Letters

LETTERS

SUZUKI CORRECTION

IMMEDIATE CORRECTION ON THE SUZUKI JULY AD, "IT CHANGES YOUR ATTITUDE ABOUT ALTITUDE." A TYPOGRAPHICAL ERROR IN PREPARING TWO DIFFERENT ADS AT ONE TIME CAUSED THE INCORRECT STATEMENT. ONE BEING THE ABOVE AD, THE SECOND BEING THE 100CC ROTARY VALVE AD WHICH WILL BE RUNNING NEXT MONTH. WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF YOU COULD RUN IN YOUR "LETTERS COLUMN," A RETRACTION OR CORRECTION TO THE EFFECT, "TC200 STINGRAY SCRAMBLER NOT ROTARY VALVE ENGINE." SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE. THANKING YOU IN ADVANCE.

JERRY THOMPSON, STERN WALTERS AND SIMMONS

WANTS TO "SHOW 'EM"

I am 15 years younger, 20 pounds lighter and would like a chance to "show 'em." (The dune buggies, that is.)

My motorcycling experience consists mainly of touring and riding in the Utah and Colorado mountains and in the Arizona desert near Phoenix.

Please put me in touch with others interested in making the Baja run and forward any information on who to write concerning details, financing, etc.

RICHARD C. FISH Arvada, Colorado

ROCKETTS NORTON

On page 102 of your July issue, the write-up of the AAMRR races held at Danville, Virginia, states that George Rockett achieved his victory in the 500cc event on a Norton from Ghost Motorcycles in Port Washington, New York.

We feel that a correction is in order. The winning machine, in fact, is owned and maintained by Berliner Motor Corporation. The individual directly responsible for the tremendous performance which George has been able to exact from this 500 Twin is Heinz Kegler, our most excellent tuner of Nortons.

MALCOLM CHU Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.

Regarding your question on the motorcycle George Rockett was riding at the Danville race — it was a mistake. 1 offer my apologies to both Mr. Kegler and Berliner Motor Corporation.

Since I started attending the AAMRR events two years ago, 1 have had the impression that Mr. Rockett rode for Ghost Motorcycles. The reason being that he always shows up in the Ghost truck with Ghost mechanics. - DAVID TEEL

SETS RECORD STRAIGHT

Dune buggies shatter the Baja Run record - BIG DEAL.

I know your publications have made mention of the latest dune buggie trip with a challenge for the motorcyclist to defend his honor; I cannot remain silent any longer.

First a little history. The original record from Tijuana to La Paz was set from telegraph office to telegraph office as all of the time-distance traveling records are set. In addition to this, the record was witnessed in its entirety by John Mc Laughlin, Joe Parkhurst and their pilot. The official time is* 39 hours and 56 minutes. The second motorcycle record run was done in May, 1966. This run also started at the telegraph office at the Tijuana border and was witnessed by Don Vesco and friends. Although the Mexicans in La Paz took a siesta before they sent off our telegram, the time consumed for this record run was 39 hours and 48 minutes.

If there are records established they have to be done in the same manner, and with a set of rules. As far as I am concerned, the fact that Bruce Meyers and Ted Mangels drove in shifts disqualifies their claim to have beaten the motorcycles. C'mon fellas, let's approach this in a gentlemanly fashion.

DAVE EKINS Woodland Hills, Calif.

SWAN SONG FOR SMITTY

Enclosed you will find two photographs. One is of a check mailed to WORLD IN in payment for a threeyear subscription. The other is of myself when I don't receive my copy of I

I have looked like this every month this year except January, February and April. Sometimes I feel so bad that if I still had my twelve dollars, I would buy a knife and cut my throat.

I have been banned from the local motorcycle shop because I can't tell one motorcycle from the other. I'm often found hanging around the drugstore staring longingly at the fresh printed issues of WORLD IN in the magazine rack, just wishing that I coud have a copy. My friends laugh at me, my deodorant has failed me, and I've taking to beating my wife, kids, and St. Bernard instead of good wholesome READING. reading.

You have ruined my life. You have made a broken man out of me. My existence is shattered. I'm a leper among motorcycle owners. The only thing that can save me now is for you to send me the March, May, June, etc., issues that my subscription entitles me to.

(Continued on page 35)

Thank you for listening to my plight and forgive the typing. My secretary and mistress left me when I stopped getting my issues of CYCLE WORLD.

CAPT. JAMES H. SMITH Willingboro, N. J.

