Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Riding in L.A. We o ffer two a nswers for the co ntinuing q uestion of wh ere to ride. Perr is Racewa y and DeAnza Cycle Park. two loca tions where we have the privilege to promote motocross races. After th e closure of Saddieback Park we found th ese a ltern a tive tracks eager to help fill th e needs of racers. Perr is a dded a new start gate and built a cha lle n gin g course for motocross races whil e DeAnza put down a n expe ns ive la yer of decomposed granite on their entrance road to faci litate entry to th e main riding areas. Alt hough we are saddened by the loss of Saddleback, Ind ian Dunes. OCI R and Corona, SMX will conti nue to support the sport of mo tocross and work towards a dr a mat ic resu rgen ce in the coming months and years . WEST America's weekly motorcycle newspaper Sharon Cla yton , Publisher Mike Klingn.Comptro/kr Skip Johnson. tfssrx:i4~ Publishnl NaJ,onid Sales ManagtT Caroline Gnxlry. Ex~rutiv~ St'C'rt'tary to th~ Publ isher . Editorial J IM BELT IN C K Pr esident. SMX Mission Viejo, CA John Ulrich. Editor Kit Pal mer. Associat~ Edito-r Mati Hilgenberg, A ssociate Editor J im Wolcott. Associate Edit or Paul Carruthers. Associate Editor Advertising T('1T')' P ra tt, Sales ManagtT Tim Ryan , Salt's Managn Mark Thome. Sales Managn' Linda Brown . AdtJn'tising Coordinator Nan cy Wastell . Advt!Ttisin g IEditor ;al A ssistant Graphics end Production Larry Gill . G rap hic A rti.sl Gin~ Dev au l. Graph ic A rtist Malcolm Wilson . G rtlphic A rtis t Mar ion Ha tashi ta. T ypeseu er Carolyn Branham. T ypesetttT IXnm5 Green e. Lab, T ech , Accounting/OeUl Proc eeaing Don na Bryan . Accoun ts R t'u ivablt> Coo rdinator . Geneva Repa ss. A.uislant Fran Hamwey, Crt>dit Circuletion Rh eba Smith. M 4 hQ g tT Sara h Tay lor, Assistan t Lyna Hood. Assistan t R~ Braa k, Assistant Alma AnKuian o, Assista ru Dee ler Sele. end Service Bob Elfic u, Dealer Sales Mana K" Went Ads Steve G runer . Want Ad Sa l~.f Service end Support Chris Ai rchescn. R ecept io nist G rt" gory H anson . Sb S West 2201 Cherry Ave.• Long Beach. CA 90806. P.O. Box 498. Lo ng Beacb. CA 9080 1·0498 (21') 427·7433, L.A. Lin e 636·8844. Eest 4190 Firsl Ave.• Tucker, G A, 30084, P.O . Box 805. T ucker. GA 30085'()805. (4041934·7850. Cycle News /Wcsl (USPS 141·340) is p ubfish ed weeklvexcep t the liut a nd la st week 01 the cale nda r year lo r $25 per year by Cycle News, Inc., 220 1Cherry Avenue. Lo ng Beach . CA 90806 . Second class postage paid at Long Beach. CA. POSTMASTER: Send fo rm 3579 to Cyc le News. P.O . Box 498. Long Buch. CA 90801 -0498. Subscription rates: O ne year . second class mai l. $2.5; two years. second class mail, $45; three years, second class mai l, $68; 25 weeks, S13. Foreign rates avai lable on request. Cycle News welcomes u nso lici ted editoria l material incl udi ng stories. cartoons, photos. etc. Such ma teria l, iI p u blished, becomes the exc lusive property 01 Cycle News. Such accepted material is su bject to revision as is necessary in the sole discretion of Cycle News. Unsolici ted material which is not used. will be retu rned il acco mpan ied by a self add ressed sta mped envelope. AI) unso lici ted mat er ial w i1l be ha nd led with reaso na ble ca re, however. Cycle N ews ass u mes no respo ns ibi lity 1 rhe safew.Ioss or da mage to 0f such mat er ial. Repr in tin g in whole or part only by permiss ion 01the- publisher. Advertising rates and circ ulatio n info rma tion will be sen t upon req uest. See S.R. D.S. CopyrightQl> Cycle News. Inc. 1985. r redem erk Cycle News regill11lred U.S. PetentOffice. All rightsr8Mnl8d. ON THE FRONT PAGE: Kawasaki's new KX250 is much more than just improved. Fo r complete t est. see page 24. Photo by Kim W . Palmer. 4 Bureaucratsl Aarghl There was a hearing in th e fin al months of the Carter administra tion exploring lowering th e nat ional speed limi t to 45 mph. The p roposal als o would mak e o pe ra ti ng pow er boats a misdemeanor nationall y. excep t commercia l fish ing vessels. I was th e first citizen spo kesperson in a ny of th e si x regional hearings, all the others being com pa n ies. like Evinrude, p leading for permission to rem ain in bu sin ess. I think it was Mercu ry o u tboards whose president, in hi s 60·s. told how hi s dealer orders had fall en to less than half in th e weeks a fter th e govern me n t statem ent that p rohibitions were being exp lored. T he man' s voi ce broke as he told of spe nd in g ho ur s agon izing over which of hi s lifetim e em p loyees were to be laid o ff. The Department o f Ene rgy panel featu red seven Nader- la wver types . self-righ teo us bu llies who knew how to save th e wo rl d no ma tter who m they