ROUND UP
JOE PARKHURST
BRIDGESTONE BREAK THROUGH
I recently spent a pleasant time during a visit to the Rockford Scooter Company in Rockford, Illinois. Rockford distributes the Japanese made line of Bridgestone motorcycles in the U.S. and are fast becoming one of the top distributors. I was the guest of Lou Emery, President, Bill Morris, VP, and Bill Mueller, VP and Sales Manager. Though the social aspects of such transactions are significant, my reason for accepting their invitation was to see and ride the new 175cc Bridgestone "Dual-Twin." The trick name describes the fact that it is a vertical twin cylinder bike, with dual rotary valves, a first in the non-racing motorcycle industry. Another unique feature is a fouror fivespeed gearbox, at the discretion of the rider by simply moving a lever, another "first" for Bridgestone. This fascinating little machine will be the subject of a road test shortly, as will be two other Bridgestones, the new Super 90 and the 90 trail bike; all three represent a new and very modern trend in motorcycle design. Left to right in the photograph below are; Morris, Emery and Mueller. Their apparent pleasure is well earned.
As a prediction I volunteer that the new Bridgestone 175 Dual-Twin will be a mild sensation. The features, along with its performance and under-$600.OO price, will stir up quite a storm. My visit to Bridgestone was beneficial in yet another way I would not have envisioned; a short education in who is really doing a national merchandising job in the bike industry. Bridgestone is close to being third overall in total sales, most of it being achieved in the many hundreds of small towns across the nation that may never even see a Honda or Yamaha dealership since most are concentrated in the larger cities.
Bridgestone is also being merchandised nationally in several leading chain stores under the "Surfrider" label. We who do most of our business in the cities often tend to miss things that are actually ob vious; my visit in Rockford was very illuminating and has certainly piqued my interest in their line of machines. Bridge stone dealers have another, somewhat hid den advantage, an immediate and active connection with their distributors and dealers via a handsome Piper Aero Com mander twin airplane. I was ferreted back to Chicago in this beautiful craft by young John Emery, presently attending Illinois College but destined to be a mem ber of the firm upon his graduation in June of 1966. John is an extremely ac complished pilot with instrument qualifica tions, as is Bill Morris who co-piloted. They spotted me into O'Hara Field right on the nose after a short and rapid hop over a solid 800-foot overcast. A bit of a frustrated flier I am, so I appreciate such skills. The nearby photo shows Morris and Emery preparing the Piper for our journey. The plane is used extensively in servicing and schooling their over-I ,800 dealer network and is always on the move. A very happy ending to a most happy excursion.
DAYTONA TRIP PRIZE
A trip for two, to the Grand National 200-Mile Championships at Daytona Beach in 1966, will be the major prize in a con test this fall being conducted by Johnson Motors, Inc., Pasadena, Calif., distributors of Triumph motorcycles in the 19 Western States. Entry coupons will be available at dealer showrooms and by using the coupon on the Triumph advertisem*nt in this issue. If you went looking for it and found it missing, you don't live in one of those Western States where you would be eligible. The advertisem*nt appears only in issues sold in them.
An extensive radio and magazine adver tising campaign will be instituted. Other prizes will be RCA portable TV sets and transistor radios and Kodak Instamatic cameras. Winners will be determined by a drawing, at no cost to entrants. Contest starts October 15th to coincide with the introduction of the 1966 Triumph models. We have scheduled a test of the 1966 Bonneville Triumph for our January 1966 issue, our fourth anniversary volume. There will be other special treats marking another birthday for CW, and the start of a year that will probably see our circulation rise to 100,000 copies sold per month, a new and fantastic high for a motorcycle enthusiasts' magazine and putting paid to our leadership as the largest selling publica tion in the U.S.
TRADE ASSOCIATION MERGER
What, I respectfully hope, represents the fulfillment of ideas I have expressed in this column for some time, was announced last month in New York. It seems that the American Motorcycle & Scooter Asso ciation has merged with the Motorcycle & Allied Trades Association. For those who may not be informed on such matters, the M&ATA is the old line motorcycle trade association that controls the American Motorcycle Association. Heretofore, which I think means up until now, the M&ATA was made up of the Harley-Davidson Motor Co. and some of their suppliers, plus BSA and Triumph who held token positions. The original M&ATA was of course the official organization of the American motorcycle makers, but as mak ers dropped by the wayside, leaving only Harley-Davidson, its value as a free think ing and arbitrary group diminished some what - the basis of my feud with them from the start. I have always objected to our "rider" group being dominated by manufacturers, a situation that has been changed only slightly since the AMA con tinues to be associated with the trade in this new association as well.
