Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

America's motorcycle newspaper Volume XXVI Sha ron Claylon. Publ ish" Mike Klin ger . Com ptrolln Skip johnson. A ssoci alt' Publlih n ' Nati onal S4 1~$ Manag,., lad. Man~us . A.uociatt' Pub lish"' Editor Rhrba Smit h. Ci rcu lauo n Managn Car oline Ge e drv, eXI" cul ;Vf' & crt'la'}l t o ,h, Pkb liJh,.r Editorial Jack Mangus. Editor Kit Palmer. A s.~oci4 tt' Editor Paul Carru thers. A ssocuue E.ditor Nai l' Rauba , A.uociau Edit or Brian Cauerson. Associa tt' E.ditor Ken Faught, A.uis tant Ed itor . Edwina Manp;u~. Calt"ndar Editor Advertising Skip j ohnson. .'Va,., 541t's Managn Mik l:'Church . Sen ior 54 1t'J Managn Terrv Prau , Senior Salt' s j\fanagt'T M.nk Thome. Wit'stt'r" SD.lt's Mlm a gt'T Ron David son . Wt'stt'T71 Salt's MII'Iagn Thomas R. Go mer . Wt'stt'T71 SiJIt's Man agn Mark Mil ch ell. ElUtt"m Salt'S Marw.gt'r G rrg Milchdl. Eastt'm Sa lt's M an~gt"T J oan Russian. Wt'slnn A d Coo rdinato r Ca rla Borden . Eastern Ad Coordin ato r I-Iolly Co wa rt. ElUlnn Ad Coordin a ~or Graphics and Production Ree j oh nson , Prod ucti on Supervisor Mand y Lon. Prod uct ion Mtma gn Denn is Greene, LiJb. Tt"Ch . S(;,Iu'y G~ . Gra p hic A rtis~ j immie O·DtIl . G raphic Artist Mid u d Gru ~b. G rap h ic Art ist Carolyn Branham , T YfWs"tn Arirnnr Telias, Ty~st"lIt'T Godspeed. Donna B-to-V alive and well Off -road riders throughout California mourn the death of Donnetta Carnagey o f Th ou sa n d O a k s. Donna, who was one of the founding members of the Pha nt om Duck C lub and former vice-president o f the Ca lifornia Off-Road Vehicle Associ ation (CO R VA), lost a valiant battle with cancer on July 24. Don na was no stranger to valiant battles, as she was co ntinua lly a t the forefront w henever the preservationists and bureaucrats tried to restrict o ur use of publi c lan ds. At eac h and every m eetin g , we co u ld a lways co u nt on Donna to be th ere, fu ll of fire and ar med with th e correct an d pertinent information that let o ur adversaries know her fa m ous "You ai n't gon na get away with this" attitude. If we all aspired to serve our sport as Do n n a did , off-roading would be in much better sha pe. At Donna's fun eral, s he was dress ed in full motorcycle riding gcar. Sh e is survived by husband Bob and daughter Robin. G odspeed , Donna. We'rc really going to miss you! This is in reference to an announcement regarding Barstow to Vegas in issue number 31, August 9 (In The Wind): I understand your concern about the future of the race . However, I am the on ly one in District 37 who can rea lly shed light on the status of the 1989 permit. The rea l problem that is occurri ng is there ar e a m illion rumors. I hop e that thi s letter will dispel most of them. T he permit process is a live and well. T he BLM, alo ng with Da n a Bell or m yself , h ave been doing a n intensi ve tortoise survey to updat e th e 1983 En viron me nta l Im p a ct Sta tement. When this environmenta l analysis is complete, the BLM will cons u lt with the U .S. Fish a nd Wi ldl ife Service. Ou t of that consu ltation wi ll come th e procedures that we wi ll hav e to adhere to for the race. The worse case scen ario would be that we are denied the permit. In that case all en tr ies would be refunded. But, we aren 't even considering that. We feel confident that the BL M and th e Fi sh and Wildlife Service will grant th e permit. MIKE & SHARON BISHO P San ta Barb ara , CA Accounting /Data Processing Donna Bryan. A celJ R t" ct'iva blr Coordinator Geneva Rl" :r.s. Assistan , pa Fran Ha mw ry . Crt"dit Overshadowed? Circulation Sa ra h Tay lor • •i m s'anl Alma Anguiano, A.uimant ~t a r i la Nelson, AssiJ ~a n t 1I" I.me Richm ond . A Mutant Carol MaRKin. A.u ista'l t Dea ler Sal es Kevin Beaubien. Ma nagn Want Ads Debb ie Wrll l" Wa nt Ad Sa lt's r. Service and Support Ch ris Aiu-h cson . Head q uart ers R t'uption i.)t Leonard Herr ing . Sl'nJIU and Su p port National Headquarters 220 1 C h« 'rry Ave.