Letters
LETTERS
Photo finish
Jon Thompson's May article, "The Natural," about photographer Volker Rauch was brilliant and wonderful to read. Thank you for giving us important insights into a great (albeit tragic) artist, It is so pleasing to see a motorcycle magazine give space to subjects like this, which are so important to our understanding of the sport and its roots. You (lid Rauch proud.
John Joss Los Altos, California
Thank OU SO much for the article. It arrived here on March 24th-the "Day A tier" (Volker died on the 23rd two years ago)-aiid it did help me a lot to overcome all those memories.... Thank you again. I loved this article.
Hildegard Rauci Nuremberq, German~
Joy of the hunt
I was greatly relieved by the letters in response to Dr. 1-lunter Thompson's fearful and loathsome account of rid i ng a Ducat I 900 (see Song of thc Sausage Creature," (`Ii', March). (`lear Iv most of your readers are of exactly the same persuasion as the fundamen tal i 51 preachers. grandmothers and other guardians of Good Order and Public Virtue who rise in fury each year to protest the Sports /lIl15t/'(tIt'(4 swimsuit issue. We can all he pro foundly grateful that motorcyclists arc. afler all, Right-Thinking Citizens and not the mob of unruly individualists and free-thinkers portrayed by the na tional media. Thank heavens The Re public is saf~.
Viv advice is to have more articles on ( sold V~'ings and motor scooters and fewer stories about anarchistic crotch rockets, especially red ones from unsa vorv places like Italy. Real Americans everywhere will applaud you. And please, no more pictures of wheelies. God knows what vi11 get into people's heads.
subjects in (`~cIe iJ~/d :~ -iear hictori hare elicited as mud! reader response as (lid / 1ST Sa usage Creature,' and the letters continue to arrirc daili'. :lbout 70 percent are tildli in /aro/: 3() percent i'ehenientlr (iga ins!.
Dr. Jack Mynatt Bowling Green, Ohio
Your little walk on the wild Si(lC woke a lot of people up from their politically correct, government-issued comas. Good job! Please continue these penndu';~1 ri~i1itv I1(~ck'~ Tb'v'rc' nnl mr `hat ails its.
Michael Risk Kokomo, Indiana
Thumbs-up to your printing of the article by I lunter S. Ihompson. Some may have been offended by the Ian guage. some appalled by the attitude, but I for one am pleased that you had the spinc to publish it. Thompson has the ability to write well, and we should appreciate his story telling.
If we choose to let political correct ness take over all of publishing, it is our own loss. If you don't agree with the journalist, turn the page. Better yet. start your own magazine.
rilagazinc. Scott Ro~fes Minneapolis, Minnesota
I lunter S. Thompsons article a great read: so were the following month~s letters to the editor~ Thanks for the entertainment
t. Tim Acker Hastings, Michigan
On track
Last month, I criticized Brenda Buttiler on her `Going Gonzo" article about Hunter S. Thompson. This month. I want to praise Brenda for her "The L)ay Board-Track Died" story. I'm having (liii iculty finding words to compliment Brenda, so I'll summarize my feelings as follows: )~ni Done Did Good! Real Good!
Phil Mortello Tucson, Arizona
Crc/c IJ'~rld is to be commended for not only the quality (which I pretty well expect), hut also the quantity of the April issue. It's been iniieresting to watch Ms. Buttner progress as a moto journalist. While I have no particular interest in early racing, I found "The Day Board-Track Died" to be extreme ly well written. I could not help but ad mire these heroes and feel sympathy for their suffering. This caliber of writ ing is rare in the motor press. Please give Ms. Buttner an attagiri for lile.
Randy Treece Wichita, Kansas
X marks the spot
I S~I\~ the dra~ving of the Ixcelsior Super X ("America's Next Cruiser?" Cii', N'larch) and it looks f~intastic! Just the \V~V it is. Most important to me is the performance. The problem with Harleys is, after you plunk down good money for an excellent motorcycle, you have to throw away the exhaust, carburetor, ignition, cam, etc., spending additional thousands of dollars to make it go.
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If the Hanlons’ finished product looks as good as the sketch and goes like heck, well, when I finally do come up with an extra IO or 15K, they've got it! Mike Stasio Methuen, Massachusetts
Co-founder Dave Hanlon reports that Excelsior-Henderson is "marching forward in a big way." The Minnesotabased company recently completed a plant expansion and now has an inhouse engineering team working on engines, frames and suspension. "A prototype will hit the streets in 1995," Hanlon promises.
Daytona triumphs
David Edwards, in his “Editors’ Notes” on the Triumph Daytona 900 (March, 1995) asks with mock seriousness if, “America really wants an ergonomically uncompromising, 534pound neo-cafe racer.” C’mon, Dave. Angling for a chorus of “Yeah!”? First of all, the Daytona’s no neo-cafe bike. The new Triumph Speed Triple is-and a stinking good one at that. Rephrase the question more to the point: Does America really want an alternative 900 performance bike that’s as individual as a Ducati 900, but faster, more practical and built to last? You betcha! David D. Brown Natick, Massachusetts
Egan's folly
In the March issue, Peter Egan freely, even shamelessly, admits to defiling the best efforts of the fabled Jack Daniels distillers by contaminating their product with...ugh...Coke\ Then, in a desperate attempt to prove that tastelessness knows no bounds, he says that his guitars must be...sigh... amplified\ 1 sort of hope he never gets an EType Jag. I wouldn't want to see one with white mudflaps and a license plate bordered with plastic chain. Cecil Golden Montgomery, Alabama
Never happen. Egan ’s too busy fitting a Ness-style chin fairing to his Norton Commando and a chromed sissvbar on his 900SS Ducati. S3
