Quite possibly the most bizarre item in the Believe It Or Not Gallery is Tom Fitz, from St. Louis, Missouri, who does not have any stickers on his bike or van! Then we have Marvin Convert, from Slickrock, New Jersey, who walked into a dealership, paid full retail for a bike, and didnt try to weasel anything extra out of the dealer. The dealer is recovering at Sisters of Mercy Psychiatric Clinic as of this writing, from a severe case of shock. In 2009, Paul Martin, Los Angeles, California, ordered a part for an Italian vintage bike (a 250 Parilla), and the dealer had the part in stock! In the fall of 85, Hank Pillard (Memphis, Tennessee) heard a loud bang and his Honda 250 quit running. A friend told him it was just probably a fouled plug, and nothing serious. Imagine his surprise when he put in a new plug and the bike ran perfectly from that day onward. Right before Christmas, Larry Blunt found a bike in the want-ads that seemed to meet his needs: For Sale: 91 Suzuki RMX250, in perfect condition. Many extras. Imagine his shock when he found out that the bike was, indeed, perfect! Even more astonishing was the fact that the price was right, and all the extras were usable items! In late 74, at the peak of the dirt bike boom, Wally Gundmonson went to a race
that promised great trophies to 1-2-3 in each class. He was stunned to take home a threefoot trophy for getting third in the 250 Junior class. He never raced again. Frank Duvall (Columbus, Ohio; fall 2007) was truly amazed to find accurate directions and a map in the mail for an enduro held 200 miles from his home. As luck would have it, though, his van tossed a timing chain and he scattered his motor over the highway three miles from the race site. Just three months ago, little Billy Baxter (Portland, Oregon) received a new mini bike, and the first thing he did was thoroughly read the owners manual. To the astonishment of his neighbors, he did not saw the muffler off his YZ80 and ride up and down the street the day after Christmas. Mary Lou Spitner (Baltimore, Maryland) has owned a three-wheeler for almost 35 years, and has never run over her own foot! Young Ted Fortnit (14, from Terre Haute, Indiana) actually worked on his paper route for two years, saved his money and paid for his own first bike, without badgering his parents to buy one for him. Vintage bike fan Phil Philbert (Fargo, North Dakota) dropped his Sachs gearbox in his garage, and actually found all the parts! Mike Dubois has never lost a tool in his garage, and even though he lends tools consistently to friends at the track, gets all of them returned!

On February 27, 90, John Milquecrate loaned a can of chain lube out, with the promise to have it returned quickly. Much to his amazement, the can was returned, and not empty, within ten minutesa new world record! On October 19, 88, Delbert Floon (Cleveland, Ohio) broke the shifting pawl on his 67 Greeves Anglian trials bike while practicing. In desperation, he yelled out loud at the gathered trials riders: Anybody got a shifting pawl for a Greeves Anglian? Two riders there had the needed part, and both immediately engaged in a spirited bidding duel to sell the pawl for the lowest price. Allen Johnson (31, an enduro rider from Jacksonville, Florida) ordered an expensive enduro computer, and was actually able to figure out how to work it without cursing or making expensive phone calls to the maker. One monumental evening in July, 74, all the members of the Dirt Diggers Motorcycle Club, Southern California branch, showed up for the meeting. A real stunner: In the fall of 2008, all the members of the Ohio Trail Riders showed up for an enduro work party. However, as usual, very little work was done. The AMA made a change in rules that allowed two strokes to compete with four strokes of the same size in motocross racing. Nah, thats too hard to believe!

BreakingNews Its Gold

If youd like a suggestion from the staff here at Trail Rider, turn to page 24 right now and read the interview Jon Bentman did with Bruce Brown, creator of the On Any Sunday movie. Back in the old days, Super Hunky used to get excited and rush into the office with a new project saying this is gold, I tell ya! Pure gold! Well, Bentmans interview is just that, a perfect period of time spent with the legendary and humble Bruce Brown, and weve already read it three times. Great story, And if you havent seen Browns Endless Summer films, as well as son Dana Browns Step Into Liquidand if you havent seen On Any Sunday, God forbidgo rent or buy all of them and do it now. You wont be disappointed. You know how On Any Sunday made you want to ride? Endless Summer will make you want to surf. Gold, its all gold.

