Letters

LETTERS

Egan's Army

Peter Egan's return to Cycle World was long overdue. The man is a poet, and his words add to the quality of your magazine. I hope his column, Leanings, is for the longterm.

Louis Thelen Eugene, Oregon

After years of subscribing to carenthusiast magazines only, I have finally added yours to my coffee table. It was Peter Egan's column that persuaded me.

David Whitney Oakland, Maine

Peter Egan’s column, “All my rowdy friends” (January, 1988), about his past riding buddies trading bikes for personal computers, describes a familiar situation. Why a person would want to buy a computer instead of a motorcycle escapes me, but perhaps it’s because current bikes are too heavy, too complex, too expensive, too gaudy and not versatile enough for everyday use.

Seth Conners Allendale, New Jersey

I enjoyed Peter Egan’s “All my rowdy friends” column in the January issue, but have to admit that the same sad state of affairs has come home to roost here in Colorado.

I have to attribute some of it to the lack of choice in the showrooms. I know that sounds crazy, what with the model-proliferation we’ve seen, but not if you analyze it. The major manufacturers offer a bizarre array of undesirable bikes (at least to my 44-year-old sense of values): sportbikes with more horsepower than insurance allows; uncomfortable riding positions that make me wonder how the Japanese perceive our physical structure; prices as ridiculous as the depreciation rates of the machines; self-obsolescence that appeals to no age; parts unavailability that really makes Harley envied; and bikes that offer very little room for the custom or personal touch which Americans enjoy and dealers used to rely upon for profits.

So, I find myself looking at bikes with a following and a heritage— Nortons, BMWs, Triumphs, Guzzis, etc. Not only are they something that I can relate to, but they have

things, like people, to make them interesting: Norton Clubs, British Motor Cycle Clubs, Harley Owners Groups, and more that don’t come to mind at present. Any way you cut it, bikers are eccentrics and unique. Take that individuality from the sport and you may as well head for the word-processor/computer.

John Block Aurora, Colorado

In regards to Peter Egan’s column, “All my rowdy friends,” a few words from someone who rediscovered motorcycling at age 50. I can still don my gloves, helmet, boots and leather jacket on a cool morning and make the horizon tilt, as in the days when I was a motorcycle-frenzied kid. Yes, my reflexes are not quite what they used to be, so I’ve slowed down. And I do need my bifocals to see the instrument cluster. But Pete, there is life after 50.

As the song goes, “Love is Lovelier the Second Time Around.”

Capt. A. Frank Campbell, USN APO New York

If Peter Egan is serious about wanting a Triumph TR6 high-piper,

I have one for sale.

Daniel Box Odessa, Texas

Check Egan 's column this month and you 'll see that he's already deep in the tangles of Triumph ownership. You may be able to sell him a cure for leaky carburetors, however. >

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All's well that runs well

I have to disagree with your final comments in February’s riding impression of the $22,000 Yoshimura Tornado 1100 (“Where are you going to find a 180-mph streetbike at any price?’’). There are quite a few 180-mph streetbikes, and very few cost $22,000. My Harris Magnum runs a 1300cc motor with a Mr.

Turbo application. Power is around 150 bhp at the rear wheel, enough for 183 mph at 10,500 rpm on current gearing. The bike starts well and is completely reliable so far, all for $11,000.

I.C. Neal

Felixstowe, England

Wea culpa

In your January, 1988 issue, in the test of the Yamaha 350 Warrior, you suggested that the engine is similar to that in Yamaha’s XT350 dual-purpose two-wheeler. This is in error, unless you are referring only to displacement. The XT350 has a dohe, shim-and-bucket four-valve head and no electric starting. The cases, crank and just about all the other parts are different from the sohe, two-valve, threaded-adjuster Warrior.

Scot M. Tway Auburn, Alabama

Spellbound

Hey you guy’s why Don’t you think about us Little guy’s I’m 12 see I riDe a Yamaha 80 anD my friends riDes HonDa 80 anD we always argue wich is the Best, why Don’t you have a showdown to Prove to us hows best a Yamaha YZ80 or CR80 HonDa?

P.S Do think you can Put a Little more Dirt Bike in your CycleworlD maguzene?

Bryan Hall Draper, Utah

Tell you what, Bryan. We'll look into doing a YZ80/CR80 comparison if you 'll promise to stop using Motorcyclist magazine as a guide for spelling and punctuation. SI