Roundup
ROUNDUP
LETTERS, WE GET LETTERS
And calls, too, about a recent Sunday Ride piece we published.
It’s rather surprising, in a way. Those Sunday Ride pieces, you’ve more than likely noticed, are short features about the favorite short, fun day-long jaunts of riders in different parts of the country. Usually, they’re sporty, scenic little tours, winding through the countryside near some city. And usually, they end at a truckstop-cafe-tavern sort of place, where the participants trade stories, refresh themselves and bathe in the camaraderie.
Innocuous enough, right?
Not exactly.
In the October 1982 issue of Cycle World, one of our contributors, William Schiffmann, described the Sunday Ride of many motorcyclists in the San Francisco Bay area. It takes them over rolling hills, through lush canopies of green, around a snaking kink of turns to Alice’s Restaurant, where they hold forth on sunny afternoons.
To quote ourselves, “It’s a little bit of heaven right here on earth—at least to those who ease a week’s worth of aggravation with a weekend of high-speed, backroad racing.”
And, “The road itself is a racer’s dream, with dozens of turns from 30 mph downhill bends to 100 mph-plus sweepers.”
The story goes on to describe the countryside, Alice’s and the restaurant’s parking lot, chock full of bikes of all ilk, in colorful detail.
It also mentions “the lack of police patrols,” and quotes a couple of law enforcement agents who allowed that they were not all that concerned that there might be occasional exceeding of the speed limit.
Fine and dandy. We thought regulars at Alice’s would enjoy reading about their favorite ride. And, certainly, other motorcyclists would enjoy an account of the goings-on along the road to Alice’s. A regular readers’ service; we thought we’d please everyone.
Not quite.
The October issue had been on the stands just a few days when the calls started. They were calls from regular Alice’s Sunday riders. “Thanks a lot,” they went. “Thanks for ruining a good thing.” What they said was this: police patrols suddenly had been increased on the roads leading to Alice’s.
They blamed the publicity. They blamed us.
Even a local newspaper linked Cycle World to the rather abrupt enforcement of traffic laws in the vicinity of Highways 35 and 84. There were two reasons for the crackdown, said the Peninsula Times Tribune. One was an increase in complaints from people who lived along the roads, a story said. The other was the Cycle World piece, the Times Tribune said.
Well, we reasoned, speeding is a little like gambling. Sometimes, you win. Sometimes, you lose. And the odds are always changing.
That’s how we looked at it. The police just bumped the odds a bit. That’s life.
Still, that’s a hell of a burden to bear, being thought the reason some of our readers were being forced to up their antes to the authorities. So, we decided to check to see if Cycle World really was responsible.
Sgt. Dennis Bentley of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Department said it probably was true that more patrols were cruising the roads near Alice’s. “But a crackdown? Not really,” Bentley said.
The patrols were there more to discourage speeding more by their presence than by running down errant motorcyclists and dealing out traffic citations, he said. “To go after one of those guys, I’d really have to take a deep breath and think about it,” Bentley said.
Now, the big question. Why are there more patrols?
“Basically, because there’s been an increase in the number of complaints by residents,” Bentley said. “It’s simple: the more complaints, the more patrols.”
And Cycle World? Did we have anything to do with it?
“Let’s just say it wasn’t news to us. We didn’t learn about it by reading about it,” he said. “It’s been going on a good while, but the complaints weren’t there to warrant overlooking needs elsewhere and riding herd on this. Now, the complaints are there, so we’re doing something about it.”
There. You’ve heard the testimony. We plead not guilty.
The defense rests.
DO YOUR EARS BURN? THEY SHOULD
If you’ve ridden for any length of time, you know that there are a lot of people out there who do not like motorcyclists. One of them lives in Albany, N.Y. His name is Ralph Martin, and he writes a column for the Knickerbocker-News.
In one recent column, Martin devoted his space to some random observations about motorcycles and those who ride them.