Dakar 2010

After over two weeks of fantastic racing in Argentina and Chile, the Dakar Rally has returned to finish in Buenos Aires. Rally PanAm rider Jonah Street rode his Top One Oil/ PAi rally bike into the parc ferm, finishing the rally in seventh place overall. The winner of two special stages in this 32nd edition of the Dakar Rally, and the leader in the general standings since stage 3, Frenchman Cyril Despres (KTM) is the winner of the 2010 Dakar. Despres was 1h02'52 ahead of Norwegian rider Pal Anders Ullevalseter (KTM), and 1h09'48 ahead of Chilean rider Francisco "Chaleco" Lopez Contardo (Aprilia). Despres won the rally raid for the third time after two previous victories in 2005 and 2007. All of the Dakar competitors rode a parade lap through huge crowds in the city of Buenos Aires, and celebrated at a massive podium ceremony. Jonah and the entire Rally PanAm team would like to thank all of their sponsors and supporters for helping them be the top American team and a major contender in international cross-country rally racing.
What are the kinds of things that you are not being told about the new bikes? All you guys with older bikes should have a home here at www.superhunky.com. We won't forget about 10 year old YZs, funky old XRs, two stroke RMs, Kawasakis, Maicos and all the good old European bikes we've come to know and love. So take a look at what we have lined up. That's www.superhunky.com Bookmark it!
from one side of the fuse block to the other, so you can change a circuit at a whim if you like. Very cool stuff. The Fuzeblock will handle up to 10 amps on a single circuit, and a maximum of 30 amps total. You can check it out at www.fuzeblocks.com.

Husky Sales Up

While the U.S. motorcycle market endured some tough times as a whole in 2009, Husqvarna had a winning year on the track and in the sales department. "Retail sales were up 9% compared to 2008," says Husqvarna Motorcycles North America President Mark Brady. "This was a phenomenal result considering that 2009 was our first full year of operation in the USA." According to just-released industry sales figures, U.S. motorcycle sales declined 41% in the past year, yet Husqvarna is happy to have bucked this negative trend. "Our sales accelerated through the end of the year, increasing 98% for the last two months of the year." This late sales spike pushed Husqvarna up to 9% in y-t-d sales overall. "This is a true testament to both our dedicated dealers and great new products, such as the new 250cc model range," explains Brady. Husky's new TE250, with the brand-new super-light engine, is starting to get reviews across the country, and all seems positive so far. We're looking forward to getting a test bike here, as soon as the permafrost starts to break up, so stay tuned.

Efficient Electrics

We've been working on outfitting a new longdistance adventure bike here at Trail Rider, and there's one product we've found that has impressed us so much, we want to let you know about it right away. You know how much trouble you take to wire your bike for electrical accessories. You might want a plug for an electric vest, for a GPS, wiring for heated grips, maybe auxiliary lights and very possibly a "cigarette lighter" socket, either BMW style or regular; or maybe even both. And normally what you wind up with is five or six separate wire combinations all terminating back at the battery with a collection of ring terminals. Ever get to the point that you couldn't get another ring terminal to fit under the battery bolt? What you need is a circuit box, dude, and we've found a great one. An outfit called "fuzeblocks.com" makes a tough little circuit board in a box, with a special feature we've not found anywhere else-and onboard relay. The Fuzeblock can handle six separate circuits, with six separate grounds, which is very important because you don't want to be grounding through a motorcycle frame. The best part is that the Fuzeblock has a relay on board, and you can choose whether you want each circuit to be live all the time or switched on and off with the key. Selecting between the two is as easy as switching that circuit's fuse

Portugal ISDE DVD

Ignition3 has their DVD set for the 2009 Portugal ISDE finished, and it's just exactly what we've come to expect from the Lague boys at Ignition3. They traveled all over the course for better than a week at the Six Days, so you can see all the terrain features that everyone's talking about-all that deep sand, the dry, rocky mountains. You get to follow what happens to the team members during the week, with brief interviews every day as the action unfolds. In some ways, it's better than being there; but on the other hand you'll never learn from this video just how well coastal Portuguese folks can grill fresh fish. The main ISDE show is one hour and 22 minutes, following the race from start to finish. Included in the set is a bonus disk with features on a couple of the qualifiers, a few other interesting bits and two different special tests seen from Chilly White's helmet cam. The hardest part about watching the helmet cam videos is wanting to shift at some other point than where Chilly is shifting. But it does give you a good idea of how rough that Portuguese sand got over the course of a week. This DVD set is well worth the $30 they're asking for it; like we said it's the next best thing to being there. You can pick it up by going on line to www.isde.tv.

