Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Motorcycle media press club proposed Business Newsletter, Motorcycle Industry, Motorcyclist, On·Dirt, Super/Moto Cross and Unigrafix. Mike Bishop, a member o[ the ·California Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Commi!sion, also attended. • By Farren Williams SANTA MONICA, CA, JUNE 9 An informal press club for publishers and editors who work in the motorcycle/ATV press was proposed by Motor- cycle Dealernews publisher Don Emde during a gathering of motorcycle industry media representatives today at Bay View Plaza Holiday Inn. Emde, speaking to nearly 30 members of the motorycle/ ATV press, proposed a "no dues, no membership card" press club which would meet periodjcally to be addressed by guest speakers. Many of the moto-journalists present felt an informal press club would be a good idea since it would give members of the motorcycle media opportunities to hear how outsiders view the industry. A press club also would give editors and publishers an opportunity to meet regularly and discuss the many issues currently facing the motorcycle/ ATV industry. Emde made the proposal following a political awareness presenta· tion by Julia Justus, a field representative for U.S. Senator Pete Wilson (R-CA). The meeting, organized by Cycle News, Dealernews and Unigrafix Ad Services, and sponsored by Cycle News, was intended to show members of the media how an industry press club would work. During her comments, Justus said the motorcycle/ATV industry mu t organize under one "umbrella organization" if the industry and users of the industry's products want to increase their pol itical c10u t. "You can do a better job of representing what your interests are," she said. "You haven't presented an image. You've allowed the environmentalists to do so. You need to provide an image in Washington. "I think the public in general feels you want to let loose on the desert; let loose on the environment," Justus said. "That's something you have to come to grips with - how you can get some mainstream press coverage that reflects a positive image of.ORV use." "You need an organization that speaks for oH-road ATV and motorcycle users," she said, "including manufacturers, consumers, dealers, the pres - everyone in the industry. There's going to be division, but there are some issues you can work together on. You have to form that coalition or you're not going to have a voice in Washington." "What the ierra Club is doing to you i a c1as ic ca e o[ divide and conquer," Ju tus pointed out. "You need to establish relationships with legislator, legislative staffs and district staffs," Justus told the journalists. "Establish relationships with people in the system and sponsor forums. We get thousands o[ invitations a week [or (Senator Wilson) to speak. You need a forum for legislators to come and talk with you. ''I'd love to see you get my boss on a motorcycle," she said. "Put him on a motorcycle. Put him on an ATV. Let him have some fun. Let him know who you are." Journalists attending the meeting included representatives [rom ATV Sports, Cycle, Cycle News Inc., Dealernews, Dirt Rider, Easyriders, Hi-Torque Publishing, Motorcycle To Hang: Separately or together, Boy, do we have fun. We're individualistic, and don't nobody screw with us. By gawd, we'll ride our motoT-sycle where we want and when we want and how we want. Damned the system. Damned the rules. Damned society. Don't tell me anyone of you haven't had those urges and compulsions. Urges are one thing. Exhibiting them is another. We (America) are a society and culture of laws and responsibilities. We're, at this moment, at the biocentennial o[ the United States Constitution - the greatest document in the defense and prOlection of mankind and womenkind on the world's history. Yet, somehow, we bikers haven't yet accepted the most simplistic formula for survival - unity. Call it a group or fraternity or association . or congress or club or organization or whatever. We just can't get our s··t together. What a bunch of bozos we are. Our enemies and adversaries know us better thart do we. We're called an unorganized, undisciplined mob. Hard fdt me to argue against. The manufacturers won't gather under one banner. The distributors won't come together under a single flag. The dealers won't join in a national group. The user groups won't gather under a unified association. The magazines won't get together in a single room and agree or refute anything. Whata crowd, eh'. So just who the hell is going to break this lOO-year log jam of mob rule? Who sets the trend? Who has the loudest voice? Who represents our interests? Who show us to America? Just who speaks out [or us the most? There's only one voice [or us - the media; motorcycle, ATV, scooter, watercraft. et al magazines. I admit, above all skeptics, I would never see the magazine guys ever get under one ceiling..together without cutting each' other to ribbons, like they are apt to do. But it happened. Okay, not each and all o[ the 40 some odd titles, but at least, [or the firstever time, the major players got inside AI agreed on one thjng they need to stick together against our adversaries. The first official Motorcycle/ATV Press Club gathering was based on a simple no-dues, no·membership formula. Their first guest speaker was Ms. Julia Justus, aide to U.S. Senator Pete Wilson (R-California). It had taken over six months of persistent writing, calling and outright pleading to get a U.S. Senator's office to concede to speak (associate?) with bike publishers. Both the preparation and occurrence of the meeting had substantial benefits aside from the speaker's agenda. Senator Wilson was apprised of the interest by the Motorcycle/ATV Press Club before his speech to the California Sierra Club Convention three days prior. And he will be briefed on the press club meeting. In any case, Senator Wilson was not endorsed by the Sierra Club for reelection at the