Letters

LeTTeRS

ANOTHER VELO FELLOW

As a Canadian motorcycle fan, and an enthusiastic (bordering sometimes on fanaticism) fan of your publication, I thought I would make your magazine a little more of an international one and write to you.

In your Letters Column, many people write to you about improvements and changes they would like to see put into effect. Sad to say, I have the same bad habit (or is it a good habit?). Since I know relatively little about motorcycle technicalities, I find it a relief that I can read the words and not just look at the pictures and ads. However, I wish you would road test some more Nortons, Velocettes and Royal Enfields. This is just a wish and my wishes, luckily for you, never seem to come true. Consider this the babblings of a brainwashed British motorcycle fan.

I have bought, read and re-read your first, and I hope not last, publication of MOTORBIKES. I was even so pleased with it, that I read the ads, hoping to find something. It was very frank, informative and lively. The section on safety holds views parallel to mine ("Watch out for traffic even though you have the rightof-way. You may be right — dead right"). Would it be possible to publish a similar magazine on motorcycles?

I was pleased to read your road test on the Velocette Thruxton. The factories of Hall Green remain the last stronghold of the magnificent singles. It may be hard to believe that a 500cc motorcycle can be built using only one cylinder that makes the unmistakable sound of a real motorcycle — a motorcycle you treat like a baby and when it does not run properly, you feel sick; and when it dies, something in you dies too.

Velocette has been accused of bordering on senility (critics include Technical Editor Jennings). True, Velocette is a very conservative motorcycle, but it still retains its excellent quality and design. It may not be able to race against the precision-engineered, chrome-covered, flashy looking Japanese version, but it will still be thumping along the road when other makes are in for repairs. Velocette holds the world's endurance record for a motorcycle. It has gone for 12 and 24 hours non-stop (except for refueling) at 100 mph plus. I would like to see the chrome-covered, flashy Japanese motorcycles try to top this.

Your article on the history of Velocette was very well done. Also a tip of the helmet to the poet who wrote "Ode to a Single — My Velo." I, as you may have guessed by now, am the proud owner of a 390 pound thumping, pumping Velocette. It is a 1965, 350cc Viper Special.

Now that I've said my tuppence worth, I thank you for your effort to improve and educate people as to the pleasures and wonders of motorcycling.

RUDOLPH VERSPOOR Wetaskiwin Alberta Canada

NOT BAD AFTER ALL

I was interested to read the correspondence in the May issue referring to the Velocette Thruxton. As a very recent subscriber I missed your test, but from the letter you have published, it seems that the bike was slow in the extreme (exactly how slow?). Could I therefore pass a few comments? First of all, when it first appeared, the less powerful Clubman Veeline was tested by a British magazine that recorded a maximum speed of 104.0 mph, and that was an average for four laps of a 3-mile banked track. Secondly, a 1965 model (which was undergeared) recorded a mean top speed of 97.8 mph (figures from the same source) and a S/S 14 mile time of 16.0 sec. The !4 mile figure, while not being outstanding in absolute terms, is remarkable, when it is realized that first gear on this machine is as high as 11.2:1 — higher, in fact, than most manufacturers specify for 650cc engines.

As a parting shot I should point out that the Thruxton earned its name by winning the 500cc class of the Thruxton 500 mile race — against Triumphs and Nortons.

Whatever you say against Velos, you've still got a fine magazine there, especially since you did an article on Velo history!

(Continued on page 24)

C. G. WRIGHT Liverpool, England It is rather strange that you say 104 mph; we did reach 102, and without the aid of a herd of factory mechanics on hand.—Ed.

BEWARE

I would like to bring to the attention of CYCLE WORLD and its many readers, a deplorable, extremely dangerous condition that exists on one of our State highways. The route # is 150, and the particular section that is a potential killer, lies between Santa Paula and Ojai, but closer to the former.

This road is apparently used by tank trucks hauling crude oil from the adjacent fields, and through natural spillage or leaky valves (or maybe just plain carelessness) a good quantity of this oil is deposited on the surface of the roads, making it a very dangerous area for motorcycles and cars.

To the best of my knowledge, there are no warning signs posted alerting motorists to the situation; although there is a standard highway sign that warns, "slippery when wet," but neglects to mention anything about oil. When rained on, I suppose it would make an excellent sort of skating rink.

