Letters
LETTERS
Letters to the editor are welcomed and should be addressed to: Cycle World Editor, 1499 Monrovia Ave., Newport Beach, Calif. 92663. All letters are subject to editing and cannot be returned.
DEALER RESPONSE
This is in response to Mr. David Allen’s letter concerning the inability of his local dealership to stock the necessary repair parts for his motorcycle. He thinks manufacturers should require their dealers to stock normal replacement parts for all the bikes the dealer sells.
That sounds simple enough, however, it’s not that easy. I work for one of the largest dealers in the midwest. We sell Harley-Davidson, Honda, Triumph, Kawasaki and Yamaha. We try to stock all the normal replacement parts but this year we have to contend with an excess of
a hundred new models. For normal replacement parts we are looking at between 650 and 1400 items taking a considerable amount of space. This doesn’t include parts for any of the previous models.
Most dealers do not have the money or the space to stock all of this so they try to stock what they think will sell.
The entire problem can be traced back to model proliferation, but wouldn’t it be dull if we all rode the same bike?
Richard Roche Ames, Iowa
5500 MILE FOLLY
In 1982 I bought a Yamaha Vision. Mine wasn’t anything like the one you tested. Yours got 58 mpg? Mine did good to get 45 mpg. The carburetors had to be adjusted every 1000 mi. just to make the giant mid-range flat spot bearable. It leaked water, the water pump seal went out, the thermostat stuck shut when it felt like it and the epoxy used to fix the faulty righthand engine case fell out and pumped all the engine oil on the freeway. Finally, to add insult to injury, two months after I bought my Vision for $3199, Yamaha lowered the price to $2800! All this within 5,500 miles.
The dealer did a great job keeping it on the road with no questions asked, but words like “nothing major” and “nitpicks” are hard to relate to.
Steve Ross Paso Robles, Calif.
BEGINNING BIKER
When I first began to be interested in motorcycles I thought my first bike should be in the 550 to 750cc class. Then I thought the smaller bike would get boring too soon and one day I’d own an llOOcc monster which I could fit out with all the go-fast goodies.
But I bought an XS250 Suzuki and surprise, surprise. I’ve never had so much fun in all my life. The bike is nippy and very lively and very far from being boring. My advice is to start small and gain confidence. Your riding will be safer and you will be in control.
J. A. Bowden Witbank, South Africa
READER INFORMATION
Editorial offices are located at 1499 Monrovia Ave., Newport Beach, Calif. 92663. Editorial contributions are we! corned, but cannot be considered un less sent only to Cycle World. Not re sponsible for return of unsolicited material unless accompanied by selfaddressed, stamped envelope. Rates on request. Letters cannot all be answered. Nor can all Service inquiries be answered. We appreciate correspondence sent to the editorial offices and will use the most interesting and appropriate let ters in the magazine.
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MIU8IR D~vc'. 1~
CALIFORNIA SUPERBIKE SCHOOL
Thanks for the information about Keith Code’s California Superbike School, but could you guys give an address to write to instead of making us call all the way to California?
Robert Hoffman Cranford, N.J.
Sure. Write to the California Superbike School at P.O. Box 3743, Manhattan Beach, Calif. 90266.
DUCATI WORLD
We at EuroSport, Inc. were very pleased to see John Ulrich’s article on his Ducati hop-up. Ducatis usually look pretty slow on paper and I think that some people are surprised at how well they work on real roads in the real world. While quarter mile times and top speed figures provide one index of performance, they’re certainly not the only ones. A well-tuned, race-kitted 900SS will provide acceleration, speed and handling that are more than adequate.
The moral is simple: If your dealer is more interested in moving lots of bikes out the door and you start hearing the old familiar line about parts being unobtainable, backorders, etc., join the Ducati International Owners Club (RO. Box 22814, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33335). They will get you in touch with a Ducati enthusiast shop that does mail order.
Ducatis are lovely, reliable motorcycles and parts are readily available and reasonably priced. There’s no excuse for not owning at least one!
John Foyston Portland, Ore.
NO COMPLAINT
I read Mr. Stewart’s letter in your March issue and agree with him about everyone complaining about their particular bike.
I own a 1975 Suzuki T500M motorcycle. As of this writing the odometer shows 34,954 mi. I drive it every day to work and have driven it round trip from Florida to Pennsylvania. From the Interstate to the small mountain roads and even the sandy groove roads here in Florida it has never left me stranded. It never fails to start and other than normal maintenance I have had no major repair bills.
Just thought I’d let you know someone is completely satisfied with their motorcycle.
James Lukens Winter Haven, Fla.
THE GOOD, BAD AND UGLY
Good: May the force be with you Lord Hesketh. Your never-say-die attitude towards your V-Twin will help keep the design of class and heritage that motorcycles are known for.
Bad: I’ve had enough of CARB! As a registered voter and a lover of motorcycles I urge everybody to write their congressmen and senators and let them know that CARB is an odor right under our nose.
Ugly: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Flaherty’s bike might not be a classic design or possess flashy technology but I like it. The word is practical.
Mark Forbes Pleasant Hill, Calif.
