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/126400
THE LATEST P BY PAPA WEAlEY Papa got a call the other day from a business associate, rider 'and all around good guy who has a truly clever and devious plan to rip-off the Sierra Club. Seems the club is running an ad that urges potential members to send in for a free 56page catalog full of Sierra Club info. Papa's buddy figured that eech one of those catalogs must cost the club anywhere from $2 to $4 to print. not counting envelopes, postage, handling and the expense of assembling the information. Think about it: If 10,000 motorcyclists apply for the catalog, that's $20,000 to $40,000 of Sierra Club money used. If 100,000 of us do it. . .Write to the Sierra Club, 530 Bush St., San Francisco, CA 94108 for your free catalog. Kawasaki ha s a single-shock rear suspension motocross bike in the development stages , but whatever you do. don't call it a monoshock! Kawasaki ha s invented, and copyrighted, the word Uni -trak , according to a source at Kawasak i. And that's th e onl y word they want to hear: no more mono . .. you know. Reportedly, it's similar to the Bolger suspens ion that appeared on Ossas a while back except that it has onl y one shock /spring un it . a Kayaba . "It's so funny-looking you won't believe it," one spokesman said, "but all the riders have tried it, and the y like it. " The machine will debut at the opening 500cc World Championship MX Series on April 22 in Austria . The source at Kawasaki also denied that they're making a 750cc four-cylinder road racer. "It's a 500:' he uid. It's not race-ready yet. but when it is Mike Baldwin will ride it in the 500cc World Championship Road Race Series. And then there's the interview a free lancer did with Takazumi Katayama a couple weeks ago where the "Zooming Taxi" was quoted as saying that Kawasaki does have a 750cc four cylinder road racer that develops 150 bhp. According to the interview, Gregg Hansford has ridden the bike . The description of the motor/cylinder layout was 'uniq ue, to say the least. Supposedly, the two front cylinders are horizontal , facing the front. Behind them is a transmission , and on each side of the transmission is another cylinde r, also ho rizontal and facing the front - sort of a tri angular shaped uni t when viewed from th e top . Very inte resting .. . Mike Hannon has a new Kawasaki enduro bike. It's a pre-production KDX250. At present. only the KDX400 is being produced. Mike will compete in the Stone Mountain Enduro in Georgia on March 4 and in the Alligator Enduro during Daytona Cycle Week. Cal ifornia State Assemblyman Bob Hayes still needs our help with Assembly Bill 101. That's the bill Hayes introduced which will allow personalized vehicle license plate purchasers the alternative to have the revenue directed to the Off-Highway Vehicle Fund. The bill has been moved back to March 27 on the legislative calendar which allows more time for the necessary letters to your re spective State Assemblyman. All you have to do is write your letter requesting your Assemblyman's support of Assembly Bill 101. Don 't put it off thinking you still have lots of time. March 27 is just around the corner. If possible , send a copy of your letter to Bob Hayes , Room 6007 , State Capitol, Sacramento. CA 95814 ., Defending World Champion Yrjo Vesterinen (Bull and Malcolm Rathmell (Mon' are tied in points at 33 after the first three rounds of the World Championship Trials Series. The opening round in Ireland on Feb. 10 saw England's Rob Shepherd (Hon) score a win aheed of fellow Britishers John Reynolds (Suz) and Martin Lampkin (Bull. Round two in England on the following weekend saw Rathmell celebrate his return to Montesa with a win ahead of Vesterlnen and Lampkin. The third round in Belgium on Feb. 25 was topped by Vesterinen over lampkin and Rathmell. lampkin follows the leedlng duo In the standings with a point total of 22. American Bernie Schreiber (Bull had a disastrous season start with a DNF In Ireland, an 11th In England and a 7th in Belgium. The just-concluded FIM Spring Meeting in Geneva , Switzerland , International speedway stars are featured starting this weekend when 1978 World Champion Peter Collins nefti joins a star-studded team In the U.S. versus World five-race series beginning on Mar, 2 at Costa Mesa, and reigning World Champion Ole Olsen (right) makes two appearences at Santa Ana Stadium on Mar. 3 and Mar. 9. Lots of sideways coverage In next week's Cycle Ne.,.! produced several bombshell announcements. Despite strong appeals from the Venezuelan Federation (Venezuelan Johnny Cecotto is F750 champ), the FIM endorsed the plan to drop the 350cc and Formula 750 classes from the World Championship calendar in 1980. The Venezuelans had consolation when a medical committee recom· mendation to keep the minimum age at 11 wes reversed. Now 16year-old road racers can compete in internetional events on 50cc machines. The British Federation's guidelines to IT Formula racing that apply to British Formula events have been accepted by the FIM for International competition, and will form the basis of the regulations for the first World Endurance Racing Championship in 1980. Among the regs is the basic one that requires 1,000 "street legal sales ." Could the Daytona 200 become a part ' of this new series? Check out