Letters

LETTERS

THE TEN BEST

Congrats on your “Ten Best Bikes” feature in your October issue. Very well done, both editorially and graphically.

Whoever whipped up the copy on the BMW R75/6 either had mist on his goggles, or switched too fast from one bike to the other, when he wrote: “Around town, there is very little drive chain snatch.”

Very little, indeed, what with the bike’s driveshaft (which IS mentioned later on). I’m well aware that such oversights do happen, but in this particular case, credibility now suffers from chain snatch!

Bill Bagnall Lake Arrowhead. Calif.

I'll go along with you on your choice of BMW R75/6 as I recently bought one.

There is only one thing on this bike I didn’t like—the useless side stand. I realize they probably made it this way so you won’t drive off with the stand down, however I have had the bike fall over (in low gear) after a small bump. I was afraid to use it or park it unattended in case it would fall over again. I discovered by drilling a Vs inch hole in the forward part of the plate, where the tension spring is mounted, that changing the spring hook-up from rear to front solved my problem. I can now operate the stand from the seat and not worry about the bike falling over.

I have owned Yamahas, Hondas and Triumphs. I am only sorry I didn’t buy a BMW years ago. One really appreciates a BMW after going through these experimental jobs.

I enjoy your magazine very much and feel you are accurate in your reporting most of the time. Your batting average is much better than the politicans.

George B. Gascoigne Portland. OR

PARTS YES AND NO

I’ve just started reading your article on the Ten Best Bikes in the October issue. What’s this about the general public not being able to buy a Norton or Triumph and finding parts for these bikes?

Where have you guys been? I can still buy parts for my BSA!!! If you can’t find parts for Norton/Triumph products, drop me a line and I’ll find them!

Nick Jordon Gadsden, AL

I have been reading your magazine for some time now and I would like to express some of my feelings.

I am a hard core do-or-die Triumph fan. I’m joined in these feelings by several other “Trumpet” riders in this city. But, we do have one problem and it’s a big one: PARTS!

We’re running into more and more problems for parts. In a country as big as America someone is bound to have parts for our “Trumpets”.

Charles Linville Winston-Salem, NC PS. Anyone out there got an eight-bolt, 52tooth sprocket (rear) so I can get my 650 thumping again? I’ve been looking for two months.

DARNELL VS. NEWTON

The article by Russ Darnell on jumping contains an amusing interpretation of some physical laws. Mr. Darnell states that revving the engine with the bike airborne will cause the front end to rise, due to a “natural law that a spinning body gains mass as it spins faster—this causes the wheel to become heavier”, etc.

Mr. Darnell would find that the faster spinning wheel would tend to lower the front wheel if it were possible to spin the rear wheel in reverse.

What is really happening is (just as Sir Isaac said) the motorcycle will try to rotate itself around the rear axle in a direction opposite to the wheel rotation, any time positive acceleration is applied to the wheel. This same phenomenon is what causes the front end of a car or bike to lift under hard acceleration (although, if the CG is above the axle line, vehicle inertia can account for some front end lifting, if the tires are providing traction).

With the bike on the ground, and the wheel pushing against the pavement, the engine will try to rotate the whole works over on its back. (Ask any Kawasaki 500 owner). With the bike in the air. the inertia of the rear wheel is sufficient to cause the same reaction, to a lesser degree. The drive line must push against something. In this case it’s the frame; up comes the front wheel!

All of which proves, you don’t need a degree in physics to be a great dirt rider.

Jim Fullmer Salt Lake City, UT

NEW ISN'T BAD

The dictionary says a motorcycle is a two-wheeled vehicle. Any additions to this basic theme, be it a radiator, dual disc brakes, self-cancelling turn signals, whatever, does not make it any less a motorcycle. Nowhere is there a rule that a motorcycle has to vibrate, leak oil, be heard a block away or make the rider feel like he’s king-of-the-road.

Motorcycle manufacturers produce motorcycles. They are not required to tailor their products to a rider’s style, real or imagined.