• Lo ng Beach , C A 9OHOfi" Box '1 Lon g Beach . CA 9OKO I ·(H98 98. r .o. (213) 127·1'133, 213/636-8841. FAX (213)127·6685 Eastern Off ice 4190 Finl Av~.• T uc k" • .GA , 300&1: ma ili ng address P.O. Box 805. Tuck er " GA 30085 -0805. ('IQoI ) 931-71150. FAX (104) 931-3112 Cyc le Nl:'W~ (US PS 14'1.340 ) is p u bl ished wrt'~.Iy rxcrpt lh (" rim and las t week o r th e calendar Y~'1f fo r $50.00 per yr..r b y C ycle New s, Inc.• 220 1 O1 ttry AVM1U(' . Lon Ji: Beach. C\ 90806 . Second d~:r.s postage pa id at Long Beach , CA, and addit io nal maili ng offices, POSTMASTER: Sond form 3679 to Cycle N ews. P"O . Box 498. Long Be.ch. CA 9OB0 1-0498. To det ermine the expiflltion d8te of your subKription. check the four numbers on the first line of your 8ddreu I.bel. The fi nt two d ~ its indiate t he I..t iaaue num~r ~u 'lI recei ve .nd the I8at two cha ,..eten Indl e-te the ye.r of the last issue . Subscription rates : Rai n (or the U ni ted Sta tes and its possessio ns (or on e ye- r . (50 inun). a 150.00: two )"tars ( 100 Issues}, $95.00; six mo nt hs . (25 issues }, $26.00: tria l sub (15 iss ues ). $19.00. Canad.. a nd FOIt" , 0 0 (" yt'""ar (SOi:r.sun ). 190.00: iKn twu vears ( 100 issues ], 1175.00: six mo nt hs (25 i~ ue!o ) . 115.00; trial su b ( 15 iSl>ues ), $38.00. Cy cle N t"~· !> we lco mes unsolici ted rd itoria l ma teria l includi ng stories, cartoons. ph otos. etc. Such mat er ia l. II p ub li shed. becomes t h eexcl u si ve p roperty o r C)'c1(' N~~ . Such d CC1"pt~ man-r ia! i5 "UbjN I to revision a~ is n('(:~ ry an th e sole discretio n of Cvcle News. Unsolicited mater ia l wh ich is nn l used will be ret ur ned if a r rompa ni ed b y a !'oe lf addrl"s.sed ~I ampl:'d l:'nvr lo pc . All u molici tr'd matr-rial wi ll b~ ha ndled. with rra ~()nabl l" ca re, how r-\,(" . C ycll:' I Nl:'w!o ;I M.um t"~ no r~~ polISih ilit )' for th l:' ~a fety. lo~~ or da maRr to such ma tt'ria l. Repriut inJ:; in whol«' or pan o~!)' b )' J>f' r m i~!i i o.n o r ~ hl:' pub li,hrr. r\dv t"rtm n~ rat t'S a nd nrcu liltlon mfOlmauon wi ll tx- !'o('n t up on rrq u t"51. SNS.R.ll .S. ~BPA V 4 AUDITED CIRCULATION Copyright Cycle New s. Inc . 19 89 . Trademark Cycle New s reg iste red U.S. Paten1 Office. A ll rights re.rved " RIC K HAMMEL Bvto- V Co-Chairman Permits & Course Is everyo ne (in cl uding th e press) so ena mored with Rick J ohnson th at th ey fail to recognize th e travesty o f Bob Hannah ' s fa rewe ll lap a t Unad illa? If yo u weren't th ere, allow me to recount the incident. Wh ile being intervi ewed by Larry Mai ers a t th e fini sh line a fter winning th e secon d moto, J ohn so n was to ld Hannah was emba rking o n his farewell lap. For so me ineffab le reason, J oh nson ha d th e unconscionabl e arrogrance to presume he should accompany Han nah on that final , momentous la p th e crowning glory to an extra o rdinary career. Johnson quickly m et up with H annah , and hi s distasteful and ego tistica l act was m et with sporadic disapproval from th e fans. This disgraceful , deplorab le, shameful display of swell -h ead ed ness is unbefitting of a so-called " ne w" king of Unadilla. Everything Bob Hannah has done in hi s entire career, including many of the' most incredibl e races ever witnessed at Unadilla ha s been overshadowed b y o ne individual's perv erted and shortsighted ac t of pompousn ess. Wh en one thinks o f th e class of th e sport of motocross, one ma y think of several (riders) wh o through their qualities, a ttribu tes a nd individual distinctiveness have shaped and formed th e sport we have today. I think ofRoger DeCoster - "T he Man." I think of Bob " H u rr ica ne" Hannah. And, to be fair to thi s rid er 's ab ility and su ccess, I regrett abl y add to m y li st the "cl ass -les s" R ick J ohnson . The Bad Boy indecd. JAM ES BRYCE Roch ester , NY We can' t see how anyone action by ano ther rider cou ld possibly ove rshadow " everyth ing Bob Hannah has done in his en tire caren. " ... Edi tor. Sports Committee District 37 Valen cia, CA Godspeed. Don This is a special thanks to