Ups And Downs
UPS AND DOWNS
DOWN: To Cosmopolitan magazine, for reinforcing a negative stereotype. In selecting artwork to accompany an article titled “Scientists Advise: How to Tell He’s a Creep” in its December, 1995, issue, the glamour rag chose a photo of (no bonus points for guessing) a motorcyclist. We’d advise Cosmo's editors to stick to what they know best-diet tips and sexual advice.
UP: To AMA Pro Racing, for taking a leadership position in motorcycle safety. Reacting to several serious roadracing accidents caused by mechanical failures-including the deaths of Yasutomo Nagai in last year’s World Superbike round at Assen, Holland, and Jimmy Adamo in the 1993 Daytona 200—the Association has mandated sealed lower fairings capable of retaining oil in case of a major engine failure, plus separate hydraulic systems for the two sides of a dual-disc brake setup, so that if one side fails, the other will still function normally. Never mind that no company currently produces equipment complying to these rules; with the AMA forcing development, the long-term, trickle-down result should be enhanced safety for all streetbike riders.
DOWN: To the producers of Goldeneye, the latest James Bond flick, for wasting a perfectly good motorcycle. During one of the film’s countless chase scenes, 007 hops aboard a Cagiva and follows a runaway airplane down an airstrip and off a cliff. In true Bond fashion, he saves himself by grabbing onto a wing, then pilots the plane out of a perilous nosedive as the bike freefalls to its destruction. Next time, guys, how about a bike no one would miss, like an old Suzuki TM400.