SuperHunky.com

Hunky finally did it. His new improved web site is finally up and operating. You'll be able to have free dirt bike classified ads. Anything to do with dirt bikes, riding gear, parts, trailers and haulers can be put in the freebie ads. We will not accept ads for street bikes, cars or anything not related to dirt bikes. Your ad will run for three months, or until you notify us that your listing has been sold. If you want to run a photograph with your ad, it will cost an extra dollar. You can run as many photos as you want, and they will cost one dollar each. If you want to run a very large ad of 100 words, it'll cost one dollar more. There you have it, no mystery. A few words of warning. Ads in poor taste will not run. Also bogus ads will be bounced. Ads will not be accepted from dealers or companies. This is meant to be a place where dirt bikers can talk straight to other dirt bikers. In addition, the Don't Ask column from Offroad.com will appear every month in the new site. Also, there'll be a Q. and A. forum for the readers and a whole bunch of new stories and features by Matt Cuddy and Hunky hisself. Our new features will have the kind of stuff you can't find anywhere else. Want to know what it really costs to rebuild a new four stroke? What are shops around the country charging for this service?

place for it to go), making starting the bike this tire for an entire season, and took it off dont spin it like a knucklehead; learn how to mechanically impossible. while there was still plenty of life left, so yes, ride with traction at the back of your bike. We talked to KTM about it, and a number of you can get a lot of wear out of a trials tire. Just Drew Smith at Works Enduro Rider distributes dealers who wish to remain anonythe Vee Rubber trials tires. mous, and as far as we can tell this is a The other major thing we did was problem that has only been documentreplace the stock KTM tank with an IMS ed three times with the new R model tank. Two reasons: The IMS tank holds a engine, putting it in the category of little more fuel, and secondly, the IMS manufacturing error and not an epitank has a normal, one-handed screw-type demic. This is not related to the oiling cap that doesnt leak. We are still flabberproblem that went around on the gasted that anyone at KTM thinks the internet early in the life of the R model, safety-button bayonet-type gas gap is any which was a faulty seal between the kind of improvement over screw threads. two oiling chambers in the R engine The other benefit to the IMS tank is you (which we never experienced). It also can actually see the fuel level when youre isnt related to abuse. You could seize filling the tank, greatly lowering your up an oil pump if you filled the engine chances of washing the bike down with with sand, but chances are other imporgasoline in the pits. tant bearing-supported pieces of the Aside from the one warranty problem, transmission would die first. the bike has been trouble-free and a great At any rate, after our experience, trail bike. You can ride this bike slow and wed suggest that part of a KTM Rcareful or you can spin it up and get engine bike owners maintenance rouaggressive with it, depending on your tine should be to pop the clutch cover mood at the moment. The cherry on top of off every now and then and check the the whipped cream is the fact that the condition of the plastic pump-drive EXC is road legal, with a clean title, and it gears, just to be sure. is no trouble whatsoever to get licensed; We wrote in the past about trying out while at the same time it is basically the a Vee Rubber trials tire on the back of same thing as a 450 XCW. The only extras the KTM, and though we were skepti- Our relationship with the new EXC-R model engine was only marred are DOT lights and wiring; not much more cal at first we highly recommend it by an oil pump failure that was covered by the warranty. The power than five extra pounds. In our book, thats now. The only place trials tires are characteristics of this engine are so close to the old RFS engine, its well worth the trade off, and well probaquestionable is in pure mud. We ran hard to tell the difference between the two on a normal ride. bly own more EXCs in the future.

NETRA Turkey Running

by Fran Poitras

A rockin good time!