TWO BITS WORTH

I can't help but add my two bits worth to Peter Denzer's letter about the passing of the Triumph Thunderbird in the Letters Column of your March, 1967 issue. I agree with him 100 percent, but look what else is gone from the American market:

The Triumph Cub T20 and the Sports Road Cub T20SR (this leaves only the Mountain Cub for the U.S. buyer); the 350cc twin Triumph (here's a fine dependable mount for moderate speed touring and back and forth to work, etc.); the 500cc "Speed Twin" (a Thunderbird of 150cc, less displacement).

Now let's switch over to BS A: The 175cc road and trail models; the 250cc C15 group, five models all told; two 350cc models (Sports Road and Enduro). I'm told the Victor has taken the place of the 250 and 350 models, but it's hard for me to see how one model can take the place of seven! Then we have the passing of the 500cc Gold Star. Though it doesn't quite fit into what I'm trying to say here, I don't see the 500 BSA twins taking its place!

What am I trying to say here? Too much emphasis on highly tuned and highly priced sports models. Certainly, motorcycling in the U.S. is heavily sports slanted, but not completely. One doesn't need a Bonneville to take the Death Valley Run, etc. If the English motorcycle industry wants more American sales, I say they should get back into the light-medium and medium weight range — say 200 to 500cc.

Where does a young rider of a 100 or under bike go when he wants to move up? To the big and high priced sports twins, or to somethinga little more than what he had? I don't have the statistics to answer this, but if he does buy in this middle range, he won't buy English, because they've all been deleted!

If the Englishmen are losing sales in this country, it looks to me like it's their own fault.

BEN H. BOWMAN Port Angeles, Wash.

GLEN FACTOR

With respect to the article by P. E. Wikoff in the May issue of CYCLE WORLD, there are, I think, several pertinent observations to be made.

a. If, in fact, Mr. Wikoff is doing competent research in either astronomic photometry or laser development, he is the first undergraduate at any university or college of whom I've heard so doing.

b. The Schroedinger equations to which Mr. Wikoff refers are a class of higherorder partial differential equations on probability density functions. Mr. Wikoff suggests that air resistance has been taken into account in these equations (viz., "... at 30 mph . . . there is little air resistance

to enter the equations."). That's quite extraordinary; air resistance is an approximately velocity-proportional force which has nothing, to my knowledge, to do with probability density functions. In fact, the latter need have little to do with the vibrating modes of internal combustion engines, as any physicist I've known will tell you. For that matter, Schroedinger's equations can probably be used with fair success to describe the action of a mousetrap, but (as they say in Hollywood) who needs it? To further complicate the mathematics of the thing, Mr. Wikoff refers to manufacturers' tolerances which would, we are to infer, make the equations (which Mr. Wikoff was not so kind as to publish . . .) essentially worthless. The model — which was, for that matter, an extravagant one — seems to be pretty weak, presuming that it exists.

c. Presuming, for the sake of hospitality, that Wikoff does exhibit some facility with Schroedinger equations, it is then most strange that he allows the following illiterate usage: "... the air's viscosity upon the driver and the cycle." Viscosity is a property which is intrinsic to the air (or whatever fluid is being considered), and as such, does not act upon either the driver or the cycle.

d. It is remarkably audacious of Wikoff to refer to "the Wikoff Principles ..." for two reasons:

1. He never tells us precisely what these hallowed principles are.

2. If he wishes posterity to recall them as such, that is his option, but it is quite impolite of him to refuse posterity the option of ignoring him.

e. It gives cause for the gravest suspicions when the only equations quoted refer to variables which are not specifically identified (i.e. "tan p = X where X < .050 ..."). What is a Glen factor? What is p? What is X?

I have concluded that Mr. Wikoff is putting us on. The pictures were interesting, but he should've kept his mouth shut.

CHARLTON H. ALLEN Department of Geology Florida State University

The Glen factor con be decided only after several hours consultation with the wee-people at Sulby on the Isle of Man.

Ed.

NEGLECTED NOVICE

I am a great fan of CYCLE WORLD, but I have a little thing to complain about. Everyone has to put in their two cents worth. In your Daytona report, the Novice race needed a bigger write-up, at least I think Ken Stevens needed a bigger one. He is one of the best drivers in Florida, and if I'm not mistaken, he was never out of the top three. If he was, it wasn't for long.

At one point in the race he had an 11second lead over Ron Muir and started slowing down to save his engine. This is when Muir passed him. Then Ken regained his lead to win. I'm not trying to say that Muir isn't as good as Ken, but if I saw and heard right, this is what happened.

