Letters
LETTERS
Café Harley
May I make a small correction to the report on the Sportster-based Goodman HDS cafe-racer in the March issue? Author Roland Brown stated that Simon Goodman’s grandfather, Percy Goodman, was founder of Velocette. Actually, the founder was Percy’s father, Johannes Gutgemann, who began business in England in the 1890s.
The HDS 1200 Brown rode is a fine-looking model, and a worthy successor to the old Velocettes. A pity the name could not have been retained. I worked as a racing mechanic at Velocette in the late Forties and early Fifties, when we won three world championships in the 350cc class. I wish Mr. Goodman the best of luck with his creation. With the rotary Norton and the new Triumph, we may yet see a British comeback.
Hedley J. Cox San Antonio, Texas
I can’t stop looking at the pictures of the Goodman HDS. This is a truly beautiful motorcycle.
Mr. Goodman has captured everything I love in a bike: café-racer look, black-and-gold color scheme, Harley motor and sound. For me, this is motorcycle heaven. Wilson High Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
It’s sad that Americans who want sportbikes have no real choice but to buy Japanese. I hope Harley-Davidson reads this article. There’s a wideopen market for an American superbike.
Timothy D. Palmateer North Miami, Florida
Bring on the Big Zeph
I especially enjoyed Cycle World’s March feature on the new Kawasaki Zephyr 1100. This is the first bike from Japan in the past decade that I covet enough to consider buying. I sincerely hope that Kawasaki exports this one to the U.S.
David W. Zuck Midlothian, Virginia
Concerning the Zephyr 1100, Kawasaki will have a huge success if it keeps the price reasonable, and gives the bike some character. A throaty exhaust note and that characteristic Kawasaki whistle from the primary gears would be wonderful.
If Kawasaki can target this bike correctly, my 1990 Ninja ZX-6 will soon have a companion in the garage.
Paul Forrest
North Potomac, Maryland
I had decided to go out and buy a 600 or 750cc sportbike, then I got the March issue of CW with the riding impression of the Zephyr 1100. Now, there’s a bike! Harold Hirst Orlando, Florida
Kawasaki officials tell us, “We are virtually certain that we will be bringing the Zephyr 1100 to the U.S. market. It’s only a question of when, and that’s a near-term question.’’
Non-sense
In his “Motorcycles for America” column, Editor David Edwards makes a lot of sense in his call for improved standard motorcycles. Sense, however, doesn’t have all that much to do with the way we choose motorcycles.
Give American motorcycle customers a sensible design and they’ll stay away in droves. If quality in design was all we wanted, Honda would have sold a million Hawk GTs. That slick little Twin had all the high-tech goodies you could want, but sold so poorly that today you can buy leftovers at deep discount.
Edwards is right; we need a good standard. But most of us don’t have enough sense to know it.
My own ride is a built-up Yamaha SRX-600. It needs 100-octane race fuel because of its 640cc, 11:1 piston, and, yes, my hands get numb after the first hundred miles of single-cylinder vibes, and, sure, my chiropractor keeps an open spot for me because I’m too damn old to be kick-starting a big Single. Hell, I even bought a Hawk GT, but it didn’t make me grin like my Thumper does, and until we can quantify the grin factor, we’ll never fully understand why folks are attracted to quirky motorbikes. J.P Palmer Balboa, California
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Indian uprising?
A few months ago, I was informed that Indian motorcycles were going back into production. Do you have any information on the status of this great old American marque? Ed Owens Rosedale, Maryland
Check out this issue ’s Roundup for an update on the Indian situation.
Polish pen pal
I am very happy that I can get your magazine in this country. I own a Yamaha XS400SG and would be grateful to find friends in America who want to exchange correspondence with a rider from Poland.
Miroslaw Luczynski 90-980 UPT Lodz-7 Skr.Poczt.231 Poland
Beauty and the Beemer
I found Managing Editor Brian Catterson’s scathing Editors ’ Notes observations about the new BMW R100R in the March issue to be trivial and unjust.
The beauty of the R100R does not lay in a swirl of neon color or in provocative styling, but in its perpetuation of BMW’s traditional values of reliability, consistency and rider satisfaction. I would advise Mr. Catterson that in his future attempts to enlighten readers on issues of aesthetic appreciation, that he not include his own photograph with his commentary. Katherine L. Hall Colorado Springs, Colorado
Rockin’ role
Peter Egan’s March column, “Road Music,” leads me to share the following bike-music associations. Highpiped Triumphs remind me of the Wild One soundtrack by those cooljazz musicians, Shorty Rogers, Maynard Ferguson, etc. Specifically, the cut “Drag for Beers” brings to mind a BSA Gold Star Catalina (so much like Editor Edwards’ Beezer) squaring off against Egan’s Triumph Trophy.
And whenever I hear anything from the Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, I visualize late’60s BSA Twins with chrome-plated tanks. Mike Hopkins Rohnert Park, California
Safe sex
David Edwards’ February column, “Sex Lessons,” about the MSF's Experienced Ridercourse was greatly appreciated. I had 24 years of riding experience when I took the course, and I believed the most I would get out of it was a few helpful hints. I was wrong.
For the first time, I learned how to ride a motorcycle as it was designed to be ridden. I was your basic old dog learning a new trick. It can be done.
David Maxwell Toms River, New Jersey
Turbo roll call
There was once an organization known as the CX-Turbo International Owners’ Association, which later evolved into the Turbo Motorcycle International Owners’ Association and then faded from existence. The founder, Mr. John Nee, has turned all club materials over to me so that I might revive this organization. There is no membership fee at present; our main goal is to establish a communications network among as many owners of factory turbocharged bikes as possible and list them in an international directory.
Interested readers can contact me at the address listed below or phone me at 703/433-7196.
Allen G. Lough Rt.l, Box 436 Penn Laird, Virginia 22846
Situation normal
I am a 16-year-old, and all I think about are motorcycles. My friends daydream about girls all the time. Not me, though. I dream about sportbikes, and then girls. I’ve got my eye on a new Kawasaki ZX-7, and I’ve got enough motorcycles magazines to start a bonfire that would last for three days. Please tell me I’m all right and that I don’t have a rare disorder.
Richard Wymer Chapin, South Carolina
Your priorities are in order,
Richard. As you get older, though, day-to-day life will cut into your daydreaming, and you ’ll have to budget your time accordingly. Most of the energy-efficient CW staff, for example, saves time by dreaming about girls on sportbikes. S3