he alarm goes off at four a.m. I slowly crawl out of bed and head down the hall to the kitchen. There, waiting, is that ever important first cup of coffee that I need to function. I pop the TV on to catch the weathersunny, low 60sperfect, I think to myself. By now my wife is up and coming down the hall. Somehow I have convinced her and my oldest daughter that working the sign-up for the annual turkey run was a good idea. This all began about a year ago. I was finally the Trail Boss after having worked all of the other important jobs on the turkey run over the past years, and this was my time. Nothing major went wrong in the past, but when the first riders started coming back and checking in after three hours, I asked them how it was, and Oh, same old thing. was the response I got and it really bothered me. In my mind, that meant it was boring and they probably could not believe they wasted $30 bucks on it. This haunted me all winter, so at our first turkey run planning meeting (a bunch of us having a few beers together), I stated that I wanted to do something different, lets change it up. The new year was here and again came another turkey run. At the riders meeting, there was quite a buzz going around the crowd. Many riders had looked at the route sheet and knew right away this year was going to be different. The first few miles was a calm road to give the riders a chance to think about what was coming, followed by a mile dirt road, right in to single track twisting and turning up and down, and did I mention rocks and log crossing? When the riders thought their legs and arms
were tired, the new trail gave them a break with some fast flowing and somewhat smooth trails. But lets not forget, this is New England and smooth is, well, an opinion. The course was set
Photos by Jeff Hockenberry spectator spot. The rest of the run has our hero section and a bypass. I would say 95 percent of the riders took the hero section to the end, which will give you the much needed beat-down that we riders all crave to end the ride. I didnt get to ride with all the riders this year; I was busy driving around replacing arrows that the locals find a hoot to steal. I watch confused riders try to figure which direction to go. Good lesson: stay on top of your mileage and route sheet; you never know when you will need them. This event took some of the faster riders about six hours to complete with a gas and snack stop. All of the riders were back by 5:00 p.m. Mind you, they were all out and starting the trails by 9:45 a.m. I watched their faces as one
wanted to give the riders the best ride possible. I would like to thank my crew who set up this awesome course: Armand, Chris, Art and especially Fred. You guys rock (ha-ha get it, rock!). Thanks again to all who came out, hope to see you next year where hopefully we will continue to bring you an awesome ride in Pachaug.

ride all over the country. This made me more day. At my age you run on desire more than sand and a lot of people are unhappy! The versatile and exposed me to the different types your physical condition. Racing has always ocean is beautiful and our hotel looks right out of terrain that New England doesnt offer. been in my blood and my dad had always over it. Today is a day to finish the bike prep I followed that same path in 2009 but back on taught me that we do whatever it takes to fin- and hopefully ride the test track, and then start a KTM and with the help of Brooks walking tests. It is very fast and very Hamilton, my Regional Sales Rep soft sand. Day 5 is the only day that is from KTM. With that help, and the in the mountains and is said to be the help of Mike Lafferty and all the toughest. It looks like the week will be other KTM people, I got another about 760 miles of fun but work in the chance to ride all over the country. sand. Sort of like a long Snow Run in Mike and Brooks both took some two feet of snow! I would guess that time in Florida last winter and the whoops and holes will be very, worked with me on my sand riding. very deep for me, but Im trying to That is probably what helped me the think good thoughts about it all. Thank most, as Portugal had so much you for all of your positive thoughts SAND! Im not the best sand rider, and amazing support. It wont be easy but I can pretty much adapt to any terand it definitely wont be our typical rain if Im given a little time. New England event. I have run the TR: At age 41, how did you preNationals to get more versatile so I pare your body for the all-out hope that it has paid off. Next week abuse it was about to take? will tell and Im going to take it one In the past I have had back issues, Nerves? Sitting on the starting line at the biggest event of my life? Naah. day at a time. so I knew going in that my body was 10/11/2009 going to be the weak point. I have an amazing ish, no matter what, and that is my real drive. My race starts tomorrow at 9.27 a.m. and massage therapist here at home and she knows So, with a do whatever it takes to finish should be shorter days because of all the sand; my body inside and out. If Im hurt or broken mindset, it was off to Portugal with the support something like 140 miles in six and a half she can pretty much fix me up so that I can and encouragement of an entire region to help hours. Lots of sand!!! Updates later. ride. Then I have my girlfriend Ann, who also fuel him along. The following paragraphs are Day 1 10/12/2009 has amazing hands and it was going to be her notes kept by Bill detailing his Six Days expeDay 1 is over and I was lucky; only three job at the Six Days to fill in, and believe me she rience. crashes! The sand is so deep and so soft. Some did. As for conditioning, I raced Sundays, rode 10/10/2009 of the holes would swallow the bikes up. my bicycle up the mountain for cardio during Well, things are really busy with getting Tomorrow we ride todays course backwards, the week, and then did about 300 crunches a ready and prepping the bike. Everything is which should make the test even tougher! The

