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/125879
... ~ ...0 o ... u o The AMA goes "experimenting" on .Sunday, September 29th, by requIrIng some type of silencing devices on the racing motorcycles METZELER TIRES motocross and street treads in stock wholesale . retail that will be ridden by the Experts in the S15,OOO-plus Golden Gate Mile National . Noise has become a big topic of ZDS MOTOR CORP. 46 55 Sa n Fe rna ndo Rd., G lend ale, CA 9 1204, (213) 245-8695 Distributors for 5 Western states . ;1-.0 "1\0 1'< 0 ToO 1<" 1'<0 To" ,.-", no on ~O Tt, f !!~TH,l1.'MAHA • r ~ VENTED MOTO-X JERSEYS (') BILL WALTERS VIKI NG Yam.h. "MO LY" r I: ~ . 0 l' 2, 24020 Na rbonne Ave ., Lomita, CA . 90717. Pho ne (213) 534-23 11 ,,0 't"" ''t'f.c.' 't~') 1"," 'ft.C> r &o 't< (.) 't'£Cl r&o 't< 0 r -o reo "(,!; COMPETITION SHOCK ABSO RBERS • FIVEr WAY ADJUSTABLE • • • • DISTRI BUTED B Y CHR OME D & PO LISH ED DOUBLE DAMPENIN<;: RE6UILDABLE STREET OR R ACI NG Sammy Tanner Distributing 17213 Rose to n Avenue Artesia, CA 90701 213/924-2111 Betor Forks and Shucks Mak e the Difference ~ TOP QUALITY ~ AT COMPETITIVE PRICES • PERFORMANCE • RELIABILITY • HANDLING The Motorsix>rt Co. 18651 Vallev Blvd.. Bloorn inqt o n, CA 92316 714-877 ·0151 16 , t & REG . PRICE $ 10.95 SAL E PRIC E $ 7.95 REG . PR ICE $ 12.95 . .. .... .. •.. ~A L E PRICE $ 9 .95 RE G. PRI CE $ 13.95 SALE PRICE $ 10 .95 ~~t.~~f.\\\\~ ~ ~ ..'O Learn how to tun e bikes at the BURAK TUNING SCHOOL for perform ance, tun & econ omy . '\~ BURAK BYE-PRODUCTS 15170 Raymer St. • Van Nuy s, CA (213) 780-1768 late. Many people found that noise was bothering the m after somebody told them they should be bothered. Then the word "Muffler" popped up and everybody thought that racing machines were going to come out with those long big chrome plated items that hang on all the street machines. ~ 'tot so. A racing ' silencer is not really a muffler. like on a street bike. A silencer, with regards to racing, is and can be many things that come in many different sizes and shapes. Three companies arc standing by to provide them if the entrants need them. The Golden Gate National mile will be a first for the b ig motors. The A:\IA has voted to go all the way with silencers for al l racing at a later date but this event couldn't wait. The non-National m ile ra ce there last year fo und th e facili ty to be th e best the A.\1A has for mil e races when it comes to pl ush grandstands, view ing , etc. The infield looks like some picture on a calendar. But the noise th ing was the big surprise. The only houses within sight are located far from the backstretch and high on a hill, about 12 in total number. The people that live in them. at least some of them, said that the noise from the bikes hurt their ears last year. So they went to the city council and tried to get any additional racing eliminated. But the . co unci l took a realistic altitude and asked promoter :\Iike Goodwin, the man that brings you the "Superbowl" of MX at the Los Angeles Coliseum every year. what he could do about it . Since that time, Mike and the A~IA people have been working towards guarantees that the Golden Gate facility stays on the circuit from year to year. The City Council has asked only that the machines be equipped with silencers of some type, To give every rider a fair shake for this first time occasion, all entrants will be required to have their machines , inspected on Saturday the 28th a t the tra ck. If the hike doesn't pass the sound test then it can be filled with a device from anyof t~,e three companies and get another test, But all tests take place o n Saturday . Sunday is devoted to ra cing and not debates as to whether or not a machine can or cannot pass the sound meters that will he there and used by ci ty and slate officials . To show good faith. promoter Goodwin posted a bond with the city . It comes to a considerable amount of maney. Jf the rid e rs or the officials are in violation then the bond goes to the city - and of course, there will be no mo re races in the co ming years. The longtime fan mayor may not know that all of the lightweights have been required to have sile ncers on fo r the past couple of years. This includ es both National short track races at Houston and Chicago. Neither the A~IA nor the promoter nor the city is saying that the machines have to be so quiet that you can shut your eyes and not know the races are running. The manufacturers of the silencers claim they can prove that their silencers will bring the machines within the allowed limit - and increase the horsepower!! • It would be nice to really believe; that those few people that live high on that hill above Golden Gate are really only concerned about excessive noise. Or are they really saying that they don't want motorized racing. no matter how quiet the machines are? They had a mile race in the Chicago area a few years ago . The peo ple across the st reet di d n ' t comp lain abo u t the noi se. They comp laine d abo ut . th e bright . lights being o n at n igh t! Light po llu ti on , they called it . Peopl e out in the Corona area o nce complained a bout the noise from the racing cycles that ran at nigh t on a weekly basis. People who moved in long after the race track had been built. To prove that they really just wanted to get rid of t he track a nd that the noise was not a factor, the track called off the races one night b u t did turn on the lights. The result was that there were over a dozen calls complaining about the noise. The only vehicle at the track was a police car with the engine turned off!! The promoter and the A~IA are trying to be sincere ,abo u t the whole thing. We can only hope that the people on the hill will have the same attitude. The Golden -Gate mile. the last mile of the year, will offer the fans a plush eating and drinking area behind glass . Breakfast and lunch' .no less . The restroom doors are also padded to insure that some of the people outside the track with tender ears will not misunderstand and take the flush of a toilet for the roar of a racing engine. \Vc won't know success o r failure until the September 29th race. Not to be overlooked is the fact that in four previous mile Nationals this year there ' have been four diffe rent w inners: Ken ny Roberts, Gary Scott. Gene Romero and rookie Hank Sco tt. The 29th is the runoff and all four will be there. So will about 95 other Experts. Look for the little round item that will either be in or around the back of ever-y pipe. Quiet please. Golden Gate is not Watergate. but it will be wired for soun d. Bob F. Read