Letters
LETTERS
A REAL PLEASURE
This past June, a colleague and I left Pennsylvania on an 8000 mile cross-country trip. Dave piloted a 1979 CBX fully equipped, and I was on my 1979 GS850.
This letter is to express our sincere thanks to Mike and Allen at Precision Cycle Sales in Carlsbad, New Mexico for providing us with some great tips and also to Gary and the staff at The Handlebar in Durango, Colorado for helping us with some stripped threads in the sump of my GS. Gary went well out of his way to help a total stranger.
Those friendly faces and helping hands made the adventure a real pleasure for both of us.
Ed Black Dave McMunn Sligo, Penn.
LESS ENJOYABLE
I am writing this letter to let you know of the way my wife and I were treated on a recent trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C. We are campers and enjoy camping in parks and resorts. We also ride a large touring motorcycle (Yamaha XS1100) to get to these areas and here lies the problem.
When we arrived at Myrtle Beach, we were told by no less than three campgrounds that our bike would not be allowed in the area. We could leave it at the office and walk in but we could not ride it in. I invited the campground employees to inspect the machine for noise and safety equipment but there were no takers.
Their accommodations guide makes no mention of this rule and therefore we had to either abort our weekend or pay premium prices for a room. 4
Needless to say, our weekend was less than enjoyable and we let our friends know not to patronize this area.
Gregory Noller Ft. Gordon, Ga.
FACTS NOT FICTION
I have owned three street bikes and have ridden each a minimum of 10,000 miles. 1 have found each bike to have the same mpg as reported by Cycle World in average riding. I like facts not fiction and you report the facts.
Larry Smith Hayward, Calif.
A BAD IDEA?
I would like to state my views on the lack of kickstarters on the new bikes. Frankly, I think it’s a bad idea.
There are two weak links in most motorcycle electrical systems which make a backup kickstarter almost a necessity: batteries and charging systems. Mo^tz bikes have only 12 to 14 amp. hr. batteries in them, and if the engine is the least bit hard to start they often fall down on the job. Further hindering them is the current draw from the new constant-on headlights, which reduces available voltage to the starter.
The following improvements should be made regarding batteries. With the present technology it shouldn’t be any problem to build a 25 amp. hr. battery. Secondly, as long as we’re stuck with constant-on headlights, there should be an automatic circuit that prevents the light from coming on until the engine is running. And they should stop the trend to put batteries under the airbox. If it’s hard to reach, it’s not going to be properly maintained.
Until these problems are solved, I for one will feel a lot more comfortable with that kickstarter lever handy.
David Quackenbush Fresno, Calif.
ANOTHER MOTOCROSS MOTHER
I really thought someone had been reading my mind when I read Confessions of a Motocross Mother in your October issue. Our situation is a little different, as my husband is a Methodist minister. Most mornings I would arrive at the race and ask myself “What am I doing here?”
Long ago I gave up trying to change anyone’s mind for or against motocrossing and our family will always cherish the agony and ecstacy of times shared. As you may have noticed, I even read my son’s tnotorcycle magazines!
Norma Montgomery Salina, Kans.
DOWN THE ROAD AGAIN ... AND AGAIN
Just finished reading Down The Road Again in your November issue. It’s the best piece of motorbike writing I’ve seen in years. Congratulations!
Seth Masia Senior Editor Ski Magazine
God bless Peter Egan! Take good care of that man. People who write that well usually move on to some obscure position and are never heard from again. Waves of nostalgia swept over me when I read about his resurrected Honda Benley 150 a few months ago. Then he did it again with the ’J'riumph article, Down The Road Again in the November issue.
I wonder if Peter has ever ridden a Pannonia ... he could write a helluva piece on «ne of those!
John Zucker, Jr.
Westboro, Mass>
Just finished what has to be one of the finest articles ever printed in a motorcycle magazine . . . Down The Road Again, by Peter Egan.
During my high school years I was lucky enough to have a father w'ho operated a Honda/Triumph cycle shop. We kept a Triumph 500 around as a demonstrator and you know' whose job it w;as to-v demonstrate it. Then a friend left his 650 Bonneville in my care for two weeks. I’ll never forget those two weeks.
Your article has brought back those two weeks in 1966 so now Em looking for a secondhand bike like that. It will probably leave me stranded more often than not And it will be wonderful.
Terry Roberts Torrance, Calif.
Great article . . . and we have a set of those hard-to-hnd kneepads for your 1967 Triumph. Being bowlegged means these are still original rubber.
Keep up the good work. We Triumph loyalists are behind simple stories about simple motorcycles.
Ed and Dick Gardner Cycles Gardner, Mass.
I want to congratulate Peter Egan on his Down The Road Again. Good riding does erase a multitude of sins as does good writing.
It was excellent.
John Stanford Pocatello, Idaho
Not very many features in bike maga> zines bring tears to my eyes.. . . Thanks for Dow n The Road Again.
Randy Marshall Durham, N.C. >
DISAPPOINTED
Your article on the fuel injected Kawasaki was disappointing, especially your disapproval of the system. I could understand shying away from a new product, but this system has been standard on Datsun 280Zs since 1975. Haven’t seen any litter of Zs stranded along the country roads lately.
1 can’t say I’m going to miss carbs on bikes either, though I do feel spoiled, maintenance is zip. Most solid state devices which fail, do so within the first hours of use. After that, they are very reliable. Improved reliability and gas mileage couldn’t possibly be considered a detriment.
It seems that the reason it isn’t liked is because it takes another area of ‘fiddling around’ away from the owner. I like to work on my bike as well as the next guy, but there are plenty of areas left. Give the EFI a chance. Japan invented the reliable bike and they aren’t slowing down now.
B.F.G.
APO San Francisco
A FAIR COMPARISON
Thank you for your recent 250 Enduro bike comparison, test in the August, 1980 issue. The article was thorough, fair, and, 1 suspect, accurate.
Paul Anderson St. Paul, Minn.
CONFUSED
I'm a bit confused. In your July issue you said Kawasaki KZ750 is the new class champ and you turn right around in your October issue and pick the Honda CB750 in the Ten Best Bikes of 1980.
What are you going to pick . . . CB comfort or KZ performance?
Tim Goard Nashville, Tenn.
It’s a matter of words. We said the KZ750 was the fastest 750. For all round, most of us preferred the Honda. g<