the Superbike Production race at Daytona on Friday, Mar. 9. MXer Gerrit Wolslnk stirred the FIM meeting to life when he proposed a move to double the start money and prize money for MX GPs. It was finally agreed that the whole question of finance should be dlac:ussed at th8 Autumn Congress. Changes are expected to the specifications for ISDT machines following complaints from the Austrian Federation with claims that present day machines are little more than thinly disguised MX machines that are not legal for road use in many countries and are leading to environmental problems. The FIM Technical Committee will examine the growing use of ultra· long travel -front forks on MX machines, which it was said could lead to "undesirable and dangerous handling effects." The ninth annual Florida' WinterAMA MX Series ended with the Feb. 25 Diamondback Cycle Park in Cocoa, FL finale going to three Yamaha riders: Steve Martin in the 12'5cc class; Bob Hannah in the 250cc race and Mickey Kessler in the Open category. Series winners have been announced, and it was Team Suzuki's Mark Barnett taking the 125cc title for the second year in a row. Florida's Kippy Pierce put a Can-Am at the top of the 250cc series - standings. Maico rider Gary Pustelak beat out the other Open classers in the final points tally on his migh.ty Magnum. At the Feb. 25 Brush Busters AMA D-31 hare and hound. Bob Balentine . (KTM) and Bruce Ogilvie battled for the lead through most of the race, with Belentine finally coming out on top. Third overell, third Open went to Bred Henson•.The intense fight for fourth was also the fight for first 250cc, and at the checkered flag, it was Chuck Miller over Brian Wright. Four of the top five rode Yamahas. One of the phone numbers Papa listed in issue 16 for the Bush Eaters M.C ,'s Bush Bunny Enduro was incorrect. You can call Bruce Sanford for info on the Mar. 25 Plaster City. CA event at 714/275-1823 or 714/286-3660 . Sorry Bush Eaters; Papa's mind must have been wandering as he wrote the item . Bell Helmets is on the moveI When AGV dropped their sponsorship of the Daytona 200, that left the door , 'Op8lT 'for anottYer· 'helmet manu, facturer to put its name on the Daytona 'late, and Bell did it with the renamed Bell Superbike 100. They'll be at Daytona with a 36foot support vehicle, and as Fred Marik told Papa, they want to become "more involved in all types of motorcycle racing" with a 1980 sponsorship program. In a memo to Republican Caucus Members dated Feb . 20. Assembly man Bob Hayes states, "Last week met Bureau of Land Management reguested police officer status for its personnel in order to 'enforce California state law on state, county and private property ' This action is highly questionable as the psychologi· cal evaluation of some of their ranger personnel leaves something to be desired ," Hayes asked caucus members to urge their local county sheriffs to take an "oppose" stand toward "this blatant and unprecedented grab for police powers by a federal land management agency," Hayes already bad contacted the California State Police, California Highway Patrol, California State Attorney General's offices and the California Association of Police Chiefs and Sheriffs. All took an "oppose" stand on the action. Scares Papa just contemplating the possibilities. Thanks, Assemblyman Hayesl . . Bob Hayes has introduced AHernb1y Bill 581 which amends Callfor· nia's education code to include motorcycle rider education in high school, unified and community college districts. It's exactly whet we need to help new riders enjoy our favorite palttime safely and to cut motorcycle fatality statistics In a sensible manner. Then maybe St. Joan of Claybrook will go and hera.. some other special intere.t group for a change. Red Garter livesl Planned for March '78, then postponed to October '78, and then cancelled when a permit from the U.S. Forest Service was denied, approval to run the "Garter" has finally been granted. The Din Diggers and the AMA District S7 Legal Defense Fund have made the investment in both time and greenbacks, beating those who would have closed the Ballinger Canyon in Los Padres National Forest to off-road riding altogether. Bruce "Big 0" Ogilvie has entered the Mar. 4 Polka Dots M.e, Prairie City Grand Prix which, by the way, sounds like it's gonna be a fine production. The club has received use of an edditlonal 800 acres from a private land owner adjacent to Prairie City OHVp'for a total16QO. 1100 ecre, to layout their 2O-m1le loop. Washington state off-readers won't want to miss the Mar. 7 meeting/ hearing for the proposed Greyrock Trail. The trail , approximately IS miles long. would be located in the Ahtanum Multiple Use Area in Yakima County. The hearing's in Room 231 of the Yakima County Courthouse. and it starts at 7 p.m. A second hearing for the Sadie Creek Trail - the first was successful for din riders - will be held in the Clallan County Courthouse in Port Angeles. WA on Mar. 15 at 7:30 p .m. Washington trail riders ......t contact their politicIans immediately. House Bill 9&1 would prohibit the use of ORV funds for ORV facilities unle.. plans for the facilities were approved before Jan. 1, 1980. After that? The implications are obvious. It's one of tho,e . act-I19W-or-IQae-it deeIa. S ' genof· .' .,.,.,...,. . , , , ~,, ~ .~ .~/' ••