Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

·VO E . IC S·'.' America's weekly motorcycle newspaper Letters to the editOr.. VolumeXXXI Sharon Clayton.Pr..ideni . Michael Klinger. Pubtisher Editorial Paul Carruthers. Editor Kit Palmer. Associate Editor Donn Maeda. Associate Editor Chris [onnum, Associate Editor Scott Rousseau. Assistant Editor Mark Hoyer. Copy Editor Graphics and Production ReeJohnson. Production Supervisor Mandy Loa. Production Manager DennisGreene. LAb. Tech. StaceyGuest. Graphic Artist Amy Faught. Graphic Artist Administration Judy Klinger. Coordinator Peggy Rivera. Secretary to the Publisher Advertising Terry Pratt. National Accounts Manager Mark Mitchell. Eastern Accounts Manager MarkThome. W..tern Sales Manager ThomasGenter, Western Sales Manager Forrest Hayashi, Western Sales Manager Greg Mitchell. Eastern Sales Manager Rick Matheny, Eastern SalesManager RhondaCrawford. Western Ad Coordinator Carla Allen. Eastern Ad Coordinator Want Ads LaurieSnow. Want Ad Sales Marketing &: Promotion MarkThome, Manager Dealer Sales Kelly Branscome. Dealer SatesRepresentatm, AccountinglData Processing Donna Bryan-Diamond. AIR Coordinator Geneva Repass Assistant . Herlane Lewis. Credit Circulation Rheba Smith, Manager Alma Anguiano. Processing Coordinator Pam Klein, Billing Coordinator Carol Bcgovic, Dealer Coordinator Kim Mazenko, Data Entry Coordinator Service and Support Chris Aitcheson, Headquarters Receptionist Leonard Herring, Service andSupport National Headquarters 2201 Cherry Ave.•Long Beach, CA90806. P.O. Box 498. Long Beach. CA 90801-{)498 (310) 427-7433; (213) 636-8844. FAX (310) 427~ Eastern Office 4188 FirstAve.•Tucker.GA.30084; mailingaddress P.O. Box 805, Tucker.GA30085-0805. (404) 934-7850. FAX (404) 934-3112 Rake and trail Regarding the Yamaha YZ250 test in the November 2 issue (Issue #43 ): Wh y do those clever guys at Yamaha turn the front end toward the camera for every profile shot? ls rake and trail that big of a secret? How much can you tell from a p icture anyway? Yamaha has been doing this all season - any comments? Scott Stryker Bound Brook, NJ 771£ photos that accompanied our test of the YZ250 were shot by our staff - they weren't provided by Yamaha . The front wheel was turned slightly because we feel it makes the bikes look better. As for. rake and trail, we don't do that ourselves - Yamaha provides a guy that rakes our trail before we ride...Editor. Wanting Aga ja nian Hey, New York Harley dealers, bring Chris Agajanian east and bring back the Syracuse Mile. It was good racing and if anyone can promote a race - he can. Maybe we can raise some money for Jason Fletcher in his home area. . Tex Bailey .Bloomingdale, NJ Agajanian promoted the Del Mar Mile, the sprmg running of the Pomona Half Mile, the Denver Half Mile and the Sacramento Mile. Fletcher sufferedserious injuries at the Oklahoma City HalfMile...Editor. Hatch cong rats I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate Steve Hatch on his rise to the top of the 'Nationa l Enduro Series. At a time when so many professional sr0rts heroes fall short in areas outside 0 raw talent, it's refreshing to see the kind of qualities displayed by this young man from Ithaca, New York. . In terms of skill, Steve Hatch is for real. But in this case, that's not what makes him a w inner. When you cons ider the right attitude, Steve is probably the most fearsome competitor in the woods. He is constantly upbeat. offering words of encouragement and extending a hand when he doesn't have to. These are things which seem to come naturally, and it doesn't end there. At checkpoints, Steve is extremely courteous, and on the trail he even thanks slower guys for getting out of the way (a fact I can personally attest to). Our sport is in desperate need of moore positive role models . In that respect, Steve Hatch is the best .thing to have happened to off-road racing in a long time . Team Suzuki and the rest of his sponsors should be proud to have an individual of his class and character representing their programs. There is sim ply no one more deserving of the title of National Champion. Jim Miller Sylvania, OH Women's MX says t hanks On behalf of the women who attended the first-ever Women's Onl y Motocross School on September 30 at Glen Helen Raceway, I wish to thank the companies and individuals who made this event possible. First and foremost to Team Yamaha's Doug Dubach for his patience, friendship, kindness and professionalism in donating his time and ta lents to teaching the women who attended the school. To