[GrandPaulZ]

Oh yeah!

 

[speedrattle]

^^^tony's the guy that lit the fire under me. this one went 128 this summer. currently trying to find out why third gear is optional.

don't have any better pictures because it's in bits right now taking stuff off to make it faster. need to lose the front brake, lower the whole bike, and reinforce the footpegs.

the problem with LSR is that the races are so few and far apart. the advantage is that you end up with a big pile of junk that you scrounged but didn't end up using. i was looking at all that clutter the other day, and thought, i've got about half a track bike in this.

so i'm building an el cheapo 67-70 road racing machine using the backup T120 motor. i need a frame, forks, and wheels, but then i'll have something to thrash between LSR events. there's an active group of track day riders around where i live, and i'm picking their brains as best i can.

 

[GrandPaulZ]

Be glad it's not JUST Bonneville these days, but over a half-dozen standing mile tracks now!

Roadrace tracks are still far apart, especially for me. Nearest AHRMA track is almost 1,000 miles away.

 

[Truckedup]

Speedrattle, AKA Kevin, did a fine job running a 128.He did all his tuning at the track and really increased his speed...The best part was a BSA-Triumph battle. A BSA had the record at Loring, 125 MPH. The we went there and ran a 127 right off the trailer...Then the next year the BSA with more tuning ran a spectacular 131 MPH...Then one more time off the trailer my rider runs a 131 then a 133 for the record...And the BSA pulled the cylinder hold down studs right out of the crankcases trying to catch us..
Speedrattle has mentioned to me about us making a trip to Bonneville in the near future..

 

[c317414]

The sad thing about this thread is that I raced what are now considered vintage bikes when they were new :|: 1974 Ducati 750 SS, 1974 Ducati 450 Desmo, 1973 Yamaha TZ350A

 

[GrandPaulZ]

The sad thing about this thread is that I raced what are now considered vintage bikes when they were new :|: 1974 Ducati 750 SS, 1974 Ducati 450 Desmo, 1973 Yamaha TZ350A

Doesn't sound sad to me at all! Of course I was only a junior in high school, and just barely into full-size bikes with gearboxes and multiple cylinders...

 

[c317414]

Doesn't sound sad to me at all! Of course I was only a junior in high school, and just barely into full-size bikes with gearboxes and multiple cylinders...

Actually we are about the same age. I was racing at ages 16-19. I was sponsored by a local dealer who owned the 750ss and the TZ. The only bike that was mine was the 450 Ducati.

 

[speedrattle]

i am vastly interested in encouraging other people to do what i do.

my bike took the lead in land racing top speed in loring, maine this past week.

here is a 1965 triumph bonneville at 134 mph.

https://youtu.be/NikCMxSBbcs

if i can do it, so can you.

 

[GrandPaulZ]

CONGRATS, DUDE!!!

 

[speedrattle]

now we're up to 133.003 in the mile, and 135.287 in the mile and a half.

lol

doing good, and haven't blown up yet

 

[speedrattle]

headed for maine in a week with the land speed machine.

normally aspirated, production frame, gasoline, no aero aids. the hard way to go fast.

looking for as close to 140 mph as i can get. that's less than 5 mph over what we have so far, but it's still a long, long ways off once you're up there.

above 100 mph, some 90 percent of the motor's push is overcoming wind resistance. so this time around i've lowered the machine 4 or 5 inches by fitting 17-inch wheels and 2.5-inch tires, front and rear. i could go lower still but the exhaust drags the ground. the seating position is flat on the frame, looking at the tach from between the upper and lower triple clamp. the seat is a hard plate about 24 inches from the asphalt to keep you low.

in the autumn i'll have TT-style pipes that tuck under the motor, so i can maybe lose another inch or two under the bike.

if you're thinking about doing something like this but are waiting around, you need to re-think your life goals.

 

[GrandPaulZ]

I wish...

 

[wakman]

Very cool. Where in Maine will you be? The old airbase in Limestone? Nevermind, I started reading on the last page and looking back I see that the races are at Loring. I'll have to check the schedule, I live in Maine but not particularly close to Loring. It would be a great trip to plan for next summer. Hope to see yu there, good luck next run.

 

[GrandPaulZ]

Standing Start Mile Racing is really fun to watch...

 

[TBS]

i am vastly interested in encouraging other people to do what i do.

my bike took the lead in land racing top speed in loring, maine this past week.

here is a 1965 triumph bonneville at 134 mph.

if i can do it, so can you.

