Letters
LETTERS
Roy Orbison rides!
That Roy Orbison song that Mr. Frank Conner inquired about in Cycle World's December Letters section was titled “Ride Away.” It was written by Orbison and Bill Dees, and recorded in 1965 for MGM Records. It is included on recent Orbison collections on the Polydor and Rhino labels.
T. Jackson Black Mt. Vernon, Ohio
The Roy Orbison song Frank Conner is looking for is “Ride Away” from the album There Is Only One Roy Orbison, MGM catalogue number SE 4308. The back cover of the album features a photo of Orbison riding his BMW. Arnie Nurmi
Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Roy Orbison’s “Ride Away” debuted August 21, 1965, was on the pop-music charts for 10 weeks and peaked out at position number 25. It started out:
Two wheels a turnin ’
One girl a yearnin ’
Big motor burnin ’ the road I ride the highway I’m goin ’ my way I leave a story untold Pretty girls behind me But pretty girls are everywhere Big motor wind up Ride away from here Ride away...
Anyone want the words to “Black Denim Trousers?” Donald D. Smith Perrysburg, Ohio
Adjust this
After a year’s hiatus from the sport, I succumbed to motorcycle fever again and purchased a non-current Suzuki Katana, a bike well suited to my needs and budget. When I applied for insurance, the agent gave me a
quote of $307 per year. I signed up, only to have the insurance company tell me a week later that they had goofed and that my Katana was a “performance bike,” and would cost $928 a year to insure. I called every other agent in the phone book, and all were within $100 a year. This seems more like extortion than insurance. A State Farm agent told me her company wouldn’t even write a policy for a bike with a fairing.
I am 29 years old, have a clean driving record and have been riding for 12 years. I invite someonc-anyonefrom the insurance industry to produce loss data that would support the charges levied against people like myself. Thanks for letting me vent my anger at an industry that needs a swift kick in the ass. Ryan Hurlbert
Beaverton, Oregon
RF600R
Hats off to Suzuki and its “CBR600 Killer” RF600R (see Roundup, December, 1992), which appears to be a beautiful answer to the Honda. Nice
design, good colors and comfort to boot. I anxiously await its arrival.
Gary Abernathy
San Antonio, Texas
Suzuki is keeping mum about the RF, but it could make it to the U.S. late this year as an early-release 1994 model.
Question of the day
Is Ducati pronounced “Doo-kahti” or “Duck-ahti?” If it’s “Doo-kahti,” why do many in the motorcycle press refer to these machines as “Ducks?” A machine of this lineage should be referred to properly! I hereby mount a campaign to refer to all Ducati motorcycles as “Dukes.”
Of course, if the correct pronunciation of the marque is “Duck-ahti,” my retraction of the above goes without saying. Gene Bulgozdy
Livonia, Michigan
High-buck Duck, er, Duke
Concerning the CW project Ducati 900SS in the December issue: Excuse me? Fifty-five hundred dollars in upgrades, almost the cost of a new Honda CBR600F2? Don’t you guys know we’re supposed to be in a recession? . Mike Hildreth
Canandaiqua, New York
Just trying to do our part for the economy.
McQueen’s big jump
December’s article on actor/rider Steve McQueen was great. But I have a question that has been nagging me since my teens. In his classic 1963 movie “The Great Escape,” McQueen tries unsuccessfully to jump a motorcycle across a barbed-wire fence into neutral Switzerland. What motorcycle was used for this stunt? Alfred E. Pearl Garden Grove, California
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Trivia fans take note: According to Bud Ekins, McQueen ’s friend and stunt-double who actually jumped the bike in the movie, it was a 1961 Triumph TR-6 done-up to resemble a German military motorcycle.
Happiness is ...
Three months ago, I purchased a new Honda XR650L dual-purpose bike after reading Cycle World's test on it. Did Honda unleash the world’s most perfect motorcycle? No, not quite. Did I buy the most useful, fun and well-rounded motorcycle on the market? Definitely. Richard Pinsch, Hartford, Wisconsin
After 30 years of riding ever faster, heavier and more complex motorcycles, I had a yen to get back to the basics. To that end, I test-rode 650 Singles, Boxer Twins and vintage iron. All had their charms, but lacked the excitement I’ve come to expect from the four-cylinder rockets of today.
That was until my local Yamaha dealer handed me the keys to a TDM850. A long list of all the things this bike does well wouldn’t do it jus-
tice. Congratulations, Yamaha, for elevating the “fun factor” to a new high and helping to refuel my enthusiasm for another 30 years. Richard Grover Las Vegas, Nevada
Why no USGP?
Once again, an American is the 500cc Grand Prix World Champ: Wayne Rainey makes it three in a row, and four Americans place in the top five. So why is there no USGP? There are motorcycle grands prix in countries that don’t even have racers representing them. Let’s get it together, show some support and the bring the winners home for a United States Grand Prix. Steve Beatty
Universal City, Texas
All the details are not yet clear, but it appears there indeed will be a GP at Laguna Seca in September of this year. A group headed by Kenny Roberts is organizing the event and has cut a deal with SCRAMP, the operators of the Laguna Seca track, to lease the circuit for a 500/250/125cc GP on September 10, 11 and 12. We ’ll provide more in formation in next month s issue.
Withdrawal symptoms
I recently purchased a 1992 HarleyDavidson Sportster. To help offset the cost, I sold my 1967 Triumph. Now I’m walking around with a lump in my throat. Is this normal?
Martin Cvitkovich Dayton, Ohio
Yes. The longer you ride your Harley, the bigger the lump will become.
Brrrr
I recently purchased a 1993 Honda VFR750 in its stunning new pearlwhite paint. Then the November issue hit the newsstands. Inside was a Roundup news item about the VFR titled “World’s Fastest Refrigerator.” Now my friends laugh at me for spending $6999 on a major household appliance. I get calls at night from people asking for the Maytag Man.
Thanks for supplying my friends with material for endless jokes about me. T. Gates
Colorado Springs, Colorado
At least we hope you purchased the frost-free model with the optional icedispenser. E3
