Letters
LETTERS
United we ride
I read with interest the “Sectional harassment” editorial in the January issue. I ride a Honda XL600 and a Harley 883 Sportster, so I am used to the double standard that David Edwards writes about. Over the years, I have had a 1956 BMW R/60, a 1946 Indian Chief, a 356 Porsche S90 roadster, a Mercedes, an Alfa, a Rolex watch, a Luger pistol, a Leica camera, a Winchester 52 rifle, a Vassar girlfriend and a Yamaha DT-1. All were overrated except the DT-1, but all (maybe excepting the Mercedes) were fun and a grand experience.
When you find a person whose pride is in his Stradavarius, keep going. When you find someone who makes beautiful music, stay and dance.
H. Scott McCann
Annapolis, Maryland
David Edwards’ Up Front column, “Sectional harassment,” really hit an open nerve with me. I ride a typical UJM, a 1983 Yamaha XS650. In 1987,1 fitted hard luggage, a trunk and a Vetter fairing, and joined an area touring club. But no matter how hard I tried, it was not accepted by the super-tourer riders. So, I changed it to a sport-tourer with a mini-fairing and performance items. Now, when I ride it to the local roadrace track, I hear comments like, “You ought to sell that wretched pile and get a real sportbike.”
It seems that with all the specialization of motorcycles in the mid ’80s and early ’90s, riders like myself, who enjoy standard bikes, are looked down upon. I'll continue to modify and ride my XS650. Sometimes, it’s fun to be the odd guy on the odd bike. And, remember, it’s not what you ride, but that you ride that counts.
B.J. Ondo
Colorado Springs, Colorado
I judge my fellow motorcyclists by who they are, not by what they ride. This is one reason why I have remained happy in the sport I have devoted 47 of my 64 years to.
Joe “Stroker” Burnett
Houston, Texas
In “Sectional harassment,” David Edwards told it like it is. The motorcycle world has been long overdue for this type of editorial. I hope it does some good.
What’s needed is for motorcyclists to unite into a political force to be reckoned with. We need to become a block of voting power, a conglomerate of motorcyclists united to protect all of our rights, looking out for each other instead of snubbing fellow riders because their brand name of fun and transportation is different than ours. Look, as motorcyclists, aren’t we independent-minded non-conformists to begin with? Doesn’t a fellow motorcyclist deserve respect for being one, regardless of what he rides?
Clayton Powers
Fort Devon, Massachusetts
It’s a damn shame that people have to consider their type of motorcycle as the best and that no other bike measures up. I feel sorry for those of us who don’t understand that if we all rode the same motorcycles, it would be a boring world. I feel sorry for those of us who won’t wave to a fellow motorcyclist on a different make and model of bike than theirs.
J. Ross Bluestone Metairie, Louisiana
I don’t ride a sportbike, cruiser, dual-purpose machine or Harley. A 1991 Honda Nighthawk currently shares my paycheck. But on any given day, I’d be happy to ride along with any good-natured soul who enjoys motorcycling the way it should be enjoyed. We share a common exhilaration, a passion for the sensation of owning and operating those wonderful inventions simple called motorcycles.
See ya down the road. And you can bet I’ll wave...no matter what you’re on.
Eddie Hall Columbus, Georgia
Compost chatter
Editor Edwards’ sniveling in the January issue was a real yawn. His Honda VF Superbike was acquired to ingratiate himself with the Japanese sportbike enthusiasts, his BSA Gold Star special is for the SoCal hot-rodders, the Velocette for the antique purists. Three bikes, three groups, three mindsets.
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Perhaps Mr. Edwards should lobby Congress to pass legislation against motorcycle bigotry. Good luck. I wouldn’t entertain certain subspecies of motorcycling (including puff-sheet editors) at my compost heap. And I’ll never wave back to any Gold Wing rider.
Kurt Hettiger Seattle, Washington
Burning mad
I’ve just read John Burns’ old-bike article, “Thirtysomethings,” in the January issue of Cycle World. Not far into it, I realized it was written by an ignorant punk who...
Harold Chance Independence, Missouri
...uses the opportunity only to point out the technical inabilities of these machines. Please find Burns a home at one of those stopwatch monthlies and...
Kurt Jensen Rochester, New York
...give him his walking papers as soon as possible. This type of writing is...
S.A. Phillips
Two Rivers, Wisconsin
...just adolescent spewings. Next time you decide to run a retrospective piece, select a writer who was alive when his subject was produced. Put Burns’ hairless butt on the unemployment rolls, with the money you save, give Peter Egan a raise, and...
Mike Riley Monroe, Louisiana
...in the future review submissions with greater care.
Karen Rae Cottom California, Pennsylvania.
Burns’ youth is no excuse for his lack of understanding or his condescending attitude. His opening paragraph, standing alone, should be enough to persuade you that this guy is in the wrong line of work, and... Dennis Fyffe Mt. Laurel, New Jersey
...if he thinks it’s all over at 30, I
pity the man.
LaVon D. Altenhofer
Harper, Iowa
And this, just in...
So, who is John Burns? His article, “Thirtysomethings,” was so good I read it twice in a row. I just turned 30, and his story really made me think, and laugh, too. Excellent, excellent! Thank you for great writing, Mr. Burns.
Scott Runtzel
South Lake Tahoe, California
Burns, formerly one of the editors of Cycle magazine and a casualty ofthat magazine’s collapse, responds: “First, my hairless butt is on the unemployment rolls. Second, does this mean from now' on, I only get to ride brandnew' Ducatis and IT ondas, instead of 30-year-old stuff? Dang!’’ The point of Burns’ story, for those who didn’t get it the first time, is that for every generation, there are classics.
Damn Yankees
It would have been more accurate, not to say a lot less self-serving, if Mr. Parkhurst (“The Early Years,”
CW, January, 1992) had written “None before us in the U.S. had actually tested bikes, taken them to dragstrips and race tracks, measured their performance, then written honest, objective reports about them.”
In England, we did full road tests, including timing top speed/acceleration, measuring braking distance from speed, and track testing racewinning bikes, back in the early ’50s.
John Joss
Los Altos, California
In Alan Cathcart’s review of the new, liquid-cooled Suzuki GSX-R750, there was a reference to the speedometer reading in kilometers, “one tipoff that the bike is bound for Europe.” Not necessarily so! It could be coming to Canada, where since late 1976 all vehicles must read in “klicks.”
We do get some exotic bikes that are not destined for the States-mainly prized items from Japan. So, next time, please don’t assume that anything is going to Europe just because of the speedo. It could be on its way to Canada.
Art Collins
Toronto, Canada □
