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/125880
E NTE ~ The silent faces of Mt. Rushmore form the background for a club participating in the Black Hills Gypsy Tour. The events often drew thousands of riders. TIl E AMA During the five-yea r period from th e incep tion of the M&ATA Competiti on Committee in 19 19 to mid-May of 1924, progress was real an d substantial on all m o to rcy cling fronts. Fro m its West Madison Stree t head q uarters in Chicago, the ~&ATA organized th e ever -g rowing Gypsy To urs and sa ne tioned an increasing array of competition events. A.B. Coffm an issued a rep o rt in 1923 that l iste d official results of championship events for five. 10 and 25 mi les for 30.50 cubic-i nc h engi nes; five, 10 , 25 an d 300 miles for 6 1-cubic-inch engines; five, 10 and 25 miles for sidecars ; lap records fo r 6 1-cubic-inch so los an d 61-cubic-inch sidecars on hal f-mile dirt tracks and mile dirt tracks; n a t i on a l h i ll cl i m b and n a t i o n al e ndurance ru ns; and time trials at distan ces of o ne, five, 10 , 25, 50 an d 10 0 mi les. But the M&ATA was doing m o re than racing. In a statement th a t rings fam ili ar even today , M&AT A Presiden t Walter David son said, "I believe one of tho m ost important tasks ah ead of the M&ATA is to watch and combat in every way p o s s i bl e un favor able legislation ." No t unlike tod ay, no ise was a m ajor enemy o f the early motorcyclists. The new J er sey Mot orcycle Club , which would subsequently become t he first club ch ar tered by the AMA, went on record in 1922 as opposing further use of the " cut-out," an d indicated it would co opera te with police in running down offenders. They further as ked th at all de tail s of police work in this line be sen t to all gatherings o f motorcyclists in th e Newark area. Harl e y -D a v id s on 's E NTIlUSIAST n oted that "Mos t assuredly (th is resolu ti on ) is o ne that all th inking motorcy clists with the good o f the future of th e sp o rt a t heart would like to see grow . If every motorcycle club in the country were to adop t a similar resolution, the roads and highways would soon be fr ee of this noisy pest , the cut-o ut friend , for there is n o getting around it , TIlERE IS stre ngth in numbers." . The fact th at noise created by thoughtless motorcyclists is still the singl e leading public relations problem con frontin g the spo rt of motorcy cl ing, a n d t hat th e Am er ican Motorcycle Association is still today t rying to drive home to the m aj o rity of m o torcycl ists th e "strength in n um b er s" arg um ent is a measure o f the di fficulties which have confronted the very concept of organized motorcycling over th e p ast 50 years. As ordained in the announcement of the creation of the Co mpetition Committee, a m aj or restructuring of the M&ATA took p lace in 1924. That re-alignmen t of the divisions of the the n eigh t-year-old organization gave bi rth to w hat is still known to day as the Am erican Motorcycle Associa tio n . Directors of the M&ATA met in Cleveland , Ohio, May 15 , 192 4, to for m u late plans for t he new organization , which rep ortedly b egan to take fo rm at a Chic ago trade show. Follo wi ng a Iul l-day session, details o f th e succ essor to the so-called regi st ered r id er s ' d i v is i o n of M & ATA were announced. Registered rid er s and clas s A, B, and C memberships w ould be available under the new plan. The registered riders were to b e the heart o f the new asso ciation and they would p ay membership dues of $I per year . The announcem ent of a new slogan, "An Organized Min o ri ty Can Alone De feat An Un organized Majority" was to be the keynote for a camp aign to build the 10,000 members of the ,M&AT A registered riders division to an American Motorcycle Association of 5 0 ,000 . The existing members of the M&ATA (co mp an ies) we re to be admitted to Class A membership in th e new A.\1A. A new provi s i on was m ad e f o r manufacturers of materials, parts and accessor ies d o in g a minimum of $20,000 business a year with the motorcycle ind us t ry to jo in as Class B members at an initiation fee of $10 and annual dues of $5 0. Clas s B members were given equal voting power with Class A members. A n other new division opened membership to dealers. For annual d ues pQ€S€ntlnq NOW!! ! 125 SO & 175 SO - 1975 AVAILABLE AT YOUR PUCH DEALER. Complete new design. Super Hi gh Power. Lighter we ight. A1 Super Good Han dling. THE MOTO RCYC LE OF THE YEA R! the new 1975 puch your wish is my command AMERICAN PUCH DISTR IBUTING CO. EAST • 2023 W. 28th, Cleveland, OH 44113 (216)651 ·0469 PUCH DISTRIBUTING CORPORA T ION 9825 Mason Av e., Chat sworth, CA 91311 r_' ~.!I.:.~ h..P~~~~a~~_ -- - - - - - - - -, I I Send me info on the '75 PUCH's and my closest dealer. i NAME I ADDRE SS I CITY STATE I I I l I 10 L -=--__---.:s;::::~Z:...--=-----~(2 .:..::3~)8~8~2~ ~=-1 .8~8~60 =_____.:.=____=__ _ 1 1 ~----------- --- - ---------------~ -