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/125859
Green sti cki e blues F.I.M . can't ban controversy In regard to the F .I.M. ban of the Yamaha TZR 700 and the Harley XRs, I · was shocked by this actually happening, . but knew I t could happen. I think this is the most idiotic thing the F .1M. co uld do. I'm not sayi ng the people at the F JM. are idiots because I have great respect for them and I think both bikes are the greatest. Like you said, this is the most controversial decision they have made and any other co m me n ts would be appreciated. C. BAGLEY Littlerock, Calif. F.I.M. warn't much in lo ve with th e Formula 750 class wh en it was imported to Europe from America. Cons equ ently , they never hep t up much wi th th e changes in t he rul es on th is sid e of the Atlantic . AMA dropped th e old "street . legal derivative" rule for race bik es some time ago, but F.I.M. never changed. Now Yamaha may produce 200 TZR 700 models with street legal equipm ent , jus t to satisfy an old "Class C Production Racing" rule. We doubt that H·D will do th e sam e with their XR , but it would mak« a nice str eet racer if they did...C.C. Ask not wh at y our govern ment can do f or you. . .ask what you can do to it What can we motorcyclists do about the problem facing all of us, THE GREEN STICKlE ? T he time is nearing to renew these things and so far it seems t o be n othing but a gr een sti ck-on, with no value except to save you from a ticket a t certain pl aces. I doub t if an ything was ever done w ith th e firs t b it of revenue that was collected from th e sale o f these, which a t S 15 a crack must have been quite a bundl e. What can I/we do? Is there any way that a co ncentrated effo rt can be started to get so me parks opened up with the proceeds froin th e st ickies ? I , along with I 'm sure many others, would spend some time doing anythin g th at wo uld get us a start. H -E·L·P. DE N NIS L. McCOMAS Burbank. Cal if. Money is there, (abo ut S'h million) bu t the State Parks and R ecreation Dept. is stalling until they get several million in the program "to do the job right." We think th ey should spend more of what they've already collect ed, to show their good faith to th ose R V owners who can 't see . what th e Green Stickie do es for them. Your best approcah is through Los A ng eles County, where you live. They are entitled to nearly 15 of your fee. and th ere are some good trails near Griffith Park that the County ow es us. Tell the county supervisors to gas it!. . . C.C. Where the feds aren't The si tuation is getting critical. I've been off all my secret areas, even . The "Ieds" ar c everywhere and there simply is nowhere left to ride. run It's certainly comforting to know I'll be able to ride Mirage Dry Lake for years to come, however. I read in my local newspaper that the California "feds" are generously going to purchase and develop the lake bed lands for exclusive ORV use. The money is to come from green stickie funds. One fIy in the fork oil, though, is that bikers pay, while gliders, helicopters and wind buggy freaks play. Bikers pay the - largest share, so why don't we get some close-in MX ground or trails or any thing beside a fiat nothing? WAYNE FRANZ Col ton , Cali f. EI Mirage Dry · Lake is a pretty good plac e to ride m otorcy cles, too. Lo ts of speedway and fla t track racers take their scoots out there to practice, and th e sand dunes nearby make a good trail bike or motocro ss course_ J suggest you lo cate th e BLM land near you and ride there. . . C.C. Steve. not Sonny You guys blew it! Look in No. 16, page 7. I mean Steve Bast. If he rode on a fla t lik e th at, my name's Ivan Mauger. 1 was there and he go t a blowout on the last lap , last co rner, and he lost it, too. And th e p icture below it is not Sonny Nutter. It is his co usin Steve. I think Cycle News is great, but get your Speedway co verage together. The co ver o f that issue is birchen! When I'm 16 I'm going to rid e ' Sp eedway too. SCOT PAUL Los Angeles, Calif. In a little less than two months, California will institute the latest version of its fam o us Green Stickie program (Voices, Ap ril 30.) I realize that most rid ers af fec ted will shrug their sho u ld ers , come up with the S I S , and fo rget it. I can neither accept nor supp ort this law fo r a number of reasons. My bike is a flat tracker used only in local professional events. 1) It has a rear fender much too small to acc omm odate the sticker , as speci fied . 2) Since m y trick chro m e-m oly frame doesn't bear frame numbers, th e law requires that an identification p late be affixed permanently (pop-rivet ) to the frame down-tube. You can im agin e how weak this makes one of the-most stressed parts on the frame ! 3) It will now be illegal to carry bikes in vans and pi ckups without the sticker. I have already paid the State a goodly sum for commercial plates on my van for the right to carry my bike and other cargoes. I very much dislike being taxed twice for the same privilege. 4) I do not feel that the State has the right to regulate private properties and parks so long as penal code violations do not occur. Enforcement on such private properties would be terribly difficult. if not illegal. I would be interesting to learn if anyone else is upset about this latest indignity, or perhaps we're prepared to accept it along with all the regulations they're planning for us. SCOTT EASTBURN Newport Beach , Cali f. My only co mp aint about Spillway Par k co nc erns the flagmen. When a rider is down, the flagmen must learn to both hold the yellow flag up and, by using hand signals, direct exactly where the on coming riders should go . Usual ly the flagmen j ust hold the yellow flag up and yo u do not know where to go until you hit the fallen rider/so This can get very dangerous. Possibly the flagmen and the promoters will read th is and get the right idea. .. .A nd co ngratulations to Of f icer Hazlew ood for being suc h a good sp ort; • . C.C. Advert ising Th o ma s R, Culp : Nati o nal Direct or 'T rudi Culver: Assis ta n t Editorial Charles Clayton : Editor John D. Ulrich : Associate Editor John Huerter; Feature Editor Lane Campbell; Calendar Editor Art 8r Prod uction Ca t he rin e Lampt on ; Art Dire c tor Na ncy Gr ay : Adva tisin$t Art Direct or Hector Agu ilera : Lab Technician Marion lIa tashita: Typographer Melvin Phelps ; Assistant Typographer Circulat ion Rheba Smith : Manager Pam H obbs ; Assistant Chris Andrews Gay e Za ic nz ; Man ager Chris Kolbe r: A ssistan t Twila Whe ele r; Assisu nt Rosemary Chandler ; Collection Services 8r Support Mike Colikas Rand y Davis Bill Runy an Jean nie Dunivan : Recep tion ist West MIKE CROWE Los 050S, Calif. ImJIIlL P.O. Box 49 8, Long Beach, CA 9080 1 (21 3) 427 ·7433; LA 636-8844. Telex No. 673 -474. 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