Cycle World Roundup

CYCLE WORLD ROUNDUP

REJOICE, THE END IS NEAR

Ranking the problems facing motorcyclists would be a tough job once Problem One was listed. Anti-motorcycle legislation, the cost of bikes, beating Eddie Lawson, and getting the checkbook from your wife all rank second or third. The biggie is easy. It’s something that at one time or another affects virtually every motorcyclist on the road. And those of us who get to ride all the nice, shiny, powerful new motorcycles are particularly concerned because it indirectly interferes with our ability to ride.

If you haven’t guessed, it’s the national 55 mph speed limit, usually referred to in the non-enthusiast press as “the life-saving 55 mph speed limit,” or the “fuel-saving 55 mph speed limit.” Bullfeathers, all of that. It was enacted by a bunch of out-oftouch politicians who were desperate to show voters that they were Doing Something about a shortage of gasoline.

Good news is on the way for all of us opponents of the system. This was explained by a state highway safety official who shall remain nameless, as will the editor/violator and the highway patrolman who were discussing the matter at a safety conference.

It seems that the federal government has changed the compliance rules for speeders. Originally a state only had to show that something like 25 percent of the vehicles on the highway were running within the speed limit. That percentage increased each year, until some states couldn’t show that they were within the compliance levels.

Now a new law is in effect and it requires 50 percent compliance. Or it will when it goes into effect. California isn’t going to get 50 percent compliance. No number of policemen and airplanes and special programs will ever be able to get half of California’s motorists to go 55 mph. Better yet, lots of other states won’t be able to get 50 percent compliance either.

This is much like Arlo Guthrie’s suggestion for evading the draft. If one guy goes into the selective service center singing Alice’s Restaurant, they think the guy’s crazy. But if 50 guys come marching in singing the song, that’s a movement. Well, if 50 states aren’t in compliance and do what amounts to marching into the NHTSA offices singing a version of Alice’s Restaurant, that’s also a movement. And that’s enough for Congress to do something because no congressman wants his state to lose its share of free federal highway funds.

This is the key. It hasn’t been enough that the lower speed limit has done nothing to reduce fuel consumption or save lives. It didn’t make any difference that most people on the nation’s highways didn’t follow the speed limit. Letters and protests have had no effect previously. Now they can. Now there is a focus for the political system. The compliance failure gives the bureaucrats a reason to oppose the 55 mph speed limit and they’re more important than voters or motorists. They help formulate policy and have more to do with decisions than knowledge or reason.

Now is the time to get busy. The letters that weren’t effective two years ago will be effective in the next two years. Politicians must be able to say their constituents want the law changed and the letters give them that opportunity. It’s also important for everyone to continue voting with his right hand or with his foot. Compliance with the speed limit musn’t go over 50 percent wherever possible. Damn the insurance companies. Full Speed ahead.

We may not see the light at the end of the tunnel yet, but at least, we’ve found the tunnel.

HIGHWAY ROBBERY

A lesson in political science was provided recently by various California politicians. Governor Jerry Brown (aka Lord of the Flies) signed a law raising the registration fees for all vehicles so the money could be used to hire 670 more highway patrolmen to issue more speeding tickets. The bill was sponsored by Assemblyman Lou Papan who is known by virtually all highway patrolmen around the state Capitol as Ninety on Eighty Papan because he regularly drives 90 mph on Interstate 80.

In the newspaper account of the bill, it said “Papan said the bill will discourage speeding and provide more service for disabled drivers in rural areas.” Papan isn’t the only fast driver in the state legislature. Assembly Speaker Willie Brown is alleged to hold the unofficial speed record between San Francisco and Sacramento in his Turbo Porsche. As a matter of etiquette, legislators aren’t given speeding tickets when they’re stopped by the CHP.

MILWAUKEE FLASHER

Flashing lights have been limited to signal lights, warning lights and emergency vehicles by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108, even though various devices have been sold to operate flashing headlights on motorcycles. Now HarleyDavidson is getting into the act by petitioning the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to permit the use of modulated headlights on motorcycles for daylight use. In its petition Harley-Davidson said, “Due to the success of the modulated headlight in increasing motorcycle conspicuity Harley-Davidson would like to be able to introduce headlamp modulation as an option.”

OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

Are you getting tired of visiting the same old places? Has the Baja 1000 lost its challenge? Is the Alaska highway getting too much pavement? Take heart.

The Guilde Européenne de Raid is a group of motorcycling adventurers and the Guilde is now planning its next venture. In March, 1982 the group will embark on a three week ride through Algeria, riding “at an expedition pace rather than a competition pace.” The expedition is open to those with the money (7500F) and a motorcycle at least 250cc. A team of mechanics and doctors will accompany the group in four wheel drive vehicles. In all about 3000 mi. of desert in the Hoggar and Tassili regions will be covered.