Anyhow, three weeks ago, I went over this road on my bike, and in the process of rounding a curve, found myself rather forcibly deposited on the asphalt. Fortunately, I was not going fast, having already slowed down because of the suspicious looking surface of the road. But still, it was a nasty jolt, and I ruined a good pair of pants and lost quite a bit of skin from you-know-where. The bike was not damaged too badly, and I rode it back to L.A., but it was a painful trip.

Since my own misfortune, I have heard of others who have come off at the same place and for the same reason, and it seems criminal that the State highway maintenance people don't do something about it. If a sign were posted, it would help to some extent.

I have been riding (and racing) for 20 years, and this was my first crash; so you can see, my pride was also hurt.

I had a safety helmet on, and a heavy leather jacket, without which my minor injuries might not have been so minor.

R. L. THOMAS Burbank, California

BUOYANT HELMET

The enclosed clipping is from the April, 1966 edition of the "Spokesman Review," published here in Spokane, Washington. Another reason for wearing a helmet? What do you think? (See below — Ed.)

STAN DIZZUTI Spokane, Washington

CYCLE VICTIM SATISFACTORY

A Spokane man, rescued from Hauser Lake near Post Falls after a motorcycle accident Sunday, was in satisfactory condition Monday at Sacred Heart Hospital.

(Continued on page 26)

William E. Beck, 28, suffered a fractured jaw when he and his passenger, Sharon Bernard, 23, Spokane, were thrown from Beck's motorcycle as it skidded off the Hauser Lake Road south of Woodland Beach.

Unconscious when hurled into the lake, Beck was kept afloat by his crash helmet until he could be rescued by Miss Bernard and Rich Wycott, Rt. 1, Post Falls.

State police said Miss Bernard suffered a deep head laceration.

WHO'S LAUGHING?

I have become a motorcycle fan in the past two years. I happened to pick up an old copy of Cycle World, and from then on, the bug had me. I have been devouring every article in your magazine like a starved grizzly after the Spring thaw.

About a year ago I purchased a motorcycle. After talking to all the local experts(?) and the two and four cycle lovers, I decided to get the largest cycle I could for the least money. My purchase, don't laugh — an All State 250. I really like it. Now, I weigh 280 pounds, so naturally I draw some attention. I am also a deputy sheriff, and this draws more. I have been accused of riding a motorized roller skate, abusing a poor little scooter, and being a potential member of Hell's Angels. I am afraid my boss thinks his one-man-posse is addled, and my friends are already taking up a collection for my funeral. Does this disturb me? Not in the least, I am having a ball.

No, I am not writing for sympathy. I am writing to say you have a terrific magazine and keep up the good work. I don't feel slighted and angry because I haven't seen any article on my machine, and I don't hate "the other brand."

Perhaps you could help me. I have a few questions. Have you ever run a test on the All State 250, and where can 1 get this issue? I cannot find anyone around here who can answer any technical questions for me. Example: Why a split cylinder single combustion chamber engine? Why do most other 250cc cycles have more horses than mine?

RICHARD STANFORD Madison, South Dakota The so-called "split-single" two-stroke engine, in which a pair of cylinders share a common combustion chamber, has its advantages. These are derived from the fact that its transfer ports are in one cylinder, while the exhaust ports are in the other cylinder. This provides a considerable separation between the ports, and there is a reduced tendency for the fresh charge coming in from the transfer ports to be lost out the exhaust. Also, when a split, "articulated" connecting rod is used, it is possible to have the "exhaust" piston leading the "transfer" piston by some several degrees. This provides an early exhaust-closing, and further reduces charge loss. Both effects are beneficial in terms of economy and wide-range power.

(Continued on page 28)

Probably, the split-single would be the best layout for maximum power, but for the fact that the cylinders are very poorly cooled, sharing a common wall between the bores. This is absolutely essential if the combustion chamber is to be held to a practical volume. Also, if an adequate flow passage is maintained across the tops of the cylinders, the combustion-chamber volume will be rather large in any case, and the compression ratio for such engines is always relatively low.

So, the split-single, two-stroke engine is no great shakes for power output, but it is a good layout for fuel economy and wide-range power. Just the characteristics for a medium-speed touring bike — which your Allstate really is.

Besides, we don't laugh at deputy sheriffs. Ed.

