The Past - Not What It Used To Be: Part 1
Washington State Motorcycle Dealers Association through
the ages
One of the more interesting tasks I’ve been given is the
compilation of a written history of the Washington State Motor Sports Dealers
Association. Formed in 1969, WSMDA needs a written history section for their
member web site, as the “first generation” of dealers who created WSMDA are
either approaching or already in retirement, and their knowledge must not be
lost. I’ve been collecting oral and written recollections from some of the
“heavy hitters” of the era, and their fascinating tales of good, bad times, wild
adventures, and financial mistakes make for tasty prose.
A big boost came from Pat Halstead, recently retired from
a successful career as a lobbyist for AAA, WSMDA, and other transport
organizations. Pat has wisely retained most of the newsletters from the early
days, and was kind enough to ride up from Olympia to deliver them on a spotless
Suzuki Madura – and when was the last time you saw one of those? – complete with
a flat tire along the way to make the ride memorable.
Reading through a couple of hundred newsletters, some of
them missing dates so care must be taken to keep them in order, took me back.
Way back. It’s clear that I’ve forgotten a lot of “how it really was.” If you’ve
entered the world of motorcycles in the past ten years, it’s hard to comprehend
how negative the societal view of our sport was back in the day. The current
(mostly) positive view of motorcycling was definitely not the case back then,
and a good portion of the credit for the positive change has to go to the
dealers, driven by passion more than business or common sense. They persevered
and prospered against some long odds. Here are annotated notes from reading the
newsletters, interviews, and my own experiences.
May 1970 – WSMDA’s first effort at lobbying for
more off-road areas and the creation of a logical funding base from the state
was an almost complete failure, but was celebrated as a good first attempt.
June 1970 – a drunk with equally inebriated
girlfriend tried to run me off the road as I rode my Honda 450 – possibly set
off by the stars and stripes peace decal on my helmet. Having intentionally
shaved by my right leg with a half-inch to spare, they cruised in front of me
laughing and planning their next move. I pondered the wisdom of ramming their
car with my bike. I was saved by a hero in a perfect red 1964 Chevy convertible
who roared into action and scared the drunks away. Typing this memory brought
the thought that such perilous events were actually fairly common in those
darker days.
Spring 1970 - there was much bemoaning in the WSMDA
newsletters at the loss of several off-road riding areas – an issue which
unfortunately is still very much with us today.
1971 – the AMA announced a radical reorganization
for improved response and member services – and this has occurred periodically
for more than 35 years! Having said that, anyone who is serious should belong to
the AMA, and I do.
September of 1971 – an announcement was made to
WSMDA members on the availability of motorsports films for the use of “Mens’
clubs.” Isn’t that quaint?
September 1971 – a newspaper article from
California touted an electric motorcycle.
1971 – a Seattle Times article decried the rise in
motorcycle fatalities – sound familiar? A bit of research and logic showed that
motorcycle registrations had increased 100% in the time span used, while
fatalities had increased by 54% - so that the fatality rates were in fact
falling. Sound familiar?
1972 – AMA launched a newly reorganized political
effort.
1972 – I got married and we honeymooned on my new
Honda 500 4 – the most exotic, fastest, and largest motorcycle I had ever owned.
It had about 45 horsepower. Two people for five days down the coast of Oregon –
in March - on a Honda 500 4. We were young and adventurous!
1972 – “Better Homes and Gardens” magazine warned
readers not to purchase “any of the thousand pound motorcycles capable of 200
mph.”
I don’t recall any road tests of those. There has been no appreciable raise in
standards for motorsports reporting by national publications since.
May 1972- Ann Landers expressed her firm opposition
to all motorcycles and termed her position “irreversible.”
August 1972 – Ann Landers slammed motorcycles
again. You have to remember, Ann Landers had a lot of social clout back then.
Imagine Oprah and Doctor Phil and all of the others combined.
September 1972 – the dealers supported Richard
Nixon for President, fearful that George McGovern, if elected, would appoint
Ralph Nader to head the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration. Now
that would have been interesting!
