Cycle News

CN III VOICES P20 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR "… why is Honda using Casey Stoner to test and where were their contracted riders, in particular Mark Marquez." And now… A Tesi Fan Please continue to write about bikes that are on/over the cutting edge of outside the box motorcycle design. Most of us may never get to experience something as radical as a Tesi, but who needs another article on the latest/greatest sportsbike clone in every showroom in the country? Keep Mr. Cathcart employed! Cheers. Barry Glading Via the Internet Cross Rutted I must say I really enjoyed reading Jean Turner's story in last week's issue (Cross Rutted, Issue 32, August 13) about her buddy Jon's close encounter with the front side of the following jump. Been there, done that, only more spectacularly and in front of the girlfriend's father, to boot. The year 1973 was a good one for idiocy and play riding with all the guys up at the quarry on Rock Cut Road in DeWitt, New York. The 1971 CT1 Yamaha was working just fine, sliding the corners, banging bars and sailing off the big drop off as if it had wings. Trouble was, it didn't. The bike went one way; I went the other, slid down the face of the jump and skidded to a stop at the bottom only to have Doug carom off my head with the 250 Pursang. I got up and limped away, no broken bones, but most of the skin on the left shin was gone from the knee to the ankle (dungarees can only do so much) along with a bruised ego and wounded pride. Everything healed up eventually, official motocross boots were purchased the next year - along with some elbow pads - and the CT1 was replaced by a '73 RT1. The girlfriend's father just shook his head. Nutcase. Jim Ellenberg Willow Grove, PA Comic Strip Hero I really enjoyed the comic strip drawing in last week's editorial (In The Paddock, Issue 31, August 6), and was really looking forward to the article as it poised a very curious question - just why is Honda using Casey Stoner to test and where were their contracted riders, in particular Mark Marquez. However, the words couldn't disagree more with the comic. So shortly into reading sensing something was off, I looked at who the author was and needless to say all was explained. If you happen to be on summer holiday, have fun and be safe, and please come back soon. Stephen Hagberg Houston, TX Down On Indian After all the secrets and hype, the new Indian finally makes its appearance. Polaris, what were you thinking? The only design elements close to honoring the original are the down-directed exhaust ports and the front fender. The fork type and rake, too-small rear fender, side panels and saddle are all poor nods to the original. With the gobs of engineering/design time put into this motorcycle, wouldn't it have been prudent to do a better job of capturing the essence of the original while still taking the bike toward the future? Somewhere they got off course and, in my opinion, missed a great opportunity. Maybe Polaris should seek out some design help before producing revision two. Dayn Mansfield Via the Internet No More Speed I just became aware that the Speed Channel is set to go away August 17 and that Fox Sports 1 will be the new channel for MotoGP. However, with only two weeks to go Fox Sports 1 doesn't have a deal with DirecTV, Dish Network and Time Warner. I can't seem to find much more info about this happening. I was looking for the MotoGP race on my DirecTV guide for August 18 and couldn't find it on Speed Channel. Now I know why. This sucks. Can't believe we are losing the Speed Channel forever. It's like why watch TV if there isn't a Speed Channel. Tony Wright Cedar Hill, TX Letters to the editor can be sent to voices@cyclenews.com. Published letters do not necessarily reflect the position of Cycle News. Letters should not exceed 150 words and are subject to editing. Anonymous letters won't be considered for publication and each letter should contain the writer's name, address and daytime phone number… Editor

• Cover