Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

WIST America's weekly motorcycle newspaper Sharon Cla yton , Publish er Caroline Gendry, Execut ive Secreta ry to the Publisher Lisa Schorr . Advertisi ng/Editoria l Assista nt. Editorial Dale Brown, Senior Editor. Lance Bryson, Editor. Karel Kramer, Edito r. Jim Bowman, Edi tor . Advertising Skip Johnson , Na tional Sa les Manager. T erry Pra tt , Sal es Manager. Duane Johnson, Sale s Manager. Steve Wil son, Sales Manager. Linda Brown, Advervising Coordinator: Nancy Danger, Advert ising Assistant. Graphics and Production Kristin Cooper, Graphic Art ist. Ron a Kram er, Assistant. Marion Ha tashita, T ypography. Dennis Greene, Laboratory. Accounting/Data Processing Mike Klinger , Controller. Donna Bryan , Accounts Receivable Coordinator. Geneva Repass , Assistant. Terry Dai ley, Credit Manager. Circulation Rh eba Smith, Manager . Mi ch elle H anna, Sarah Taylor, Debbie Walker, ' Lyna Hood, Assistants. Want Ads Ga yle Wheeler, Want Ad Sales. Dealer Sales and Service Nancy Emde Brogger, Dea ler Sal es Manager. Service and Support Chris Aitcheson, Recep tionist, Grego ry Hanson , S&S. West 2201 Ch erry Ave., Long Beach , CA P.O. Box 498, Long Beach , CA 908010498 (213) 427-7433; L.A. Line 636-8844. East 4190 First Ave., T ucker, GA. P .O. Box 805, Tucker, GA 30084-0805. (404) 934-7850. Cycle News/West (USPS 141-340) is published weekl y except the first and last week of the calendar year for $20 per year by Cycle News , In c., 2201 Ch erry Avenue, Long Beach , CA 90806. Second class postage paid at Long Beach, CA. POSTMASTER: Send form 3579 to Cycle News, P.O. Box 498. Long Beach, CA 90801-0498. Sub scription rates : One year , second cla ss mail, $20; two year s, secon d cla ss mail , $35; three year s, second class ma il, $53; 25 weeks, $11. Foreign ra tes ava ilabl e on request. Cycle News welcomes unsol icited editoria l material includin g stories, cartoons, pho tos, etc. Such material, if published, becom es the exclusive property of Cycle News. Such accep ted material is subject to revision as is necessary in the sole di scretion of Cycle News. Un solicited material which is no t used will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed stamped envelope. All unsolicited material will be handled with reasonable care, h owever, Cycle News assumes no responsibility for the safety, loss or damage to such material. Repri nt ing in whole or part only by permission of the publisher. Advertisi ng rates and circulation information will be sent upon request. See S.R.D.S . Cop yrig ht® Cycle News. Inc. 1982. Tradema rk Cycle News registered U.S. Patent Office. All rights 1'884mI8d. 4 ON THE FR O N T PAGE : Hopefully. America 's next . two world champs do their thing. Photos by John Hipkiss and Henny Ray Abrams. Hammer T-shirts I appreciate very much the interest and concern shown by Al Lewis in his letter to Cycle N ews last week , in which he suggested that the AFM and Laguna Seca stage a benefit race for me . It 's true that I have run up a giant m edical bill , something around $120,000, but it looks like a group insu rance policy issued through my employer will p ick up the entire tab. I will need a van or car equipped wi th hand controls, since I'm go ing to be a wheelchair pilot for the for seeable future. Bu t my partner tells me that T eam Hammer will be able to buy me a h and-control veh icle nex t year thanks to the continued support of Chevron a nd the p roc eeds from T eam H a mmer T-'s h irt sales. If Al or an ybody else wa n ts to h elp, I' d ra ther th ey bought a T-shirt and got so meth ing for th eir money ins tead of organizing a ch ari ty drive. The shirts look trick; ar e a vailable in S, M, L , XL and you th S, M, L; sell for $6.99 plus $1 postage and handling (pl us 42¢ tax for California residents); a nd ar e available fro m T eam H ammer, c/ o 14010 Marquardt Ave., SantaFe Springs, CA 90670. Checks should be made out to me , Bruce Hammer. I have to throw in a plug for Chevron Custom Motorcycle O il - accordin g to m y contract , th e Chevro n gu ys co u ld have dropped me lik e a hot pota to whe n I got hurt. They d idn 't a nd tha t means more to me than I can say. The Ch evro n oil really works and Chevron's a company with a gen u in e human heart. So buy that oi l, and thanks! BR U CE HAMMER Ra ncho Los Amigos Hospital Ward 704, 7601 Imperial Hwy. Downey, CA 90242 Published letters do not necessarily reflect the position of Cycle News, Inc. Send letters to Voices, Box 498, Long Beach, CA90801 . Guest " Edit orial BLM: Off-roaders' enemy There are still people around, inc! uding representatives of offroading organizations, who will try to convince yo u that the Bureau of Land Management is not the bad guy who is trying to take your off-road recreational opportunities awa y from