TURN SIGNALS

In this column in your November issue, one of your readers pointed out that he had received conflicting information from various motorcycle shops about the California regulations applicable to the installation of turn signals on motorcycles, so he obtained a copy of the official regulations and submitted the details in his letter to you.

Inasmuch as I encountered similar conflicting information about the New York regulations on turn signals, I wrote to the Department of Motor Vehicles at Albany and received this reply:

"At the present time, there are no regulations applying to directional signals on motorcycles. There is some question as to whether or not directional signals are required on motorcycles. It would appear that in the present state of the law, there is no requirement that directional signals should be placed on motorcycles.

"If directional signals are placed on motorcycles, the only requirement is that such directional signals be approved directional signals. There is no requirement on non-commercial vehicles that there be any definite distance between the signals on either the front or the rear.

"As of this date, there have been no directional signals which have been approved specifically for motorcycle use. Therefore, if directional signals were to be placed and used on a motorcycle, they would have to be directional signals which have been approved by the Department, and such approval would basically have been for use on motor vehicles.

"The confusion in relation to the dis-' tance between signals on the front or signals on the rear is the requirement in the commercial vehicle lighting law and regulations which states that such signals must be spaced laterally not less than two feet apart. However, this requirement only applies to commercial vehicles and it would not be applicable to directional signals placed either on a passenger vehicle or on a motorcycle."

In view of the statement that no turn signals have so far been approved specifically for motorcycle use, I shall write to some of the suppliers of such equipment to ask whether, in consideration of this fact, they will now submit such equipment to the State of New York Department of Motor Vehicles for approval. Until approval is given, it seems to me that manufacturers, distributors, and especially retailers of turn signals should not offer this equipment for sale and installation in New York without pointing out that installation of such unapproved equipment would be a violation of the Department of Motor Vehicle regulations.

I have a Yamaha machine, and since the handlebar turn signal switch was factory-installed, I have been planning to have the signals installed. Now it appears that I must wait until the signal kit from Yamaha or one of the accessory suppliers has been officially approved.

I believe it is generally agreed that turn signals are not very useful during daylight hours, but it seems to me that they would be of definite value for night use, especially in the light of all the current emphasis on motorcycle safety precautions. Because of the limited distance between turn signals, it may not always be clear to another driver whether a left turn or a right turn is intended (although the position of the cycle at the center or at the right side of the road should make this rather obvious), at least the flashing light indicates that some kind of turn is to be expected, and this is better than a hand signal that may not be clearly visible — or no signal at all.

C. L. MACUMBER Valley Stream, L. I., N. Y.

LET'S HAVE A CLUB

Having learned to ride motorcycles in the foothills of Northern California on a Tohatsu 50cc and Honda 150cc, I regretted moving to New Jersey. But now that I am here, I think New Jersey is one of the most fantastic places in the world for dirt riding.

I have now started riding my 50cc Tohatsu in Enduros and took first in Bantam class the first time out.

My main interest now is organizing a Tohatsu Riders' Club on the East coast. Anyone interested should write Bill Sullivan, 122 Farmdale Road, Mt. Holly, New Jersey 08060.

CYCLE WORLD is great, especially the fiction and Intelligent Motorcycling.

BILI, SULLIVAN Mt. Holly, New Jersey

I SAY, GOOD SHOW!

Congratulations! You have just destroyed a long held belief (held by all Englishmen) that nothing good comes from the U.S. I have just found the Dec. '65 issue of CW, and I find it a better motorcycling magazine than most British ones.

I didn't realize that American motorcycling was so well established — all that juicy machinery.

I read in your magazine a letter concerning seat belts for bikes. This I feel would be bad. Better to leave the bike after dropping it than stay with it. After a slight collision with a truck a year ago, I feel that' handlebar fairings and crash bars are advisable or even a full dolphin fairing.

(Continued on page 30)

I was pleased to see a complete coverage of the ISDT in the 1 OM, and the speedway final at Wembley. These articles, though written from an American (understandable) point of view, were wellwritten and informative.

ROBERT BENNETT Colchester, Essex, England Thanks Bob. Ed.

NIT-PICKER

I came across an article in The Service Department . . . "More Juice Needed," and to quote you, you said: "A battery is only a means of storing electricity . . ."

This statement is a slight misprint. A battery does not store electricity, it merely changes chemical energy into electrical energy. To be precise, in a battery ignition system or a generating system, there is no device that stores electricity. Only in a magneto ignition system is there a device that stores electricity momentarily, and that is a capacitor. And this does not enter into the picture of a battery system.