The drag strip allowed racers to open it up, if they could hold on. Red Rider charges the zoomed lens. Below: Thats not camera-induced red-eye, thats the real thing!
logs while integrating portions of Washougals MX track. A green grass field made up the start. As traditional to hare scrambles, all events were dead engine starts. Off the line, racers moved with great urgency or panic down the straightaway, which split into two 20 foot wide paths menacingly divided by shrubbery and trees. This foliage cleverly hid the edge of a short downhill, followed by a tight and muddy 90 degree left turn. It was just wide enough for a handful of bikes; maybe two or three quads. A few twists of the grip through the woods and then racers would come upon a 1,500 yard grass drag strip of sorts. This section was complimented with two off-camber slopes, miscellaneous bumps, and half buried rocks. As the day wore on, the grass morphed into a grease-like substance. Two dirt bikers railing along in high gears met Mr. Rock and cartwheeled in this section. Speed had to be checked before entering the 90 degree off-camber left hand turn at the end of the drag strip. Still in the grass, a sweeping left took racers into a zigzag section marked out with ribbon. One zag included a trough for which to dowse ones self. As laps were turned in, more experienced racers hung it wide here to avoid the deepest portion of the trough. After zigzagging along, the course was split for expert and amateur classes. Experts would fly through
and unusual places inside my undergarments. My shiny yellow rain-slicker and knobby-treaded-GoreTex-lined-boots saved me from the perils of the Washougal mudhole-monsters who were lurking about the course. And what a course it was. JCTRA threw in grass and
Story by Marc Toenyan, Photos by Thom Niemela and Toenyan

20 Trail Rider

quads, only the four-wheel-drive models made it over plus a second place this section with anything resembling grace. overall. I think the organizer took pity on racers after the log There were 31 expert class quad racers that began sections. For what Id guess to be an eighth-mile, the rippin it up at about 9:30. Jason Matheny, 246, took course was essentially a gravel road down into a narfirst in Performance Quad and fifth overall. Darrell row draw, which quickly turned back into a muck trail. Elliot, 41, took first in Utility Quad and first overall. It However, racers soon found themselves back on the was quite obvious the four-wheel-drive quads had the MX track at the whoop section. Most everyone made advantage negotiating the mucky mess. it through the whoops unscathed. The third race started A few banked hairpins, a few around 11:00 and was for more jumps, and a short ribbon the UTCs, or side-by-sides. section put racers at the time Some entrants had cocheck. JCTRA was up to snuff pilots, and Im pretty sure here, too. Armed with swabbing at least one duo became a sponge and bar-code scanner, solo effort during the race. they kept riders moving swiftly Ejection or dejection, I through the check. Thanks go to dont know. Maybe the Emerald Trail Riders for lending copilot went looking for the equipment. Just beyond the clean water. The class wincheck, the course entered the ner was Woody Evens, beginning of the drag strip, thus 157, who completed seven creating what I heard was a three laps. Most of the expert riders where able to escape the mile loop. The top riders were Next up at 12:30 was clutches of mudhole monsters. able to put in eight to nine laps in Race 4. By far the biggest an hour. race, it comprised 143 rida gate and onto the MX track at the Pros starting I arrived at 6:30 a.m. to get a ers making up the amateur straight. Speed scrubbing came naturally. Naturally, look around. It seemed like I was Kava McDermont is all smiles with her 3rd bike classes of that is, due to the mud. A couple turns later and the late. There were already tons of place finish in the women class. Vintage/EVO, Women, experts were faced with Washougals infamous riders there, preparing for the first Open Amateur, 40+, 30+, Horsepower Hill which tops out with a nice crown race at 8:00. A concessionaire was serving up hot and Beginner. What a roar to hear 143 bikes lighting and then swiftly drops into yet another Washougal food biscuits with gravy and eggs to order. Good up and charging down the straight all at once. Margulf. Can you say dowse-a-rama? I witnessed twocarb and protein grub to nourish a racers body and garet Bashour, 282, took first in Women with three and four-wheeled racers stalling in this soup bowl, or soul. They continued serving food all day long. I was laps. Vince McKinney, 275, completed 4 laps for a on the hillclimb that followed. happy to enjoy a hot dog and hot coffee. Sadly, my first place in Vintage/EVO. Michael Spears, 27, hit the Back at the course split, the amateur section notebooks smudged pages arent disclosing the check seven times for a first place in Open Amateur. became too slick for racers to summit Amateur Hill. It name of these dedicated trackside chefs. Many a gulTrent Harris, 150, had his helmet swabbed and turned into a gnarly bottleneck. scanned 6 times and took first in the 40+ class. Seven The race organizers took the prulaps were checked for Arne Koeniq, who took first in dent approach and quickly diverted the 30+ class. Most notably, Matt Tebre, 90, thrashed the amateur classes to the expert out seven laps for a first in Beginner and first Overall section, which was much wider in the Amateur class. and easier to negotiate. Just after 2:00, Race 5 started for the amateur quad Both classes flailed or slithered classes. 61 racers made up the Performance Quad, themselves over the Ski Jump. Utility Quad, and Women Quad classes. Ron Wolf, 43, Some with much skill and daring. checked six laps and took first in Performance Quad. However, one rider did go down Darrell Elliot, Expert Class Quad winner, couldnt get hard at the base. A good set of enough mud and had the guts to run a second race. jumps followed a hairpin. Here, the He nailed down seven laps, took first in Utility Quad experts were able to sling mud and first overall. What a glutton for punishment! Kelfrom the knobbies while aloft. lian Whidden, 175, railed five laps and took first in Continuing with great urgency or Ready!?. On the count of four! Mike Pope (right) gets a helping hand Women. panic, racers gassed it uphill and over a log obstacle. In all, 288 entrants showed up for the thrashing. back into an off-road style section. Some probably had a Hangover Scramble hangover. JCTRA challenged racers with two greasy, slimy, and let were happy to visit the mess hall. You know bumps, br uises.and grins. Things that unrelenting log obstacles. These sections put expert The expert dirt bike classes got to rail the course remain of the past. Coming into this thing I had no and amateur racers to fits. I watched in one moment first. 46 racers made up the combined classes of 30+, desire to subject myself to the torture bestowed by when five quads became a muddled mess. But racers 40+ and Open for the first event at 8:00. Rick GoodJCTRAs craft in mustering Washougals resources for were great sports about all this helping the fellow man, 204, won the 30+ and took fifth overall. Danny a grueling race. But, there were far more grins than muddler over the slimy log piles. Some would gather Broker, 113, completed 7 laps for a first in 40+ and a groans, from what I observed. Perhaps Ill suit up in front and pull, while others, with no regard for sixth overall. Keith Sweeten, number 117, nailed next year, who knows. JCTRAs web site boasts tons themselves, would sacrifice their faces to the quad down an impressive nine laps, took first in Open of pictures and video of this event, and many others roost and push. Or lift! This was not a speed show. Expert and first overall. Way to go, Keith! Another of years gone by. Visit them on the web at More like a twisted episode of Dirty Jobs. Of the Danny Broker, 219, completed eight laps and took AA, www.jctra.org.

