Ups & Downs
Ups & Downs
UP: To Sheryl Crow, for making VH1 worth watching. In the video for her song “Steve McQueen,” the singer/guitarist pays homage to the late actor by reprising his roles in the classic films Bullitt, Le Mans and, closest to motorcyclists’ hearts, The Great Escape. We'll cut her some slack for riding what appears to be a black-painted KTM instead of a Triumph, but only because she was wearing the right T-shirt. And besides, as the helmetless
shots attest, she did the riding herself— though as was the case with McQueen, a stuntperson filled in for the famous fence jump. It should be noted, though, that Crow looks better than McQueen in a driving suit...
DOWN: To the state of Maine, for its ongoing no-Sunday-motorcycle-sales policy. Kittery Motorcycles, which is located near New Hampshire, where Sunday sales are allowed, claimed the prohibition violated equal protection because sales of other recreational equipment, such as boats, personal watercraft, ATVs and snowmobiles, are permitted. The United States District Court, however, ruled in favor of the law, noting the sale of automobiles is also forbidden on Sunday and that the legislature had a rational basis in treating motorcycles the same as automobiles.
UP: To Bob Dron, for honoring one of the all-time greats. The Oakland, California, Harley-Davidson dealer commissioned Utah artist Jeffrey Decker to create a life-size bronze sculpture of a head-down, flat-out Joe Petrali on his record-setting Daytona Beach speed run in 1937. “This great work of art pays tribute to not only one of America’s greatest motorcycle racing pioneers, but honors him as a native Bay Area Californian,” Dron remarked at the unveiling.
