Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

By Maureen Lee I'm in my suit of arm o r again this week. ready to take up lances with a couple of things th at are reall y d riving me ba ts. First w as a letter fro m five riders who gave John DeS oto a rather b ad time be cause th e p aper writes so much abou t him an d hi s wins but he on ly wins in South ern Californ ia. Unfortunately , the letter didn't st at e wh ere said gen tle me n reside but I' ll tell 'em o ne thing. John h as prob abl y m ore w ins to h is name, n ot o nly locally but aro und the coun try , th an all five o f y ou put t ogether. Even the L. A. Times records his prowess. Could any of y ou w in Elsinore two day s in a row wi th N ovices on the tra ck yet, clu ttering up the course? Doubt it . Doubt if e v e n the mighty Joel could do that but they both put their leath ers on the same way . Two straigh t wins at E lsinore is just about the greatest feat in racing h ist ory there is wi th the conditions t hat race is ru n under. Not dealin g w ith th is particu lar le tter h ave been o ther littl e accusations that have co me to my ears tha t DeSoto is a destroye r of machinery. Baloney! He is a lo t like the great Stirling Moss, he expects a machine to perform to its uttermost limit and hold up, as it should if properly prepared. Moss used up a machine to win. Wa tch how some of the Europeans treat their bikes under stress and they don't usually break, so wh at are our riders like DeSoto su pp osed to do when the bikes given them to ride do not co n fo rm to wh at the factory issues their wo rks riders? T he tal ent is th ere and if th e bikes can ' t hold u p . so be it, but d on ' t always bl am e th e riders. A t time s you ' re on ly as good as your eq uip rne n t, Is J ohn a frie n d of min e ? Yes, b u t we on ly see each o ther at tracks, not socially ; so if th is blast upsets above five gen tle men you needn 't th ink DeS o to is sitting in m y kitchen drinking tea while I'm wr it ing thi s although he an d Patti are welcome an y time. Next, we take on th e L. A . T im es agai n. First though , I'll rem o ve my helm and ex tend a hand to th e rep o rte r wh o cal led la te on Satu rd ay ni gh t from the Times complaining th a t h is rabbit s h ad died . He was the ch ap wh o wro te those articles on Elsinore. Much of the conversation was off-th e-record as to wh y th e Times hadn't sent an yon e t o cover the race etc., but last Saturday a reporter by the name o f Shav Gli ck w rote an up-dated piece on the ra ce that cleared up quite a few poin ts. We only hope peop le read it as it d idn' t h ave any gory headlin es on it. Now speaking of gory head lin es, back goes on th e helm and Jim Murray, speaking as a racer and for racers, may your rabbits d ie! T hat story you wrote on Indy st a rting off th e head "SPEEDWAY? CALL IT 'THE INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR KILLWA Y '' ." was goddam awful (and yes I'm swe aring). Just o n e qu ote .....co n t rib u ted m o re scrap metal than Hitl ers U-Bo ats and has cre mated alm ost as man y people as the Plains Indian s." Sir, y ou obviously d on't know how many th ousands o f tons o f metal w en t down under Ll-boat attacks or m u ch abou t Plains Indians eith er. They disposed o f th eir dead in that manner and reserved much more in teresting wa ys of t orturing their captives to death ! I t w as all complete exaggera ti o n Mr. Murray an d very p o o r jou rnalism. Get your wri tin g under cbnrrol o r go to th e soc ie ty pages wh er e y our adjec tives wou ld be more ap preciated in descr ib in g teas, garden parties an d lad ies h ats and le t sports wri ters w ho un derstand th e sports we particip ate in write about th em. Or stic k with go lf. Or baseball. Why thi s blast in a moto rcy cle co lum n? We had mo torcycle rid er s out th ere tha t 's why , an d all racers are brothers under th e ski n wheth er it be on tw o-wheel s or o n four , lik e o ur p as t Grand National Ch amp ion J oe Leonard , who is cu rre n t USAC Ch amp (You do know wh o J oe Le on ard is, don't yo u?) plusJerry Grant, Al Unser. Dan Gurney, et aI. And before I, plus suit of armor fall off