by Jon Bentman

Talking with Bruce Brown about our favorite movie
ts a remarkable thing to say, but coming on for some 40 years after its release, On Any Sunday is still measured by most as being the greatest motorcycle movie ever made. And when we say most, we really dont have to be more specific were talking everybody from trials riders through motocrossers and onto road racers. And were talking just about in every country in the world. If you ride bikes and you watch movies, regardless of your age or generation, then likely as not your opinion is that On Any Sunday is the daddy of them all. The intent here then is not to tell you what you already know. To revel in the Malcolm, Mert and Steve scenes, to wonder in awe at the dirt track racing of the era, instead its to look a little behind the film. To look at whats made it so enduring. And as we all know, from videos like the Havoc or Crusty Demons of Dirt series, high octane action isnt necessarily the key ingredient. Some things dont just happen by accident and this films influence, its longevity is no accident; these are the marks of genius. In the Beginning Its a number beyond comprehension, that is the total number of times Bruce Brown, the man who made On Any Sunday (director doesnt adequately describe his role), has been told, Your movie is the whole reason Im into this gig. And if he hears that a 1000 times a year in the company of motorcyclists (not bikers, if you understand Browns distinction which you do), then he gets it another 1000 times a year from surfers, for Brown also made what is considered the most iconic of all surf movies too, Endless Summer. And none of us are immune, he can be talking to you, me, Jeremy McGrath, Ben Bostrom or the feature writer from Long Board magazine we all splutter those same words: Gee Bruce, your film was the whole reason. Its a measure of his good nature then, that after four decades he still takes these gushy outpourings with such good grace, with genuine modesty.
The problem with Brown then, is not Brown himself he is every inch the laid back west coast boy his film narration suggests (even at 72). The problem is, where to start? You see, with Brown were talking a story that encompasses an entire lifetime, for even today hes still dirt biking, having only very recently given up a Suzuki DR-Z400 for a more man-
tion and the Korean War. A canny lad, he applied for submarine service, having identified a particular submarine base based in Hawaii he wanted to be posted on. Sure enough, with a little plotting Brown was soon surfing the breaks off North Shore and Makaha. He also at that time developed an interest in filming the surf, using a little 8mm camera to capture his experiences for the folks back home. Now pay attention here, because this is important (and well be asking questions later). On discharge from the Navy in 1957, Brown, ever the beach bum, went to work as a lifeguard back at Long Beach, while working evenings in the local surf shop. He was aware of the surf movie business, having filmed alongside those who were making commercial movies at the time (back on Hawaii), but it was only after the surf shop owner and surf legend Dale Velzy saw Browns 8mm rushes that the next step toward making commercial films sprang into life. Velzy funded Brown $5000 to return to Hawaii and make a surf film. Armed with a

