Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Hu;q;;r~~~; Mi~ky Dy;"ond rode an updated version of the prototype single-shock Husky MXer at the Millville (Minnesota) National MX on August 5. The motor has been upped to 490cc from the previous 430cc displacement. and the transmission is now a fivespeed rather than the four-speed used in the earlier version. While the front fork is the same unit used on 1984 Husqvarnas. the lower triple clamp has been machined from a solid piece of aluminum. Southern California's Angeles ationa I Forest reported July 25 that only three of its off-road riding areas are open; this due to high fire danger. The three are Rowher Flat, San Gabriel Canyon and Littlerock. According to a press release from the Canadian Motorcycle Association (CMA). plans to send Canadian teams to the Motocross/Trophee des Nations as well to the Trials des Nations have been canceled. Following a meeting of the CMA board of national directors. the announcement was made that "funds which would have normally been available to assist such projects have been diverted to the retention of legal counsel required to defend the various assaults made on the association by outside groups. In addition. staff time which would have been available to work on obtaining sponsors. organizing. etc.• has also been devoted to the preparation of a formal legal position against these assaults." Plans to send a team to the ISDE are continuing. but without the financial backing of the CMA. Americans Phil Larson and Eric Eaton rode the August 5 500cc MX GP in Belgium. with the pair finishing I I th and 13th, respectively, in the first moto. Both riders were refused permission to ride the second moto since they failed to get their Hondas into the parc ferme 20 minutes before the start time. Dan Bolle Racing is the latest privateer MX team to hit the National MX/Supercrosscircuit. Dan Bolle, the man behind the team, is a landscaping contractor from Gardena. California. who decided he wanted to get behind a pair of riders - Erik Kehoe and Ed Arnet and "see how far they could go." Bolle added that he took a year off from his business and put over $50.000 into the racing effort, and the riders get full support. The Lineaweaver family of northern California reports that Kevin Gardner, 20, an employee of Cycle Gear in Richmond. was seriously injured in a July 29 trailriding accident. Gardner crashed off a 30-foot ledge, and Gardner remains in intensive care, fighting for his life. He is ~nable to breathe on his own and hiS neck IS broken, although the extent of his paralysis is unknown. With the hospital bills at $2500 a day, the Lmeaweavers have established a Kevin Gardner Fund, and they are also calling for cards, letters and prayers. Donations and twO of the latter three may be sent care of them at 2458 Wright Ave., Pinole, CA 94564. If the dog days of summer have you bored. or if the scenery on your favorite ride seems to be repeating itself. then why not take part in the Ironbutt. an 8.000 mile. 1 O-day trip around the U.S. on a' motorcycle. It starts August 28 at Mcmtgome..yvilie· Cycie C'enter in Montgomery. Pennsylvania. and it's a timed endurance (no kidding!) event with the winner being the rider who checks in most accurately at five pre-determined points. Organizers say that there is $40.000 in scheduled prize money. plus lots of contingency prizes., Entry fee is $500. and the rules specify one rider on one motorcycle, stock fuel system- required. For more info. write Roadman. P.O. Box 78. Harrington Park. NJ 07640. Purchased While we haven't seen any "offical snack food" of the Olympics being consumed during ABC-TV's multihour daily coverage of the international event, we have seen the official motorcycle - Suzuki - on more than one occasion. A couple of Suzukis were on screen for hours during the event's opening weekend as they carried cameramen during the bicycle road race even ts. Left Cycle News. Inc., after three L.B.A., a pub· lishing conglomerate in Sweden and producers of a motorcycle magazine, three car magazines and II newspapers, by Svernerik Eklund, former U.S. boss for Husqvarna. Retained Palmer Designs, to handle advertising and promotional campaigns for IB CO International; principle Bob Palmer formerly of Lockhart Consumer Products. years, Cycle News Production Manager and ATV News Senior Editor Lance Bryson. 29, to freelance. Hired Rex Reese, 32, by Cycle News, Inc., to be Feature Editor of Cycle News, ATV News and All Terrain Vehicle Industry. Sure it gets mpg. but does it go 7 A Ford of Britain three-wheeler named UF02 won the 1984 Shell Motor Mileage Marathon recently, reaching 3,803 mpg from a 15cc engine. We'd like to see the thing compete in the Vetter mileage contest, on real roads. at freewaylegal speeds. Contrary to what was published' in an advertisement in last week's issue, the correct phone number for VSR Products is 604/734-4762. Elizabeth Reid didn't get credit for the victory-circle and pipe-dragging action shots of Kenny Roberts published in last week's issue. We regret the error. MQ'!:0RCYCLE INDUSTRYS CUANGE "ORV users are getting the short end of the stick. ORVs are