Cycle World Letters
CYCLE WORLD LETTERS
Suzuki GR650
I’ve had the fun of 14,000 mi. on my GR650 and I agree with your report in part. Yes, the cam covers weep a bit but the cylinder base gasket weep that occurred at 4000 mi. was cured by re-torquing the head. The preload adjuster went out at about 10,000 mi. but, like yours, was replaced on warranty. My tach cable came loose at the head early on but visegrips and Loc-Tite solved the problem. The rear brake squeals badly despite any help but the light bulbs still burn brightly and none have failed. I went with a 16tooth countershaft sprocket, and cruising at 65 mph now is smooth and easy.
Last of all, there’s the low, low price. Many L.A. Suzuki dealers are asking $1600 or less for the GR650. It keeps the payments down so you can afford all those wonderful days on the road.
H. Greg Ide Los Angeles, Calif.
Your long-term report on the GR650 was of great interest to me. The tach cable problem must be universal because mine did the same thing at 2400 miles. Your solution to the high engine revs appears to be changing the countershaft sprocket from 15 to 17 teeth, yet I’ve heard other reports that changed the rear sprocket to 42 teeth and it achieved the same results.
Charles Price Belleville, Mich.
I fully agree that the GR650 could pull a higher gearing but I’ve been unable to find a 16-tooth sprocket to achieve the desired result. I’d appreciate it if you could provide a source.
George Bass Calgary, Alta.
Contact Pesznecker Brothers, Inc. (PBI), 15500 SE 102nd, P.O. Box 375, Clackamas, Ore. 97015, phone (503) 655-5128.
Good Days, Early Days
It’s too bad you admitted that Good Days, Early Days wasn’t exactly true. I thought it was one of the funniest stories I’ve read and was hoping it was true.
Merle Flemion Hyattsville, Md.
Good Days, Early Days in your April issue was superb. It’s great to know I’m not the only one whose brain slipped into neutral during the teenage years. Sometimes I wonder how we survived. Great story.
Hubert Noiper Kalispell, Mont.
American Motorcycles
I have two items to add to your story on the 286 American-made motorcycles: 1 )
The Cushman was built up into the 1970s; 2) there was a Miller motorcycle built about 1946 in Peoria, Illinois by Maon Miller. It was a fourcylinder, inline engine that ran extremely smooth. The Miller motorcycle now resides in the Wheels of Time museum in Dunlap, Illinois.
Jon Gullett
Washington, 111.
New Jersey safety course
The Motorcycle Education Association is conducting a 20 hour rider course and an eight hour better biking program between April and October, 1984. These courses are available at Bergen Community College In Paramus; Burlington County College in Pemberton; Willingboro High School in Willingboro; and McGuire Air Force Base in Cookstown.
All courses are taught by qualified, active motorcyclists who have been certified by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.
Information on appropriate dates and locations, or further details can be secured by calling (609) 871-4498, day or night.
David P. Cushing Willingboro, N.J.
1975 Yamaha YZ250
I enjoyed your article on the old YZ250M in your December, 1983 issue. That old bike sure looked good.
The new bikes may be superior but they still look like something out of Star Wars.
You should run the bike in the annual vintage dirt bike race held at Saddleback Park in Orange, California. I thinl you would have a blast showing up the CZs and AJSs.
Steve Caro San Diego, Calif.
Images
When most people think of motorcycles they think of the infamous outlaw gangs. However, I’d like to share with you my experience.
Recently I ran out of gas on my awesome Honda MB5. While pushing the bike down the road, several motorists and even a police car passed me without offering help. Suddenly, about 50 bikers passed me. They pulled over on the shoulder and walked up to me. I’m only 15 years old and I felt a little threatened. When I told them my problem, they gave me all the gas I needed and then provided an escort home. They left me with two thoughts: Stick with school and ride hard, die free.
William King
Kingwood, Texas
Reader information
Editorial offices are located at 1499 Monrovia Ave., Newport Beach, Calif. 92663 Editorial contributions are welcomed, but cannot be considered unless sent only to Cycle World. Not responsible for return of unsolicited material unless accompanied by self-addressed, 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 letters in the magazine.
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MEM8ER yo.cvc~a USYv
A popular topic in your magazine is the bad-guy attitude the public has toward people who ride motorcycles.
An author named Sharron Cohen has given us all a character reference. Her story, The Man on the Motorcycle, appears in the April, 1984 issue of McCall’s magazine. The story is very enjoyable and gives us all a boost in the public eye. She deserves our thanks.
Larry Alvey Great Mills, Md.
Dog gone problem
My wife and I are planning a twomonth tour on our R90/6 BMW and would like to take our 12-year-old, 30 lb. Irish setter. We don’t want a sidecar.