The hands-on nature of film making back ther edits. And it also allowed him to develop that the budget on Endless Summer in which then also helped Brown develop a feel for his that assured, laid-back, yet so engaging narra- two surf dudes chase the summer season films. Editing was done by hand on a bench tive style that we hear in On Any Sunday. around the globe in order to keep on surfing (in with a viewfinder, hand cranking spools, cutAnd so started a process that Brown repeated fact filmed over three months) was ten times ting and splicing as he went. that of the first film illustrates the level Soundtracks were recorded separately of development and sophistication on reel-to-reel tapes. For his first film Brown had taken on board. Brown approached a local jazz band, It was lucky I never went to film after a gig, and for $200 he got the school, otherwise I would have realband to compose and play the musical ized I couldnt be doing what I was score. The band would watch the surfdoing, says Brown. I made six surf ing footage projected on a wall and films before Endless Summer and play as they felt suited. wed go to show them at high school Now, again, in departure to todays auditoriums and Id narrate them live, instant (if anonymous) exposure playing the music on a tape. But youll get with showing your work Endless Summer was the last surf through the likes of You Tube, Brown movie I made. then would take his movie, and Endless Summer Paved the Way soundtrack, on the road. The job, as it The Endless Summer is to surfing as was then, was to tour the high schools On Any Sunday is to motorcycling. and theatres, playing the films to the Its an important marker as, if youve kids in the auditoriums, narrating live ever seen the movie, you can see the as the film played. shared parentage. It was also a step-up I hadnt ever got up in front of an Bruce (left) and most likely cameraman Robert Collin shoot the famous dune for Brown. scene. The sand dunes were on the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base. audience and done anything like that, His first six movies were made to a Brown recalls that he would never have gotten permission to film there, but Brown recalls. Anyway, I came up Steve McQueen, being an ex-Marine, sweet-talked the Colonel into the deal. similar process. Three months in filmwith something, did it, and the people ing. Then the edit, then the touring in the audience were laughing. So I thought, some six times. That first film from 1957 was with the film. Collecting $50-100 a showing, Wow, this isnt too bad. known as Slippery When Wet, at the end of the sometimes three times a day. Good money Repeating his narration over and over to live line stood Endless Summer in 1966 a movie back in the day, but making for a wearying audiences gave Brown a real insight into what as much as a documentary insofar as Brown schedule. After six times around the block the pressed their buttons, as well as seeing where chose to tell a story, one of his own making, appeal was wearing thin. As well, Brown had his films might drop into lulls, prompting fur- rather than edit straight clips of action. Given been attracting commercial commissions a

Parts Unlimited Off Road Nationals

by Mark Kariya

Ashburn the first winner in new OMA Winter Nationals

DP Brakes Hangman XC

there room for another series in the same region at the same time? Stay tuned. Round 1: Hanging Limb, TN 11/7-8/09 week after the final round of the Parts Motion Pro Boneyard XC Unlimited Off-road Motorcycle and Round 2; Nashville, TN 12/5-6/09 ATV Nationals, the Parts Unlimited OMA Part of the reason Bill Gusse introduced Winter Nationals kicked off in Tennessee, the new Parts Unlimited Off-road with the first of eight rounds in three states. Motorcycle and ATV Winter Nationals was Locals dominated, with Jordan Ashburn takto give new names a chance to shine, and ing the win over fellow Tennessean Chase thats exactly what happened at the Motion Bishop and Kentucky college student Shane Pro Boneyard Cross-Country National in OBanion. Nashville, round two of the fledging series. With most top Pros ready for a deserved Fresh off his runner-up in Open A final break after a long season chasing the points after the regular GNCCs and/or OMAs, promoter Bill Gusse (spring/summer/fall) OMA Nationals, designed the new winter series as a venue for Yamaha YZ250 racer Zach Klamfoth from up-and-coming racers to get noticed, as well Ohio stepped up to the Pro division for the as let him escape winters at home in Illinois. first time and pulled off the win over Coincidentally, his new series will go head Husabergs Nick Fahringer, while Shane to head with the established Mid-South Hare Klimek nabbed third to keep the series Scrambles Series on four occasions, but Jordan Ashburn controlled the Hangman from start to finish, winning the first round of the inaugural OMA Winter Nationals. points lead. Gusse believes his events will offer someDont think that Klamfoth had an easy Indeed, the course seemed to garner the most thing different. It couldnt have started much better weather- praise. The track was awesome, a real good time of it, though, as he had to come through wise. For a winter series, the DP Brakes track! Ashburn praised. They threw some the pack for this one. I got the holeshot and Hangman Cross-Country National near tight sections in since the Saturday afternoon crashed in the first turn, [then] I crashed over there in the woodshit a tree and got tangled fun race, and it was real fun. And he wasnt the only one to up, like my foot got caught in the tree and feel that way. In fact, about the only everybody got by meand I just started pickcomplaints came from two Pros ing people off [after that], he said. Among those he picked off were early leaders OMA regulars who ventured down