GEORGE ATHANASION New York, N.Y.

Now we know why our machine won't start. Ed.

HE'S ALL UNSTRUNG

I have just finished reading my June issue of CYCLE WORLD The "other" leading magazine can't hold a candle to you. But I have a very serious problem. By the time I finish your magazine the pages come out.

The "other" magazine has three staples and it lasts twice as long. It shouldn't, because it is seldom worth the purchase price. Please help me to preserve your fine publication for generations to come. Increase your staples from two to three, please. Right. Ed.

JIM MC WILLIAMS Jopionville, Fla.

IS HE SERIOUS?

This is directed to William ("Shut Down") Huf of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, who wrote the letter on his Kawasaki 175 (June, 1966).

I have a 350 Honda that never beat a big Harley and probably never will, but I'd be willing to take a trip all the way down there to drag you for the right price. You are probably a rookie bikey who doesn't know a shifting lever from a swing arm, Bill, in order to write something like that about a 175 bike in a magazine read by millions of cyclists who really know motorcycles. How about an answer, "Shut Down"?

R. S. "RICO" GERBER Natick, Massachusetts

ARIEL PLANS

I own two Ariels at present, and belong to a club in England (The Ariel Owner's Club). Apparently some of the members overseas get your magazine too, and they also find it interesting.

If you find a few back issues in your magazine, could you do a road test and history of the Ariels? Finding material on the old Ariels is pretty hard to do. Some people say back issues can be purchased. I am fairly new at this hobby and probably missed anything that might have been printed, but would be willing to buy any old magazines that had Ariel material in them.

KEN HOLMES 601 June Street Palmerston, Ontario Canada

We've included your address in the event that any of our readers might care to make an offer of old magazines to you. CYCLE WORLD has never published a history, or conducted a road test on an Ariel. We would Iike very much to do a test on a Square Four, but have been unable to find a private owner of a perfectly standard model willing to allow it. Ariel's history is among the many makes scheduled for ultimate publication in our historic series. Ed.

WHAT A DRAG!

I like your magazine very much, but considering your article on the western drags, you belittle four wheelers. Anytime a bike can turn in the 7 second bracket and in the 200's, I'll eat my hat!

NEIL BRINK Tacoma, Washington You'll have to read car magazines for praise of cars. We think that a little, by comparison, lOOOcc machine that can turn more than 150 mph is accomplishing a heck of a lot more, than a 600 cubic inch monster with an almost 100% fuel mixture that can't do anything but go fast and develop power. Dick Rios, Clem Johnson and Sonny Scott are our heroes, among others. Ed.

IT DOES

When any mechanic (even an $18,000 one) complains about the quality of today's engineering graduate, the reason is usually clear. It's not sour grapes, as Professor Preisser indicated, but most often caused by a lack of information. Let's see if I can show why.

To be sure, the new graduate, in many cases, has not had his fingers on many of the components that comprise his profession. And Mr. Richmond was not exaggerating much when he said some mechanical engineers can't distinguish between J.I.C. and N.P.T. thread standards. This example and many others of its type can be dredged up by these people with experience in the hardware end of mechanical systems (or electrical, for that matter). This kind of education can no longer (as it was 20-30 years ago) be the goal of an engineering curriculum. We can only try to equip a man with enough fundamentals and understanding of the physical world that he can analyze and design systems from the standpoint of the "laws of the universe."

(Continued on page 32)

Naturally, this fundamental approach is interlaced as much as possible with practical application and hardware exposure. But this is limited, and as we all know, a single encounter with any subject is scarcely enough to make the ideas at all useful at a future time. It takes repeated exposure and this in the real world is called, I believe, experience. This is exactly what the engineering graduate lacks, and our friend, the mechanic, has.

The mechanic is equipped with various "rules-of-thumb" that seem to keep him out of serious trouble, as long as he doesn't stray too far from his own little area of familiarity. The young engineer is in a fine position to handle any area of his profession with a small fraction of the experience of the good mechanic. He doesn't have to design or analyze byguess-and-by-God, but it might take a few months on the job to catch up with the mill-wrights and pipefitters in hardware knowledge.