I would also like to say that if you could see him put an XLCH through its paces around the Dade City track in Dade City, Florida, you would see what a great rider he really is.

(Continued on page 37)

Ken is also a very good dirt rider. In the two short track races that are held at Valdosta, Ga., and Jacksonville, Florida, the weekend before Daytona he was, if not the top Novice, one of the best, even beating some experts.

I just wanted you to know that Ken is one of the best upcoming riders and I think he needed a bigger write-up.

Now, so much for my complaint. I think you have one of the greatest motorcycle magazines in the world. After seeing this last issue, I know that to be true. The road test, or should I say the track test on the Daytona racers was something else. It was one of the greatest articles I have ever read.

BILLY BROWN Lake City, Fla.

We did not intentionally slight Kenny's very fine Daytona ride. He is an unusually talented young rider, and we are sure he will appear many times in future reports.

Ed.

SIR FRANCIS

The question, what makes motorcycling so attractive is often asked of us, and we are just as often at a loss to explain it clearly and succinctly.

Now the answer has come from an altogether different quarter; namely, from Sir Francis Chichester, who sent a message from his sailboat while navigating it alone around the world:

"The only way to live to the full is to do something which depends on physical action, on the senses, and at the same time, on the man-developed parts of the brain."

RICHARD L. KAHN Butler & Smith, Inc. New York, N.Y.

A GOOD QUESTION!

My husband has been racing motorcycles for 20 years. Both he and I consider this a sport, and we are sure a number of people agree with us.

Perhaps you can answer a question for us. Why is there no mention of motorcycle racing in the World Almanac? Every other sport and game is listed, with the names of the top participants. I think something should be done about this. Isn't there something the AMA could do?

The men who race their machines would probably like to know that their's is considered a national sport, as well as automobile racing and the other sports listed in the almanac.

We have always been a little miffed at never hearing the race results given on the sports reviews on TV and radio, not even the big races, such as the Daytona 200. But when the sport wasn't even given a small paragraph in the World Almanac, I decided to try and find out why. I wish someone would tell us.

(Name withheld upon request) Augusta, Ga.

Naturally, we're in agreement with you. Why should an asinine sport like baseball get all that space when the average amateur or expert sportsman, not to mention the pro, is demonstrating far more skill and courage in one lap than an outfielder (or pitcher) exhibits in an afternoon of standing around with a wad of chewing gum in his mouth?

To help, the AMA could improve their public information activity by making sure that the nation's major journals, as well as the World Almanac, receive a regular stream of releases on race results, new records, champions, and coming events. Such a list would include the New York Times, Time, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Chicago Tribune and Daily News, the Los Angeles Times, and the Christian Science Monitor, among others. These releases would have to be in the language of the general public to be understood, of course, and they should attempt to explain interestingly the sport of motorcycling.

There is another little known sport that shares the same problem as motorcycling, in that it is not everyday, common parlance—soccer. Lately, big money interests have seen the exciting potential of soccer in the USA, and are now engaged in a vast public information campaign to get the American public in a more soccerminded state. AMA and other groups would do well to emulate these campaigners, who are high-powered, polished professionals.

But, Madam, you too can help. If you really care about motorcycling as a sport, you can voice your opinion to your local newspaper and to the national mags, asking for coverage of motorcycle racing in the sports pages. By taking the time to write, you and other individuals can help greatly to convince local and national press, and television, that motorcycling has reader and audience interest.

Race promoters can also help. Many do send out press releases telling about a coming event, but few follow it up with quick results to local and, where relevant, national press. We know of one sports editor with a limited staff who adamantly refuses to run advance notice of local halfmile meets, because the promoters won't do him the courtesy of calling in results, or even mailing them. What makes this worse is that the sports editor is an enthusiast of motor racing—both two and four-wheeled. — Ed.

"I CAN'T GET STARTED"

I am very much interested in becoming a novice. Please send me information pertaining to specifications concerning equipment and rider.

MICHAEL J. MURPHY National City, Calif.

Poof, you're a novice! — Ed.

SWEDISH HONDA CLUB

The members of the newly started Honda Owners Club in Sweden, would like to contact any Honda Club in the USA in order to establish connections with our club.

We hope that you will publish this in your excellent CYCLE WORLD, which we read and enjoy very much.

LEIF SNARE Sangspelsgatan 1, Hisings Backa, Sweden