BACKFIRES

Your May issue was Grrrreat! Especially seeing Emmi Cupp on the cover. See, her basket-case Tiger Cub was purchased from yours truly. At AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days in about 2011 I was looking around the swap meet and spotted a forlorn little Tiger Cub looking for a new home. Day after day it remained unsold. It was well worn but mostly complete. On the last day when everyone was packing up, the little Cub meowed a plea for me to take it home. I made an end-of-the-show deal, packed it in my Tahoe and home to Virginia we went. I parked it next to five other English project bikes, and years passed. My pal Jeremy Cupp has his shop about five miles from my house, and in late fall of 2018 he came over to buy my 441 BSA. We started looking at the Cub, and Jeremy thought it might make a good Christmas present for his daughter Emmi. It sounded good to me, and the little Cub agreed. After Christmas I’d stop by his shop every few weeks and watch the Tiger Cub get reborn. Emmi’s vision of what the Cub could be was awesome! I suggested they take lots of pictures and send them to the AMA. To see the finished bike and the joy it provided Emmi and her Dad was gratifying. To see her on the cover with the great article by Joy Burgess made my day. Thanks!

I just wanted to congratulate you and everyone else responsible for your May issue. It’s the first time in decades that I’ve read every article and page of this publication. It’s about time our community not only recognized but welcomed women riders. Thanks much!

PAY ATTENTION! Or not, as “you” see fit. It would be smart to forward this to someone that matters. But, I have no doubt that won’t happen. Also, this will be on record somewhere unless YOU delete it. I’ve been Biker for over 60 years, an assistant coordinator for Texas A.B.A.T.E. I always advocated for the AMA WITH push back! I’ve seen the decline in “real” ones. Your May 2021 issue was the LAST STRAW for me. My membership (of many years) WILL be cancelled. My pins will be trashed and I will no longer advocate or EVER return. GOT THAT? You lost a real one!

Dick Mann’s recent passing was a sad thing for the entire motorcycling world, and while thinking about him I remembered a story his late wife Susie once related about one of Bugsy’s experiences at the Daytona 200. This was back when qualifying was done via a flying lap on the Tri-Oval on Wednesday or Thursday. It was the same day that the Alligator Enduro was contested nearby. The day started with heavy rain, which was forecasted to continue throughout the day. Seeing that qualifying would certainly be delayed, Mann took his BSA thumper and entered the enduro. Sure enough, by midday, the rain stopped and the track began to dry. BSA sent people to try to find Mann and get him back to the Speedway, because if you didn’t qualify on that day, you couldn’t start in the first wave. Time was running out to qualify, and there was no sign of Mann. BSA was desperate. They finally managed to squeeze Mann’s teammate Ralph White into Mann’s leathers. This was no mean feat, as White was significantly taller than Mann. They sent him out to qualify for Mann. What really annoyed White was that he qualified better as Mann than as himself! Perhaps the compressed version offered less wind resistance? As far as I know, Dick Mann was the only rider ever to qualify for the Daytona 200 without having actually been there.

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