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/143873
... ~ . 1-- c-r M Q.) WIST - - - - - -- You d rov e off like a coward an couldn 't even face the fact that might di e due to yo ur selfishness. The pol ice tried to find yo u, bu t yo had va ni she d. Wh y? You haveto liv with yourself and yo ur co nscience! Someda y, the spot I wa s in ma y turned arou nd, and yo u ma y be in m spo t, lyin g there hurt, badly scrape up , wonderi ng where the person wh had hit yo u disappeared to. T h in a bout it - not only the person wh o h it m e, but to all persons who may so me day be in th e same sit ua tion ! - - ---1 " NAST Y JIM " PILO N Barbenders West M.e. Sunland, CA America 's weekly m ot orcycle newspaper ,.0 8 Q.) 9000l c, Q.) ir: Sh aron Clayton, Pu bl isher Caroline Gendry, Executive Secretary to the Publ ishe r L isa SChOTT. Adv ert isi ng/Editorial Assista nt . H-D reaction Editorial Dal e Brown, Senior Ed itor. La nce Bryson , Editor. Karel Kramer, Ed itor. jim Bowman. Ed ito r. Advertising Skip johnson, Nat ional Sales Manager . Terry Pra tt , Sal es Manager. Du ane j ohnson, Sa les Manager. Steve Wilson, Sa les Manag er. L inda Brown, Advervis in g Coordinator. Na ncy Danger , Adverti sin g Assistant. Graphics and Production Kristin Cooper, Graphic Art ist. Rona Kramer, Assistant. Marion Hatash ita, T ypography. Denn is G reene, Laboratory . Accounting/Data Processing , Mike Klinger, Controller. Donna Bryan , Accounts Receivable Coordinator. Geneva Repa ss, Assistant. T erry Dailey, Credit Manager. Circulation R h e ba Smith , Manager. Mich e ll e Ha n na , Sarah Taylor , Debbi e Walker, L yna Hood, Assistants. Want Ads Ga yle Wheeler, Want Ad Sales. Dealer:Sales and Service Nancy Emde Bro gger , Dealer Sal es Manager. Service and Support Chris Aitcheson, Receptionist . Gregory Hanson, S&S. West 2201 Cherry Ave., Long Beach , CA P.O . Box 498, Long Beach, CA 90801· 0498 (213) 427-7433; L. A. Line 636·8844. East 4190 First Ave.. Tucker , G A. P.O . Box 805, Tucker , GA 30084-0805. (404 ) 934-7850. Cycle New s/ West (USPS 141-340) is publ ished weekly except th e first a nd last week of the cal endar year for $20 per yea r by Cycle News , In c., 2201 Cherry Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90806. Second clas s postage paid a t Long Beach, CA. POST MASTER: Send f orm 3679 t o Cycle News, P.O . Bo x 498. Long Beech. CA 90801-0498. Subscription rate s: One year , second class mail, $20; two yea rs, second clas s mail, $35; three years, second clas s ma il, $53; 25 weeks , SII. Fo reign rates a vai lable on request. _ Cycl e News welcomes unsolicited editor ial materia l including stories, cartoons, photos, etc. Such material, if published, becomes th e exclusive property of Cycle News. Such accep ted ma teria l is subject to revision as is necessary in the sole di scretio n of Cycle News. Unsolicited ma terial whi ch is not used will be re tu rned if accompa n ied by a self addressed stamped envelope. All u nsolici ted material will be ha ndled with reasonable care , however, Cycle News as su mes no responsib ility for th e .safet y, loss o r damage to such ma terial. Rep rint in g in wh ole. or pa rt onl.y. by permission of the publisher. Advertisi ng ra tes and circulation information will be sen t upon request. See S.R .D.S. Co pyright Cyc le News. Inc. 19 82. Tra demerk Cycle News registered U.S. Petent Office. All rights ~ . 4 O N THE FR O N T PAGE : America's first 260cc m otocross World Champ, Danny LaPorte. Photo by Henny Ray Abrams. Re: 200 mph barrier We represent John Dixon of Wallace, North Carolina, one of th e nation 's outstanding motorcycle riders . Mr. Dixon is aware of th e current attempt by a number of racers to claim the breaking of the 6-second quarter mile timing 200 mph barrier for a two wheeled vehicle. . The purpose of this letter is to advise yo u as a matter of record that Mr. Dixon ran the first 6-second quarter mile timing at ove r 200 mph by a two wheeled vehicle on December 21,1981 a t Cumberland International Raceway, Fa yetteville, North Carolina. This run , made on a private time record run session, was properly witnessed and certified by Tom Loughlin , J r. , DRAGBIKE ! National Directory. The December 21, 1981 run by Mr. Dixon wa s an official tim ing and broke the 6-second barrier for motorcycles. It was not a reco rd because th e ba ck-up run was unsuccessful. On Ma y 30, 1982, at th e same Cumberland International Racewa y, under th e certification of th e Internatio n a l Hot Rod Associ a tion a t th eir world record event, Mr. Dixon broke th e 200 mph barri er with a tim ing o f over 225 mph and set a n actual record of 6.54 seconds elapsed time in th e quarter mile backed up by a 6.17 second clocking. This second session is a n official IHRA world record. It should be noted that th e records established by Mr. Dixon for a two wheeled vehicle were made on a vehicle using a rocket engine. In reporting the cu rrent attempts to break th e so-ca ll ed 200 mph barrier for two wheeled vehicles: we wo u ld appreciate yo ur being careful to point out that the ba rr ier has a lready been broken by a two wheeled vehicle. Reports in yo ur p ublica tion by other ra cers " brea king " the 6 second.