I’m not anti non-Japanese bikes. Japan merely did with the motorcycle what Detroit did with the car. They made bikes that were affordable, quiet, easy to operate, and they made their bikes and parts readily available. If you’re going to knock Japan for destroying the motorcycle industry, in the same breath you should knock Detroit for the ills of the massproduced car, and knock McDonald’s for destroying the restaurant food industry.

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Dwain Gordon Philadelphia PA

THE OLD NAMES LIVE

It seems American bikes have nearly disappeared from Cycle World’s editorial content, at least in the few months since I re-subscribed after a long lapse. Of course, Harlev-Davidson advertises and its products liven the arguments in the letters column. And once, somewhere. I found a disparaging comment about Indian (“foundering,” was it0 and I suppose it was). But that’s all. not even a mention of Harley-Davidson in “Ten Best Bikes”— not even a snide remark on the side!

However, as an ardent searcher for nostalgia between the lines. I'm happy to see that the old red-white-and-blue (or the old olive drab and old red) lives on in model designations for them furrin sickles. It's true! Why, just this month (October), you stress the Yamaha TT—shades of the Indian Warrior TT. remember it (but the Indian was a twin). And a special TT. the K-R TT : Sweet memories of the H-D KRTT on the tracks 20 years ago. Even Hond a has a CR (a Sprint racer not too long ago) and an XE (1957: overhead valves for the second-biggest Harley), and another Japanese outfit a KH (side valve stroker. '54 '56). I see one European model (a ringding) is called a WR even though it doesn't look anything like that famous old V-tw in flat-tracker.

Gosh, there's something fun somewhere in your magazine for everyone—even if he don't give a damn about the latest mechanical perfections. Cvc/c World has lots of American bikes if a reader is willing to look for them: They live and live and live!

Jim Boone St. Joseph. AR

A BEST ISSUE

As w'ith any publication, some issues of Cycle World are better than others. Your September '76 issue, however, is the best I have seen in my ten years of reading Cycle World.

Although Japanese motorcycles are not my thing I was fascinated by the article on the Honda 750 automatic. When I first started riding, Honda’s largest machine was a 250. Boy, they have come a long way. I wonder if it’s in the right direction. The article on ignition troubleshooting was highly informative. Although I’m in the electronics field, I have been stumped more than once by ignition problems and have spent too many hours pondering the state of my electron flow when I could have been enjoying the flow of brisk mountain air around my helmet. I’m really looking forward to further articles in the series. How about looking at carburation, wheel truing and other sticky problems?

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M.W. Robinson Rockville, MD

A GOOD DEALER

Just a note to say there are Honda dealers worth their salt and to sadly confirm the bad ones.

While on a 10 day tour on my CB 750, I noticed my chain was pretty badly stretched. Since we planned on stopping in Eugene, OR., I wasn’t concerned about a replacement. The next morning (early) I visited both of Eugene’s Honda dealers, (their names unfortunately escape me). Both shops were not busy and would give no time as to when they could look at the bike, explaining the lack of bikes in the shop as “late appointments”. When I mentioned I was from out of town, I got a classic comment: “Everybody’s from outta town”.

We turned north to Salem. It was about 2:30 p.m. when we stopped at Salem Honda and they only had one mechanic and two bikes on racks. I told the service manager my problem. He looked at the bike, saw my California plates and spoke to the mechanic who took a bike off the rack and changed my chain! I was in and out in 20 minutes with apologies for taking so long!

It’s too bad that more shops won’t lift a wrench for someone they’ll never see again, but I’m glad to know that there is such a dealer as Salem Honda.

Mike Blazey Van Nuys, Calif.

PICTURE US PLEASED

This letter is to commend the entire staff of CYCLE WORLD for its exceptional interest in original art.

Every issue is a cornucopia of excellent graphics, photography and drawings. I would especially like to point out a watercolor impression by George Zebot on page 54 of the Sept. ’76 issue as being the nicest I’ve seen in a motorcycle publication.

Richard Cunningham SI Orange, Calif.

Merlin kastlei