Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128148
"No more siren wail as the fours are throttted to the stratosphere." Political Issues I have recently been considering rejoining the AMA and District 37, and also signing up my two sons. We plan to participate in some AMA amateur competition beginning next year. I am rethinking this considering the AMA's position on several issues. First, I am aware of the circumstances of D-37 recently losing one of its most important and long-standing relationships with the Desert Vipers Motorcycle Club. It appears that the Vipers are gone forever from D-37 and the AMA, as is the money their Adelanto Grand Prix contributed to D37. Regardless of what you have been told by D-37 officers, the cause of this was very plainly greed and the inability of a few people to admit that they were simply not willing to accept a solution other than their own. DVMC supported the racers, the AMA sided with D-37 and its officers against its racer constituency. D-37 made it a very adversarial relationship almost overnight because some egos were stepped on. The fight centered on mo.ney, but it became secondary to the board of D-37. One might argue that the AMA needs more money in its fight to support only that legislation which is favorable to motorcycle riders. Which brings up the second issue. I just finished reading the AMA position on aftermarket conversion of "closed-course" off-road motorcycles for on-road use (dual-sport), as articulated by Mr. Royce Wood, Legislative Affairs Speciali.st for the AMA. It seems the EPA made idle threats to impose ridiculously unconstitutional regulations on the sale of "c1osedcourse-only" machines (which would unfairly single-out off-road riders and limit their ability to purchase the vehicle of their choice), so the AMA has agreed with the EPA to support a ban on aftermarket conversions, no matter how legal by DOT standards. What next? Will the EPA threaten to ban all two-wheeled transportation, so AMA will agree to support the ban of all motorcycles over 250cc? The total amount of unburned hydrocarbons, nox, sox, carbon monoxide, and other pollutants contributed by converted motorcycles is such a small percentage of the total as to be completely insignificant. The EPA is chasing windmills at the expense of motorcycle riders and other taxpayers, and the AMA is helping them by trying to convince us that we are part of the problem. The problem is, those that purport to be helping motorcycle riders are walking into the negotiation with a preconceived notion that something about this is untoward or somehow illegal, and that the EPA knows "what has been going on" (quote from Mr. Wood's letter). At what point do you get so close to the bureaucracy in Washington, D.C., that you become a part of it? This is not helping motorcycle riders. The EPA is wrong to go after motorcycles in the first place. The motorcycle is an insignificant target, not worthy of the millions of taxpayer dollars they are spending to regulate them. They must be convinced of this fact before any meaningful negotiation can be done on behalf of the motorcycle riders in the U.S. If you are not convincing them of that, you are not earning the millions of dollars the AMA membership is giving you to defend their rights. Take a page from the NRA book. You are engaged in a war of ideas. You either win or lose. You can never compromise with thieves or bureaucrats. DanQarlc Hun"ngfon Beach,. CA Fight Club Over Motocross had a slow climb to where it is today. It is solely contained of commitment, determination and heart - lots of heart. Let's not let poor sportsmanship destroy our motorsport. This is not the WWF, nor a sport in which athletes make millions of dollars and where monetary fines don't mean a thing to people with a lot of money. The AMA should take valuable championship points away. That's it. Over. JetrSomtok QIfton.NJ Give Them What They Want? When are the manufacturers going to give the people what they want? For the street: Mid-sized, sport-touring bikes like a 600-800cc version of Yamaha's FJR1300. For the dirt: Kawasaki and Suzuki entering the four-stroke revolution (or are they planning to save R&D money by waiting until after the big marriage?). For in between: Ready-to-license dual-sport versions of the 250cc and Open-class four-strokes. Actually, it would be great if they built one bike available in three different "trim" lines (i.e., CRF450R for moto; CRF450X for cross country; CRF450S for dualsport). Just some random thoughts. What do you think? Ryan Doyle VIa the IntrHnet Superblke Woes I know if you want to compete in World Superbike all you need is a 1000cc twin. Until the field is leveled, that's just the way it is. What happened to the proposed displacement changes for the fourcylinders? For that matter, why doesn't anyone give a three a go? To hear the twins in the '90s was such a cool thing, but any more that's all you hear. No more siren wail as the fours are throttled to the stratosphere. Superbike, at least at the world level, is no longer the battlefield of diversity it once was. As much as twins sound cool, I miss the scream of a four as it is shown no mercy in the quest for victory. What will become of the twins when everything is even? I guess that could be debated for days, but I cant wait to watch a race that's not just a few token fours, a couple of off brands, and a sea of Ducks. Henry Schoeller VIa the In~met Say It Isn't So I'm writing this e-mail because of my disgust over how HMC treated Pascal Picotte. How unbelievable! For a person who is running a high-profile race team in a high-profile series, this sure was a chicken way to deal with a man of Pascal's character. Pascal has always shown himself to be a professional and a gentleman. I'm a Suzuki loyalist, but I have cheered for Pascal no matter what brands he raced for. The way this situation has gone over, it leaves no doubt in my mind about the lack of success HMC Ducati will have in the future. I think Doug Chandler is a great addition to any team he belongs to, but he won't overcome the HMC brass' idiocy. I had to speak my peace. Chrls6ramm Corona. CA Local Boy Makes Good Your interview with John Hopkins was good. It was nice to read about a local boy breaking into the big-time racing scene. John came up through the ranks at Barona Oaks, as did other Barona Boys such as Ron Lechien, Jeremy McGrath, Ricky Johnson and future stars Billy Laninovich and Jesse Cassilas - to mention just a few. Not bad for a non-profit, all volunteer motocross track operating on the Barona Indian Reservation. Good luck, John. We're all proud of you cue •• on and off the track. Barona Oaks: Home Of Champions. GregPferce Lakeside, CA Speed Channel (nee Speedvlslon) Kudos I just wanted to say thanks to Speedvision for their live coverage of some of the racing during Daytona Bike Week. I could tell that a lot of hard work and time had been invested in producing the live racing. Because of dedication like this, I'll keep Speedvision as one of my favorite channels. Kenneth Rogers VIa the IntrHnet Thanking The Green Team I am a single mother of a 13-year-old who competed in the recent WORCS Series Grand Prix in Lake Havasu. My son, Chas Covert, practiced Friday and his bike ran great. On Saturday morning, his bike started up but then would just stall. We cleaned the carburetor, but that didn't fix it. We ended up checking the top end and found a cracked piston - the day before his race. The local Kawasaki shop didn't have a new piston, and a friend suggested checking the Kawasaki rig to see if they might have one. Luck was on our side as they had a piston for a KX80. We put the bike together and Chas was able to race and win on Sunday. I would like to thank Johnny Braash, Jason and all of Team Green. I think it is great that a factory team will help those in support of Kawasaki. Chas has even said that he wants to stay with Kawasaki when he moves up to the 125cc class because of the help they gave him. Thanks again. Debbie Covert Lake Elsinore, CA n • _ S • APRIL 3, 2002 5