Letters

LETTERS

ISDT DOCTOR

In your “Up Front” column in November’s CYCLE WORLD you discussed several of the problems that beset this year’s ISDT. I agree whole-heartedly with your comments regarding the total lack of safety planning demonstrated as far as the absence of controlled traffic, speeds needed on unguarded cliffs, speeds needed in public traffic, and the sheer dangerousness of some of the trails, which I personally encountered and of which the riders spoke. As. team physician for the U.S.A., I feel it necessary to document these as well as complaints about the Italian hospital system and particularly the hospital and physicians at Camerino.

Soon after we arrived in Camerino, I toured the facilities, and with the translating help of John Yaw of the AMA, was able to talk to several of the physicians there. The medical set-up was

as follows: The hospital at Camerino consisted of 400 beds with close to 100 for acute medical care. Most of the sub-specialties, including vascular surgery, orthopedics and urology, were represented by more than one boardcertified physician. The operating rooms and equipment were, by our standards, more than adequate; by European standards they were good. Each day on the course there were at least five ambulances at various points and these were in constant radio communication with each of the check points and the course marshall. In addition, the hospitals in the surrounding communities were also on alert and were adequately staffed.

Most of the complaints centered about the eons of time spent in getting this care out of the system. We need also remember that the Italians do not have a National Highway Safety Standards Act setting minimums for ambulances and funding for EMTs (emergency medical technicians). Also, the race was run in Italy and I heard no complaints from the Italian riders about the care. By our standards, and those of many of the other countries represented, the speed of the system was abominably slow, and care of trivia was very poor. Overall, the medical care at Camerino was very adequate, and treatment of the significant injuries was

thorough.

I, too, stopped counting somewhere after the 25th injury, most of which occurred on the second day. However, I continued to make daily rounds at the hospital, as did the other team physicians, and in general we were very satisfied with the treatment. Christel, who is one of the ace riders for the Germans, received very proper observation for .closed head injury.

Interestingly enough, both Germanys, Czechoslovakia, Italy and Spain have had team physicians traveling with them for many years. These physicians devote all or a large part of their practices to ISDT riders and sports medicine. And, the Czech doctor has probably been to most of the 49 ISDT events and is known to all. If at next year’s event I get sick, he is the first person that I would look up.

Richard Meyer, M.D.

Birmingham, Ala.

CONGRATS TO WEST GERMANS

I just finished your article about this year's JSDT in Italy. You state that two members of the West German team were seriously injured and that these men barely received a minimal amount of help from Italy's hospitals. After talking with their managers, the team decided to drop out of the “Olympics of Motorcycling.” I feel that these men should be congratulated for their courage.

(Continued on page 14)

Continued from page 10

It must have taken a lot of soulsearching and decision-making to decide to drop out of the ISDT. These men realized that a man’s life is worth much more than any medal.

I hope that the FIM learns a lesson from this tragedy. I hope they learn enough from their mistakes to not let them happen again.

Dan Hirst Rochester, N.Y.

UHL SI, PENTON NO!

Screwed! Exactly., How self-centered can one person—John Penton—be? Your November issue, very good by the way, shed light on a disease I thought had only infected our government. Just like the politician who only wants reelection, John Penton wants for himself. What could look better than an allPenton World Trophy Team? According to Penton, there can’t be team victory without team spirit. Only a stubborn stone wouldn’t realize that Billy Uhl is an American. In an international event, unless your name is on it, not many care what brand you ride, that’s secondary. First, what country is he riding for?

Yes, the political distemper epidemic is creeping into a wonderful sport. You’ve got to be down before you can get up. Billy Uhl will rise!

Jeff Cowan Santa Ana, Calif.

The AMA, as with most such organizations, tries to take the path of least resistance. In this case, the path was to follow the wishes of John Penton. Now Penton makes a good bike, but when it comes to something as important as the ISDT, he should be willing to accept that there are trials riders as good or better than he is in the U.S. who don’t ride his brand of motorcycle. Bill Uhl seems to have gotten the short end of the stick.

No doubt Mr. Penton has done a lot for the sport in this country, but now he has used his influence to hurt the chances of a fine competitor who apparently can ride with the best we have to offer.