the soap b ox, re ad Dave Anderson's story in the New York Times ab ou t Gary Bettenhausen if you ' want to ca tch the real spirit o f Indy and motor racing. Time for refreshment before the fray begins again . Did you n otice who won the O-IOOcc class at Elsinore? J ack Mo rgan on (of course) a Hodaka, proving again th at the co m b in a tio n of "Hod ak a and Morgan are invincible. I believe District 3 7 damn near gave up the trophy for first trail b ike permanently to Jack as long as h e kept riding be cause h e was alway s Number One Trailbike, As for Hodak as, well, th ey 're kind o f lik e the VW of bikes, jus t keep t o otlin g alo ng . I wouldn't sell mine for a gang of bread ' less I h ad to and it 's the original o ne I sta rted with (p lu s mods by R od Bre aker !) . The trumpets h ave so unded so it's back to th e t o urnament and blast , this arm o r is ge tting heavy! Anyway, if you were a t Asc o t last week you kn ow wh at happened on the b ack straigh r, To so und like J im Mu rr ay on th at subjec t would be easy , b ut I won ' t. A bike caught fire involving th e ride r. Those wa tc h ing know wh at th ey saw, we won' t emb ro id er fu rt h er on it bu t it cast a pall over th e wh o le stands so th at wh en the Expert Main came to the lin e and Mert wo n it , every one was still sh o ok. T here w as consi de ra ble dis cu ssion in the pi ts afte rwards about this , so me wh ich I don't feel free to go in to . Ho wever, wh y not eq uip th at tr ack with fire extinguishers every so man y feet regardless of what m ach in ery is running? Or fo r motorcy cle racing , give each flagman an ex tin gu isher an d mak e sure he kn ows h ow to u se it should there be any fe ar o f permanent extinguishers being pinch ed b y th e we irdos who'll lift anything not bolted down, and make each flagman re sponsible for the return of his extinguisher. Maybe this would be another th ing for the pro riders to ask th eir rep s. to be pu t into the 1973 ru le books. Chan ces are slim that th is situatio n co uld happen again but- in raci ng , th e chance is always there and all of us a re afraid of fire , even Jackie Stewart, Formula One World Champion, so let's give the riders at least an even b reak. We did, however, note that there we re ample flagmen on the turns that nigh t. Good. Now let' s d o something ab ou t th e o th er problem! Next week? Some words about my Beezers who barked back at me , but unfortunately they 're not Goldies. IS HE TALKING AaOUTYOU? Mr. Russ Sanford M.O .R .E. P.O . Box 26062 Sacramento, CA 93826 Dear Russ : This last d ay of the Memorial Da y Weekend, I write to advise y o u th at both personally and as Presiden t of IFOA, I will do every th in g possible to support laws and enforcement of laws that will confine the motorcycle rider either to the road or to special reservatio ns. All Califo rn ia lawmakers an d age ncies will be advised on I FOA stationery of this and of the editorial su pp ort of the In FO URmer. Since I becam e a co untry resid ent, I h ad no idea what the m aj o ri ty we re doing to ru in the sport for the few . T his may so und like a "twist" or spoonerism, bu t I stand convinced that the m u ffI e rl e s s , wire- cutting, sons-of-a-bitches on motorcycles MUST be a majority. I 've h ad horsemen and hikers ask permission to cross or use m y land . Only the motorcyclist disregards the "Private Property" signs, cu ts fen ces , frigh tens livestock, endangers autos and res idents. (60 mp h on foot paths.) As a motorcyclist, I was ready to be sympathetic. As a private citizen, I now say it is too late - they must be legisla ted to remote areas. It is so bad out here that it is obvious there must soo n be laws making it illegal t o ride a cycle in any bu t designated areas. The latest incident in wh at we ca ll the Mountain Empire area , is the motorcyclists (from the city no doubt) who co n tinually buzzed a mare in foal. Fin ally , in desperation, she we nt through the fence teari ng her bell y open fro m fro nt q ua rte rs to rear on the barb ed wire . Curious abo ut my neighbors, I asked th eir opinions. Even those who ride b ikes have had it. Sorrowfully, I now join them - OFFICIALLY. Sincerely, BILL ROBINSON President Internation al Four Owners Assn ., Inc. Thi \ is how one conce rned bi ker to ok a c tio n ilgolin the m.llnd, ory helm et loiW (AB 74 4) . If ,t U '"'lIc ~t s . nYlhing to you , like l et cing involved , oI CI now . Ne ll:I wee k could be too l.t e ... Ed. n Hon orable (Yo ur Senat or) Califo rnia Slate Senate Chamber Sacramento, Calif. 