Letters
LETTERS
On the warpath
My husband and I have been reading with great interest the unfolding saga of the Springfield, Massachusettsbased Indian Motocycle Company and its president, Philip Zanghi. We were die-hard proponents of Indian’s revival until Zanghi took us for a ride.
Prompted by an advertisement, in October, 1992, we ordered a leather jacket from the new Indian Company. Always smart shoppers, we ordered by phone, paid by credit card and asked point-blank, “Can we get a full refund if not satisfied?” A resounding “Yes” was the response, so we waited for delivery while dreaming of a supple black leather jacket with hand-stitched Indian logo on the front and brilliant red-white-and-blue American flag on the back. We’re still dreaming.
Oh, the jacket arrived. Poorly sewn, with gaping holes in the flag, and the texture of Naughahyde. We sent it back, requested our previously promised refund, and were told “No way” by various sales representatives. We attempted to deal amiably with Mr. Zanghi himself. Not only did he refuse to speak to us, but he instructed his staff to hang up on us after uttering “No refunds!” (which they did repeatedly). The jacket came back and was refused by us three times.
We complained to the U.S. Postal Service, the Better Business Bureau and various consumer-action groups, all to-as of yet-no avail. We decided to write Cycle World out of concern for fellow riders and mail-order shoppers, and for our own peace of mind. We once wanted to add a new Indian motorcycle to our collection, but now the name only reminds us of our pledge to never again deal with this company. Michelle L. & Thomas J. Bürget Kings Park, New York
A call to Zanhgi verified Indian ’s “no refund" policy, though it will exchange merchandise if a customer is not satisfied. Zanghi says that 6000 of the $300 jackets have been sold, with only 36 complaints. A call to the Better Business Bureau revealed that the file on this situation is closed and that the BBB is satisfied with Indian ’s response to the Burgets. Sale of the jackets has helped finance a new liquid-cooled, 151 lcc Indian, which Zanghi claims will be unveiled July Fourth.
On the right path
When the right-rear Progressive Suspension shock on my 1988 Honda Gold Wing broke after 60,000 miles of use, I called Progressive and was told to mail both shocks in. Two days later, new replacement shocks arrived, no charge, and my bike was back together that night. All in all, Progressive Suspension makes an excellent product, and stands behind it. This type of quality and service is all too rare. Tom Rhoades Pasadena, Maryland
I am 20 years old and recently took up motorcycling. Two weeks ago, I had a nasty experience with a patch of ice and tore up my 1982 Yamaha Seca 750 pretty good. Being a college student and rather low on funds, I looked for an inexpensive place to repair my bike. I stumbled upon Broken Spoke Motor Sales in Lawton, Oklahoma. The courteous folks there were extremely informative about my bike’s problems and what it would take to fix them. When I got the Seca back, I was surprised to find that despite the low repair bill, they were still kind enough to do minor things such as adjust my brakes, clutch, headlight, etc. Thanks to Broken Spoke for helping out a beginning motorcyclist. Conan A. Gray Lawton, Oklahoma
Why don’t most race-leather manufacturers cater to larger riders? Playing inside-linebacker for Appalachian State University takes up most of my Saturdays, but Sundays I campaign a pair of Ducati 900s in a local vintage roadracing club. The time came for some serious protection, but as I shopped around for full leathers, I found that off-the-peg stuff stopped at size 48 or so. Most custom shops I called either balked at producing a suit for a 6-foot-6, 275-pound man, or quoted me a ridiculously high estimate (as much as $2500!). I finally found happiness with Z Custom Leathers in California. Z produced a top-notch outfit with foam and plastic armor, ventilated stretch panels and an absolutely perfect fit for well under $1000. Mark Sisk Boone, North Carolina
My beloved Honda CBR1000F with 6500 miles on the dial developed a loose seat. I took the bike to the local dealer where Eve been well taken care of for tune-ups, tires, etc., but no real reason was given for the loose seat. Even though the bike was out of warranty, it had never been dropped, in a wreck or even had two people on it for any length of time, so I called American Honda’s corporate offices, hoping to find a resolution.
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To my surprise, the very next day the dealer called to let me know that a new seat and mounting brackets, all paid for by American Honda, were waiting for me to be installed at my convenience. I want to express my appreciation to Honda for its attendance to my needs. My situation was resolved quickly and efficiently, and proves that any problem, big or small, can be solved if handled correctly. Douglas Devita Atlanta, Georgia
Wottle she do?
In March’s “The New 750cc Superbikes” article, you say the new Yamaha YZF750 is the fastest production 750 Cycle World has ever tested. Yet, as was mentioned in the article, the bike ran without mirrors or turn-signals. Without those appendages, it went 159 mph. With mirrors and turnsignals, the Kawasaki ZX-7 went 157. To be fair, you should rerun the top-speed portion of the test and give the ZX the same advantage the YZF had. Don’t make proclamations based on Rawed and unfair data. Jeff Swan Liberty, Missouri
Point well taken, though it is somewhat moot. Only 15 YZFs will be brought into the U.S. this year, all bound for the racetrack. As we concluded in the test, the ZX-7 is the best street-legal 750cc repli-racer you can buy in 1993 (though it still may not be the fastest, as we have yet to test its limited-edition stablemate, the racier ZX-7R).
Hey, Harley
The Bartels’ Harley XLR1200 street-tracker in the March issue is the most beautiful motorcycle 1 have ever seen. What a disappointment it is not a production bike. Surely Harley could make a simple bike such as this for a reasonable price. The company’s catalog is full of low-production bikes; what’s one more? RUSSGII Weil Sunnyvale, California
Brain drain
I am experiencing extreme mental pain. How, please tell me how, do you figure cubic centimeters of displacement from an engine’s bore and stroke in millimeters? Buck Rogers Pensacola, Florida
What, Ming the Merciless couldn’t figure this out for you? To compute an engine's displacement in cc, first convert the bore and stroke figures from millimeters to centimeters (divide each by 10), then use the following formula: (R2 x n) x S x C, where R is the cylinder’s radius (half the bore), S is the stroke, C is the total number of cylinders and n is approximately 3.1416.
Manly machines
I’m writing in reference to Martin Cvitkovich’s letter in your February issue (he asked if it was normal to have a lump in his throat after selling his ’67 Triumph to buy a new HarleyDavidson Sportster) and Cycle World's, not-so-funny editorial reply (you said, yes, it was normal, that “the longer you ride your Harley, the bigger the lump will become.”).
I have owned two Triumphs, a TR6 and T120R. I now own a 1989 Sportster. Any time I start getting mistyeyed over the Triumphs, I remind myself of the poor electrics, burnedout lightbulbs, oil leaks, vibration, cracked fender braces and exhaustpipe mounts, and all the times I had to push or haul them home. As a Harley owner, I find your remarks about the Sportster especially offensive, and inconsistent with previous CW articles on Sportsters. Mine is an enjoyable, trouble-free motorcycle.
I thought about canceling my subscription to your magazine, but overall I do enjoy it, even if Peter Egan didn’t have the good sense to hang on to his Sportster. Larry G. Shy Dexter, Missouri
Fear not, Editor David Edwards still has his Sportster, a 1991 model. Also, you misinterpreted the editorial reply. The lump in the throat that we mentioned had nothing to with nostalgia; instead it referred to the Adam ’s apple, which, as everyone knows, increases dramatically in size with Harley-Davidson ownership. We apologize if the reference was too subtle.
