USA! USA! USA!

I was glad to see the advertisement in the latest American Motorcyclist magazine for the new AMA gear. It states at the bottom: “New Designs. Made in the USA”! It is always good to see things made right here in our own country and, when given a choice, I always buy American. So a big “thumbs up” to the AMA for supporting American workers. It is the American Motorcyclist Association, after all.

Ride On.

Matt Prince | Temecula, Calif.

 

Standard Appeal

All of us are aware that motorcycling is experiencing a lull in new bike sales.

While some of this can be blamed on computer gaming, modern traffic and lack of disposable income, I assert that the manufacturers should shoulder a portion of this due to their choice of offerings.

In the mid-1980s moto-magazines trumpeted the thrill of street-going race replicas and factories veered away from previously popular, do-it-all bikes like the GS, CB and KZ series. I assert that this presented a vacuum in the market. Choices became so rigidly segmented, there was a hole that the Bandit, the ZRX and the CBX once inhabited—light bikes with fat power, reasonable ergonomics and credible carrying-capacity.

While some factories are currently toying with concepts like the Kawasaki Z900RS, the moto-press insists far too strongly on labeling these as “retro,” toxically implying “old-fashioned,” and I for one have no desire to return to chrome fenders.

But I AM willing to spend bread on newer, more versatile designs that are rooted in the universal appeal of the good ol’ standard.

Greg Webb | New York, N.Y.

Mind The Coolant

Your article “Nine Tips To Make Your Bike Run Longer” (January issue) mentioned the usual suspects for engine maintenance, but left out the coolant. The engine coolant needs to be checked not just for level, but for the correct concentration of the correct antifreeze.

And while you are down there, the radiator hoses should be checked for signs of aging as well. The lower one in particular picks up a lot of abuse from the road.

Mike Spangler | Soap Lake, Wash.

What, Me Crash?

I’m a longtime rider but new AMA member who just received my first American Motorcyclist. I really like the magazine, but I find it interesting that the letter of the month includes the quote “it’s not a matter of if you crash but when you will crash.”

This is not only not true but the kind of thinking that keeps many new people from joining the motorcycle world. Just saying.

Ric Clements | Vail, Ariz.

First Americans

Loved your coverage of the International Six Days Enduro in the January 2020 edition (“Almost Perfect In Portugal”). Your readers probably don’t know that America’s first foray into the ISDE (formerly known as the International Six Days Trial) began in 1960. Walt Axthelm rode that year but was not able to finish the event.

Three Americans entered the following year, 1961 in Wales. They were Bud Ekins on a Triumph, Loyd Lingelbach and Jim Brunson, both on Greeves.

Lingelbach was injured during the event and wasn’t able to finish, but both Ekins and Brunson did. They got lost on Day Three, dropping them from gold to silver medals but they were the first Americans to ever finish the event.

Don Brunson | Simi Valley, Calif.

Touring & Travel

When I receive my monthly AMA magazine, I proceed to read it cover to cover. I subscribe to the road version and also read the off-road version online. I then pass the magazine on in an effort to generate interest in the AMA. I really enjoy reading articles about motorcycle touring and travel.

The January 2020 magazine contains two such articles. I particularly enjoyed “Giving up the Reins” by Steve Swanson. Having a son that I only occasionally get to ride with, I can relate to this article with fondness.

“Great Britain and Ireland Ride” by Rick Wheaton was an interesting read, but I do find some error in this article. While Sir Malcolm Campbell set a world land speed record of 301.129 mph at Bonneville on Sept. 3, 1935, his son, Donald Campbell, did not set a Bonneville record, nor did he do 500 mph. Donald Campbell’s record of 403.135 mph was set on the salt at Lake Eyre, Australia on July 17, 1964. Donald Campbell’s record stood for 78 days until Tom Green piloted Walt Arfons’ Wingfoot Express to 413.199 mph at Bonneville on Oct. 2, 1964. I did, however, enjoy this article and the effort that Rick Wheaton put into it.

While I have travelled by motorcycle in Canada and Mexico, I doubt that I will ever travel in the United Kingdom or Europe. There’s a whole lot of the USA that I need to see, and time is running out.

Raymond Stith | Rodeo, Calif.

Typical Biker

I don’t mean to be argumentative with Robert Johnson’s point of view in “The Changing Meaning of ‘Biker’” (January issue), but I find the opposite to be true versus the past.

In the 1970s, the bike of choice was the Honda CB750 single cam at most of the events I attended. There was a rich pallet of motorcycles in those days—Triumphs, BSA, Norton, Moto Guzzi, BMW and bikes from the Big Four and an occasional Harley.

For many reasons, I had not attended a rally for almost 25 years and recently began to attend rallies here in New York. Big V-Twins are about 95 percent of the crowd with Harley Davidsons by the hundreds. Victory, Indian and Metric Cruisers are in abundance with just a few adventure bikes. At one event I attended, I was the only four-cylinder bike on my ancient Kawasaki Spectre.

Far from being a dinosaur, Mr. Johnson is totally up to date. At least where I live.

Jim Zeiser | Hyde Park, N.Y.

Bravo, Dale!

My congrats to Dale Walksler for being inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2019.

Years ago, three of us rode our motorcycles from Texas to North Carolina and visited Dales’ Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley, N.C. Never in my life had I seen so many old motorcycles in one building that were so well presented. There was even a Crocker on display. I had read about them but never expected to see one.

Dale walked by, and I said, “Your motto is ‘The Museum That Runs.’ Does that include the Crocker?”

He said, “Wait a minute while I get some gas, and we will see.”

He added some fuel, kicked at most twice, and the Crocker fired off.

Then Dale said, “Open the door. I don’t like to start ’em and not ride ’em.”

What?

We ran to the door and watched him with our mouths open as he gave the bike throttle and proceeded to throw gravel as he dropped the clutch.

He came back and asked if we were spending the night in one of the many mom and pop motels in the area. If so, he would meet us for breakfast the next day. Sure enough, Dale drove up the next morning in an antique auto.

What a nice guy, and what a great little town to visit and spend some time in. Even for the non-motor type folks, there’s something for everyone in the Valley.

Ted Pasche | Argyle, Texas

Correction

A story in the December 2019 magazine about motorcycle helmets contained incorrect information. The designers of the first protective motorcycle helmet were Herman P. Roth and Charles F. Lombard of the University of Southern California. The U.S. Department of Transportation issued its first standards for motorcycle helmets in 1974.