Here’s a sample:
“I don’t know what touched me off. It might have been a trip over the long holiday weekend when a string of the noisy monsters streamed by, their steely-eyed drivers looking as if they’d run over my hood if I so much as beeped my horn . . .” “Whatever the reason, I don’t like motorcycles. Oh, I know you can drive one on a gallon of gas until you have to be pried off the seat. I know all about the sense of freedom and exhilaration it gives the riders. Wind in the face, tears in the eyes, cramps in the stomach, all that stuff.. .”
“But, sorry, I find them to be noisy, dangerous, a hazard and a nuisance. And guys in Nazi helmets with names like ‘Chainsaw’ don’t improve the image . . .” “I’d like to see motorcycles banned, but that may be a bit strong. I imagine I could develop a skin rash if ‘Chainsaw’ worked his knuckles over me. You know, the ones tattooed L-O-V-E . . .”
“Being reasonable, I just think we should control the bikers. Let the crazies ride around until every dog in the country takes a nip out of their frayed jeans, but keep an eye on them.”
Martin goes on to discuss black leather, heavy denim, crosses (Iron, we assume) and earrings. Then, to make travel easier for those in cars, he suggests restricting motorcycle riding to the hours between midnight and 4 a.m. “Which,” he notes, “wouldn’t change the habits of most bikers.”
Presumably, that last bit is tongue-incheek.
After we read a clipping of his column, which was headlined “Controlling things that vroom at night,” we called Martin up. He wasn’t surprised to hear from us.
“That one generated a lot of reaction,” Martin said.
Oh, yeah? we said.
“Yeah. The people I work with and my friends had favorable comments.” What about other reaction?
“Well, it was mostly negative, mostly
letters in outrage. (Short pause) They said I didn’t have my head on straight. Things like that.”
It’s easy to understand why you might not have made any friends with that piece.
“But I didn’t mean to be vicious or libelous. It was a column of opinion in a light vein; I wrote it in a sense of humor and jest.”
So you don’t really feel that way?
“Well, it had some meaning.”
Some meaning?
“I guess it probably underlined some of my beliefs.”
Oh. Say, have you ever ridden a bike?
“Not really. (Pause) But my sister had one for a while.”
After that, Martin said he had to go to a meeting, so we hung up.
A couple of days later, we thought about the column again. The academic question arose: How could someone condemn something about which he knows little?
Then it hit us.
Do you suppose that Martin’s still jealous of his sister?
WOULD YOU LET YOUR DAUGHTER RIDE ONE?
What male motorcyclist has not heard this one?
“I’d love to go out with you, Danny (or Ralph or Bob or whatever). But my father won’t let me ride on a motorcycle. He says they’re too dangerous.”
So then the girl goes to the hop with the guy who wears suits to school, riding two-up with him on his Schwinn.
Think again, Dad.
It seems that bicycle riding could be as much as three times more dangerous than motorcycle riding.
For the year ending June 30, 1982, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said 527,799 persons were treated in hospital emergency rooms for bicycle-related injuries.
During another one-year-period, end ing Dec. 31, 1981, there were 175,022 reported motorcycle accidents, says the American Motorcyclists Association and the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. While that doesn't necessarily reflect the number of injuries, it provides some basis for comparison.
You also might point out to Dad that motorcycling is safer than playing baseball (476,766 reported injuries) and climbing stairs (744,072 injuries).
TAKE ONE CX500, ADD A WHEEL, AND ...
Modifying a motorcycle usually means increasing its capability: performance, handling, comfort or utility. The last is exactly what workmen at Municipal Industries, Inc., in Chicago have in mind when they begin working on a stock Honda V-Twin, even though the motorcycle loses its first gear and gains nearly 300 lb. (and an extra wheel) during the two-day process.
The result, the MC-1, is a threewheeled utility vehicle with a reverse gear (equipped with a lever-operated lockout), triple rear shocks, an automotive-style rear axle with a differential and two hydraulic drum brakes, and a fiberglass storage compartment with 9.5 cubic feet of space and room for the auto battery that’s useful for powering the extra lights, sirens, and radios its buyers may order.
At $6995, the MC-1 is designed for police traffic patrol, where its stability, maneuverability, and economy let it outshine a patrol car even in poor weather (//its rider has remembered his thermal underwear).