you. They say our enemies are env iro n mental ists, co nserva tion ists, busin ess in terests, the military, a nyone but the BLM . Well , don 't believe tha t line. Back in 1975 the Phantom Duck zeroed in on the BLM. H e star ted protesting aga inst th e cancellation of off-road even ts. The Duck made no m istakes, he zeroed in on the off-reader' s public enemy number one, th e BLM . The Safari Trail Ri ders family mo tor cycle group were th e recipients of the BLM goon squad visit. A wo man spy, later identified as BLM Special Agent Leslie Mu llings, was brough t in from a n other part of the coun try . Ms. Mullins infil tra ted th e group and acted as a money-carrying, undercover, ABSCAM -type agen t. Righ t out of Ja mes Bo nd. Sh ort shorts, hal ter top, the ·works. Ms. Mullins gave money to help defray the non -profit group 's expenses a nd gathered oth er "evidence." Mullins then called in the uniformed troops who tried to intimidate the group into leaving the public lands. The group was willing to Ieave if they were in violation o f a ny laws. Bu t the Ra ngers would not state that the alleged event was illegal and permitted the activity to take place. At a la ter date, the group recei ved a no tice acc usi ng them of tres pass on th e publ ic lands a nd of co nd ucting a n off-road vehicle event for com- mercial use without a permit. The notice was vague and ambiguous to the point that it gave no date when the alleged violation took place. The group was allowed only 15 days to prove that were not guilty. The Trail Riders called on the Phantom Duck and asked for help. Discussions took place and the Phantom Duck's attorney, George Stephan, agreed to respond to the BLM on behalf of the Safa ri Trail Riders. Pa rt of th e response included Phantom Duck documentation of BLM Deser t District Manager Gerald Hillier's partici p a tion in a Sierra Club event that was conducted without a permit. It concluded with: " We trust that his response, including eviden t and/or information , tends to show that the Club was not a trespasser as you have alleged. Accordingly, we request a letter from yo ur office indicating that the Trespass Notice is withdrawn upon a finding that there was no trespass or unlawful activity. In th e alternative, if you are determined to disregard the foregoing, on behalf of the Safari Trail Riders, Inc., we request a hearing be held. At that hearing, we request the opportunity to confront and cross-examine all witnesses , including Mr. Hillier, and Rangers Blachley, Brong and Mullins. We further request that the BLM co m pe l th e attendance at the hearing by Ike Eastvold and Carolita Perkins, both of the Sierra Club, to assist in establishing the " Sierr a Club" rule 'a n d interpretation of the Federal Regulations. Stated more broadly, we request that due process of law be accorded th e individuals allegedly involved and that their constitutional rights be preserved." The BLM'soriginal trespass notice allowed only 15 days for an answer. But it was six months before the BLM responded to Attorney Stephan 's documents. ' . The BLM's late repl y came from Desert District Manager Gerald Hillier wh o stated in part: " After reviewing you r letter, your attorney's response to th e notice and the case record, I conclude that BLM should discontinue further processing of this action. Accordingly, the above notice is h ereby cancelled and withdrawn. This decis ion is based on three considerations. Firs t, there are procedural defects in the notice th at will require more ti me to correct. Second, we have been slow to respond because we are reviewing all of our requiremen ts to see if they can be made less burdensome and more effecti ve . Third , devoting further time to th is case is not in the public interest..." Since the Safari Trail Riders ' confrontation with the BLM, members of the group complain about being under surveilance when they go to the desert . If the Trail Riders try to make a friendly approach, th e BLM personnel take off and reappear somewhere else. The harassment is def ini tely not fini shed. H ere's a q uote from Hillier 's stern warning to the Safari Trail R id ers: " Now th a t yo ur organization has been in formed of our req ui rements, a ny furth er violation s will be interpreted as a knowing and wi llf ul act. We have recently been gra nted authority to issue a "Notice to Ap pear" before a U. S. Magistrate. Fu ture unauthorized events will, therefore, be handled much more expeditiously. P lease be assured we intend to pursue Recrea tion Permit Compliance aggressively." Evidently, the BLM can and will have public land users in court, innocent or guilty. Can you afford to prove your in nocence? Think a bo ut it. Know your ene my . .Know yo ur fri en ds. Louis McKey

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