The new group is called the Motorcycle, Scooter, and Allied Trades Association. By the addition of the AMCSA members, including CYCLE WORLD, a formidable body is created that may at least be a truly representative spokesman for the motor cycle industry. William E. Kennedy, an M&ATA man was elected first president of the group who represent manufacturers, distributors and suppliers from many branches of the industry. Their purpose will be to maintain high industry stan dards, provide informational assistance to operators of two-wheeled vehicles, guidance in the driver-safety area and promote safe and efficient vehicle operation. In addi tion, the Association will offer assistance to Federal and State agencies in develop ing realistic laws, rules of the road and a code of conduct for riders.
Members of the MS & ATA now in clude: BSA Motorcycles Inc., Nutley, New Jersey; BSA Motorcycles-Western, Oakland, Calif.; Butler & Smith, Inc., New York, N.Y.; Cosmopolitan Motors Inc., Philadelphia, Pa.; Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Innocenti Corporation, Lambretta Division, Long Island City, New York; Johnson Motors, Inc., Pasadena, Calif.; Piaggio & Company, Genoa, Italy; U. S. Suzuki Motor Corporation, Santa Ana, Calif.; and the Triumph Corporation, Towson, Baltimore, Md.
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Also American Sports Company, Inc., Gardena, Calif.; Charles Abresch Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Bell-Toptex, Inc., Long Beach, Calif.; CYCLE WORLD Magazine, Long Beach, Calif.; Daytona Sports Company, Reseda, Calif.; Diamond Chain Company, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana; Dunlop Tire and Rubber Corporation, Buffalo, N.Y.; Fleet-Wing Corporation, Solon, Ohio; Globe-Union, Inc., Milwaukee, Wisconsin; The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio; Guide Lamp Division, General Motors Corporation, Anderson, Indiana; Gunk Laboratories, Inc., River Forest, 111.; Eck Foundries, Inc., Manitowoc, Wisconsin; L and L Manufacturing Company, Indianapolis, Indiana; Mesinger Manufacturing Company, Bethel, Conn.; Milsco Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Motor Castings Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Pacific Basin Trading Company, Athena, Oregon; Paradise Motors, Paradise, Calif.; Projects Unlimited, Dayton, Ohio; Rex Chainbelt Company, Worcester, Mass.; The Frank G. Schenuit Rubber Company, Baltimore, Md.; Steyr-Daimler-Puch, Graz, Austria; Tab-Loc, Inc., Baldwin Park, Calif.; The Timken Roller Bearing Co., Canton, Ohio; Vescony, Inc., Waltham, Mass. and Western Scooter Distributors, San Francisco, Calif.
I am extremely happy to be a part of them, and to see the motorcycle industry at last rallying together in a number that genuinely represents close to the majority of the trade. Once the balance of the major distributors join together with this pioneering group we will be well on our way in maintaining a position of status among industry and trade associations and towards achieving goals that can only be reached by large, joint efforts.
THE HARRAH COLLECTION
Reno, Nevada's fabulous Bill Harrah collection now has over 150 motorcycles in it, though only a handful are on display. My good friend Dean Batchelor, Editor of Road & Track magazine, and our respective wives, recently descended on Reno to look over the newest additions to hotel man, casino operator, automobile, airplane and motorcycle collector, restauranteur Bill Harrah's collection. Housed in a handsome building on the outskirts of Reno, the collection is an almost unbelievable accumulation of over 1,100 classic, antique, and just plain interesting old cars. All the machines have been restored to condition better than new in most cases, and a delight to browse among.
Harrah is a warm and receptive host as with my last visit to Reno, entertained us regally at his posh casino/restaurant in nearby Lake Tahoe. Jim Edwards of the Harrah Collection did the honors this time in the absence of Harrah who was off watching his Gold Cup hydroplane squash opposition at a race in the midwest. We will shortly add one of the Harrah antique motorcycles to our own collection of machines featured in CW, the fruits of my visit. Anyone for an antique motorcycle monthly magazine, published in Reno?
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NEW CYCLE WORLD RECORDS
As you may have noticed from the advertisem*nt in this and last month's issue, we have added a new record to the CYCLE WORLD Record Library. The newest is in stereo, a feature we hope to be able to offer in a large number of recordings soon. It was made at last year's British Sprint (or drag to you) Festival, with commentary by Gerry Belton of the British Drag Racing Association, and includes the sounds of all of the British and American drag bikes, plus those of the hottest automobile dragsters. It is devoted about equally to cars and bikes. I think lovers of mechanical sounds will like both.