Mr. Penton needs to keep his nose out of the policies and politics of the AMA. I hope Bill Uhl gets a gold medal and that Penton falls and busts his —.

Byron D. Powers Vanceburg, Ky.

Billy Uhl not only won a gold medal, but was the highest finishing American in the 175 class, blowing the Penton boys in the weeds. John Penton was not entered in the ISDT; he merely managed the Penton team.-Ed.

(Continued on page 18)

Continued from page 14

APPARENTLY HE'S PLEASED

I am just writing to say how pleased I am to be a subscriber to CYCLE WORLD. I have read your November issue and am pleased to know there are people as pleased to read CYCLE WORLD as I am. I have read many magazines and I just have to say they haven’t pleased me as much as yours.

I mean, many magazines write reviews that are hard to understand and have too many jokes before they tell you the facts, but CYCLE WORLD gives people straight facts with no jokes, etc., and I am very pleased. Thank you for your magazine.

Gary Sinatra Glendale, N.Y.

Thank you for your letter, Gary. We’re pleased that you’re pleased and, as usual, that’s no joke.— Ed.

DON'T COUNT YOUR HIGHWAY MACHINE BEFORE IT'S HATCHED

In reference to the article “Hatching a Highway Machine” in the October ‘74 issue of CYCLE WORLD, I would like to make a few comments and welcome any feedback on my thinking.

The idea of converting your CZ moto into a road bike that can be ridden to work has merit; however, (with all due respect to Mr. Kubicek), the amount of TIME and MONEY required to make one’s CZ into a street-legal machine will make the conversion out of the question.

The CZ is a dirt machine and I believe that, for practical purposes, it should remain one. It seems that spending a good portion of a Saturday removing all of that street-legal stuff for the. race on Sunday and then staying up half the night Sunday (when you’re dead tired from the day’s activities), to convert it back to your street bike is a bit absurd at best.

My suggestion would be to spend your S400, or a little more, and buy yourself a secondhand street bike and save your dirt machine for the dirt. Then if you want to ride dirt, you can (at once), and if you want to go street, you can do that too.

Riding my enduro bike is the high point of my day; I even ride it to work when possible and I wear a suit and tie every day. Somehow I just couldn’t see myself changing the hot plug to a cool one (in my suit) before I rode it to work!

M. Travis Mt. Pleasant, Mich.

(Continued on page 22)

Continued from page 18

A TM400 STILL UNTAMED

I recently purchased a Suzuki TM400 and am having trouble with both starting the beast and the suspension. I discovered that your magazine ran a test on this bike and came up with the same trouble; you also ran a feature on eliminating the problems (“Taming the TM400”). Unfortunately, I don’t presently have a subscription to your mag. Could you help me out with this by telling me which edition those articles are in and how I can get my hands on it? I’m at the point of beating the machine with a wrench!

Anthony Mammano Massapequa, N.Y.

The issue in question is the August ‘74 CW. There’s one in the mail to you along with a subscription blank. Now put that wrench down, Tony, and get on with it. —Ed.

ROAD RIDING READER

Congratulations on your new column for street riders. I thought the first installment was great; and I agree that we need to learn the sport, and not just be terrified by warnings about how dangerous it is.

I’m 60 years old and ride a Honda 350 Four to work because I get bored driving a car. From my point of view, I’d like to see more road tests on the middle-sized road bikes; not too many of us are customers for the big Hogs or $3000 machines. The CB200 test was excellent, although that bike is a little small for general riding.

John Black Marina del Rey, Calif.

CB350 MILEAGE

I take exception to a comment made by Dan Hunt in his “Road Riding” column (Nov. ‘74), about poor gas mileage on a Honda CB350. He states that mileage can range from 30 to 48 mpg. If that is the case, then I must assume that the rider was a dropout from the Weight Watchers club towing a camper trailer up a cliff.

I own a 1971 CB350 with 12,500 miles on it. The worst mileage that I managed to get out of it was 50 mpg, mostly on hilly highways at 80-90 mph, and redlining from stoplights.

The best mileage figure was 70.5 mpg. This was achieved driving around town under 4000 rpm.

Except for this one point, I found your magazine to be of superb quality (and quantity).

John Hill Saint John, New Brunswick ra Canada