Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

cameras, and machine tools. Were they no good, too? If your Japanese motorcycle is so good, then why do you trade it in every year , hoping for a better one? Today you give japan you r motorcycle bus iness, tomorrow th ey take yo ur jobl After the Motorcycle Dealetnetas trade show three weeks ago, I visited Disneyland. Finally I found something that America is doing right! There were japanese tou rists everywhere spending the ir surplus American dollars. The japanese will surely not take that away from us. From the sound of some previous letters in this column. we will have plenty of applicants to fill the Dumbo and Goofy costumes! JOHN McCOY Britalia Motors San Jose, CA WEST America' s weekly motorcycle newspaper Sharon Cla yton, Publisher Caroli ne Gendry, Execu tive Secretary to the Publisher Lisa Schorr, Advertising/Editorial Assistant. M ore H -O/ITC Editorial Regarding Mr. Brethorst's letter in your Feb . 9 issue, I find his arguments valid but they don 't cover the whole issue, Harley-Davidson is in trouble due to poor sales of their product. However, placing the blame for this on unfair marketing practices by japanese manufacturers is as ludicrous as blaming the japanese car manufacturers for thedecline in sales of large American autos following the oil embargo and shortage of the early seven ties. The japanese products were there and it was consumer demand for th em which created the boom in American motorcycling. The japanese are " gu ilt y" of making th e righ t product for the times. Faced wi th an u n p receden ted jump in motorcycle prices, th e consumer will sim ply opt-out of motorcycling. Thus a sharp declin e in motorcycle sal es could give Harley a larger proportioned shar e of a smaller market. without increasing their sales by a single motorcycle. Su ch a meaningless gain wo u ld do nothing to help HarleyDavidson. but would do irreparable harm to the thousands of Americans involved in an alread y slow business. A much more meaningful move by Harley-Davidson would be to take a lesson from the japanese and copy what works. A U.S. trade delegation to japan to observe their way of doing things would be a nice switch. The japanese have duplicated. and then refined, exis ting products throughout the world. Harley has stubbornly refused to mass produce a lightweight. dependable motorcycle at a reasonable price. Perhaps federall y guaranteed loans for building a modem plant would do more for the domestic motorcycle and other industries Mr. Brethorst is mourning. Certainly it would make more sense than the proposed action. which is like raising the price of han~ gliders when Lockheed hits a slump; It simply doesn 't address the problem. GEORGE R. DYE Glendora. CA Dale Brown. Senior Editor. Lance Bryson , Editor. Karel Kramer, Editor. j im Bowman, Editor. Advertising Skip j ohnson, National Sales Manager. Terry Prall, Sales Manager. Du ane johnson, Sal es Manager, Steve Wilson, Sal es Manager. Linda Brown, Adv ertising Coo rdina tor. Nancy Danger, Adver• tising Assistant. Graphics and Production Kristin Cooper, Gra phic Arti sL Rona Kramer. Assista nt. Marion Hatash ita, Typogra phy . Dennis Greene, Laborato ry. Accounting/Data Processing Mike Klin ger , Controller. Donna Bryan, Accoun ts Recei vabl e Coo rdina tor. Geneva Repa ss, Assista nt. T erry Dailey, Cr ed ir Ma na ger, Circulation Rh eb a Sm ith , Man a ger. Mich ell e Hanna, Sara h T aylor, Debbi e Walker, Lyna Hood, Assista nts. Want Ads Loa h Corry, Wanl Ad Sales. Dealer Sales and Service Nancy Em de Brogg er , Dealer Sa les Manager. Service and Support Chris Aitcheson, Reception ist. Gregory Hanson. S&:S. To all my friends in the desert After reading the letter from the Duck in the Jan. 26 issue th at th ere will be a legal B-to- V in 1983, tears of happiness came to my eyes. Because of health reasons, there is no way I ma y race again or enjoy life in th e desert as I have done in th e past. but yo u ma y be assured my heart will be with all of yo u . To a ll you new desert racers whom I have never met . let me say you are with the finest people in th e world. Enjoy the Bvto-V, and all other desert races that we have fought for for so many years. East 4 190 First Ave.. Tucker, GA. P.O . Box 805, Tucker , GA 30084·0805. (404) 934·7850. Cycle New s/West (USPS 141-340 ) is published weekl y except the lim and last week of the calendar yeador $20 per year by Cycle News , Inc.. 220 I Cherry Avenue, Long Beach , CA 90806 . Second class postage paid at Long Beach , CA . POSTMASTER: Send form 3579 to Cycle News, P.O. Box 498. Long BNch. CA 90801-0498. Subscription