were (more Or less in order of their current popularity); motocross, desert, scrambles, enduro, road racing and trials. The remaining 20 percent of available space yielded two interviews, five legislative articles, six bike tests and seven fe,ature stories. We thought that seemed an .equitable balance, so we looked around for other answers to the problem. One element is obvious - the rapid and unprecendented growth of the motorcycle sport and industry. With more people building, selling, buying, riding and racing motorcycles, the need for sources of specialized information on them has grown proportionally. rr the market is large enough to support a publication, it usually succeeds. If not it folds, or goes through a number of costume changes trying to decide what it wants to be. Motorcycle racing at the grassro.ots level is "local" in the same way that Los Angeles is just another small town. It's hundreds of small towns, each distinguishable from the next in subtle but specific respects. No one could bope to provide a single information source to satisfy the gumbaJI variety of human interests; except perbaps the L.A. Times, and how much local scrambles coverage do you find there? Consider the two "local boys" of not long ago, Mark Brelsford and Ken Roberts, who have both recently earned over SIOO,OOO. We don't know if Dick Mann would tell you what he earned when he became Grand National Champion ten years ago, but there weren't that many figures in it. So, as the sport grows and becomes more diverse, and more specialized publications proliferate (sorry, Spiro) in its wake, the motorcycle enthusiast has to be selective in choosing his media. Naturally economics is a consideration,. unless your old man owns a book shop. Each reader determines what he wants and needs to know (or what he can't afford not to know), and budgets his information expenses accordingly. After sampling the products available, he chooses those he can afford and enjoys reading. His interest may be in straight information, ente~tainment, technical instruction, products and prices, new model tests or a combination of some or all these. And it's difficult to find them aU in one place. Bus4varna and CZ owners: laave we got a Mi.uni earlJuretor eonversion .it for ~ou! Valerian's. The original Mikuni carburetor conversion kit for Huskys and CZs. And the only one that really works! The kit that improves efficiency. torque characteristics and fuel consumption. Stops loading up. Eases startups. And gives more docibility. The kit that comes with a complete range of jets good from sea level to B,OOO~ The kit you can bolt on in less than an hour. The custom-designed kit that looks like it's "factory installed:' • ~ .... Order a whole kit and kaboodle, or just the parts you need. (Including our very own manifold kits.) Call (213) 475-4541 today. Or mail the coupon. ----------------------------Sin: Would like 10 order lhe 101l0wlfl9 Descflplioro - Tvpe !Sile 1 250 CZ 32mm. 2 250 CZ· 34mm . . . . . . 3 J60 400 CZ - 34mm •... 4360400 CZ - 36mm •..•....... 5 250 Husk y - 32mm to replace 32mm 6250 Huskv - 34mm 10 replace 36mm . 7 250 Huskv - 32mm 10 replace 36mm Huskv - 32mm 10 repl~ce 32mm 1(.1 a Price . . 554.95 59.95 . .. 59.95 72.50 61.95 .65.95 61.95 61.95 Kil O~tlpllOro - Tvp"lSlle 9 360 Huskv - 34mm 10 repliCe 36mm 10360 Husky - 32mm 10 replace 36mm 11 400 Husky - 34mm 10 repliICe 32mm 12 400 Hu~V - 34mm 10 repl.ca 36mm 13250 Huskv MJ - 32mm 14250 Huskv MJ - J4mm 15400 Huskv MJ - 34mm 16 450 Husk y MJ - 34mm 17 125 Peroloro - 32mm.............. Price 65.95 65.95 .. 65.95 65.95 63.95 66.95 65.95 65.95 ..54.95 •All puces plus ShiPPing and handl"19 Cahlorr'l18 resldenls add 5'\ sates la)l Please St':IP COD Charge to NAME BankAmenCard MaSlercharge . _ ADDRESS ---:...-. My accounl number IS _STATE _ _ ZlP _ _ CITV_ ~~~w~~c~!~v~!!~~r~!.· MAIL TO: tI\\ VU~I TELEPHONE • use area cOde) Los Angeles. California 90064 - Telephone: (213! 475-4541 Sales - Service - Accessories - Parts - Rivetts Champion Leathers HUSOVARNA' JAWA/CZ, SUZUKI' PENTON· MZ, MONTESA N APP, MINI·TRAILS 0 monda throu h satWda

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