my razors had all reverted to rust. To my total amazement a pack of throw-away razors were delivered by Terry Cunningham, then the National Enduro Champion. Terry was the only person to say You are a tough act to follow, Hertfelder! as we crossed a stage somewhere. Things like that you tend to never forget. The luncheon: twenty-two minutes. At ease men; I was an enlisted man myself once! Usually a nice opening to a group sprinkled with ex-servicemen, this one landed with the soft thud of an overweight drunk rolling from the bed of a pickup parked on good sod. The luncheon: eleven minutes. Halfway through, and the audience were still the worst hand sitters Id ever encountered. I attributed the farce to the lack of an open bar, which normally I would despise, but right now I needed it. Luncheon: six minutes. The nearer tables were showing a little reaction to my Bultaco stories, which I had honed for years before I realized I was talking to the model T Ford crowd and most of them were long dead and almost forgotten. Unless they left a still-successful business to a deserving son-in-law who was in the audience. Luncheon: two minutes. There is a show business term called flop sweat, and it was running down past my ears. I cant believe Im going to finish this thing, and truly, if I had a string of rosary beads handy I would pull them out right here and start praying this would never happen again. For a few seconds there I almost decided to floor them with my true story of a wonderful proceeding act I once met. This was at a strictly men-only stag type of thing and this young lady had the most astonishing stomach muscle control Id ever seen. Due to the earlier twenty minutes of yawns I wisely decided not to waste my breath on these yokels. I left the stage to deafening, absolute echoing silence. And bounced off two wrong tables because of the damn spotlights in my eyes and found my almost-frozen coffee and celebratory
chocolate layer cake still waiting at my table. The great cake was just making me feel a little less let down when I spotted people approaching anxious to buy the books I had stashed under my chair. After that miserable performance on the stage I didnt expect any buyers at all. And its always a pleasure for a writer to autograph his book when the buyer says I already bought one last month and Im getting this for my brother. Whats his name? Harry, but we all call him shit head. No problem here, pal, but I do draw the line at Mother F*$#er. Thats good to know, but some of my friends will be disappointed. Live with it, pal, and step aside, theres somebodys mother next. I opened a fresh book to the flyleaf and asked the lady who I was supposed to dedicate this to and she said, as I recall, To the ladies at the Muscogee Quilters Society. I asked if any of them were here with her and she told me they ALL were here. My twenty-two minutes had gone so terribly wrong because the promoter of the motorcycle gathering couldnt interest enough motorcyclists in a talk by the worst dirt rider in the universe and a low-calorie lunch featuring chicken cooked with the skin off. So the promoter put all his talent into high gear and sold his remaining tickets to the good ladies at the Muscogee Quilters Society. I thought I had done an extremely poor address but, when you understand that I was talking one-hundred percent motorcycles to a bunch of nice older ladies who probably didnt even LIKE motorcycles, then maybe my death could have been expected. Thinking it over later, I was probably lucky that the ladies hadnt impaled me with thrown cutlery. Ed Hertfelder Ed Hertfelder is a teller of tales and writer of books, as well as author of the globally famous Duct Tapes stories. Write him. Send him a selfaddressed stamped #10 envelope for a list of Hertfelder columns from the past plus information on Eds latest books, to P.O. Box 17564, Tucson, AZ 85731.

Bulletin # PS-0508-19 May 2008

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