I thought about a trailer with a kennel mounted on or in it, but am concerned about exhaust fumes.
Has anyone ever tried this? We’d surely appreciate hearing from you.
Jeff Grenier P.O. Box 3763 Jackson, Wy. 83001
A look around the parking lot at any big touring rally should provide you with several examples of kennel trailers. A little careful bodywork should be able to duct exhaust fumes beneath the trailer. To check for excess exhaust fumes, you can buy simple carbon monoxide detector kits at pilot shops at any airport.
One Man’s Indian
Your story, One Man’s Indian, took me back to the year 1950. I was the proud owner of a 1948 Indian Chief that was blue and had leather saddlebags.
My wife had one saddlebag and half of mine. A two-man tent, sleeping bags and our rainsuits were held on the bike with tie-downs.
What great fun we had. We still take trips but now it’s on our Honda 750.
Reverend Gerald Fish Kalamazoo, Mich.
Biker first aid
I wonder how many motorcyclists have a knowledge of first aid? On a recent trek in the Arizona desert with a few buddies, one of our veteran riders drifted a little wide on a fast righthand sweeper. He suffered a nasty compound fracture and we were 10 mi. from town and over 3 mi. from the road. Lucky for him, out of five riders, one remembered enough first aid to stop the bleeding and treat for shock until we got help. Most of us have a pretty good mechanical understanding of our bikes but do we know what to do in an emergency situation for our riding friends? Think about it and sign up for basic first aid course.
Doug Pressel Bisbee, Ariz.
AU and more
Fifteen years ago I received a 1948 Harley Knucklehead (the 56K) for three days work cleaning out a barn. After replacing the cracked head all it took was oil, gas, two plugs and two kicks to keep it running for over 10,000 mi.
I’ve lately been looking for a dependable, road-worthy bike for the com mute to and from work. Enter my Honda Ascot.
I agree with Mr. Lyman. (Letters, April 1984). I love its feel, handling and sound. My Ascot looks more like the H-D XR750 than Harley’s own replica. Too bad it had to come from Japan.
Jim Bailey
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Safety sense
My friends and I feel your magazine could use a section on safety. I’ve been riding for 16 years all over the country and am aware of too many fatal falls. This is especially true of young inexperienced riders who read your magazine and then go out and buy a GPz750, ÎJonda V65 or a GS1000. They know nothing about riding except they want to go fast.
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Maybe some won’t read about safety but the ones that do will benefit.
Norm Kjelvik Seattle, Wash.
I believe that safety and accident -preventive measures should be the responsibility of each motorcyclist to insure himself against pain and loss of money. There are safety courses and many books on the subject and I know it works. California drivers lack a lot!
Sgt. Jerry Palmateer Norton AFB, Calif.
Park crusade
Your editorial on prohibiting motorcycles from public parks is great and long overdue.
A beautiful campground in the San Jacinto mountains near Hemet called Hurkey Creek forbids touring motorcycles. It seems a few years ago an outlaw motorcycle gang terrorized the campground, so now all motorcycles are banned.
Hank Dorman Wildomar, Calif.
Load capacity
In your Honda 1200 Aspencade test you say that the load capacity is about all a person could ask for (396 lb. with half tank of fuel). I couldn’t disagree with you more.
I weigh 250 lb. and my wife 170. Add 15 lb. each for riding gear, 50 lb. for Juggage, top off the tank and the bike is overloaded by 120 lb. Touring bikes should be designed to handle at least 400 to 450 lb.
Wade MacGregor Vancouver, Canada
Wait a minute. The Aspencade already has luggage, so scratch the 50 lb. Our figures include a half-full gas tank, so only another 20 lb. or so can be added there. The Honda has an official Gross Vehicle Weight Rating equivalent to other big touring bikes. What it also Jgas is the capability to handle those loads, and more, without problem. Official weight ratings would appear to have more to do with product liability than useful load capacity, though you’ll never get anyone from a factory to say that.
The third wheel
I am amazed at two items in your November, 1983 issue. In Roundup you mention that of all the bikes sold in 1982, 24 percent were ATVs. In the Letters column your response to a reader was “the name on the door is Cycle World. We have no plans to change it to Half Cycle World."
As a three-wheeler enthusiast, I’d say you were Three-Quarters Cycle World. Where are the ATV tests and articles?
David Moore Hampton, Va.
We think three (and four) wheelers are fun. But we don’t think they’re motorcycles. ATV fans have available several excellent publications for their sport, but we have no plans to report on ATVs, or on scooters or mopeds, here.