I recently heard a statement made by James Stewart in the movie "Flight of the Phoenix" that pretty well completes the picture of the future of education of people as engineers. He said something like: "The little men with the slide rules and math tables will inherit the earth." This doesn't say that their rule will be imposed on all people, but it does point out that the modes of transportation, communication, use of natural resources, and just about all factors determining the shape of civilization, are going to be the result of engineering decisions. So it's about time these grumpy people, with no basis for complaint or even the knowledge to analyze the situation, went back to work and accepted the inevitable by making life a little easier for the fledgling engineer who bears them no malice, and who only seeks to learn from them.

This got a little long and is only slightly related to the motorcycle industry, but it is related to the original complaint of Mr. Richmond and rebuttal by Professor Preisser. I hope it finds a place in both your magazine, and more importantly, your thinking. Thank you.

ROBERT G. COLWELL Department of Mechanical Engineering Washington State University Pullman, Washington

SOLUTION

It was with great interest that I read Mr. David Davenport's letter in April's issue. I can sympathize with his dilemma. Motorcycling suffers from a poor image. Hell's Angels make good news copy — spicy divorce cases sell newspapers — civil strife, be it Watts, Santo Domingo, or Saigon, provides the bread and butter of the "fourth estate."

As an executive of a public relations and advertising firm, I know the problems of my brethren of the news industry. As a motorcyclist of more than a decade, I know the problems of my fellow cyclists. The problem we know, but where lies its solution?

(Continued on page 34)

It does not lie with the individual driver — it does not lie with motorcycle clubs. It has not been resolved by the shortsighted corporate performance of those who make their living and livelihoods in the field of motorcycling.

In New Jersey, as in so many other states, there have been various attempts to limit or restrict motorcycling in various manners, including the use of roads such as the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike. As a former staff member of the New Jersey State Senate, I watched these items debated on the floor. I note that there are 19,500 registered motorcycles in our state, and yet not one single lobbyist appeared to plead the cyclists' cause. Where was Berliner, an east coast distributor of Norton, Ducati, Zundapp, Berce, Sachs, and Metzler motorcycles, as well as associated accessories? In Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey! Where was BSA? In Nutley, New Jersey! Where was Butler Smith of New York City, the importers of BMW? Not in Trenton supporting motorcycling, the reader may be well assured. From a purely monetary point of view, it would seem logical that these firms want to sell their various products. It would not be in their self interest to see any limitations unfairly imposed i^pon the sport of motorcycling. Where were such venerable organizations as the American Motorcycle Association or the Dealers Association — or any dealers themselves?

The only voices in the wilderness came not from any of these groups, but from two clubs — the cyclists themselves.

Let us turn to another hobby — that of Citizens' Band Radio. Several years ago, the Federal Communications Commission decided to renovate the licensing requirements, making the rules severely more restrictive to 11 meter band users. The manufacturers and distributors of Citizens' Band equipment were alert, aware, and on top of the situation. RCA, Lafayette, Gonsett, Allied, Hallicrafters, and others spoke out in strong terms, and the changes were considerably less stringent than were the original proposals. The manufacturers and dealers knew that severe restrictions on the use of their products meant fewer users, fewer sales and less profits. They acted in their own self interest — and they acted in the interest of every one interested in C.B. Radio.

Whether a motorcyclist runs over a little old lady or carries her packages is not the problem. The acceptance of motorcyclists and their sport is way beyond the individual cyclist and well beyond his club's scope.

Honda advertises in the newspaper — their machines even show up in A&P ads. Yamaha uses radio. It takes a little imagination for a manufacturer to transcend the enthusiast and reach for much wider markets by courting the general public. It isn't so much a question of cycles and cyclists being encased in grease and road film — They're not — the problem is the cobwebs in the manufacturers' imaginations. The solution is in their hands — they stand to benefit much, as do we all, if they realize their responsibility to themselves, the cyclist, and the public!

RALPH R. ANDERSON Englewood, New Jersey

SOME TRICK

There has arisen a slight disagreement between my friend and I over the cover of the December, 1965 issue of CYCLE WORLD.

This brainless person says that the rider on the cover is stationary and that he posed for the picture. I disagree. Would you please settle the argument for us? Also, what is the base of the Sacramento course?

LEO DE CRESCENTE Theta Chi Fraternity Potsdam, New York We thought we had fooled everyone. George is sitting still, the track is doing 90 mph! Sacramento, like most dirt tracks, has a high clay content—Ed.