Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

II A journalistic low the likes of which I have never seen before in your publication/I Baker And The VR After reading the John Baker interview, there are some things I just have to know. While Mr. Baker must be disappointed with the performance/development pace of the bike, does he really think the cost of union labor is the hold-up? The union in-house dirt track effort won many championships working out of a basic van that the riders provided, and a bare-bones support team. One look at the road-race effort and you can clearly see dollars at work: Fancy semis, a golf cart that looks as if it cost as much as Scott Parker's box van, personal chefs, public relations people, and the list goes on. That's clearly exorbitant spending for the return. How much did it cost for Scott Russell to be on the bike for half a season? If you want to lay blame on the lack of success, don't blame the cost of labor - it's clearly the least expensive thing about the project. Don5chopleray VIa the Internet Baker And The VR II Henny Ray Abrams's interview with John Baker, "The New Guy," was most informative. Tradition is big at Harley-Davidson and only a Motor Company strategic planner would think that there is potential left in a "decade-old design." Pascal Picotte, Harley's factory racer, had it right when he commented that the VRI000 "only needed two things: a new frame, and a new motor." Is Baker serious when he says that this design presents some unique challenges? While the rest of the industry is fielding rocketships, Harley is "moving forward" into 2001 with an' inferior design. Has Baker considered more custom chrome on the bike? That always makes it go faster. Don Gibson CrrJfIon. MD Love Him Or Loathe Him Keep those Jimarillo ramblings coming! The Members Only column (Issue #6, February 14) was a masterpiece! I am sure that you'll have a few "please-cancel-my-subscription" idiots who will write angry letters about it, but - please - don't pay attention to them. They probably haul their bikes on a trailer to Bike Week anyway. Jimarillo is like "Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" on two wheels! :John Chaves VIa the Internet Love Him Or Loathe Him II standards in British magazines aimed at the youth market. I don't doubt that this represents a good-faith attempt to communicate with their catastrophically "dumbed down" readership. Now, alas, your Jimarillo has breached the American press with a sally of "Yobspeak" through your last page. I don't begrudge anyone making a living, but would it be possible to have "Yobaroony's" column vetted by a fifth-grader? It would be a mercy! KMoI)Ineux VIa the IntlPmet Wanting Kocinski The Honda 5 After reading Michael Scott's piece on Honda's new V-five GP engine and looking at the available photo, I realized that the top two cylinders of this engine will fit in the same space currently occupied by the top two cylinders of my 800cc VFR, allowing the bottom three cylinders to slot into the area below the VFR's frame. Simple mathematics thus gives me a V-five, 1000cc VFR in 2002! Let's see, where's Honda AI's phone number down at Santa Barbara Honda? BttJCe Armstrong SanlD Barbara, CA It's become painfully obvious that Ducati is yet again not really serious about the AMA Superbike Series this year. First they hire Scott Russell and give him last year's bikes to ride. Now they can't come to an agreement with their only real chance at the title - John Kocinski. While I don't know the details, I suspect that Kocinski, knowing what he needs to win, probably insisted on new-generation bikes if he was going to make a real stab at the title. I respect his decision not to sign with Ducati, but I'm totally bummed that we won't get to see him race this year. As for Aaron Slight replacing him - please! So what are Ducati's chances this year (I'm only talking about the AMA Series here - World Superbike is another joke unfortunately)? With Suzuki's and Honda's obvious commitment, I think we might see a recount in Florida first! I hope I'm wrong, because I love my Ducati and I want to see them on top again. IgorAPeise VIa the Inff1.met Journalistic Low Wow, great quote by Neil Hodgson! What a class act that guy is, not to mention you guys for printing it. Way to portray professional motorcycle racers as idiots with the maturity of an eighth grader. A journalistic low the likes of which I have never seen before in your publication. :JetfBaker VIa the Internet Why The excitement? Vipers were asked before the vote if they would put on a District 37 points-paying event if mandatory membership was approved. Their answer was yes. If the Vipers could not go along with this program, something could have been worked out. (The Vipers helped me out when I was hurt at a Nevada National and I wanted to make sure they agreed to mandatory membership - I was assured that they had agreed.) However, the Vipers continued to promise their participation, including picking a race date at District 37's date board in June of 2000 and again verifying their participation. It was not until October of 2000 that the final word came out from the Vipers that they would not put on a District 37 points event. The Big Six Grand Prix Series had already organized for the year 2001 and was forced to keep its race date that the Vipers had selected in order to avoid confusion for the district racers and the race sponsors plus they needed this sixth race that was lost by the Vipers pulling out. The letter writer said we should all work together. He is right. AMA and District 37 need additional members to fight the legal cause we have, but he has misinformed your readers of which group was underhanded. The mandatory membership was designed to unite and benefit the District 37 racer, and give us a stronger body. Contrary to another point raised, the District never negotiated away any riding areas; the BLM just took what they wanted without our agreement. The District has never tried to take away the Vipers' race or any other club's race and we do not intend to now. The Vipers should continue putting on the Adelanto Grand Prix and continue their good work with the city. The Vipers have slandered the board members and, as a board member, I take that as a personal insult and wish the Vipers luck in their non-District affiliated races in the future. Why are all you journalists getting excited about the prospect of fourstroke GPs superceding World Superbike? It will only stifle serious road bike development. Instead of having true high-performance road bikes, as we have now because of World Superbike, we will get overpriced pretend racers for the wealthier enthusiast to pounce on. Do you seriously expect us to believe that any future five-cylinder Honda road bike will have a comparable price/performance ratio to a Suzuki GSX-R750 for example? No! All we will get is junk like the old Honda CBXI000, or ridiculously overpriced "replicas." It might give an opportunity for the likes of Michael Scott to fill their quota of white space, but true enthusiasts, as against those who parasitize off the motorcycle industry, will suffer from this move to alienate the road rider from racedeveloped machinery. Mlck 6arDutt VIa the IntlPmet The Vipers This is a personal note from a 16year member of the AMA District 37 Board of Directors. I wish the uninformed would not muddy the waters with incorrect and inaccurate dribble. The Board of Directors of District 37 approved mandatory membership of all its divisions in February of 2000 for the race year 2001. The Desert One reader took exception to a quote from World Superblke racer Neil Hodgson in an earlier Issue of Cycle News. As it long-term expatriate Brit, I have viewed, with shame and trepidation, the precipitous plunge in journalistic Arthur More WHitoke VIllage, CA cue •• n e " " 55 • FEBRUARY 28.2001 5

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