At the same time we are introducing a new automotive record, since we now distribute the entire line of Stanley Schofield Sound Stories, dealing with the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Grand Prix d'Europe at Brands Hatch on the other side with commentary by Stirling Moss and Robin Richards. As with the Dragfest recording it is in shattering stereo and the effect is tremendously realistic and exciting. Both are now available through CYCLE WORLD Records; see the advertisem*nt in this issue.
AIRHEART BRAKES
The nearby photograph shows super enthusiastic Bob Airheart of Airheart Engineering, makers of what is probably the finest disc brake in the world. At a recent test session at Willow Springs Raceway (Tech. Ed. Jennings was trying to kill himself on the 55-inch Harley-Davidson in a KR frame he talks about in this month's "Technicalities"), lo and behold here is my old friend Bob still buzzing around race tracks on a go-kart — sorry, kart. If you think these funny little devices are toys, they lap Willow in the low forties consistently and their best lap time is one minute forty-three seconds! Best motorcycle lap at Willow is still held by Mike Hailwood on a Manx Norton at 1:42. Buddy Parriott, AFM stalwart, is reported to have done a 1:39 but it is unconfirmed.
Anyway, the young man in the picture fitting Bob's gloves is Bob Considine, one of the stars of the TV show "My Three Sons." Bob lapped Willow in a Super-B class kart (twin, well modified 125cc Mc Culloch engines) in the low fifties that day. Not bad in anyone's league. Airheart brakes are used extensively in karting, the unit was originally designed for karts that is now used on motorcycles in such systems as the Al Gunter, Moto-Tec, and even the Benelli four and Harley-Davidson 74s. Small, light and compact, the Airheart hydraulic actu ator is a mechanical marvel. And so is Bob!
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GOURMET MOTORCYCLIST
Another motorcycle rider turned good guy, or girl in this case, is Yvonne Tarr. Lyle Stuart Publishers in New York have just released Miss Tarr's book, "The Ten Minute Gourmet Cookbook" ($5.95), and as you might expect, she rides a motor cycle. The comely miss is seen astride her Triumph twin, holding a helmet, and a copy of her book. I cannot review the book for you, they only sent the jacket; maybe they don't think Miss Tarr wrote the book for bike riders, only that she rides one despite how she eats.
. . . WHILE ON THE SUBJECT
• • • of ladies riding motorcycles, I give you lovely Miss Jo Collins, perched on a Honda, which I'm sure has nothing to do with the subject except that she is Playboy magazine's "Playmate Of The Year" and I
guess someone got her to sit on the bike for the picture. Playboy is one of the few national men's magazines that hasn't done some kind of feature, good or bad I must say, on motorcycles. Who can tell? If they did it might spark the forming of the Voyeur's MC.
ROYAL FAMILY TRADITION
One-year-old Prince Edward of the En glish royal family seems intrigued by the picture of a motorcycle that his mother, Queen Elizabeth is holding. Prince An drew, 5, is still in the toy train stage. Prin cess Margaret and her husband Lord Snow den are already motorcycle enthusiasts, so Edward, while perhaps a bit precocious, is merely carrying on a British tradition. Curiously, the picture is of a BMW.
N.Y. HONDA OWNERS FORM NEW CLUB
In New York City, those nice people you meet on a Honda now have a club they can call their own. In fact, that's the name of the new group - Honda Owners' Club of New York. Started in May under the sponsorship of Honda of New York deal er Joe Billig, the club has 150 enthusiastic members whose machines range from 50cc scooters to 305cc Super Hawks. "This tremendous response just proves what I've suspected," Billig said recently. "Riders are eager for a chance to share their enthusiasm for motorcycling in group activities." The club swung into action only two weeks after its inception, with a 40-mile road run over the gentle hills of Westches ter County, N.Y. Most of the thirty-five riders in the event were complete novices, but they enjoyed themselves and another road run is soon to follow. It will be part of a two-day outing that will include an overnight stay at a mountain lodge, swim ming, and informal music-making.
BMW FLIES AGAIN
A recent copy of Clipper Cargo Hori zons, a publication of Pan American Air ways dealing with their air cargo division, featured a spread on BMW motorcycles. Seems as though Butler & Smith, distribu tors of BMW in this country, have started using air freight as they have discovered it costs only a little more and that it offers compensating advantages. Butler & Smith takes the lion's share of BMW output, and is always running behind demand at that. Use of air provides tl~em with a sales advantage in early delivery, eliminates heavy crating and multiple handling, lower ing the cost difference, and dealers are pleased with the fact that BMWs are air delivered ready to gas up and go. All dealers near selected airports will be re ceiving air deliveries soon. I salute Butler & Smith's far thinking and creative sales approach. .
