[Rev]

I've done a few non competitive ride days on my Bonnie & T160 riding with mainly old Bit bikes. It was a lot of fun and I will be doing it again next year. I found the other riders gave ground and rode within their limits with no incidents that I saw.

However, I won't be stepping up to competitive racing anytime soon as I don't like the idea of being taken down by someone who's ambition exceeds their capabilities. In any case racing takes it's toll on all machinery especially older types and the thought of a rod through the cases doesn't really excite me whatsoever.

If you are willing to accept the risks and can bankroll your racing then more power to you but I'll be cheering from the sidelines LOL !

 

[GrandPaulZ]

All the more reason to just build a solid beater and go have some fun with your eyes wide open.

 

[Rev]

I hear ya Grand Paul ! When I said it was non competitive it was (sort of) It was non comp in that we all rode out on the track
en masse, no gridding up on lap times, just flagged off.

Was I accelerating, braking, & cornering as hard as I could on the old T160 ? Hell yeah. You can't keep the competitive spirit in check all the time. "Buy an old beater" Must be American lingo for "buy a rat bike for a track bike " ?

Now you've got me thinking.................

 

[GrandPaulZ]

Something like that, yes.

I darn near got nailed AT LEAST once every race and every other practice session; you MUST be aware of your surroundings at all times.

Lap times in any given race in AHRMA can vary wildly with as many as four different classes gridded in waves, and riders of all experience levels thrown in the mix.

 

[Sob1048]

AHRMA Yamacati

I sold my little Yamacati AHRMA bike last year. The guy destroyed the Ducati motor and put a 1969 Yamaha 175 2 stroke engine in the bike. Fun cheap way to race. I paid $800 for the bike had fun and sold it for $1500.

 

[randykyra]

Years ago a did some WERA racing on a sx600 ( thumper) and a honda twin. Now that I'm building a vintage street tracker maybe I'll do some track events. Maybe get the kids into it??? Time will tell...

 

[2007yellow430]

I raced that stuff when it wasn't old. Won a few races, no desire to start again. They didn't handle very well, the new stuff is so much better. And, a lot of guys who races in my day are coming back. My old Harris Ducati is on the circuit, and although I won a bunch of races with it, compared to a modern bike, it was evil handling. The Triumph is for cruising.

Art

 

[triumph rules]

as I've said on here before, [excuse the name misspelling]triumph was NO1 in road racing Gene Romero. Dick “Bugsy” Mann ,flattracking Gary Nixon’s , drag racing ,sonny route- 160 mph 2 engines, ist bike to do widowmaker ,isle of man-The 1969 read "Production TT" races . The result was a 650 cc race in which Malcolm Uphill twice topped the 100-mph lap on the works Triumph Bonneville and set an average race speed of 99.99 mph.
now the tyre development, bike development, after 45 years only produce
TT Supersport Race 2
Classic TT Trophy Michael Dunlop Honda 600 cc 2014 125.078 mph (201.294 km/h)
modified compared to production
Bonneville records 215mph in '56 with mostly stock bonny motor on nitro .
I'm on a motorcycle site that a guy still hasn't run 200 with 2 big bore gsxr motors
and the 56 was single engined Power: 80bhp at 7,400rpm

I can't say anything but they were outstanding

 

[GrandPaulZ]

If you track performance numbers for motorcycles since their inception, it was a gradual increase for the first decade then a significant step up with refined engines and crude suspension. After that, another relatively long gradual increase, then another significant step up with improved suspension on actual motorcycle chassis and significantly improved engine designs post-war. The relative increase remained gradual until another major step with DOHC, disc brakes and "modern" suspensions in the mid to late 70s. Then it was another gradual increase in performance to about the late 90s with the hyperbike revolution. Since then, the increases have been relatively slow and will likely continue so until some presently undiscovered major step-up arrives. I'm thinking electric bikes really are going to be a significant milestone in motorcycling once the price point moderates; they certainly are getting reasonable range and excellent performance out of them already.

