Letters

LETTERS

Hub-center hubbub

As interesting as your April “Taming The Tesi” article was, I must take issue with one of Alan Cathcart's statements. Observing the Tesi’s radical hub-center steering,

Mr. Cathcart remarks, “. . . the ELF endurance racer designed by Frenchman Andre de Cortanze, rightfully gets credit for blazing a trail of original thought through the field of motorcycle chassis design.” That's wrong. Credit should go to the rightful owner, and I am stunned that an Englishman would rob the glory from one of his countrymen and hand it to the Frogs! I have enclosed a slide, shot in May, 1978, of one DiFazio Hub Steering Trident, photographed at Mr. DiFazio’s (I don't recall his first name) tiny workshop in Frome, Somerset, England. At that time, DiFazio also had a hub-steering 750 Ducati and had already grafted his design onto virtually every type of large-displacement street bike. Interestingly, while Laverda's endurance racing team campaigned one of his hub-steerers across the continent, DiFazio viewed his invention as primarily a touring application, believing it too heavy for racing.

So let’s set the record straight: It was a Briton —DiFazio—who gave the world hub-center steering, but it was the Italians who gave Britain DiFazio. The French . . . are French. You can look it up.

Lawrence L. Grodsky

Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania

We did look it up, and you're right: The French are French. But you're wrong on the matter of who invented what. Cathcart did not claim that the ELF was the first bike to have hubcenter steering: he merely said that the design of its entire chassis reflected original thinking, which is certainly true. And although the EL,F wasn't the first hub-steering motorcycle, its offset, single-arm style of hub-center steering was unique. As far as being the first hub-steering motorcycle is concerned, the Neraear of the Twenties is generally accorded that honor.

V-Max as Vespa

Your comparison of the V-Max and the Cobra (May, 1985) left me doubtful of your desires for the future of motorcycling. “Trolling for fresh victims” is only so much editorial crap, given any motorcyclist who can read has read too much about this pig called the V-Max to consider a straight-line race against it. A more apt comparison to the VMax would be the Chrysler hemi in any one of Chrysler’s overweight, oversized, ill-handling cars in the late 60s named for various fish and fowl. The V-Max is not destined to be any sort of legend. It is conceived from the same outdated concept that ruined the high-performance car in America: a mass-production vehicle with too much horsepower and weight, and its intent blared out with scoops and zooty names. Hopefully, it will fade faster than its fourwheeled brethren. The V-Max reminds me of a Vespa I've seen that's powered by a turbocharged Honda 500 engine. Though the VMax certainly is executed more professionally, its concept is no more sound. The major flaws in the Vespa were its lack of fake scoops and Cuisinart-blade rear wheel.

Mark Ronson

Columbus, Ohio

Aside from that, Mark, how do you like the bike?

A dubious collection

Regarding Steve Hasse's letter in the June. I 985 issue defending the Cagiva 650: Mr. Hasse claims that the Cagiva will become a “collector's item" in 10-1 5 years. Mr.

Hasse’s collection must also contain such notables as the Sears-Puch 200. numerous Jawa street rides, and a Carabela or two. The Cagiva won't have to wait to become an antique; it already is one, with pushrods as long as pogo sticks and the only electrical system on earth worse than a Lucas. Face it—this Ducati engine rivals only Briggs & Stratton. > The Kawasaki Ninja 600. on the other hand, with its dohc inlineFour motor, represents the Japanese engine in its most sophisticated chassis yet. Seen in this light, it is obvious that the Ninja deserves a place next to true classics such as the Indian V-Twins, the Ariel 500 Single, and the Triumph Twins.

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Matt Handi Rochester, New York

Gee, Matt, we're glad YOU didn't lose your objectivity the way Mr.

Hasse did.

Conflict of steering interest

I'm sorry, but I can’t just sit back and say nothing after reading Paul Dean's editorial (“Countering the Steering Myths") in the June issue. Paul undoubtedly has good intentions, but unfortunately he is perpetuating as many myths as he is correcting. A motorcycle does not steer only by countersteering, as Paul states; it can be steered without it. If this w ere not so, how is it I can ride at 60 mph with my arms folded and steer reasonably well?

Dave Saint Vancouver, B.C. Canada

The operative word is “reasonably. "

1 just read your editorial in the June issue. I can't hold my silence any longer. The front wheel is not turned in any direction to negotiate a turn above about 25 mph unless the rear wheel has drifted to the outside of the arc you are attempting in a turn. This is countersteering.

The only vehicle 1 know of which turns left when the steering rod is moved right is an outboard-powered boat.

Myron Peters Kihei, Hawaii

Whatever gets you through the corner, Myron.

I read your editorial in the June issue with great interest, w hich soon turned to disbelief, followed bv anger. Your advice on steering is so totally wrong that it borders on being criminal. For writing such garbage. you deserve to get on a bike, hit a curve at 50 mph and then take your own advice. Just let me know where to send the get-well card.

Clyde Glass La Canada, California

Congratulations to Paul Dean for his superb editorial, “Countering the Steering Myths." I know from personal experience of at least two riders who straightened out turns because they tried to tighten their lines by turning the handlebars in the direction they wanted to go. One was me.

Ralph D. Harris Grovetown, Georgia E3