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/126429
America's No.1 Weekly Motorcycle Newspaper Sruaron Clayton. Publil~r Tom Culp. Marketing Director Caroline Gendry. Sec. to tbe Publisher Nancy Gorak. ~c. to the Mltrog. Oir. Advertising Skip Johnaon. Sales Manager. Terry Pratt. Sal.. Manager. Linda Brown. Advertising Coordinator. Editorial Chari.. Morey. Managing Editor. Dale Brown, Editor. Bobi McGann. Editor. Graphics and Production Judy Klinger. Production Manager. Pamela Wood. Production Aslinanc Marion Hatashita. Cindy Torres. Typo· graphy. Dennis Greene. Laboratory. Accounting Mike Klinger, Manager. Jeanne Hammond. Accts. Receivable, Donna Bryan, AMt. Accta. Receivable. Terry Dailey. Credit Manager. . Circulation _ Rheba Smith, Manager. Tammy Taylor, Shirley Shon. AssistanlS. ReaderlDealer Service Gin Harper. Wanl Ad Sal... Harry Fish... Dealer Sales Manager. Service and Support Chris Aitcheson, Receptionist. Sam Dickinson. S&S. West 2201 Cherry Ave.. Long Beach. CA P.O. Box 498. Long Beach. CA 90801 (215) 427·74"; L.A. Line 656·8844. East 4190 Firsl Ave.. Tucker. GA. P.O. Box 805. Tucker. GA 50084. (404) 954·7850. Cyde News/W..t (USPS 141·540) is published weekly except the first and la.. week of tbe calendar year for 115 per year by Cyde News. Inc.. 2201 Cherry Avenue. Long Beach, CA 90801. Second da.. pottage paid at Long Beach. CA. POSTMASTER: Send form 3&79 to Cycle News. P.O. Box 481, Long Beech, CA 9lBI1. Subscription rales: One year. second class mail, S15; two yea.rs, second class mail, $27; thrtt years. second class mail, $57.50. Cycle News welcomes unsolicited editorial material including stories. cartoons. photos, etc. Such material, if published, becomes the exclusive property of Cycle News. Such accepted material is subject to revision as is necasary int he sole discretion of Cycle News. Unsolicited material which is not used will be returned if accompanied by a ..If·addressed ..amped envelope. All ul'\5Oliticated material will be handled with reasonable care. however, Cycle News assumes no responsibiliry for the sa.fety. loss or damage to such material. Reprinting in whole or part only by pennission of the publishers. Advertising rates and circulation information will be sent upon request. See S.R.D.S. Copyright· Cycle N_a. Inc. 1919. T..demark Cycle News registered U.S. Patent Office. All rights re..rved. 4 ON THE FRONT PAGE: Team "King Kenny" Yamaha's Roberts wheelied to his second consecutive 500cc World Championship Road Race Series title. Coverage of the final round in France on p. 10, File photo by Charles Morey, The Duck lives I have just finished reading Elegy to the Duck. perhaps for the hundredth time. I am amazed. The Phantom Duck is not dead. The Duck has been transformed. The Duck has been made invincible. The Duck is no longer a man. the Duck is now a movement. The Duck will never die, not as long as anyone of the Ugly Ducklings can pick up its feathery tail and shuffle its flat feet to the nesting grounds around Barstow. This November. in that place. will be heard a sound more fearsome to bureaucrats than the scream of any eagle. Quack. Quack. THUMPER FREAK Downey. CA The "Elegy to the Duck" the Thumper Freak refers to in this letter was pn'nted two weeks ago, issue IJ', in this column . .. Editor. Is anyone there7 Is there no one out there in motor· cycle land who cares except the ladies? Why have we not heard from the riders themselves? Do your ladies have to take on this fight for you guys? Are you giving up? Does the government (by the people. for the people and of the people) really scare you that much? Aren't they just people? Have you written a letter today? This week? This month? Or even this year, stating your issues? To Cycle News? Let's hear it! To your legislator? Let Bob Hayes hear itl . To the BLM? Let Hillier hear itl To the Department of the Interior? Let the BLM get itl To area newspapers? Let everyone hear it! Are we going to have a public statement from the duckbackers? Have you sent your buck to the Duck? Do you wonder why at least four riders on the International Six Days Trial team are from the southern California desert? Is a trail ride happening on Oct. 12? Did the BLM say that in the Los Angeles Times on Aug. 29? Will there be a trail ride on Thanks· giving weekend? Do you want public land - for the people - and a place to ride? You better get busy. NOWl GRANDMA DUCKBACKER Point five: Catch 227 It has taken a long time but the Phantom Duck and the BLM finally have signed an agreement. After reading the six point stipulation I would like to know more about point number five. There is a public demand for a 1979 Thanksgiving weekend off· road motorcycle event. 