Round Up

ROUND UP

JOE PARKHURST

SPANISH INDUSTRY HONORED

Mayor Sam Yorty presented members of the Spanish motorcycle industry with honorary citizenship of the City of Los Angeles at a recent news conference. Accepting the honors were Ken Clark, representing Ossa’s Manuel Giro; Fred B. Belair, for Senor Bulto of Bultaco (John Grace of Bultaco Western could not attend); and Modesto Sole of Montesa.

The Mayor’s executive assistant, Ernest J. Conroy, discussed some of the problems of the southern California motorcyclist shortly before the presentation. He pointed out that cyclists of the area face a diminishing number of offthe-road places to run their machines. He also indicated that the City of Los Angeles is considering the sale of certain lands that could fulfill the needs of dirt and trail riders.

However, he did not indicate to whom these lands could, or could not, be sold. Presumably, if the City decided in the future to put these lands on the tax rolls, they could be quickly snapped up by land developers—and it would be that much harder for enthusiasts to find places for trail riding. Parties interested in acquiring or developing land for motorcycle use may address their questions to Mr. Fredrickson, Los Angeles City Dept, of Recreation and Parks, 200 N. Spring St., Los Angeles, Calif.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON MERGERS

This seems to be the age of mergers and “conglomerates”; big companies are combining with big companies, making bigger ones all over the place. Those very smart people who bought HarleyDavidson stock a few years back have seen an excellent appreciation on their investments. H-D earnings have increased about 300 percent in that time. I would have bought some myself except for one teeny, weeny, little problem; imagine the editorial handicap if the publisher of CW owned a piece of Harley. Talk about good road tests!

The latest from Milwaukee is the announcement that the lone motorcycle giant of the U.S. is merging with American Machine & Foundry Co. Both AMF and H-D stockholders voted overwhelmingly in favor of the merger. H-D notified all its dealers that H-D management will not change, and that all future company expansion and development will remain in the control of existing company people. This is a very wise move on the part of AMF. AMF, in my opinion, is a near perfect mate for Harley. They are both leisure product-oriented companies and should prove extremely compatible.

Newspapers had been hot on the trail of another, earlier merger negotiation between H-D and a firm with the unlikely name of Bangor Punta. (It sounds like a Hindu football player.) Bangor Punta has filed suit against Harley-Davidson on behalf of H-D stockholders, of which BP just happens to be one, on the basis that H-D stockholders would lose about $7 million. BP’s merger offer, which Harley turned down, would have produced a stock worth several dollars more each, as BP stock has a higher intrinsic value than AMF’s. The outcome will be highly interesting. H-D stockholders will come out well, regardless.

THINK MOTORCYCLE

Surprising, and gratifying is an advertisement placed by the Automobile Club of Southern California in such publications as Sunset magazine and the Automobile Club’s own excellent magazine, Westways.

The full-page, full-color ad displays a graphic design that depicts the steering controls of an automobile and a motorcycle. The illustration is reproduced nearby. The headline is “Think Motorcycle.” The message is simply an appeal to motorists to be on the alert for motorcycles on the roads and to make special allowances for them. The most surprising statement in the copy of the ad is the statement that “In collisions involving an automobile and a motorcycle, data shows that the motorcycle rider was at fault less than 39 percent of the time.” I am not so surprised that the club recognizes these statistics, only that the ACSC would admit them.

Think Motorcycle

My past experiences with this influential, old-line auto club revealed a reluctance to face facts. Of course, I’m still smarting from an instance a few years back when the club canceled my insurance simply because I bought a sports car. I’ve been a member of a rival automobile club ever since.

The Automobile Club’s advertisement goes on to point out a condition most motorcycle riders knew existed in the minds of just about every car driver on the road. It’s termed a “mental set.” This mental condition, says the club, leads drivers to unconsciously ignore motorcyclists. The club adds, “experienced drivers expect automobiles, trucks and pedestrians on the road. Their failure to include motorcyclists in their ‘mental set’ is the underlying reason for many accidents.” The remedy? The club recommends members to “think motorcycle.” I wish the ad could be run every day of every year in every newspaper in every town or city throughout the country. It might help. Hardly a single, living motorcycle rider is unaware of the truth in what the Automobile Club of Southern California is saying. Pass it on.