the AMA, the flat trackers, mech anics, tuners and everyone else. We never knew ho w much racing meant to us unti l Don Marti n , Ex pert #17F, passed away on J u ne 27 in a p ick-up truck accident. You are like fam il y to us. We miss you and the raci ng so much. God bless you and good luck. We love you. DAVE , JEAN, KIM, JAMIE & HOL LI E MA RTIN Monroevill e,OH Lucky winner There are so man y people who deserve credit for the Ventura County M.e. Qualifier that I don't know wh ere to start. Well actually, I'll start with th e person I wish to thank the most - Jeff Herrio t of Thousand Oaks Yamaha /Kawasaki wh o donated the Yamaha YZ250W R of which I was th e incredibly lucky recipient. Second is th e Ventura County M.C., who sp ent endless hours setting up a fun and cha lle n ging ride. Fi nally , we shou ld all thank the U.S . Forest Service and the Department of Parks and Recreation . Through personal contact, I know that ma ny o f th e ra ngers in both departments are di e-hard riders and the y ar e o n o ur side. Th anks again. CHRIS STAPLETON Canyon Co untry , CA Happy club member I wou ld lik e to thank the U.S. For cst Serv ice and th e California Sta te Park System for allowing th e Ventura County M.e. Qualifier to ta ke pl ace. A fire closure was postponed until immediatel y a fter o ur event, allowing 350-plus riders to enjoy a part or their National Forest. I wou ld a lso like to th a n k Don Tramm e l, Keith Ginn and Kim Smith o f th e U.S. For est Servi ce, and Denn is Dobernick, Mike Stavro and P ete Yarbourgh of th e Hungry Vallev State Park for their support and assi stance. I would lik e to extend a special thanks to the Bortree famil y, who recently moved to Texas, for all their help over th e yea rs. The members of the Ventura County M.C. will m iss you. FRANK UN DE R LIN Event Coordinator Ventura County M.C. Frazier Pa rk , CA New Jersey surcharge I am outraged! T he New J ersey insurance fiasco threatens to extend to motorcycles. I ha ve j ust been in form ed th at th e state wants to tack a surcharge o f $ 152 on each p ol icy for motorcycli sts to ba il o u t th e J oint U nderwri ters Associatio n. It 's bad enough to ha ve a perfect driving record a nd have to pay the surcharges forced on me in the past for m y ca r, but th is is too m uch. New J ersey riders better get ou t their pens and let Ver ice Mason (Legislative & Reg u la to ry Affairs, 20 W. State St., CN325, Trenton, NJ 08625-0435) know their feelings if they don't want to be discriminated against in this manner. NEWTON J O H NSO N Ocean City, NJ Less sound equals more ground I went to th e Albuquerque Mile. I was bored. The field was good. The racing was exce lle nt. The faci lity is topn ot ch . But the sou nd. Why did the AMA tak e away th e so u nd? (And some o f th e speed.) I've been watching flat track for 30 years . It 's pretty hard to get the ha ir up on the bac k of your n eck when 16 of the worl d 's best co me by you on th e front straigh ta way a nd it so unds like sorneone's vac u uming the parlor. . Take those dumb mu fflers off .. . this ain 't the public lib rary , it 's a tak e-no-priso ners by-God motorcycle race! J AY TAYLO R President/ Crea tive Director Tay lor Advertising Tucson, AZ At certain tracks where residential ne ighborhoods are within earshot, i.e. San Jo se, Sacramento and Albuquerque, noise level standards establish ed by city or county officials must be met and they can only be met by requiring the use of what the racers call " boo m boxes," i.e. large can nister-type mufflers. In addition, you were probably sitting in the air conditioned stands at Albuquerque and the sound that reached your ears was furth er redu ced by the wall of glass .. . Editor. . Published letters do not necessarily reflect the position of Cycle News. Inc. Letters are subject to ' condensation due to space limitations. Anonymous letters w ill not be published. Send letters to Voices. P.O. Box 498. Long Beach. CA 90801 -0498.

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