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/125851
-- ---- - - ..... ~ , ~-=="""'~.,,-- HOAX EXPOSED uss an By Chuck Clayton Last week readers may have shed a tear upo n .readl nq the " obit uary " of Russ Sanford, wh ich appeared on page two of th is newspaper. A t least I hope so. The " death " of Califo rnia's motorcycle lob byis t did not , in -fact, take place, I am glad to say. Russ is aliv e and well (although a lo t skinnier) and is stil l w inning the good fi ghts for you and me in th e State capitol. ' If my little hoax caused any one to waste an emo tion, it was not wi t ho ut purpose. "You never miss the wat er, " goes the old saying, "til the well ru ns dry ." In t he motorcycle f ield, Russ Sanford is a taken-for-granted fo untai n. I had hoped by t his ploy, t o shock some sense of recogniti on into the motorcycle people of Californ ia who are still unaware what Sanford is doi ng for t hem every day without pay . There are those who were suspicious of Moto rcyc le Owners, Riders & Ent husiast s, Russ 's littl e lobby ing operation. I guess be- r ivesl . C'l cause th ey 'd seen so many gimmi ck operat ions come and go, pro mising t o do w hat M.O.R.E. has done, and not deliveri ng. But M.O.R.E. has stayed on th e job, and become 'a very effe ctive ado. vocate of motorcycl e riders' rights, respected by aII the CaIifornia legislat ure. Yet t he fin ancial support M.O.R.E. needs to maintai n its independence never qui te materialized . It was vit al to expla in in print wh y Russ San fo rd keeps loo king out for motorcycl ing's interest, despite motorcy cl ists' obvious apathy to ward his needs. If putting th e st ory in obitu ary f orm was bad taste, I am sorry . Shall I tu rn in my poetic license? If anyo ne was tricked into makin g a do nation t o a wo rt hy cause, t hat was th e desired result. It w ill be repaid a . hundredfold by the recipient . Yes, Russ Sanf ord lives, and M.O. R.E: is alive and well lobbying in Sacramento. That is the good news. Th e bad news is t hat a responsible newspaper, based on jou rnalistic integrity and social responsibility, etc . had to hoax the reader into comi ng up with so me supp ort t o tielp keep M.O.R.E. going. I hope that peopl e w ill appreciate Russ Sanford more, now that they have f elt what it would be l ike w ithout him. So much of M.O.R.E.'s lobbying never makes the news. Until we start a "Department of Disasters that Haven't Happened," you won' t hear about such minor monst ers as Assembly Bill 1078 wh ich added a $2 fee to mo torc yc le registrat ions f or every decibel of exhaust no ise over 70 dB, plus an extra $20 fo r 89 decibels and up. (The average motorcycle registers something over- 88 dB.) How w ould y ou , Dear Reader, cope w it h t hat one? What ·wou ld it cost? Russ quietly arranged t o rewrite the bil l so that it applied to all motor vehicles and it was f inally ki lled on January 22 , 1974 . Onl y the M.O. R.E. supporters ever hear about th is kind of th ing, through the monthly newsletter that Russ sends out. Now that th ere is bet t er appreciation (I hope) and understanding of what M.O.R.E and Russ Sanford mean to mo torcycli ng, it would behoove all 35,000 readers of Cycl e News in Ca lf iornia t o send the man t en dollars f o r memb ership in M.O.R .E. T!1e address, again , is Motorcy cle Owners, Riders & E nth us i a s t s, Bo x 26062, Sacramento, Cali f . 95826. Or, if you prefer a run f or your money , enter the M.O.R.E. Motorcycle Economy Run, March 30 (Saturday) at 8 a.m. at the Organ Pavilion- of Balboa Park in San Diego. Indi viduals can enter for $10 per bike and Fact ory Teams $25. The State of Californ ia is donat ing t he gas and t he whole th ing is being covered by TV . So dress spiffy . • ...... ..c:: u ;,; :E 3 ...