Ups And Downs

UPS AND DOWNS

UP: To the city of Santa Paula, California, for co-sponsoring “Splinter Road,” a board-track motorcycle racing exhibit. The exhibit includes several rare, old racebikes, as well as information about the sport and the men who rode the bikes on banked wooden tracks. “Splinter Road” runs through June 26 at the Unocal Oil Museum.

UP: To the Orange County Register, a daily newspaper in Orange County, California, for a lengthy article about senior citizens who ride motorcycles. The story shared the experiences of several area residents in their 70s and 80s. Not only did the story cast the sport in a positive light, it showed that motorcycling can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

UP: To Sherman Packard, a New Hampshire state representative, for attending a motorcycle conference and hosting a workshop called “How to Deal With Elected Officials.” Packard’s workshop was part of a three-day gathering, the Beast of the East, co-hosted by the Modified Motorcycle Association of Massachusetts and the Motorcycle Rights Foundation. The event drew more than 160 politically active riders.

DOWN: To “Another World,” a daytime drama on CBS. Justin T. Coker, of Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, saw an episode where a character mentioned a motorcycle.

“I thought, finally people are starting to realize that motorcycles and motorcycling are a big part of our society,” writes Coker. “Well, my joy was short-lived because in the very next sentence, the motorcycle was referred to as a ‘murdercycle.’” □