1'~ Bureau of Land Management will consider a permit application for such an event in the Kadiz, Danby and Parker area. In order that such a permit be issued. it is necessary that a baseline. monitoring program be developed, and the BLM will solicit public participation in the development of the program. Who decided that this should be held in the Kadiz. Danby, Parker area? The BLM? I haven't read any letter in Cycle News saying ''I'd like to spend ... " or ''I'm going to spend Thanksgiving weekend in the Kadiz. Danby, Parker area. And did you notice that it states they will consider a f1erml~ application. Don't get your hopes up - they can consider an event and turn it down. Then what do you do? Hearsay has it that they are considering the application permits for 1980. What chance do we have for Nov. 24. 1979 event? What do we dor Protest? How? The Phantom Duck led a very long and expensive protest and what did it get him? For 11 months, he had the "Government of the United States" checking his every move. Just imagine the stress and strain on a family when it is just you against the United States. It's awesomel But the Duck and his family of friends have survived. They've got what it takes; tbey are very special people. According to the stipulation. the end result is a stand·off. We're back to point zero. It looks like no one won and no one lost ... But think about it. " Sure, the Duck WaD; he isn't in jail. But he stilI owes his lawyer more than I owe on my homel This coun case cost more than his yearly wages. And remember, this was for w. And here's the BLM saying they wiD consider event permits.' It means nothing. The BLM wants the public out of thedesen, They use the argument that the desert is fragile; that it should be preserved for future generations, etc. If that is how they feel then why do they allow "Multimillion dollar mining companies to bulldoze roads and destroy the landscape in the same areas that motorcyclists are forbidden to ride," (This is from an anicle in the 54n BeTfI4rdino Sun, Nov. 22, 1978). We have the right to protest. We may not all agree on how to do it, but we had better start protecting what rights and freedoms we have left. If we do not unite to stop this take· over, we have only ourselves to blame. Instead of sitting baek and letting the "other guy" do it. we have to become the other guy. Protest rides have to be a thing of the past. we have to stay legal So what's left} Letters, letters. letters. BLM Riverside District Office 1695 Spruce St. Riverside. CA 92507 We've got to let the BLM know that the Phantom Duck is not just one, two or three people. The Phantom Duck is really thousands of people who want to be heard. So write your letters and protest. Demand an answer to why the miners. why the farmers, why the military. and why not the people! The court case is over now. and the Phantom Duck has done more than his share in this battle. Now it's up to the rest of us. The Duck stilI needs our financial help, so don't forget to send a few bucks for the Duck. He deserves it. P.M.M. Vallejo. CA "Concerned but confused" revisited In reference to the letter and editor· ial response printed i.n Cycle News issue #36 entitled Concerned but confused: Concerned; Yes sirl Confused? Not a bit. From the included material, you'lI find that I learned of the PDOD vs. BLM first in the L.A. Times (notoriously "anti ·motorcycle"), second in the VaUey Times ("equal treatment"). Now, we, (the riders) know of Cycle News' deadline. (OoPS! Let me clarify. "we the riders" means 0·37 competition riders) ("We" is collective - I represent no group,) And third in Cycle News (skidding the last six months). Cycle News (America's No. 1 Weeltly Motorcycle Newspaper) had "nothing" - I mean a one·sided small item off.handedJy mentioning PDOD vs. BLM. No interviews, no phot06, Was the coun held in secret session? Whether PDOD is/was legal or not is of no importance - it was "motorcycling news." The editor's rebuttal was more informative than the item in issue 1351 Why not print that alongside the BLM blurb? Oopsl Sorry - You run your paper, and if I like it, I'll buy it. Right? What "trial ride" on Oct. 12? See you at the hearings. PHILMARSIK Glendale. CA It's not surprising that you read about the settlement in daily papers before our weekly publication came out, Phil. (Continued to page 21)