Yamaha RZ350 crazies
The new RZ350LC is a nice bike but it is still a 350 that pumps out only 55 bhp. Why can’t we have a RZ550 or a RZ750 styled completely the same but with a fuel-injected, liquid-cooled VFour? We Canadians have had the 350 for two years and it’s not fast enough. What would be nice is an FJ650 Turbo.
I wonder what it would be like to break the 150 mph sound barrier on one of these stock bikes. Am I crazy?
Glen Stout
Winter Harbour, B.C.
You want to go 150 mph? Go buy an FJ1100. If that’s not fast enough for you, Vance & Hines are already working on the hop-up equipment. You want a 650 turbo? Yamaha would love to sell you one. There are plenty left over. You want an RZ750? Have a little patience. If there were nothing to wait for, you’d go crazy.
Commute lane
Recently I encountered a big traffic jam just on the other side of the Golden Gate bridge. I noticed a commuter lane on the left that read Only Vehicles With Three or More Passengers. It said nothing about motorcycles so I jumped in. After a mile or so the CHP pulled me over to give me a ticket.
It makes no sense to me not to let motorcycles use this lane. It’s safer than lanesplitting between cars, which is legal.
Don Whalen Los Altos, Calif.
California’s state highway department agrees, some of the time. Cal trans has opened the commuter lanes in some places and had no complaints. In the near future we expect all such lanes will be open for motorcycles. Until then, sorry to say, you’re liable for a ticket.
Mert Lawwill
Your May 1984 issue was twice frustrating for Mert Lawwill fans. First you tell us he’s offering XRs for the street (and he’s one of the few who could pull this off), but you don’t mention how to find him.
On page 152, it happens again. All that intelligence about Harleys is still active and we have no access to him.
B.D. Taylor
San Francisco, Calif.
You can write or phone Mert Lawwill’s Racing Frames at 148 Rock Hill Dr., Tiburón CA 94920, phone (415) 435-0782.
More American motorcycles
I noticed in your American-made motorcycle list the Doodlebug. You mention that the production years were 1954-58. I want to bring to your attention that my father, who is now 48 years old, owned one when he was about 15 years old and it was used when he bought it in 1951.
Bob Barnes Pleasanton, Calif.
Harley stories
Well, Harley-Davidson lovers, have you noticed the price CHiPs pays for their new FXRP motorcycles? It appears H-D has done us again, only this time with their own followers. Dealers want $7700 plus for this bike as an FXRT. They must pay about $6000, but the police got them for about $4100.
Did you pay that little this year? Dealers argue that they’ll make up for it in parts. I’m sure of that. ’Nuff said.
George Barringer Syracuse, N.Y.
In the strict sense of dollars and cents, Harley will lose money on the CHP deal and the patrol will get a better price than any other customer could hope for.
But that’s the way it works with fleet purchasing. And that’s why some car dealers would like to stop their factories from selling direct to the rental outfits.
In the long run, though, Harley’s recapture of the CHP business proves they have a competitive product and it should pay off later in prestige and in sales.
Harley fans will understand. Those who are always eager to criticize Harley will writer letters to the editor instead.
Apparently there is considerable confusion among motorcyclists about the price quoted by the Harley> Davidson Motor Company on police motorcycles to the California Highway Patrol. I would like to clarify this issue.
There are three major reasons:
1. Harley-Davidson sold to the CHP on a direct basis; this makes us competitive. It is a very unusual situtation because in all other cases our products are sold through our franchised dealers.
2. Price always relates directly to quantity. We can produce 135 units at one time less expensively than we can fewer units.
3. A large police fleet, especially one as visible as the CHP, has undefined advertising value, resulting in selective discounts depending on quantity. In the case of our recent CHP sale, there are tremendous residual advertising and promotional benefits.
Thank you for your continued interest in Harley-Davidson and the opportunity to explain this issue.
Buzz Buzzelli
Public Relations Manager
Harley-Davidson Motor Co
We requested specifications on a front axle from Harley-Davidson Motor Company recently and within two weeks received a very complete diagram including all the measurements, material tensile strengths and even how and when to plate the axle. Thanks, Harley, for being so prompt. It’s nice to see a factory care about its customers. Try that with a “Big Four” factory!
Gary Maris Mike O’Leary Cedarpines Park, Calif.
Buffalo motorcycles
Your news about the Buffalo Motorcycle Company was very interesting, especially the engines. The W-Three sounds very, very different. With buyers constantly wanting more horses I think the 1500cc V-Twin has a chance
I’m glad the Buffalo is giving it a shot in the U.S. They seem to have the right attitude and some good ideas.
Joe LaBean Mayville, Mich, loi
