6 JULY 1974, Page 5

Riding reader

Sir: As an occasional reader both of your paper and of Motor Cycle News I should like to protest against the arrogance of Bill Grundy's article in your issue of June 22. I happen to be one of those who does care about motor bikes – and about those who ride them. To assume that no one who reads your Journal could possibly have any such interest sounds to me like intellectual snobbery. It also betrays a sad ignorance of the whole mystique of motor cycling.

For the past twelve years I have been privileged to enjoy the friendship of many thousands of young motor cyclists from all over the world. I do not say that they all read the Times or Spectator — though we have had a Sprinkling of PhDs and BScs among our members. For the most part they are good hard-working happy youngsters for whom motor cycling is the most fantastic sport in the world. As long as they can understand what MCN is all about, I say "Good luck to it and its 136,336 readers."

William Shergold Rector of Charlton and President of the 69 Motor Cycles Club, The Rectory, Charlton-in-Dover, Kent