going to be denied access, there's no doubt. It's one of the consequences of the compromise. Pete is very sorry." That's what OUo Bos, Press Secretary to Senator Pete Wilson, told members of the California Chamber of Commerce Resources Committee during an August 7 Conference call discussion of Wilson's pending wilderness· bill. Chosen as the Belgian team for the Motocross des Nations, the following: Andre Malherbe, Georges Jobe, Andre Vromans and JeanClaude Laquaye. The team may pass up the Trophee des Nations since 250cc works machines will not be available for all four riders. The Motocross des Nations IS run on 500cc machinery. Gone From Black Biker magazine alter eight months, advertising/ circulation rep Reggie Morris, 27. Opened By Wiseco Piston, Inc., a factory-owned distribution center in Camarillo, California. In addition to distribution, the facility will handle advertising and west coast race and trade show promotions. To be operated by Wiseco Advertising Manager Jan Forsberg and husband Ed Forsberg, opening September I. II • • • Notes of a weary editor: Contributors, there is no such thing as a second-place win, or for that matter, a third-place win. If there were, why does GP road racing tar Eddie Lawson say things like, "Finishing second is like kissing your sister. Itj ust don't count." ... ...Swiss marathon runner Gabriela Andersen-Schiess probably has more world recognition as a result of her dehydrated stumble around the L.A. Coliseum at the finish of thewomen's Olympic marathon, than Kenny Roberts does after more than a decade of greatness; truly unfair... ... A famous oil company executive who took a position last year with a famous accessory/apparel company recently resigned, and when we heard, we called to ask what hjs future plans were... He wasn't home, so we left a message... Late on the next Monday, we heard that the famous former executive might be involved with a famous goggle company, so we called .their pre ident for confirmation... He wouldn't confirm anything, but less than five minutes after we called, the famous former executive "found" the message and called us... and also refused to confirm anything. • ..----.~ details Joined Oakley Inc., Dave Rodgers, vice president of marketing sales, on August 7. Oakley president Jim Jannard says he and Rodgers will be starting a "new Oakley company in Europe, details to be released by the Cologne Show in Germany, September 20-24." in the middle o( a violent confro'n-tation. Still, Briner charges that Sanford was" insensitive. Briner sti II has h is job. By a bare one-vote plurality, the State Senate approved his appointment. And it took two roll calls to get it. Back in May, when Briner's confirmation was before the Senate Rules Committee, he didn't deny that he had used terms like "nigger" and "jap" when speaking publicly. He simply said, "I apologize." Who's "insensitive?" You judge. But don't be insensitive. ~--~ By John Ulrich By Dale Brown Insensitive. Who can say what that word means these days? Motorcyclists' advocate Russ Sanford was forced to resign his position as Deputy Director in charge of the Off-Highway Vehicle Program by California Department of Parks and Recreation Department Director William Briner. Why? Because Sanford wrote - although it was never circulated - a memo, and among other things, it called a gay street bike club a gay street bike club. Briner said the memo was "insensilive. " Cycle News has obtained a copy of the memo. The insensitive charge is just so much cowdung. The memo addresses legitimate issues, such as use of OHV facilities by groups who have contributed nothing toward the subsidized, lower, fee structure. Even the question of sexual preference was a legitimate issue. Sanford was never judgemental, but some residents around the Hollister Hills SVRA - where a gay street bike club camped and ca"vorted for three days - are not so liberally understanding of alternative lifestyles. Quite Ihe opposite. The last thing any family heading to an OHV facility for a fun day or weekend needs is to g-et caught After Wes Cooley was disqualified from the Superbike results at Laguna Seca - his bike was found to be too light - Yoshimura R&D of America's Advertising and Public Relations Director Jim Gianatsis issued a statement to the press claiming that the bike Cooley rode was legal with Dunlop tires and light with Michelin tires. As the statement had it, Cooley's bike was well over the minimum weight when fitted with Dunlop slicks made in Japan. But, according to the statement, the team switched to Michelin tires at the track and the Michelins were "significantly lighter than the Dunlops ... some four-six pounds each." That's what made Cooley's bike too light, the statement said. It sounds reasonable. but it isn't true. Cooley's mechanics switched from a 3.25/4.25-18 KRI33 Dunlop front and a 3.75/6.50-18 KR133 Dunlop rear to an 11/64-18 SF]I Michelin front and a 16/70-18 Michelin SB 1145 rear. Put on a scale, an identical Dunlop front weighed 8.0 pounds, the rear 14.2 pounds. The Michelin front weighed 8.0 pounds, the rear 15.2 pounds. • 3

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