Past tours by the Guilde have included the Caracas to Rio de Janeiro expedition across the Andes and the original Paris to Dakar race. Interested motorcyclists can contact the Guilde through Jean-Marc Cognot, 11 rue de Vaugirard, 75006 Paris, France. Phone (3) 326-9752.

NUMBERS RACKET

Numbers don’t mean much to the person who becomes a statistic or most of us who don’t, but they are used against motorcycling and we have some new numbers to present.

According to the Motorcycle Safety Foundation and the American Motorcyclist Association, who jointly compiled accident statistics for 1980, motorcycle registrations increased by 342,121 since the previous year to a total of 5.68 million. Motorcycle accidents actually decreased slightly, while fatalities increased 5.1 percent, less than the increase in registrations.

Overall motorcyclist fatalities per 10,000 registered motorcycles declined to 8.97 from 9.08. The fatality rate for motorcyclists is about three times the rate for automobile registrations and twice the rate of injury occurrence.

Some other interesting numbers come from California, which has the largest per-, centage of motorcycle riders of any state by a wide margin. It seems that motorcyclists in the golden state are getting older. From 1977 to 1981 the number of 16 to 14-year-old licensed riders decreased 39.6 percent after subtracting the reduction in population in this age group. Some of this may be attributed to riders who aren’t licensed, but the fatality and injury rate, in the last year for this youngest group of riders dropped 12.2 percent and 12.6 percent. So there are fewer young motorcyclists and fewer young motorcyclists getting hurt in California.

During that same four year period the number of motorcyclists over 65 increased 38.4 percent, the number aged 55 to 64 went up 21.2 percent and 45 to 54-year-old motorcyclists increased by 16.8 percent.

KATANA TECH UPDATE

Too late for inclusion in the Katana road test, here are some technical details straight from the designer, S. Shirasagi. The exhaust valve seats in the 1982 GS1000S engine differ from the seats in the 1981 GS1100 engine in that the material they are made from contains 11-18 percent copper to increase thermal conductivity. The new seats are twice as efficient in transferring heat as the older type.

A 19 percent silicone coating has been applied to the piston skirts to reduce scuffing during break-in. The GS1I00 engine

still uses a moly coating for the same purpose.

The GS1000S makes the same amount of power as the GS1100, according to Suzuki’s dyno tests, 105 bhp at 8500 rpm. However, the GS1000S makes slightly less torque with a higher peak, 65.5 lb.-ft. at 7000 rpm compared to the GSl 100’s 67.6 lb.-ft. at 6500 rpm.

Shirasagi directed the Katana project and designed the engine. H. Morikawa designed the frame and chassis for the Katana.

MOTORCYCLE FREEDOM

Motorcycles will be allowed in one more place in California because of their tremendous efficiency. The state Department of Transportation is now allowing motorcycles to use metered bypass lanes on freeways that had been reserved for busses or carpools. The state’s announcement said, “In addition to saving precious gasoline, motorcycles help relieve parking congestion in much the same way carpools do.” Motorcycles won’t be allowed on the carpool lanes on the freeways, however. If the motorcycles don’t create any problem on the ramp lanes,_ they may gain access to the restricted freeway lanes later, according to the state.

BIKES OF THE STAFF

Several months ago our colleagues at Road Rider magazine called, with an unusual question: What motorcycles do we, the editors here, own? Shortly after that our companion publication Road & Track printed a survey of the cars their editors own. In both cases the reason for the list was so the readers could know the personal preferences, perhaps even biases, of the people who do the praising, criticising and second guessing in the magazines.

Not a bad thought, we thought, so here are the bikes owned by the five riders who do Cycle World's tests:

AJS 500

Ducati 860GT

Ducati 900SS

Harley-Davidson XR750

Honda XL250

Honda RSC350

Honda CL72 (250 Scrambler)

Honda CB77 (305 Super Hawk)

Honda S65 Moto Guzzi 850-T Suzuki-engined Moriwaki Triumph Daytona Triumph T100S

(Separate but more than equal is the Henry N. Manney III collection, not included because he doesn’t have to come to the office and do what the editor says. But for the record Henry has a Bultaco Alpina, BMW R80/7, Matchless 500, Norton Manx, Triumph TR5 and Velocette KSS.)

With or without Henry, the list is a bit misleading. Almost all of our bikes are old, for one thing. Not all of them run, for another. The just-rebuilt Daytona ran for the first time in several weeks this morning. The T100S and Harley are being assembled and the AJS owner hasn’t even begun restoration. As a group the staff owned bikes are more sporting, have more character and less practicality than you’d find in a survey of motorcycle owners at large.

We don’t have to be practical. The test bikes and the rotating fleet of long-term bikes—Yamaha XV920, Suzuki GS1100 and BMW R100CS at this writing—take us on trips, and to and from work, to the hamburger stand for lunch, etc.

What does it all mean? Not much, except maybe that when we’re finished with working with other people’s motorcycles, we go home and play with our own. gg