BACKFIRES

GIVING CREDIT

The October issue rocked it like a Garcia guitar solo! I loved the VMD coverage and the David Aldana profile in the October issue, but I must point out two AMA Hall of Famers who went unrecognized in the page 58 photo. That’s Jim Rice #24 and Jody Nicholas on the Suzuki flanking Aldana in the 1970 Talladega winner’s circle.

Lindsay Brooke Plymouth, Mich.

Thanks, Lindsay! —Ed.

“NAME’S SOLO. WHITNEY SOLO”

Fabulous article on a successful Iron Butt (Solo Thrash, November 2021). What an accomplishment! I have earned three Iron Butt awards, except they were all on a Honda Gold Wing. But 48 states in nine days, and on a Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250? Whitney Meza, I am unworthy to tie your boots.

Kevin B Parsons

I’ve put many thousands of miles on GLs, Kevin, and a couple thou on the Pan America, too, on a recent Alps Tour (same issue), so I’d urge you to give the Pan Am a try. The thing is big-rig tourer comfortable and quite a bit more fun to ride (for me, anyway) when the road gets curvy. —Ed.

A SOLO THRASH OF MY OWN

Whitney Meza’s Solo Thrash piece reminded me of an endurance ride that was by necessity. In 1971 I was a United States Army soldier at Ft. Bliss in El Paso, Texas. A fellow soldier had taught me to ride on something like a 1970 Suzuki Scrambler. After that I had to get my own bike and soon I had a new 1971 gold Honda CB350 with 36 horsepower. I rode everywhere and loved it. Well, in November of ’71 I was advised I’d be given an earlyrelease in mid-December. I was like, “Wow, how will I get my motorcycle home to Chicago!” Of course, selling my beautiful bike never entered my mind. But remembering that my uncle Warren had ridden from Florida to Chicago in the winter empowered me to do the same. Very early on Thanksgiving morning I left Ft. Bliss wearing long underwear, two pairs of pants, two shirts and a jacket, combat boots with two pairs of socks, snowmobiling gloves and my Easy Rider American flag helmet. Strapped to my sissy bar was my green duffel bag carrying my AMPEX portable tape player. And a spare chain…why, I still don’t know. Money totaled $23 for fuel ($0.36/gal. in ’71); but nothing for motels. Going up U.S. 54 to Santa Rosa, N.M., brought me to I-40 which, after many miles riding behind an 18-wheeler because of very dense fog, I took to Oklahoma City where I-44 became my home all the way to St. Louis. From there, it was a short jump via I-55 to Chicago. A meager distance of 1,475 miles in two days. As soon as I got home I had to reserve airline tickets so I could fly back to the base by Sunday. I’ll never forget that trip. And will never do it again on a 36-horse motorcycle!

Byron Morrison

A FIRM GRASP OF THE OBVIOUS?

I have to laugh every time I hear or read that BMW “created” the adventure market. If that’s true, what were the Yamaha Big Bear and XT500 and so many other ’60s/’70s dual sports from Britain and Japan? In 1979 I joined four friends on a gravel-road trek to Alaska;

LETTER OF THE MONTH

THEMES VS. VARIETY, PART II

Congratulations on winning the Grand National Championship of Restraint in your reply to Bruce D. in the November issue. He wrote: “Early Motocross? Meh,” (What the heck is Meh, anyway?), which raised my blood pressure, but when he took a swing at On Any Sunday, I lost it. (My wife shouted from the next room, “Are you okay?”) It is ironic that the very movie that inspired thousands to a life of motorcycles was/is a “variety” format, just like what he asks for from the Editor. How you didn’t swing back with that point showed Grand National Championship Restraint. I salute the new format, as it’s taken me down motorcycle paths I don’t normally travel. My only suggestion to Bruce is to open his lens and explore. You can still have your focused passion while enjoying the breadth motorcycling has to give. Dare I say you might find a new “adventure” if you do — adventure being the focus of that issue? Keep up the great work. I love the new magazine!