Instead, Nixon appointed Joan Claybrook, who flushed a few
hundred grand of taxpayer funds on a prototype “safety motorcycle” that steered
with the rear wheel. The man that won the bid to build it, at enormous cost,
based his proposal on the thesis that it would not work. He was right, and
profited handsomely with the contract that proved his point.
He then wrote an article for (if I recall) “Cycle”
magazine, which laid out the tragi-comic history of his failure to persuade the
government of the insanity of the idea, and how much they paid him for his
efforts. I presume he was paid for the article as well. You have to admire a guy
like that.
Fall 1972 – the state of Washington, lobbied by
WSMDA, agrees to install signs to warn motorcyclists of sections of grooved
pavement.
Whatever happened to grooved pavement, by the way?
Fall 1972 – Yamaha obtained the rights to build the
Wankel rotary engine.
November 1972 - Dealers were upset with President
Nixon when he vetoed a bill to exempt businesses with fewer than THREE employees
from OSHA standards. The point here is that in 1972 there were evidently many
motorcycle dealers with fewer than three employees – when was the last time you
visited one?
November 1972 – rotary-engined models were expected
from Suzuki, Yamaha, BSA, and Triumph, and in the automotive world from Mercedes
Benz and General Motors. For those keeping track, Suzuki did build a rotary-engined
motorcycle, which was not a raving sales success. Later, Norton staved off the
inevitable with their own rotary, which had terrific success as a racer, some
success as a police bike, and almost no success as a street bike. GM and
Mercedes built some impressive prototypes, but only NSU (for a while) and Mazda
actually made a success of the rotary.
Why was the rotary engine so tough to produce? Without a
long lecture, there were problems with getting a good seal between the points of
the triangular “piston” of a rotary and the cylinder wall-combustion chamber.
Secondly, once you had a material for the seal, there were tremendous problems
with longevity issues. Third and last, rotary engines make phenomenal amounts of
heat, which is difficult to deal with in motorcycle applications. We now return
you to your regularly scheduled column.
1973 – Jim Pomeroy of Yakima became the first
American to win a World GP 250cc MotoCross race, riding a Bultaco in Barcelona,
Spain.
Jim was sponsored by University Honda initially, and one of the traveling
technicians was Jim Knight, now the Service Manager at Harley-Davidson of
Seattle. Jim’s dad Don was the Yamaha dealer in Yakima at that time.
1973 – the first gas crisis – fuel hit $1.50 a
gallon and long lines formed at the pumps. At the time our only car was a 1958
Corvette with 12.5 to 1 compression pistons that struggled to attain 12mpg on
the highest-octane fuel I could find. Motorcycle manufacturers expected the sale
of small bikes and scooters to increase – sound familiar?
1973 – WSMDA dealers lobbied against the mandatory
headlights on bill, probably fearful of its effect on the marginal electrics
systems of the day.
Mid-1970’s – technology had evolved to where the
WSMDA newsletter could include black and white pictures – and so every issue had
a pretty girl in a bikini with a witty caption. By modern standards, the
“bikinis” resembled tents! Again, by modern standards, the newsletters
themselves were quaint beyond belief – typed (no computers) and run off on mimeo
machines – just like the newsletters I created for the teacher’s union I led at
the time. Ah, the memories!
1976 – Goodyear announced the first tubeless
motorcycle tires.
1977 – We took some of the proceeds from a change
of houses and bought, brand new, a 1977 Yamaha 750 triple, for $2017.00. It was
the most exotic, fastest, and largest motorcycle I had ever owned. It had about
65 horsepower, and I rode it for the next 22 years.
2005 – Last month, Dear Abby answered a letter from
a daughter concerned about the appearance of her Mom and Dad, who now go
everywhere clad in their “Harley” clothes. The response was that the daughter
should be grateful that her parents are happy and have found such a wonderful,
fun, and healthy lifestyle.
...to be continued
Dave Preston/Fall 2005
Dave Preston
is the author of Motorcycle 101, a sensible book for the new and returning
rider. Pick up a copy today in the
Sound
RIDER! store.
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