Letters

LETTERS

On the money

Hats off to Peter Egan for his excellent article about the Honda CB500 and CB550 (see “The Three Hundred Dollar Jewel,” CW, June). He is fortunate to have run across such a sweet deal on such a fine machine. Back in 1978, I purchased a used 1976 550 Super Sport that I rode for several years. I still regret the day I sold the thing. Other than normal maintenance and a throttle cable, the bike gave no problems, only mountains of riding pleasure. It was not stunning in any one category, but an outstanding all-around bike. I am now on my fourth bike since I sold the 550, but none is missed as much as that one. In recent years, I have occasionally looked for another one. Unfortunately the only ones I have been able to find show extreme wear. After seeing Peter’s luck, I’m going to keep up the searchgood ones are still out there.

Robert Schwader Rockledge, Florida

Peter Egan’s “The Three Hundred Dollar Jewel” brought me back to my early touring days. I purchased a brand-new CB550K1 four-piper in the spring of ’75, foregoing the CB750 choice for the same reasons outlined in the article. At the same time, my twin brother purchased the larger 750. I recall vividly the times he would be upset at not being able to keep up with the diminutive 550 on twisty backroads. My metallic-orange 550 was a super one-up tourer-during my three and a half years of ownership, I rode it 48,000 miles, including numerous eastern U.S. tours, and a three-month solo jaunt to California. I traded it (mufflers intact) for a ’78 CX500, gaining shaft drive, and losing the four-cylinder magic. Rob Pflug

Spartanburg, South Carolina

“The Three Hundred Dollar Jewel” was right on the money. Having re-entered the sport after an 11 -year break, I was disappointed with the bikes currently offered by the major manufacturers. The focus is much too narrow. You can’t cruise on a sportbike and you sure can’t be very sporting on a cruiser. Touring on either would be a chore. With very little effort, however, I was able to locate a clean, stock 1978 KZ650 with 13,800 miles for $925. Here is a well-balanced motorcycle that makes reasonable compromises in order to cruise, sport and tour in an acceptable fashion. Until the manufacturers decide to produce a standard motorcycle with modern technology and humane ergonomics, there are plenty of late model 500-900cc alternatives available for less than $1500.

Philip M. West Glenview, Illinois

Agostini rules

I very much enjoyed your May, 1994, issue for its photo essay on Giacomo Agostini. In the 1950s there were Güera and MV Agusta fourcylinders, Norton and Matchless Singles, and the fabulous Moto Guzzi V-Eights. While the motors were of four-stroke design, the implementation and character of each machine was profoundly unique, each design a direct result of a small group’s effort. Men who raced during that time speak of the great differences in exhaust note, power delivery and handling. Looking across 30 or 40 years of motorcycling history, I wonder how much has been gained and at what cost. In the present, variety in thought, construction and riding style has become boringly homogeneous to me. For a brief few pages in your magazine, there were the gentle memories of what was in another time, another place. Thank you for publishing such a beautiful essay. Christopher Perez

Hillsboro, Oregon

Finding the AMA

I am a U.S. soldier stationed in Schweinfurt, Germany, and am going crazy trying to find the American Motorcyclist Association’s address so I can join. There are ads all through your magazine, but all have a 1-800 number that can’t be dialed from overseas.

Could you please print the AMA’s address so that other overseas soldiers can join and give their support to the AMA’s causes? PFC Roberts

Schweinfurt, Germany

Done. You can contact the American Motorcyclist Association at 33 Collegeview Rd., Westerville, OH 43081. The non-800 phone number is 614/ 891-2425; fax 614/891-5012.

Britbike aid

In reading your Letters column of April ’94, I was interested to find out about Motorcycle Touring Services and its roadside-assistance program. People probably don’t know about another program named ROADCALLS. This is a service started by me and the British Iron Association of Connecticut expressly for riders of British machines.

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MEMBER

MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY COUNCIL, INC.

The rationale is simple: British bikes are different. Different fastener sizes (SAE, Whitworth or other stranger systems), different construction (sludge trap? Lucas?) and different parts sources than modern bikes. From our humble beginnings of just a few club members, the ROADCALLS list is now in its seventh year, and has over 130 listings from interested riders in 17 states from coast to coast. Peter Thiel Canton, Connecticut

A great idea for die-hards touring on British bikes, ROADCALLS is more a member-supported help group than a professional roadside-assistance program. Members list their hometowns, phone numbers and services they’re willing to provide (tools, shelter, welding, transport, etc.). Cost of joining is just $2. Thiel tells us that specific addresses are kept strictly confidential, and are not sold or disclosed to any other organization. For more info, contact ROADCALLS at BIA of CT, P.O. Box 610, Canton, CT 06019

Fun with Dick

I was reading the “Ups & Downs” column in the May ’94 issue and had a thought in regards to former California Assemblyman “Dick” Floyd and his stance on bikers and helmets. My question is, why doesn’t someone use a helmet to beat him about the head and shoulders? The end result may be that our misguided and misdirected legislatures will ban helmets as “assault weapons” and at least we’ll have one of our freedoms of choice left.

If you publish this letter, I’ll probably be on the Secret Service list so get ready to forward my subscription to the nearby Federal facility! Rick Wilde Somewhere in New Jersey

Comparo complaints

In your June comparison test you praise the winning Ducati 888 (see “Fast Freddie and the Supersport 750s”), and I agree it is a great machine, but why give the two-cylinder bike a displacement advantage over the Japanese Fours. Maybe because in a straight competition (cc against the same cc), it would get its ass kicked?

Isn’t it true that two cylinders are slower than four, all things being equal?

Stan Smith Harvey, Louisiana

That ’s a question that the FIM and the AMA are wrestling with at this very moment. In years past, Twins were at a serious performance disadvantage against inline-Fours, but as Ducati’s recent success has shown, that isn’t necessarily the case anymore. The problem for race organizations: How to bring the Ducatis and Fours into performance parity without penalizing the up-and-coming V-Twin efforts of, say, Harley-Davidson, which needs the current weight breaks and displacement advantage. The Ducati 888 was included in our comparison test because 1) it regularly races against the 750 Fours and 2) in stock form, its performance numbers match those of most 750 Fours.

House vs. bike

David Edwards put the spotlight on a frightening reality in his column “The Dunstall Chronicles” (see Up Front, CW, May, 1994) when he wrote that motorcycles usually come out second best in a head-on collision between real estate and bikes.

I, too, sacrificed a beautiful ride to swing the purchase of a home. I even deluded myself into thinking I could buy another bike with the tax refund I would get as a homeowner. Guess what? The landscaping became a priority, as did the sprinklers, the patio, fencing, furniture and other useless stuff that won’t fit in a saddlebag.

Now the third stall in my three-car garage sits empty, waiting for the day I can once again afford a two-wheeler. In the meantime, my neighbors wonder why the guy driving the riding mower is wearing a Shoei and full leathers.

Jerry Hall Palmdale, California

Skorpion alert

If, in fact, the new MZ Skorpion Single becomes available in the U.S. please let us know 1) cost and 2) where available. It looks like a motorcycle should-uncluttered, with the engine the focal point. Kirk Ainslie

Macomb, Illinois

Turn to page 44 of this issue for the information. You ’re welcome.