958 14 ..., - == -- Dea r Sen ator , I am against A B 744 wh ich I und erstand ill a bill prop osing a mand ato ry requirernentIor m o torcy cli sts to we ar a helmet. Thi s bill is an unre aso nable and unn cessary infringement on my ril{hts and the ri~ts o f others wh o ride mo torcycle s. S inc e its purp o se is not to prot ect o thers from motorcycles. but to protect m o torcy clists fro m them selves and others, it should be com pared w ith the fo llo wing possible laws: 1. Seat be lts mu st be in p lace and fastened when on publ ic road 2. ~ Iu st w ear shoes anyti me ou tdoors 3. Moun tain cli mbers mu ~t be trained and lic ense d 4 . Swim me n must prove ;abi li ty 10 swim (Sta te te ll) 5. Sa r~ ty line m ust be used whenever o n ro o f o f hOUM: or buil ding to preven t fall 6. Children mus t not clim b tree, 7. Bicy cle riders mu st we ar helme ts 8 . Snake b ile kill mu st be carried in the m ou n tain s and deserts 9. Life j acke ts must b e worn aro und water (unless State sw immin g test has been passed ] 10. Sm o kin g is not permi tted 1 1. Pilot s and p assengers of non milit ary aircrah mu st wear crash helme ts, parachutes, and [ir e protect ive clo thing 12. Drinking of in t o xicating beverages is not perm itt ed 13 . Hath tubs must be removed and destroyed to prevent drowing o f small chi ldren A mandatory helmet law fur motorcyclists is ju st as ridicu lou s as m O ~ 1 of the abo ve lisl of p ossible laws. and more ridicul ou s than so me. For instan ce . drink ing o f intox icating beverages resul ts in the injury and de ath of many innocent peop le eac h year in add itio n to so me o f the drinkers. I am a responsible citizen. To subst an tiate th is. I o ffe r the foll nw ing fac ts. I am a Progra m Mana,lter for Ech o Scien ce Corpo ratio n in Pasadena. I have a 8 .5 . in Enginr ering from UCLA . I am also Secretary o f a sma ll Califom i.. co rpora tio n. I am a law ab idi ng taxp ayer. I pom t these facts o ut only because some people stereotype mot orcy clists as odd and undesi ra ble me mbers of society who arc' not wo th listen ing 10 . I dlso happen ( 0 be a part of the m inori ty group wh o ride mot orc ycles . I have a helm et. I we ar it almost every time I. ride a mo torcy cles. However, it is and should rema in m y righ l ( 0 decide wh eth er o r not I wear a he lmet to p rotec t M Y head in the eve n t of an ac cid en t. Please send me a co py of A B 744. Ple ase sen d me a copy of any argumen ts in favo r o f A S 74 4 thal h ave bee n offered by members o f the legisl ature . Ple ase use y our influence to he lp defeat AS 744 and simil ar bills . Please send me the res u lts o f the Senate vote on this issue , if and wh en it occurs. Please include how you voted. VOTE AGA INST MANDATORY HELMET LEGISLATI ON . I am agains t it . So are all those I know who ride mo torcycles. eve n tho ugh mo st of them have and use helm et s. Sincerely yours, DAVID L . BROWN By Russ Sanford NO-FAULT INSURANCE comparable hospital and accid en t coverage , if they don't alr eady have such a policy . In the May 2, 1972 issue of Cycle News, we carried an article on No-Fault Insurance and how the ena ctment of su ch a program could toll the death o f m otorcycling unless adeq u ate provisions were made in the proposed laws. That ar t icle h as been reprin ted by several papers, n ume rous cl ub newsletters, and by R o ad Rid er Magazine. Nev er, to m y best knowledge, has suc h an ite m ca ugh t the universal allen ti on o f motorcyclists. Our office has been flooded with mail, no t only from C alifo rni a , bu t world-wi de. And, better yet, the Califo rn ia mo to rcyclists have really responded with letters to thei r elected representatives in the State Capitol. As of this writing, all of the major No-Fault Insurance (N F l) bills h ave been