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/128150
30 YEARS ABO••• APRIL 25, 1972 Some of the chrome contingent were photographed for the cover of Issue # 15 from the Cycle World Show. The cover line for the event read as follows: "Plastic, paint, pedal bikes and a '36 Indian (yawn).' One of the highlights of the show was an alloy HarleyDavidson XR750 ... Elsinore, California's Rawhide Park announced that it was closing down, and instead of sending us a picture of a rider haVing fun at the park, they sent us a picture of a beautiful model standing presumably nude in nothing but an open-face helmet (which was sporting the Cycle News logo) and holding a Rawhide Park poster in front of herself, covering the required areas, but not much more. We, of course, ran it as big as we could see fit... Jim Rice won the San Jose Half-Mile. Frank Gillespie (Tri) and Dave Hansen (Tri) followed him in in second and third. light dusting of snow on the sur- the local motorcycle parts salesman had told them that the "Brand-X' day hosted by the Grindstone Ranger District of California's Mendocino silencer was "the unit' for their bike and that it met federal spark-arrestor National Forest. On March 23, Forest Service personnel and I performed requirements. Yet, they were not told it would fail a sound test. courtesy sound checks on OHVs at the popular Stonyford Recreation Area, located about two hours north- ing out that his or her bike does not meet the current sound requirements and may even risk getting whacked with a $100-plus fine. OHV associations should consider developing a sound-check team or appointing a steward who could prescreen bikes before they show up to the start line. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management officers who are trained in administering the 20-inch sound test should be more than willing to lend helpful advice for such an endeavor. We found on a number of bikes with multiple-disk systems that they could have their sound levels dropped by five to 12 decibels by simply having two to four discs removed. One example was a Honda XR400R that tested at 105 decibels with 12 disks installed in the muffler. By removing two of the disks, the rider was able to make his bike retest at 93 decibels. Adding one of the new "quiet tips" to an aftermarket sparkarrestor reduced the sound level on one bike by almost nine decibels. Clearly, sometimes complying with the law requires little effort. ISSUE 3: OHV recreation organizations and publications should continue to get the word out to their readerships that "less sound equals more ground." Those readers should then take it upon themselves to educate their own network of friends who use and enjoy motorized recreation on federal or state lands. When you are at a staging area and you hear a loud bike fire up, you may want to go over and - in a polite tone - explain to the rider that our continued access to public lands is dependant on him/her having an OHV that complies with the sound law - and it may even save them the cost of a ticket. Everyone in the OHV community (i.e. manufacturers, aftermarket companies, dealer networks, catalog stores, clubs, trade associations, grassroots groups, publications, agencies, users, etc.) must do his part to address excessive exhaust sound on public lands. It's up to all of us to be a part of the solution, and not the problem. eN ber of riders were frustrated because rounding mountains was the backdrop for an OHV sound-check Several riders told us that they had taken those "Brand-X' units back to A west of Sacramento. The purpose of the sound clinic was to give OHV recreationists a chance to correct or adjust their exhaust systems to be in the shop after flunking a previous sound check. Most of them were satisfied when many dealers took those units back and replaced them with "Brand-Y' systems that did comply 20 YEARS AGO••• APRIL 28, 1982 Suzuki's "Bad' Brad Lackey graced the cover of Issue #15, and he was interviewed inside. He pointed out that all he needed was a little luck in order to win his first 500cc World Championship in 10 years of trying. "I feel like I should have won (in 1981) and Malherbe took it away from me, " Lackey said. "I'm not that mad now, but I'll break his leg if I get the chance.· ... Eddie Lawson (Kaw) won round three of the AMA Superbike Championship Series in Riverside, California. Mike Baldwin (Hon) and Wayne Rainey (Kaw) rounded out the podium. Former motocrosser Steve Wise (Hon) fmished sixth... Jeff Ward (Kaw) and Donnie Hansen (Hon) each won their first-ever National motocross events at round three of the AMA National Motocross Series Ward won the 125cc event., while Hansen won the 250cc class. Mark Barnett (Suz) and Jim Gibson (Hon) rounded out the 125cc podium, while Broc Glover (Yam) and David Bailey (Hon) did the same in the 250cc class. 10 YEARS ABO... APRIL 22, 1992 Colin Edwards races across the cover of Issue #15 aboard his Yamaha 250cc GP machine. After winning the 250cc GP event at Daytona, Edwards was declared road racing's hottest property. The 18-year-old was interviewed for the issue and said, without a trace of self-doubt, "I'm just basically looking for a path to the 500cc GPs. I don't know if I'll go next year, but I'd like to if the chance came... They say that Americans and Australians are the only ones who can ride 500s - well, my dad's Australian, and my mom's American..... Team Yamaha's Damon Bradshaw won both nights at the Silverdome Doubleheader Supercross, which put him back on top of the points standings after losing the lead with a fall a couple rounds earlier. The 125cc mains both fell' to Brian Swink (Suz) ... Aaron SOght (Kaw) and Raymond Roche (Due) split wins at round one of the World Superbike Series in Albacette, Spain... Stefan Everts won round one of the 250cc World Motocross Championship in Valkenswaard, Holland. The top American was Donny Schmit (Yam), in sixth overall. compliance with the California State vehicle code (the current maximum allowable sound reading in the Golden State is 101 decibels). Besides giving the riders a chance to see if their dirt bikes are meeting current sound levels, this field-testing also gave us a chance to get feedback from the average user. After interviewing a number of riders to understand how they came to purchase an aftermarket pipe, several issues became abundantly clear: ISSUE 1: The fact that a spark arrestor has "USDA Forest Service Approved Spark Arrestor' stamped on it does not guarantee that it will make the bike comply with current California State sound laws. A num- with the law. Clearly, motorcycle shops, pipe manufacturers, catalog merchandisers and the users must become more sophisticated in their recommendations and/or purchases of aftermarket exhaust systems that are used on public lands. Maybe the Forest Service should consider stamping a "sound approved" seal on a unit as well. ISSUE 2: Since public education and outreach is an important aspect of law enforcement, it seems that clubs should work in cooperation with federal agencies to set up courtesy sound-check stations the day before an enduro or cross-country event. Nothing can ruin a rider's day more than showing up to an event and find- Amador is a western representative for the BlueRibbon Coalition, and he thanks the following companies for their support of BRC: Weekend Warrior Trailers, KTM Sportmotorcycles, Kawasaki, Fox Racing, Sprocket Specialists, FMF Racing, Motion Pro, and Torco. • Open SportbIke Sbootout • Pontiac SUpercross • Spanllll MX SP .. u . . . - n __ S • APRIL 17, 2002 111