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/126752
from the off-road market, had the association facing the prospect of operating with a deficit of over $160,000 in 1984. The recently announced dues increase, which goes into effect in March, and continued careful management will, according to Youngblood, insure the financial well-being of the association and the continued increase in member benefits. Privateers versus the factory riders: ew Honda team ter Ricky Graham, still letting hi Hou ton TT win settle in, observed, "This is the first race I can remember where I don't split the purse with anybody." Steve Eklund, runner-up in that event, quipped over the' privateer's bonus:" "All the ix packs I can buy." Harry Lillie, who along with Works Performance's Gil Vaillancourt developed a single-shock short track/TT frame, sold 23 of them before the Houston doubleheader. A street ride held in conjuntion with the races at Houston was a resoundingsucce s. Five hundred riders joined the "Ride Against Muscular Dystrophy," raising $2000 to help fight the disease. Formar Honda GP mechanic Stuart Toomey has signed with sponso~ Bob McLain to prepare Rich Schlachter'S RS500 for the National Road Racing Championship. Toomey says there is a possibility of some European races, particularly the Match Reces and Imola. Husqvarna unveiled a new prototype enduro bike, the 400WR, at the SE&TRA Sumter (South Carolina) Enduro on Sunday, January 29. According to Husky's Dick Burleson, the liquid-cooled 400cc mill has a center exhaust port, a design similar to the 1984 250CR MXer, as well as dual radiators. The frame is a split cradle design, with suspension identical to that on the 1984 WR line, and a dry weight of approximately 235 pounds. Burleson added there was a "good chance" that Mike Melton would ride a 400WR at the first National Enduro of the season in New loria, California, on February 19. Rumor has it that we could also see a 488cc version of the machine in MX form, complete with single shock rear suspension. California riders be aware: The California Air Resources Board meets March 22 in Los Angeles to again consider the I.D-gram-per-kilometer hydrocarbon emissions standard for street motorcycles, which was delayed for a year by the state legislature. The meeting will consider the original 1.0 limit, as well as three alternatives. The first would be to establish a 1.0g/km "corporate average" for engine families over 28Occfor each manufacturer. The second would be a split schedule - 1.5 g/km for the first 5000 units per calendar year, and a 1.0 scale for all additional machines. The final alternative is a 1.4 g/km "corporate average" for engine families of each manufacturer. This veryimportant meeting will be held in the auditorium ofthe State Building, 107 South Broadway, in Los Angeles. It begins at 10 a.m. 2 The AMA Board of Trustees and Class B (industry) members held meetings at Houston on February 3-4. Changes in the AMA by-laws included new titles for two board officers and AMA employee Ed Youngblood. Youngblood's title has been changed from executive director to president. John Hasty and Bill Baird, Class A (member) reps whose titles had been president and vice-president, are now the association's chairman and vice-chairman, respectively. Class B members approved the addition of a "trustee ouster" article to the association's code of regulations. That article gives the board the right to dismiss a member of the board if he is found guilty of conduct detrimental to the association. Newly named officers of the association are Jim Hansen of Cycle World who will serve as treasurer, Tim Hoelter of HarleyDavidson who will serve as assistant treasurer, and North_st Region Class A rep Dal Smilie who was named secretary. Joining the board as trustees are Class B membersJim Duncan of Diamond Chain . Company and Henry Fiola of Motorcycle magazine. The AMA closed its fiscal year on September 30, 1983, with 134,656 members, an increase of 2,678 members over 1982. The association's financial position remains strong and its operating reserve showed a $78,156 increase at fiscal year end. Declining interest rates and declining advertising revenue, plus an anticipated decline in revenue HosPITal STOP: Team Honda's Danny "Magoo" Chandler was not as seriously injured as first thought, and in fact, is now recuperating at home. Chandler fell while practicing near his nonhern California home, and hit his lower face against a fence. Surgery was performed on Monday, January 30, to wire a broken jaw back together. After that Magoo came