amended to exclude motorcycles from mandatory insurance cove rage. Few pe ople realize th at No-Fau lt Insurance is on ly a replacement for the Public Liability p ortion of your present veh icle insurance . Even under NFl. yo u will st ill h ave Property Damage, Uninsured Motorists, Comprehensive (fire , theft. collision, upset, etc.) and all of the other categories, except Public Liability, as we know it to day . Therefo re, w hat you really are b uying is a policy wherein your insurance company p ays y our med ical costs, los s of wage s, etc . up to a maximum amou n t. If motorcycles are exclude d from mandatory Nfl insurance, th e motorcyclist can still provide himself with medical co verage , which ma yor ma y not include wage loss , depending upon th e in d ivid ual policy . IS THAT GOOD? FOR EXAMPLE In the previous arti cle, I stated th at ou r best bet would be to find an insurance company that was willing to write various levels of NFl co vera ge for motorcyclists, not on a mandatory basi s, b ut upon an elec tive basis. In th at man ner, the motorcy clist could select his own degree of coverage' that best su ite d his circumstances, including his abili ty to pay the premiums. NEW THOUGHTS After many meetings with members of the insurance industry and the motorcycle industry, we have concluded th at the best position for the motorcyclists is total exclusion. For example, th e State of Delaware last year enacted a mandatory FNI program which included all motorcycles: not just those which use the streets and highways. T he motorcycle insurance companies posted premium rates whic h started at $428 and rose ra pi d ly to m o re than $2 ,000 annual/yo After much del iberation, the insurance carrie rs developed a series of structured rates which could be added on as electives to the base rate of S 142 , annually. The conditions of the $ 142 minimum rate are that the motorcyclists must be involved with an automobile on an established highway. The result: the casual trail rider, the competi tio n rider, and the youngster on a mini-bike are fo rced to p ay SI42 per year for absol u tely no coverage at all! T his is only one of th e man y incongruities occurri ng through an "all-inclusive ap proach" to No-Fa ult Insurance. T h e mo torcycle insurance companies have not yet been ab le to develop a tenable plan. The only logical recourse is to exclude motorcycles and en courage motorcyclists to obtain HOSPITAL AND COVERAGE? ACCIDENT The NFl bill considered most likely for passage this year is Assemblyman Jack Fenton's AB 125. Using it as a guide, a motorcyclist who is proven to be the negligen t party in an acci den t will have coverage for only th ose ite ms and subject t o the limits 'se t forth in h is own medical coverage, if he has suc h coverage. He will be responsible for other property damage, whether or n o t he has insurance to cover claims. A motorcyclist who is not proven to be the negligen t parry , will have whatever coverage his h ospi t al an d accident policy provides hi m. If h is personal damages exceed the st ip u la tio ns set forth in the bill, he may bring action again st the negligent parry for 'pain and suffering'. The negligent party will also be responsible fo r any property damage caused to the mo t orcy clist. CONFUSION REIGNS We real ize that thi s is all very co nfusing. What makes it even wo rse, is that we won't know where 'ground zero' is un til one of the proposals is actually signed in to law . In the meantime: Please trust us. We are lo oking after y o ur interests. At this time, it is our best judgment that motorcycles must be exclude d fro m ma nd ato ry N FI coverage. That is also the opinion of the M.LC ., the C.M.I .C., the A.M.A ., an d most of our legislat o rs. And, for that, we o we a great debt of gra ti tu de to all of those persons who though enough o f their sport to write letters to their elected represen ta tives urging exclusion o f motorcycles. It was in dee d encouraging to hear several of our Assemblymen lo udly proclaim in the Nfl hearing on AB 125, (Please turn to page 34) '"s' :" e, ... N Cl M c ": .., " ~ w Z w ..J U >- U

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