The same virtues that have produced sales to police departments across the country in the year it’s been on the market (Chicago currently has 64 in use) have prompted inquiries from shopping center security forces and fire department paramedic teams, according to Eugene Bookman, Municipal’s president.
He explained that the MC-1 was designed to replace the aging fleets of Harley-Davidson Servi-Cars in use across the country; Harley hasn’t produced its three-wheelers since the early 1970s. Fred Dittman, Municipal’s chief designer, built a Kawasaki-based prototype first, but chose Honda’s CX500 V-Twin as the base for his production machine because its shaft-drive and water cooling should contribute to low maintenance, long life, and good operating characteristics in heavy traffic. The firm will begin using Honda's new 650 cc V-Twins when they become available in 1983; Dittman values their increased torque.
At the moment, Municipal officials are evaluating two new prototypes. One has a tank-mounted hand shift; the other has a roof made of fiberglass that, with its roll-bar mounting system, adds about 100 lb. to the stock weight of 750 lb. The benefit in rider comfort and efficiency may justify the extra weight, they believe. - James F. Quinn
UH, GUYS, SPEAK UP. YOU’RE WHISPERING
You’d best park your bike and lower your voice should circumstance ever find you in the little hamlet of Appleton, Wisconsin.
In a fit of regulatory zeal, the police department there is ensuring the public safety by enforcing a new noise limit far stricter than anything being considered by the Environmental Protection Agency, which makes its living considering such things.
At first, the Appleton police set a noise limit of 86 dB(A) at 20 inches, which just about every motorcycle in town failed. The local Harley-Davidson dealer then contacted the American Motorcyclist Association, which got in touch with the police department.
All they were doing, the police said, was enforcing one of the noise limits established as a guideline by the EPA. Okay, except the EPA guidelines call for a limit of 86 dB(A) at 15 feet. Oops.
The AMA pointed that out. The EPA verified it. So, justice prevailed.
Um, not exactly.
What the Appleton police did, was raise the limit to 95 dB(A). Lenient, right? Nope. Because they continued to measure at 20 inches.
The AMA again contacted the department, and pointed out that the maximum for 20 inches has been set at 99 dB(A) by a number of noise abatement groups.
That, as they say, is where it now stands.
Except that someone’s missing a hell of a chance.
There’s a big market in Appleton now for sewing machine mufflers.
MAYBE THOSE STANDARDS NEED TO BE STRICTER
In Florida, Judge Alfred Nesbitt was cited for speeding, even though his car was driving on cruise control set under the posted limit.
Nesbitt is recognized in Florida for his hard stand on the use of radar, and played a key role in the state’s enactment, of radar performance standards.
Also on the Florida radar front, a state trooper there was suspended from duty for failing to meet his department’s speeding ticket quota. He said he lacked confidence in the accuracy of radar.
Finally, traffic fatalities in Central Florida dipped 26 percent and injuries dropped 7 percent during a “radar-free” experiment conducted by the Florida Highway Patrol.
NEW TO THE DIRT? READ ALL ABOUT IT
We’ve printed much information about books and programs designed to help the beginning motorcyclist learn how to ride safely. Most of those books and programs have been about street riding.
But now, the American Motorcyclist Association has published a book to help fledgling off-road riders. It’s called Trail Riding: Skills, Safety and Sensibility.
Subtitled AMA Beginner’s Guide to Off-Road Motorcycling, the booklet is directed at novice trail riders, but also contains tips that will be useful for the experienced rider.
The guide includes chapters on equipment choice, maintenance, personal fitness, technique and environmental responsibility. Descriptions are given of various off-road riding maneuvers, illustrated with step-by-step photos of AMA Grand National Championship Enduro competitor Mike Melton.
Trail Riding was written by Neil Tolhurst of the University of Illinois’ motorcycle safety program, recognized for its instruction of onand off-road riders. It may be used as a textbook by one state that is developing a statewide ofF road rider education program.
The book is available from the AMA’s Government Relations Office, P.O. Box 141, Westerville, Ohio, 43081. The cost is $2, plus 1 1 cents tax for Ohio residents.