-200 mph barrier for two wheel ed vehicles should incl ude sta tements wi th respect to the type of en gi ne em p loyed on the veh icle and the fact that th e over a ll record has a lready been established by Mr. Dixon. We would appreciate yo u r cooperation in reportin g the se events smce Mr. Dixon worked long and hard to established his record a nd it would do h is reputation and public image grea t damage to report other individuals as having been the first to break the 6 second-200 mph barrier for two wheeled vehicles. WILLIAM C. BLOSSOM Attorney At Law Wa llace, N C -Thanks, no thanks I would li ke to thank a few people for helping me through m y accident in Rosarito Beach , Mexico, before the start of the CRC Gringo Enduro. Fi rst , the Mexican Red Cross in Rosarito for rendering medical assista nce and a n am bulance to transport me to the clinic in Rosarito. Second, the Mexican insurance re presentative that we procurred our co verage through CRC. Had I not had their coverage and expertise, m y Husky would still be in impound. The . representative int ervened with th e pol ice to enable m e to return to th e States with m y Husky aft er paying an " im po u nd fee." I found out that wh eth er or not you are right or wrong, if yo u are involved i n a hit a nd run accident, the p erson left on th e scen e of an accident is stuc k with all th e legal problems. T o th e emergency room personnel a t Kaise r Hospita l in San Diego, than ks for their ass istan ce and professionalism. .. Thanks to all th e riders and m y friends for showing th eir concern towards m y condition and equipment, and returning it to me. And th anks especia lly to Jim Kribbs, J r. for ta kin g care of th e legal odds 'and ends, driving me back to Los Anzeles and for everything else I ma y ha ve forgo tten . lowe yo u a week end, pal, friends lik e yo u are hard to find. No tha n ks to the perso n driving the -green T -bi rd with Ca liforn ia li cense p lat es th at too k my righ t-o fway th a t Sunday m ornin g . Eve n though I to o k precautions by u sing my headlight, and wearing br ig h tly colored protective clothing, yo u still disregarded illy presence on th e road. Maybe you were h u n gover - or no insurance. Who knows? After our impact you didn 'teven have the human dignity to stop and see if I was hurt, or even if I was alivel Regardin g Chuck Clayto n 's "How do you compete against Japan?" lament for the woes of H arl ey-Da vidson, especially his last sentence, "Th question is, will they be denied even that scrap of business (35 ,000 machines minimum per year) by the competition?" begs the question. The real question is "Where w~s Harley-Davidson when the compention was introducing technological innovations? Where was HarleyDavidso n when the competiton was experimenting with new marketi!1g techniques? Where was Harley-DaV Idson when the competition was doing their best to expand the market place?" And the answers a ppear to be th at I.) Harley was content to rest o n their V-twin and its few variations while o th ers were experimenting with multi ple cyl inders, wi th wa ter-cooling, with automatic tra n smissions, and with many o th er in novation s that caught the buyer 's eye. 2.) H~rley w~s co ntent to keep on promottng then bikes in the sa me old way s, while others were using television, various p romotion a l de vices, and lo ts of positive p ublicity, a nd 3.) Harl ey was , and seems to still be, q u ite content to sell their bikes to the same sub-cu lt of motorcycle en th u siasts, while others are tryi ng their best to sell a whole new market of non-bikers . In my opinio n, Harley-Davidso n 's p roblems are a direct res ult of their own Middle American thinking and conservative philoso phy, not too dis. similar to the thinking of British bike makers of a decade earlier. It 's very sim p le - keep on stan ding still and the competition, no matter whether it 's in motorcycles, cars, cameras, ancraft, clothes - will just ro ar on by. Vaughn Beals must be a really brave man to try and keep HarleyDa vidso n afloat, much less to try and get them to progress. DO U G L AS A.J. MO CKETT Manhattan Bea ch , CA Published letters do not necessarily reflect the position of Cycle News. Inc. Send letters to Voices, Box 498, Long Beach. CA 90801. Next week: San Jose .all .t he way!