VACATION VIEWS
We are proud to present the 1983 Kentucky Grand Tour. Entrants must have a total of 100 points by visiting various parks, caves, shrines, etc. throughout the state of Kentucky. The tour must be completed by October 31, 1983 to receive the completion certificate and a tour patch. This is open to all motorcyclists, on any two or three-wheeled vehicle licensed as a motorcycle. Write or call the GWRRA Kentucky Chapter B., P.O. Box 8341, Paducah, Kentucky 42001, (502) 444-7016 or 898-3806.
Dave Richie Paducah, Ky.
Now that spring is nigh and riders are getting their bikes ready for the touring season, I would like to invite them to visit Seattle. We have bargain rates and offer free inside parking that is relatively secure.
L.G. Alboucq Vance Hotels Seattle, Wash.
DO YOUR EARS BURN?
I'm only 17 years old but I take excep tion to Ralph Martin's comments on mo orcycles and motorcyclists in your Roundup, March, 1983 issue.
He suggests setting up curfews for us. laybe we should give him an allotted me to mow his lawn. And I would also e to point out to Mr. Martin that I on't wear frayed jeans nor an earring. If I want to ride my XT500 from April o October, that's my business.
Jason Curtis Lloydminster, Alta. Canada
Thanks for publicizing Ralph Mar tin's cheap shot at motorcycles. I only hope that a great number of us crazies followed suit by writing him a number of letters of outrage.
A retraction is in order. If motorcy clists don't look out for their sport, no one else will.
Michael Abbott Big Stone Gap, Va.
RECYCLED CYCLES
Realizing you can't list everyone just let me advise you of an excellent used cycle place in Northern California:
West Bay Cycle Dismantlers 750 San Antonio Dr. Palo Alto, Calif. 94303 (415' 494-8033
Paul Winslow Palo Alto, Calif.
Hey! You forgot us! We've been here for 12 years and probably have anything you need. Come on in. We'll be glad to hem you.
Wade Killen San Diego Motorcycle Salvage 2676 Newton San Diego, Calif.
VINTAGE EVENT
The Metropolitan Combined Vintage Motorcycle Meet is organizing their sec ond annual meet to be held on August 7, 1983 at the Veterans Memorial Park, Orangeburg, New York. This is open to all makes of vintage, classic and antique motorcycles and sidecars. You can buy and sell parts and the public is invited free. Exhibitor space is available. For more information call (201) 385-6289 or write:
Bart Taylor MCVMM 301 Phelps Ave. Bergenfield, N.J. 07621
1990 MOTORCYCLES
Your article on the 1990 motorcycles in the March, 1983 issue was interesting and enlightening. However I’d like to straighten out some matters and add some information:
1 ) Polymer-based composites. I know of no polymer-based composite that can take the temperatures involved in an internal combustion engine. Metal matrix composites have the best chance of surviving.
2) Composites don’t corrode. Wrong! All materials corrode to some extent, whether it be from thermal degradation, chemical degradation, etc. In metal matrix composites, the matrix corrodes just as if it were not a composite.
3) A YZ250E weighing 110 lb. Sure it can be done, but the cost would be prohibitive, especially for commercial distribution. Some high strength metal matrix composites can cost up to $200 for every pound of weight saved! Given an average value of $50 per pound saved, this would increase the cost of the bike by $5300. This cost increase has to outweigh any amount of performance gain.
There are still many problems with composites, as your article mentions, but the two major drawbacks, in my opinion,
are cost and the inherent fact that the superior properties of the composite occur only in one direction within the material. Through further research (read money) of design methods, I feel these problems can be solved or at least minimized.
Barry Draskovich
Pittsburgh, Pa.
There are already polymer based matrixes for carbon fiber composites that can withstand continuous temperatures over 400°F. In addition, epoxy based composites with lower temperature capabilities than that have already demonstrated their usefulness as connecting rods, piston skirts, and engine cases for running engines on at least an experimental basis. While we’re not sure a 1990 250 motocrosser will weigh 110 lb., there are materials under development that will allow it to be substantially lighter than current machinery without the high cost penalties you mention.
CONTACT PATCH
I enjoyed your write-up of the C B1000 in the May issue. I just have one question though. How does a wider front tire put a larger contact patch on the road? For
any given tire pressure and vehicle weight, the size of the contact patch i fixed regardless of tire width. Different tire widths would change the shape of th< patch but not its area. Whaddaya know'
I guess physics wasn’t a total waste.
Steve Ferruggia New York, N.Y You’re right. Contact patch area i mainly determined by a tire’s air pre„ sure and the amount of weight it’s re quired to support. Narrow tires have long skinny contact patch, and wide tire mounted on wide rims have a short, wid contact patch. The difference in contac patch shape can dramatically change the way a motorcycle steers, and this may explain the lighter steering on some of the 1983 Honda models that have been graced with wide tires and wheels.
ALOHA
Thought I’d let you know that as of April 4, 1983 motorcyclists in Honolulu can use the carpool-only lanes. The signs read Motorcycles O.K. (We’ve known for a long time that motorcycles were O.K.)
Sampson Mar Honolulu, Hawaii 0