had to h urt to do it. I chose a m ilder cha racter to corner in th e h otel lobby d uring a brea k. He admitted to me th at agency policy is decided at the exec utive level. All the research di d was try to find and assemble data to support the p re-decided policy . Real resear ch lets facts determi ne co ncl usions . Government agencies . however. are above science. T hey ca n use so-ca lled lo gi c and pse udo pscien ce to mak e d ictated schemes appear reasonable. It is un fa ir both to manufacturers a nd to us mere co nsu me r serfs. It is Big Bro th er . a nd neither us vot ers nor o ur legi sla to rs can cont ro l th e mousy little Him mlers who wield Direct ives enforce d bv . legi ons o f law yers. On th e other hand. who a re we to o bject? Fr eedo m is slavery, r ight , comrade? TOM MY BRI GHT Pal o Alt o, CA Forest ri din g As everybody wh o rides a d irt bike shou ld kn ow th e U.S . Fo rest Service is preparing fore st use plans. Wilderness proposals abound in the Congr ess. A wilderness designation excludes motorized use. The Bitteroot Na tional Forest in Montana a nd Idaho has presented a proposal of interest to dirt bikers who used National Forest la nds. They propose a W ilderness Classification Sui table For Mechan ized Use. (trailbik es. snowmobiles. cha insa ws) pendin g Congressiona l action. Please write to : Forest Plan. Bitteroot National Fo rest . 316 North Third St.• Hami lton . MT 59840; also your Congressman and U.S. Senator lettin g the m kn ow you support th is designation; both U.S.F .S. and Congress ha ve to co unt the votes. P lease let us know if you want to work wi th us, Eastern Washington Dirt Riders Assn ., P.O. Box 5681. Kennewi ck . WA 99336. GEORGE FRANK Kennew ick. WA Letter to CPSC's Scanlon I would like to request a co py o f a C PSC Mem o da ted Ma y 3. 1984 wr itten by Roy Deppa ent it led " Re view of Information Relating to Mechanica l Ch a racterist ics o f All -Terrain Veh icles (ATVs)." The number of th at : memo is PSA No. 1147. It was addr essed to Elizabe th Haugh t. I am requesting a co py of th e' memo under the Freedom of Informatio n Act. I would hope that we ca n address th e issue of ATV sa fety in a n adult manner a n d sta y away from th e tactics that Commission Statler ha s used .in th e pas t. I beli eve th at we are a ll wor ki ng to th e sa me co m mo n goal . p rotect ion o f life a nd limb. Thank you in adv an ce for your coope ra tio n and assi sta nce. JIM LIVERMO RE Cha irman . Legislative Affairs & Policy Committee, Ca lifornia Off -Highwa y Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission Pomona, CA Help Cooley On Saturda y. May 16 at Sears Point Racewa y in So no ma. Ca lifo rn ia, a tragic event took p lace . Wes Cool ey. two-time Na tional Superbike Champion, experienced a motorcycle acci den t to th e worst degree. Unfortuna tely many o f his friends were there . to see this fightful event. Wes Cooley is a man trul y dedica ted to improving motorcycling in the Un ited Stat es. He is a progressive thinker putting th e sport before h imself. He is always striving to improve fan appeal while constantly pushing for racer concerns as well. Wes Cooley is in each a nd ever yone of us who rides a motorcycle. Wes has thrilled us all on the racetra ck. Outbraking the competi tion going into th e corkscrew at Laguna Seca , screaming down the stra igh t at Elkhart Lak e or setti ng up for the h igh bank at Daytona. Wes is. to say the lea st. entertai n ing. ri sking his , life (as racers do ) with every movement. If yo u hav e never been on a racetrack you probably ca n not full y comprehend wh at is ta king place with racers of suc h ca liber. It is awe - some! Now it is time to ca ll th e markers. pa y back th e favor so to spea k. Wes is serio usly injured and th e in surance doesn ' t co ver a ll th e ex pe nses . Wes co u ld use o ur hel p . You ca n help by p ledging wha t you can to the Wes Cool ey Fund. A pa ltry co ntribu tio n in co m parison to Wes Cooley's co ntri bution to motor cycli ng. IV hat are friends [orl] T han ks for your help. JO E & AL SALVO Cycle Racer Moto rcycling Ap pa rel Arcadia , CA Donations for Coo ley c~n be sent to th e Pro R ider Benefit Fund and are tax dedu ctible; th e address is c/ a Penn y N icolai, 14014 Sy lvan, Van N uys, CA 91401. 818/787-3497 . .. Ed itor. . Published letters do not necessarily reflect the position of Cycle News. Inc. Letters for publication must be typed and double-spaced; short. concise letters stand a better chance of being published; due to the volume of ma il no letters can be returned or acknowledged. Send letters to Voices. P.O. Box 498. Long Beach. CA 90801 ,

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