out of it quite quickly and was released from the hospital on Wednesday even ing. Chandler also suffered three minor skull fractures, which were not considered significant by doctors. How long the freckle-faced speedster will be out of action is not known, but some expect him to be back on the track sometime in March. In the meantime, cards and letters can be sent to Chandler care of American Honda Motor Co., 100 W. Alondra Blvd., Gardena, CA 90247. Hercules Distributing's Ted Lsjlidakis informs us that the motorcycle they distribute has a new name. The import from Germany, known previously as Maico, will now be called the .M Star in the United States. Otto Maisch and his daughters, who lost control of org~nization last year, still own the rights to the name "aico In the U.S. Honda's American road racing effort will only enter one factory rider in each of the two major classes. As it stands right now, Mike Baldwin will draw the Formula One assignment, and Fred Merkel will seek the Superbike crown. One major exception, however, will be Daytona, where current 500cc World Road Racing Champion Freddie Spencer will contest. both classes. Honda's Phil McDonald wId us that in addition w the factory effort, 1983 Superbike Support team members John Bettencourt, Sam McDonald and Roberto Pietri had purchased their bikes from last year, and the factory Superbike engines remain on sale. Three Pacific northwest road race clubs - the Westwood Racing Club, the Washington Motorcycle Road Racing Association and the Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association - have agreed in principle to sponsor a northwest road racing series for 1984. Although many details still need to be thrashed out, a schedule and basic class structure are in place. Series events will be held at Portland International Raceway on April 22, Seattle International Raceway on April 29, Port Coquitlam. Canada, on May 13. Westwood on June 17 and back at Seattle on August 5. Another series race at Portland is also a posssibility. Classes will be 750cc Production, 600Cc Modified Production, Superbike (AMA rules), Formula Two, Formula One/Open and Sidecar. For more information contact WM RRA President Chris Loomis at 206/3623579 or write OMRRA at P.O. Box 13454, Portland, OR 97213. The Washington Motorcycle Road Racing Association is busy in other areas as well. They have extended their Rider Clinic program for 1984. The program, wl)ich has been developed by WMRRA racers and Motorcycle Safety Foundation-certified intructors, is divided into three levels, Rider Clinics I, II and III. Level I, a prerequisite for other levels, is a classroom-oriented session that covers tech inspection, track safety, flags, cornering theory and tire technology. Level II takes riders onto a controlled riding range where braking and cornering skills are developed. Level III is a fu II-on race track practice session. For more details about fees and dates, phone 206/362-3579 or write to Rider Clinic, P.O. Box 80811, Seattle, WA 98108. In other news from up north, B.C. Palace, Vancouver, Canada's new showcase stadium, will be the site of the Vancouver Supercross on April 22, and promoter Jan Musil is putting together a progrem of weekly speedway racing at Cloverdale Raceway in British Columbia. Riders are still needed for the program, so call 604/987-0641 if you feel like tossing a speedway bike sideways in the Great White North. We're talking big-screen TV here. Part of the Houston Astrodome's ongoing $50 million renovation project is the installation of a giant color video screen at one end of the stadium. The TV was in operation for the Camel Pro races and besides showing fans a different view of the action and instant replays of exciting passes, crashes, etc., it came in handy for the racers as well. Short track runner-up Peter Hames mentioned that he knew Randy Goss was catching up because every time he came down the from straight, he sneaked a look at the screen! The ultimate in rear-view mirrors... Aaahh, good news from Secramento. Assemblyman Richard Floyd (D-Lawndale) has introduced AB2489. a motorcycle safety bill. The measure would create a fund for motorcycle safety by adding a $2 fee when re-registering motorcycles, and it calls for a board of motorcycle-knowledgeable people to administer it. AB2489 is reportedly backed by both the AMA and the Motorcycle safety Foundation. so write a letter to your assembly representative and urge them to support it as _II. Assembly members can be written to at the State capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814.