Brian Hennessy, Life Member Plus, AMA #859773

we converted our air head BMWs, doing what riders had been doing for years: raising the front fender and adding dirt tires and engine belly protection. The point is, the adventure market was created by riders, not manufacturers! Rewriting history serves no one; it just fogs the facts. Well, that and a way to create sales. Keep up the great work on American Motorcyclist!

Mark Ellison

Thanks, Mark. It seemed a little too obvious to actually write that older — and pre-’81 —motorcycles have been used for on- and off-road adventure riding for a hundred years or more, so we didn’t. So, no history rewriting here. But thanks for reminding us of the Big Bear and XT! —Ed.

FACTS VS. CHEAP SHOTS

As a lifetime motorcyclist and a Tesla owner I was disappointed that AMA mindlessly repeated out-ofcontext stats about Tesla provided by the clowns in the federal government. Tesla spends more on R&D per car than the next three auto makers combined and every week or two they release software updates to every one of their cars making them safer. Despite all this and not unlike motorcycles, Tesla’s are not immune from accidents or from people driving them like idiots. However, had you done even a moment of research, you would have reported that while tragic, Tesla’s 11 accidents with emergency vehicles represents a rounding error in the 45,000 emergency vehicle accidents during that same period. Stick to writing about motorcycles and stop taking cheap shots at one of America’s most innovative car companies just because they refuse to bribe the media with advertising dollars.

Matthew Jarvis

Matthew: Being a fan of Tesla automobiles and their technology does not exclude reporting on a newsworthy federal investigation into their safety features and concerns motorcyclists have for their safety on the road. While I am personally a big Tesla supporter, and the AMA Board Statement on the matter of autonomous-vehicle technology clearly welcomes the potential for the technology to make the roads safer for motorcyclists, reporting on the matter with unbiased facts (such as 11 known accidents involving Teslas utilizing the self-driving technology colliding with emergency vehicles, which killed one and injured 17) is the duty we reporters have. It is a danger, in any situation, to not question the safety of any technology that is being tested in the real world with real world consequences. As we have seen time and again, unfettered technological advancement without safeguards often leads to unintended consequences. —Kali K.

ALPS CHALLENGE TOUR

After reading Editor Boehm’s Alps Challenge piece in the November 2021 issue (several times, in fact) I signed up for the August 2022 tour with Edelweiss. John Denver had his “born again” experience in his 27th summer when he found Aspen, CO, and I had mine in my 57th summer on my first ride down the Alaska Highway to a Goldwing Rally in Montana, as I lived in Alaska at the time. I’ll never forget those feelings of freedom, and have been touring ever since. I’m really stoked about this tour, which will be my first in Europe. Ol’ John Denver had it right, so thanks, Mitch!

Dennis Bible, Blairsville, GA

Happy to help, Dennis! For those looking for an awesome experience with us later this year in Europe, be sure to check out Edelweiss Bike Travel’s website. —Ed.

PAN AMERICA PINING

I’m writing about Editor Boehm’s experience with the HarleyDavidson Pan America, which he rode during the Alps Challenge Tour (November issue). I’ve read a lot of riding impressions on the Pan Am, but to have the bike show up in his Perspectives piece and in two of the main articles in the magazine says a lot of positive things. As a longtime Harley-Davidson rider, all this makes me very optimistic about what may be coming next from The Motor Company.

Stan Smith; Cleveland, Ohio

IT’S CLEM! IT’S CLEM!

After reading the November issue of American Motorcyclist I decided November was a golden trifecta month for me. I've been riding for 56 years and have seen a lot of moto magazines disappear, so I was happy when Mitch Boehm joined the staff last winter, as he is one of my two all-time favorite motorcycle writers over the decades. So when I got the issue I went straight to his Perspectives column and then jumped ahead to his Alpine tour piece, which sent me tripping down memory lane as I was in Heidelberg, (West) Germany in the U.S. Army from 1972-1978 and did eight or nine runs back and forth over the Alps on three different bikes. Then I read the rest of the magazine and OMG! There's Clem Salvadori, my other all-time favorite scribe. Just when I thought I had reached nirvana, I opened the day’s other mail and there was my newly minted AMA Charter Life Member creds, thus completing my AMA perfect trifecta month. Keep up the good work on the wonderfully transformed magazine, and twist Clem’s arm for more articles.