Yamaha Motor Corp.'s Matt Pritchard for donating promotional materials and for your invaluable assistance in making this happen. To Endura 's Mark Howard for donating product an d nutritional information, and to Steve Nilles, owner of Glen Helen Raceway for donating the track facility and insurance costs. Thank you all. Debbie Matthews U.S. Wo men's MX Team, Event Di rector San ta Ana, CA Term inology I'm a new "old" rider who just got into th e sport in February of 1994 (after a brief respite of 20 years when I was a 14year-old trail rider) and I would like to know where I could find, or if you did an article on dirt bike terminology. For example, what is the difference between a hare scramble and a hound and hare, motocross or Grand Prix, vintage or classic/bomber, UTH classes, etc. Also, I read your article with Dick Mann and I'm curious why AHRMA doesn't have a class for long-travel, dual-shock bikes. I am surveying to see if there is any interest to ride/race/associate in th e Los Angeles a rea . Do yo u have any suggestions? August Spillers Los Angeles, CA There are several forms of off-road competi- . tion. The primarydifference between them is usUilIly in name, and location. Hare scrambles feature several laps around a shorter course (jive to 10 miles) and are usuaIly in the eastern portion of the country. Cross country races arealmost identical. Hare and hounds (or hound and hares) uSUilIly consist of two to three seperate longer loops (40 to 50 miles). Grands Prix are essentiaIly long motocross events that may feature a variation in terrain, such as pavement. Vintage usuaIly refers to AHRMA-Iegal 1974 and earlier motorcycles; C1assic/Bomber definitions vary. but usually means 1975 and laterobsolete motorcycles. lITH refers to Up The Hill, which is racingfor those 25 and older OTH, or Over The Hill. is for riders . 30 years and older . According to an AHRMA spokesman, the vintage racinf. organization doesn 't have a long-trace , dual-shock class because motorcycles witll this sort of suspension do not represent the era that AHRMA is trying to recreate. Once the door has been opened to lonr -travel. dual-shock bikes. you have to go al the way to modern-day travel. he says...Editor; Vintage debate The con troversial 1994 AHR MA 500cc Pre mier Na tio nal Championship was decided a t Talladega, A labama , on October 15. Barber Dairy's Steven Mathews was awarded first p lace, with nine wins over eight wins for Dave Roper, the 12-tirne AHRMA National Champion. Two of Mathews' w ins were on a machi ne that AHRMA officials determined was using an illegal modern smoothbore concentric float carburetor. In a highly controversial decision that violates all prior and subsequent precede nt, the officials let Mathews keep all his points. An appeal by Dave Roper came to naught when the Appeals Board cleverly determined that AHRMA rules did not require it to "second guess" powerful AHRMA officials. Hopefully, some long-needed reforms will result from this episode. Eligibility now depends on who you know. And our Appeals procedures a re seriously deficient, particularly when official bias is at issue. Such reforms are, not surprisingly, being resisted at the "highest levels." Mat hews might have won anyway even if he had used legal eq uipment. Bu t the fact is that he did not, an d we will never know. Rob Iannucci Team Obsolete Brooklyn, NY Letters to the ed itor s h ou ld be se nt to Voices, Cycle New s, P.O. Box 498. Long Beach, CA 908060498 or faxed to 3101421-6685. Published lette rs do n ot necessarily reflect the position of Cycle News, Inc. Letters sh ould not exceed 200 words and all letters are s ubject to edi ti ng. Anonymous letters wi)) not be conaide red for publication . All letters s h o ul d ( o n t ai n th e wri ter's n a m e, a d d r e-55 and daytime phone num b er ••• Editor. CycleNews(USPS 14l-llOl is published weeklyexcept the last two w ee b 01 tho aJendar yea r for $50.00 per yearby Cydo News. Inc.. 2201 Chmy Aven.... LoogBeadI. CA 9OIlO6. SecondcJ.ss postage LoogBooch. CA c:.nad. Pool lnto:m.l1iorW PublicationsMaill54661S. POSTMASTEIl: Send oddroos dwIg.. to Cyd. News. P.O. BOll 498. Long Beach. CA 9080HM98" paid., To drtnmiM the ~xpiraHOD d.J.tt of your 5ubsaiption. check tM four numbtn on the lint line of )'OW'ilddress label, The first two digits indic~te the bst issue numbft' you11 remve mel the Lut two ch.1ncten indiate the ye,arof the lui issue. Subscription ra tes: Rates for the UnitedStates and its possessiam fe r one year. 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