Etc.

ETC.

HAILWOOD RACEBIKES ON THE BLOCK

Pauline Hailwood has announced that three racebikes once ridden by her late husband Mike Hailwood are for sale.

The three, now on display at the Donington Park Motorsport Museum in England, are a pair of Honda 500cc four-cylinder racers and a 350cc Four.

Hailwood declined to say what she is asking for the bikes, choosing to say only that the bikes are for sale on the condition that a potential buyer offers what she called “the right price.” An unconfirmed report suggested that Hailwood expects to realize about $1.8 million from the sale of all three machines.

CAGIVA/JAWA CONFIRM JOINT VENTURE

Joseph Mrva, general manager of Jawa, and Claudio Castiglioni, president of Cagiva, have signed an agreement that forms a joint bikebuilding venture between the two firms. Privitization of Jawa, heretofore wholly owned by the Czechoslovakian government, must be completed before the agreement becomes binding.

Once the deal becomes final, Jawa gains immediate access to Cagiva’s line of 350 and 500cc four-stroke Singles, with which it will begin production of efficient, low-cost motorcycles.

SPORT-TOURING, COLORADO ROCKIES-STYLE

Colorado motorcyclists should take note of the newly formed Sport Touring Riders Club of Colorado. According to founder B.J. Ondo, no dues are required and all sporttouring enthusiasts are welcome. For additional information, contact Ondo at 2006 Capulín Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80910; 719/635-3719.

STUDY DEBUNKS HELMET MYTH

A study involving more than 1000 motorcycle-accident victims disputes the belief that use of a helmet can result in spinal injury.

“It’s a myth that repeatedly surfaces, both in scientific literature and among riders, that the weight of a helmet can cause spinal injuries (during a crash),” said Elizabeth Orsay, assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Orsay directed the four-state study of 1153 motorcycle-accident victims brought to 28 hospitals in Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and Wisconsin from 1988 through 1990. Fifty-one of them, 4.4 percent, suffered serious spinal-cord damage. Orsay said a few more helmeted riders suffered spinal-cord damage than did non-helmeted riders. But, she said, the difference is statistically insignificant.

“Helmet use neither increases nor decreases the occurrence rate of spinal injuries in motorcycle accidents,” Orsay said.

Orsay also noted that her research supported previous findings that non-helmeted riders are more than twice as likely to suffer significant head injuries in an accident than are helmeted riders.

POLITICAL CLOUT, AMASTYLE

Motorcycle riders are voters, too.

That’s the message the AMA will try to send to politicians nationwide as citizens turn out for the vote November 3.

To help send that message, the AMA is offering a pair of lapel buttons that say, “I’m a motorcyclist registered to vote,” and “Motorcyclists vote too.”

The buttons are available for $2 each and can be ordered by writing to: AMA Rider Vote!, RO. Box 6114, Westerville, OH 43081-6114.