rates : One year. second class ma il , $20; two years, seco nd class mail, $35; three years, second cla ss mail, $53; 25 weeks, $11. Foreign rates a vailable on request, Cycle News welcomes unsolicited editorial material in cluding stories, car too ns, photos , etc . Such mat erial , il published, becom es the exclusive prop"'ly 01 Cycle News. Such acce pted ma leria l is su bject to revision as is necessary in the sole discretion 01 Cycle News. Unsoli cited material whi ch is not used will be returned il accompanied by a sell addressed stamped envelope. All unso licited materia l will be handled with rea sona ble cafe. however , CycJe News ass umes no responsibility for the safely , 10s5 or damage to such mat eria l. Rep rinting in wh ol e or part o nly by per mission or th e publ isher. Advert islng rat es a nd ci rculat io n information will besend upon request. See S.R.D.S. Copyrigh~ Cycle News, Inc. 1983. Trademerk Cycle News registered U.S. Patent Office. All rights reaerved. ON THE FRONT PAGE; Three-time Houston TT winner Steve Eklund flies his Gardner Can-Am. Photo by Dale Brown. 2 1 EDSTERKEN Sacramento, CA BOB CHABOT A very proud ex-Viewfinder Fullerton. CA West 2201 Cherry Ave., Lo ng Beach, CA P .O . Box 498, Long Beach, CA 90801· 0498 : (2 13) 427· 7433; L.A. Line 636-8844 . waiting through Vet, Old Timer and Mini races . I was only treated to an average of 18li-minute Pro motos, The moto times were confirm ed by the announcer. over th e PA system at the end of th e da y. Since wh en are the National caliber riders such as Bob Hannah. Jeff Ward, Johnny O'Mara, Warren Reid, etc.• subject to riding 18li-minute motos? Please CMC promoters , I co uld have watched short Pro motos at any local track. along with Vet, Old Timer and Mini races without paying $8 and driving for two hours. Tirade U. S. vs, J apan There I was . all set to launch a tirade against the International Trade Commission's incredible recommendation that a huge tariff be slapped on japanese superbikes, only to discover that Dean Burnett and Arthur McPherson had beaten me to it. I agree entirely. Just a couple more points; I ) Any jobs saved at Harley-Davidson will be lost at American Honda or Yamaha or Suzuki, etc.: 2) I didn 't like Harleys before. and I certainly wouldn't ride one now. I wondeihow many people feel the same way? I'll bet Harley has already lost more sales than their strong-arm tactics will recover . If yo u make an outdated and uncompetitively priced product. just get your government to force your competition's price up. That's despicable and highl y unAmerican. President Reagan should reject out of hand this particularly ridiculous example of protectionism. A II tar iffs should be elimina ted, as a ma tter of fact. If goods don't cross yo ur borders, soldiers will. Free trade - it's the only way to go. WALTER BALES Ana hei m, CA Too many motorcyclists th ink that Harley-Davidson is unwilling to compete with the Japanese motorcycles on an equal basis. The war is not Harley against Honda, Yamaha. Kawasaki, and Suzuki, but American business against the japanese government. As co-owner of a shop with six -Euro pean franchises (Harley was already taken in my area ), it costs me 21-26% in flooring interest to keep motorcycles on the floor. The japanese provide free flooring for much of the year . Anywhere outside of Japan, the cost of developing a new motorcycle is extremely expensive. Yet japanese industry can utilize government directed funds for as little as 0-2% interest. Ask your American bank to match that! The only consideration of the japanese government, is that they keep their people employed. What happens to the product or the marketplace thereafter is of lesser consequence to them. A balanced trade and cultural exchange between countries is healthy. But America ca n no t freely ship its goods to Japan with its extensive import restrictions. That is why we have a JI9 billion trade deficit in japan's favor. Muchofthegoods that japan doe s buy consists of our pr ecio us ra w materials that Japan 's factor ies process a nd sh ip back to us as fin ished goods, th ereby displ acin g more Ame rica n jobs. If America 's mo torcycles are no good, th en remem ber back when we made more automo biles , televisions, . stereos, CMC Golden State Series After havin g attended the third round of the CMC Golden State Ser ies a t Sand H ill Ranch , I am very disappointed in the fact that after Published letters do not necessarily reflect the position of Cycle News. In c. Send letters to Voices, Box 498. Long Beach . CA 9 0 8 01, I t,

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