Letters
LETTERS
LEAKY PROBLEM
I have a problem that I am sure is shared by many others. What are the secrets of a leak-free motorcycle? It seems that no matter how tight I tighten things, or how much gook I plaster on the gaskets, it still slobbers oil all over itself. C’mon you guys . . . you must know. What’s the secret? TUTTLE WALKER Ft. Walton, Fla. EDITOR: Well, ... !
TOO GOOD TO LAST?
The May issue was my first CW; I think you can infer my reaction from the enclosed check for a subscription. Your magazine reminds me of early (one is tempted to say “vintage”) Road & Track. Is Mr. Parkhurst the former Art Director of that publication? Your acceleration and gear ratio graphs, as well as Gordon Jennings’ name on the masthead, made me feel rather at home, since I discovered motorcycling via sports car enthusiasm; I have the impression that some of your writers follow the same odyssey.
The only complaint I have to make is that CW is so much the type of publication I’ve wanted to see, I’m almost afraid to pick up another issue, lest I find a changed format. So many writers seem to belong to what one might call the “Uncle Tom” school, rather than, say, the “John R. Bond” school — especially cycle journalists — that I have feared the genre was as stylized as the whole public image of motorcyclists. We can now look with pleasure to a CYCLE WORLD school, if I may say so; the elements of this style that I find particularly pleasing are a highly literate rhetoric, avoiding both cuteness and condescension, and a straight-forward treatment of technical details.
Only the high quality of the rest of the magazine made “In The Beginning” (by Dave Evans) seem out of place. It would seem that humor articles need be very funny indeed to justify their inclusion in a “motorcycle enthusiasts’ magazine” like yours. Or is my reaction eccentric?
Finally, let me entreat you not to fear the term “purist”. Not only have the commercial dangers of leading public taste been exaggerated; the number of riders who prefer to let form follow function seems consistently underestimated. And the ranks of one-litre types who have been outrun by 250cc’s with good handling will continue to grow. RAY CORBIN HOUCHINS Cambridge, Mass.
LOST FRIEND
I was pleased to see your magazine on sale in our PX, and even more pleased with the magazine itself.
I would appreciate it if anyone knowing the new address of James Cremeans, formerly of 242 Ashland Ave., Ocean Park, California, would send it to me. R. R. MARTINSON, LT. J.G. OICC FE REP Bu DOCKS Contracts Okinawa U.S. Army Engr. Distr. APO 331, San Francisco
FROM THE LADIES
My husband and I both ride, but until I started reading CW all I knew about cycles was where to sit and hold on. Now, thanks to you, whenever my husband starts talking about the different cycles, their advantages and disadvantages, it does not all sound greek to me. I especially like the technical articles by Mr. Jennings, but how about more diagrams, like in the June issue, for readers that don’t understand the engines as mechanics do. MRS. LAWRENCE BENTLEY Chicago, 111.
CHANGING THE IMAGE
Although motorcycles have álways been a great fascination to me, some of the individuals, organizations and literature associated with the sport appeared to be such an (excuse me) uneducated and sloppy group. Your magazine has given me an entirely new outlook on the sport. Instead of praising your many fine features, al-
low me to make one small suggestion; publish bi-weekly! Thank you for a new concept in the motorcycle world. MICHAEL DIRKSEN Loma Linda, Calif.
LEARN TO FLY FIRST
I don’t know a great deal about motorcycles, but someday in the near future I hope to buy a machine of my own. Would you tell me if a Honda Super Hawk would be a good cycle for a beginner, 16 years of age? NED EVANS Dallas, Texas EDITOR: The Honda Super Hawk comes on a bit strong for a novice rider, Ned. May we suggest that one of the many excellent 50cc to 125cc machines available might be a more gentle way to learn.
OLE!
Congratulations on becoming America’s largest selling motorcycle enthusiasts’ magazine in your six short months of publication. It is obvious that you have been able to fill a vacuum that was in dire need of filling. In about that same six months I have been converted from a middle class snob who thought cycles were for rowdies, to a middle class snob who loves motorcycles. This transformation was accomplished by a niceguy-type college roommate (Mike Day, Letters CW April issue), his 650cc Triumph, and your fine publication.
I do not say “fine publication’’ loosely. You have set a new standard for enthusiasts’ magazines of all varieties to meet. And I say this from the point of view of a reader of several automotive, photographic and electronics magazines (including some that I see certain members of your staff have been associated with). The quality of the language used is excellent and you have added that wonderful touch that most other such magazines lack: a sense of humor.
I was intrigued by the road test of the Bultaco TSS in the June issue because of the tremendous power that was obtained from such a small engine. At first reading, the explanation escaped me, but, upon going over the article again, I found it. Those Spaniards are tricky! In a two-cycle engine they have hidden a sneaky little cam, the one which your tester could not slip the clutch enough to get up on! As a bovine fighting friend of mine from Barcelona would say, “that ees a lot of bool!”
CHRISTOPHER DREW Evanston, 111.
EDITOR: Ole, or touche! The term “up on the cam” has fallen Into such common usage we applied it to the events that occur in a two-stroke that are similar to the actual occurrence in a 4-cycle engine. Hence placing the phrase in quotes. Gracias anyway.