convention. He took "too soft" of a stand on environmental issues related to OHVs to suit the Sierra members. Why? Was Pete Wilson thinking of those 15 or so million bikers? We may never know'. But we do know that for the firsttime ever, a U.S. Senator has been approached by and communicated to by a group representing all of you out there, and me too. The message here is the same that I've been hawking for 20 years unity. Pete Wilson's speaker told the press club that. A few weeks back, so did Interior Secretary Hodel. Hopefully an the diverse interests all OEMs, all aftermarket, all dealers, all media and all user associations - will recognize the imperative of unity and get themselves under a single, united banner. Then we'll have some clout to steer our future. A while back another group had the same unity problem. Opposing interests were steam rolling over this group through 'divide and conquer' tactics. Finally this 'mob' got under one roof and hammered out an agreement of unity. It was a no-dues, no-membership group. These 13 belligerent and diverse special interests created the U.S. Constitution and the United States of America. In thjs year of the bicentennial of the Constitution, we bikers and this industry should take that event to heart as our very next task. It was pioneer co-founder and co· architect of the U.S. Constitution,. Ben Franklin, who said; "If we do not all hang together, we most certainly will hang separately." So if you out there, street or dirt, two or three wheeler, old or young, support unity in our spon, let the media know. Drop Cycle News editor Jack Mangus a line at P.O. Box 498, Lon~ Beach, CA 90801. Just say, "Untty, Yes." Jack will take your message to the next Motorcycle/ATV Press Club meeting. If the diverse enthusiast and dealer press will form a unity, it will be the example for all the others in the sport and industry to follow. Remember, keep writing to keep riding. Dave Holeman Voices (Continued from page 4) with the angels forever. We will ride together again someday. DREW "Y AMAHOPPY" STEVE S W. Palm Beach, FL Clean up your act In these troubled times for the motorcycle industry, It IS amazing how some people will show so little regard for some of the unwritten rules' of race promoting. I'm speak· ing, of course, of the date conflict between the 20th Annual (and final) Mammoth Mountain Motocross, and the 1987 L.A. Superbowl of Motocross. Both are on the same weekend; June 27 for the Superbowl, June 26, 27, 28 for Mammoth. The Mammoth event has been set for a year. The L.A. event has been def- inite for a month or so, and tentatively on the schedule since the early part of the season. I can understand the possibility that the 27th was the only available date for L.A., but I do have two questions. First, why don't the various sanctioning bodies and promoters ever make even a semblance of an effort to check with each other to avoid these scheduling conflicts? I'm really tired of having two and sometimes three major motorcycle events in the same area on the same weekend, sometimes the same day. The AMA is especially bad at this, but just about every promoter has done it at one time or another. While I'm aware of the AMA's occasional refusal to admit that other sanctioning bodies and promote.rs even exist, they (and the other guilty parties) are going to have to realize that these scheduling problems hurt both shows - not only in terms of racer/spectator turnout, but also in the hard-tomeasure but equally important "irritation factor" - ,that is, how many people won't attend next year's event because they had .to miss this year's event du~ to a lame scheduling situation. Yes, I know it's not easy trying to set up a year's worth of events in advance. But no one even tries to check out what the other guys are doing. Pull your heads out, promoters, you're hurting yourselves as well as us. My second question is: Why has Mike Goodwin made his blatant and underhanded attempt to steal the 250 Pro riders away from Mammoth to the Superbowl by offering them a free entry? For those of you who did not see the ad in Cycle News (issue #22), Mike oHered anv 250 Pro who had a verified Mammoth Pro entry for Sunday, the chance to ride the Superbowl for free - in other words, "Don't ride Mammoth, I'll pay you to ride L. A." Real ethical, Mike. Well, I've got news for you. Riders should and must make the decision as to where to race on their own, not to be bribed by a promoter who is afraid he won't have a full starting gate, or that riders will choose a real outdoor motocross over his stadium media event. Come on, Mike, get riders on your program with the merits of the race, not a cheap shot rip-off like you're trying to do. 1£ you can't get the riders legitimately, maybe you ought to consider why the riders don't want to run your shows in the first place. There are lots of reasons: if you're not sure of what they are, just ask any nonfactory rider. (You know, the ones that make up 85% o[ your show.) Let's hope the racers will have the good sense to race on the merits of the event itself. And also that the promoter business as a whole will clean up its act, or at least, start talking to each other. With as much trouble as events are having just existing nowadays, it doesn't make sense to have everyone fighting each other, or trying to steal each other's riders. If you readers have an opin· ion, show it by goin~ to the event that you think runs thlOgS right. I'm going to Mammoth. HAL SANGUINETTI Stanton, CA The almighty dollar and the pursuit of it. That's the answer to both of your questions, Hal. Supercross events while sanctioned by the AMA are controlled by the promoters and their organization, Insport. The infighting within that group over race do.tes and rights to particular race sites could fill a book. Like you, we keep seeking the "for the good of the sport" Utopia, but doubt that we'll ever find it ... Editor.

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