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/125887
FREE WHEELING There is a hand -lett ered sign in the window a t the Roek Store. It says, in effect, th e California High way Patrol would like to mcct with bikers o ne Sunday to discuss the traffic problem on Mulholland Highway. The pr oblem is simple enough to state. Forty bikers go t s n u ff e d or b adl y bent on th e now-famous stretch o f road last year. So me statistician buried deep in the bowels of the government aporrat noticed this, and an order went out to the CHP 's West Valley Area Office: "As of November I . you will have jurisdiction in this ' area. Stop this carnage!" At leas t , th at was the gist of wh at th e troopers got across in the meeting. with th ei r best PR smiles. in their best to ug h -b u t -o h -s o- g e n tie demeanor. Unfortunately, "the problem" was co nsp icuo us by it s absence. With a few stragglin g ex ceptions. the racers are o ff racing. Mostly cho p pe r folk and touring riders. few in n umber, st and a nd rap with the troopers. Scudding clouds and blustery damp wind h aving taken its toll of the fair we ath er crowd . The people drift back into the ro ad rider's age-old lament , "When en ough of us co m e to a pl ace they run us o u t ," And the ques tions tu m b le o ver and over. They? Who is they? In the natural pe cking o rder of th in gs, wh o do we ge t to push aside - or ar e we at the bottom o f it all? A cro wd of cho p p er fol k, cr aws full 'o f beer an d co p sh ow, roars a way in de afening straight-pipe defian ce . The old sergeant with the silver-t ip ped red fox hair (who says after 13 years o f riding a pol ice b ik e , he sti ll lo ves motorcycling) winces. a nd allo ws in an aside to cl os e listeners th at afte r November first, th e Vehicle Code o n exhaust systems will be enforced. I blurt out, "Seems to me, one man 's noise is another's sy m p ho n y. " From somewhere behind his dark glasses the sergeant eyes me for th e first time. "What ab o ut th o se people in th e trailer co u rt o ver th er e? " he ask s. "What about the o th ers wh o live alo ng this ro ad ? Aft er al l, they moved way out here to ge t away to pea ce a nd Quie t. The y h ave a rig h t to liv e h ere undisturbed by noi se." "OK , the y've go t a p lace o f th eir o wn ." [ say. "Where d o we go? Wherc 's o ur place ?" His a nswer is re flex. " Yo u've go t all the roo m in t he world o ut there arou nd Barstow. Go th ere ," End of dialogue . Why bother to tell him what he m u st alread y kn ow - th at th e Fede ral cop shop is muscl in g us off th at la nd , too ? It 's not e nco u ragin g. The tough o ld tr ooper with the blue scarf says, " We want yo u to d isciplin e yo urs elve s, If yo u can 't sto p wh at's happening up here, than it's up to us. We 'll use motorcycle s. a i rcraft , helicopters, whatever it takes." Whatever it takes? How man y m en? How much eq uip m en t? At wh at po int would it be too expensive for them to shut the ra cers down ? Ar e there en o ugh people us in g the area to make it too expensive? The ra cers wh o co uld po ssibly an swer that quest ion are somewhere else. racing. Maybe th at is their a nswer . Only tim e will tell if it is answer enough. Postlogue I'm tired o f games . Th e racers who ar e at the he art or the matter sh ould have been there ma kin g a fcw co unter-proposals of their o wn . There is a place for us, and it 's no t ju st a dead flat speed-bowl wh ere yo u need a m e g a -bu ck s f a c t ory ride t o be co m petiti ve. Is it to o much to be lie ve we co u ld (Co nt in ued o n p'!ge 20) Don't send ~ Christmas ~~ & friends to our customers cards. .. ~~@" #1 tI~ __ reach $~ Seasons Greetings Seasons~~~~ Greetings to our customers & m en d s (Your name, address, p hone no .) 50,000 ( You r name, address, phone no .} pho ne no .) a Q.I ~,- :> o .", Seasons Greetings Z to our custome rs and fr iends (Your name, address. ph on e no.) #2 Circle the style ad you prefer an d clip out the coupon; mail to Cycle News before December 4 . ... Q.I * ( Y ou r nam e, address. ~ .0 to o ur cust o mer s a nd f rie nds friends this way. - #4 ~rrrtings $rasons __L' #5 * *Seasons Greetings * *-* to our customers & friends Seasons Gl'eetings to our customers & friends Send to : Cycle News West Advertising Dept. P.O. 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