Would love to know what you have done to your motor

 

[GrandPaulZ]

Great time to revive this thread!

It looks like if things go according to plan, I'll be on the track at Heartland Topeka, KS on the weekend of May 27-29.

My Bonnie...

It gets better. I gave my oldest son a '74 Yamaha RD400 a dozen or so years ago, and he wants to prep it and come race with us.

Then, it gets even BETTER! My middle son is stationed at Ft. Riley, KS, and he'll be about an hour away, so OF COURSE he'll be there too! I'm going to put him on my '72 BMW to race in Production Heavyweight with us. (still need to prep it for racing)-

I've got an '83 VF750F that I can run in NexGen, and the younger son has a Fogarty Ducati Monster he can race with me.

Now, if only we can find a 3rd NexGen bike for my older son...

Oh, yes, I hope to also do High Plains in Colorado in April, that would give me the minimum 2 race weekends PRIOR to Barbers, to pre-qualify to race there in October. It's been 11 years since I was on that track...

 

[speedrattle]

Would love to know what you have done to your motor

nothing other people cant do. its a 1970 T120, with freash aerco 649cc barrels and a 1974? 9-1/2 bolt head.

crank is billet steel by RoDy Machining, pistons are JE 11.75 to 1, cut by ed valiket.

the head has oversize intakes and exhausts and was ported by rob hall. twin plugs.

kibblewhite pushrods and tappet blocks. stock rocker box assemblies, mushroom adjusters and aluminum nuts.

primary is a 40mm bob newby belt. no alternator. 36/68.

right now final drive is 21/39 but i have 38 and 37 too.

ignition is an old ARD, running split diode plug wires. all four plugs spark together every 360. fixed advance at 30btdc. plugs are NGKB9ES. cannot for the life of me remember the 10mm ones in the center.

completely stock gearbox. took off the kickstart fir clearance, so i use a remote hand held starter off the crank nose.

carbs are 35 mm FCRs.

cam timing is 106/109 lobe centers. open pipes are 1-5/ x 34 inches.

mostly what ive done is tried to come up with a motor that will live at 7250 rpm or better, and then just adjust everything so it all works together. nothing ive done requires secret knowledge. id never built s race motor before so ive just tried to use common sense and lots of testing.

testing is the key unless youre a natural like truckedup who does it by instinct and gets it right first time. which annoys me

i forgot- megacycle 510-X2 cams, 008 and 010 lash. plus everything in the motor has been meticulously cleaned inspected, and any issues corrected before assembly.

 

[GrandPaulZ]

nothing other people cant do. its a 1970 T120...

...mostly what ive done is tried to come up with a motor that will live at 7250 rpm or better, and then just adjust everything so it all works together. nothing ive done requires secret knowledge. id never built s race motor before so ive just tried to use common sense and lots of testing.

Amen. I believe anyone with decent basic mechanical skills, a decent set of tools, appropriate special tools as needed (can be borrowed from members here, by the way), and a shop manual, can build or restore a nice enough classic bike (any brand).

With SO MUCH great tech advice on 6 or 8 different forums for ANY make/model bike, ALL of the complete build threads, and all of the "tips and tricks", you'd have to TRY to do it wrong, to do it wrong.

I don't hold myself in the top tier of builders/restorers, and I've done many scratch builds to total restorations, and everything in between, with an AMAZING success record. Out of over 60 total engine builds, only ONE ever had a failure; I didn't push the sludge tube in far enough, and it partially blocked the oil feed to the rods. I paid for long-distance warranty work to fix it, with the client getting to pick the shop of his choice. My instructions to the shop were: "Do whatever it takes; when the client is happy, send me the bill". I freely admit I don't get into the micro-minutia like several of the other builders on this and other forums I'm on. Have I been lucky? Maybe. But, all I've done is FOLLOW THE SHOP MANUAL. Just because I'm a moderator, doesn't mean I DIDN'T have to ask for advice or help more than a few times!

 

[speedrattle]

you have to admit that the four speed gearbox assembly procedure in the 63-70 shop manual does not make any sense to people with normal minds.

 

[GrandPaulZ]

you have to admit that the four speed gearbox assembly procedure in the 63-70 shop manual does not make any sense to people with normal minds.

Took me MANY tries on my first one, to realize a dab of grease on each roller KEEPS THEM IN PLACE! Still, one heck of a fiddle!