Letters

LETTERS

Free Duck rides

This letter is in response to a comment published in the October ’94 Letters section. Reader Whitney A. Turpen referred to the Ducati 916 as a “corny, stupid excuse for a motorcycle.” I hope this person realizes how much ignorance he littered with one small sentence.

The 916 is the most wonderful piece of machinery that I have ever owned. I’ll make a deal with good old Whitney. Fly to Maryland. I’ll pay for accommodations and give you the Duck for a day. But I want a 100-word essay on your,thoughts at the end. Jeff Sunstrom Glen Burnie, Maryland

Come in Kevin

I’ve got to get something off my chest. I really enjoy Kevin Cameron’s TDC column. Mr. Cameron manages to transform topics like metallurgy into something ethereal each month. However, I just realized I’ve never understood a thing he has ever written. Whatever it is, it’s great. Keep up the good work, Mr. Cameron. By the way, what does TDC stand for, anyway?

Quint McDermott Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

Totally Difficult Column?

Egan alive and well

Peter Egan’s “Ride Home” column in the September issue was as finely crafted, as beautiful a piece of writing as I have ever read. Period. I hate to admit that it left me with wet eyes, but that’s exactly what it did. When he finally dies, you ought to bronze him, his bike and a pen, and put them on a plinth. As for me, I’ll continue to subscribe for a long as he writes for you.

John Castagna Silver Spring, Maryland

Peter thanks you for the thoughts, but reports he is the healthiest BMW/Ducati/Norton/ZX-11 owner on the face of the Earth, and there are no plans for bronzing in the immediate future.

Doin’ the wave

Just wanted to drop a line to congratulate reader Matt Morrow (see Letters, October) for being the last living Harley rider who will still wave to other motorcyclists. I recently took the 916 out for a ride on the same weekend that many Harley riders were returning from Sturgis. After a dozen Harley riders refused to return my wave, I began to think my bright red Ducati was invisible. By the time I had exited the freeway, more than 60 Harley riders had failed to return the courtesy. What is with these people? Are they really that special? Has vibration blurred their vision? Or is being a jerk just another one of those things that if you have to ask, you wouldn’t understand? Scott Rothermel

Hinsdale, Illinois

What Generation X babes ride

Dear Sirs (can you really call people who wheelie as much as you guys sirs?), please review mid-size dualsport bikes. How about a shootout of the KL250, DR350S, XL250 and XT350? I notice these bikes are popular with the more hardcore San Francisco Generation X babes.

Keep up the good work on the ’zine.

Richard Wozniak Boulder Creek, California

Turn the Juice loose

The low blow dealt to O.J. Simpson (CW, October, page 32) is completely out of character for your magazine. It was a tasteless and tacky remark. I think you should print an apology for this slur. Art Lisle

McAlester, Oklahoma

Okay, we apologize for calling Simpson a “knife-murder suspect.” Now, if you can just convince the L.A. District A ttorney s office....

White man speaks truth

The new Indian sure is ugly.

Tom Hurd Broad Brook, Connecticut

Gas leak

In the September ’94 issues of Motorcyclist and Cycle World magazines, both did road tests of the new BMW RI 100GS. There were some big differences in the performance numbers generated by each magazine. It seems CW is quicker and has a cool HP/Torque graph, but MC is faster and can go farther on a tank of gas. M. Nixon

Frederick, Maryland

Motorcyclist has always been better with gas than us. □

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