So, looking over the history of the motorcycle in a single line referencing general performance, the curve from the late 60s to today will show a significant flattening in the last 10 years.

 

[triumph rules]

yeah, the engineers were a bunch of arrogant pricks who through history didn't listen to their workers who rode triumphs and had input from other guys on the street on what they wanted, they kept the main engine design from 1938 till the close of the factory,
wonderful breakthroughs in development

they still were ahead of the competition and won sales throughout America
if you ride a 67-69 bonnie on a smooth road jonny roadracer style the frame flex
isn't considered and they're light weight flickability over a Honda 4, 650 yam
z900 there is no comparison - the japs, all frames flexed

 

[triumph rules]

http://www.gixxer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=239513&page=14

 

[triumph rules]

2 x 1100 engines

 

[marshg246]

I'd like to encourage one and all to consider getting into vintage motorcycle racing. Between AHRMA, WERA, CMRA, VRRA and others, there are PLENTY of opportunities to get in some track time reasonably close to home (especially now that AHRMA has added Texas to the schedule).

* Vintage Roadracing
* Post-Vintage roadracing (including Thruxton Challenge)
* Vintage & post-vintage Motocross
* Trials
* Cross-Country
* Vintage Dirt track

I know many of you have bikes that could easily be set up to compete, and I'm sure many of you are better riders than me (which means you know you won't be in last place, even as a rookie).

You lot with the Thruxtons, IT'S A NO-BRAINER; just yank your lights and sign up!

I'll help rookies all I can with freebie Triumph & Norton parts, I don't have much in the way of BSA stuff, sorry.

C'mon, what are you waiting for? e-mail me for an easy step-by-step guide to getting started.

In 1974 I bought a 1972 B50MX basket case. I never got around to doing much with it. In 2013 my grandson talked me out of it. After bugging me for parts and help, he got it running well enough to race in vintage bike motocross at Budd's Creek. He ran his first three races last Sunday (8/24/2014). He won all three in his division (he had the only 500cc in the races). I was the pit crew. It got me excited so I've decided to strip the 1971 B50SS I have and give him some competition next time. I haven't raced for 40 years and had my hip replaced earlier this year, so I bet he'll win, but I'll bet that I will have fun doing it. One eye opener was that in his first race, he was the youngest (17) and the guy who started next to him was the oldest (67).

 

[PJC]

Vintage racing is awesome. I've raced with WERA and AHRMA and have nothing but great things to say about both orgs.

Both orgs are very accommodating to new riders/racers and have excellent schools for newbies.

 

[PJC]

Not to mention how inexpensive vintage racing can actually be. You could pick up a race prepped SR500 (or similar) for under $2K and have a blast. One set of tires would last you a season.

 

[marshg246]

Not to mention how inexpensive vintage racing can actually be. You could pick up a race prepped SR500 (or similar) for under $2K and have a blast. One set of tires would last you a season.

True! The 1971 BSA B50SS (street version of a B50MX 500cc single motocross bike) I bought was used for hunting and already has a good set of motocross tires, has 3900 actual miles, runs, is matching numbers and is titled. All I have to do is remove a few things, replace the battery with a capacitor, change the front fender, and add a chain tensioner from a B50MX and it's good enough to race. I only paid $1800. Of course, once I'm finished having fun with it I can restore it to original and make it look new like I originally planned.

 

[GrandPaulZ]

If I didn't have a collection, I'd have all the lights ready to slap back on my racebike in a matter of an hour or so, and it would be totally street legal. It would also appear to be a 98% original '69 Bonnie!

 

[Northlandrider]

Any wooden race tracks still open?

 

[GrandPaulZ]

That would be some amazing fun. Very dangerous, but fun! (actually, all racing is dangerous, to one degree or another)

 

[Oz Mossy]

Took the old Thunderbird out for a spin last week.
Ran a new Aussie 650 M/VG record of 119.002 mph.


Cheers Mossy