The Motorcycle Racers Thread

[ctl411]

Lots of dirt guys ... ctl411, I used to own a Honda Hawk, we called it a VTR 1000 here in Aus but I didn't get to the track on it. Sounds like you had a pretty full on off on it!

No not vtr, nt650 hawk. Started life as a 40 HP 650. Built to 80 HP superbike, falcon crank, ti rods, 700 cc pistons, smooth bore carbs, close ratio trans, CBR f3 forks, mag wheels,ti hardware etc. Way too much money spent, but was single at the time.



Anyone done 'real' road racing? I'm talking public roads, not circuits?

Um yeah but not sanctioned. That's what my fzr 1000 and gsxr 1000 was for. Still liked my 700 twin on the track better.

[tp12]

Originally Posted by ctl411

No not vtr, nt650 hawk. Started life as a 40 HP 650. Built to 80 HP superbike, falcon crank, ti rods, 700 cc pistons, smooth bore carbs, close ratio trans, CBR f3 forks, mag wheels,ti hardware etc. Way too much money spent, but was single at the time.

Ahhhhh, ok. Double the power, crikey. Slightly sensitive delivery?

Originally Posted by ctl411

Um yeah but not sanctioned. That's what my fzr 1000 and gsxr 1000 was for. Still liked my 700 twin on the track better.

Naughty boy! I stopped riding on the road for years. I still don't have a road bike but I'm thinking I might sell my Golf and get one...and a van to cart the 848 around in

[Claude_Marie]

Originally Posted by Polux

Yes, I have great memories and I miss it.

Congrats !!

I never played in the same league, lucky you.

I just was given the chance to be overtaken (several times !) by world champion Håkan "Carla" Carlqvist, who was no longer racing for Husky.

Can't say I miss it, but glad I did it.

Else, there is indeed not much left from the original Husqvarna, on my way to the museum, located in a "vintage" building, I drove past a modern building, but I have no idea if it is a production facility or a warehouse ??

[ctl411]

Originally Posted by tp12

Ahhhhh, ok. Double the power, crikey. Slightly sensitive delivery?

Not too bad, still broad power twin. Head intake ports epoxied in and reshaped to keep velocitie up. No flywheel so throttle control was needed though.
Lots of dyno time and r&d on these at the time.

Naughty boy! I stopped riding on the road for years. I still don't have a road bike but I'm thinking I might sell my Golf and get one...and a van to cart the 848 around in

Yup, but they changed the law that fleeing and alluding became a felony.

Stay on the track safer and more fun.
Our local organizations would sometimes be at the bigger tracks when the ama pros were there also. You think you are flying then get passed on the outside like you are out on a Sunday ride.

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Claude_Marie

Congrats !!

I never played in the same league, lucky you.

I just was given the chance to be overtaken (several times !) by world champion Håkan "Carla" Carlqvist, who was no longer racing for Husky.

Can't say I miss it, but glad I did it.

Else, there is indeed not much left from the original Husqvarna, on my way to the museum, located in a "vintage" building, I drove past a modern building, but I have no idea if it is a production facility or a warehouse ??

I have a fiend that still has one of the first 4 strokes big Husky 600 (from the late 80's or early 90's) one of the first made in Italy. He has it since then.

Another of my friends had one of the first Husaberg big 4 stroke machine. Together for 15 days we cruised the goat trails of Cevennes, on top of the beautiful French range, with French military maps (no GPS at the time). At the evening after about 150kms of incredible riding (trial sometimes) we come down to a previous arranged point (a camping) to join my wife and a friend that were travelling lower on a 4 wheel drive. That was some navigation. The only help I had besides the maps was an altimeter.

At the time I was ridding a KTM 620 made to my requirements by a KTM engenier (big luck). The moto had pieces of the trail machine, pieces of the Enduro machine, pieces of the KTM rally raid machine...and some more modifications....yes great motorcycles, beautiful sceneris and trails, great memories.... a pity to live only one time

[charliehows]

well, well husqvarna made rifles - british small arms ring any bells? Incidentally, I fell off bikes a few times when I started riding (45ish years ago) but then i read the little label on the side that said "do not exit the vehicle while the vehicle is in motion" and took it to heart. The other thing i learned was no amount of supertuning a 1500cc stroker shovelhead makes it go round corners any better.

[Claude_Marie]

Originally Posted by Polux

I have a fiend that still has one of the first 4 strokes big Husky 600 (from the late 80's or early 90's) one of the first made in Italy. He has it since then.

Another of my friends had one of the first Husaberg big 4 stroke machine. Together for 15 days we cruised the goat trails of Cevennes, on top of the beautiful French range, with French military maps (no GPS at the time). At the evening after about 150kms of incredible riding (trial sometimes) we come down to a previous arranged point (a camping) to join my wife and a friend that were travelling lower on a 4 wheel drive. That was some navigation. The only help I had besides the maps was an altimeter.

At the time I was ridding a KTM 620 made to my requirements by a KTM engenier (big luck). The moto had pieces of the trail machine, pieces of the Enduro machine, pieces of the KTM rally raid machine...and some more modifications....yes great motorcycles, beautiful sceneris and trails, great memories.... a pity to live only one time

I know about all these bikes....I love KTM....but I am just not tall enough for them...
Breaks my heart !!
I just cannot handle them...my feet do not touch the ground.

The only one that would fit would be a 690 SMR...heavily modified like this one :http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=936479

I love it !!!!!

As for the place where you have been, Cévennes, I walked/trekked 2 weeks there...nearly 200km on foot, with a donkey to carry the camping gear, the famous Robert Louis Stevenson track.


http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trave..._C%C3%A9vennes

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Claude_Marie

I know about all these bikes....I love KTM....but I am just not tall enough for them...
Breaks my heart !!
I just cannot handle them...my feet do not touch the ground.
....

I had an unfair advantage, I am big but if you are good enough you don't need to touch with the feet on the ground. The guy from the Husaberg that used to ride with me didn't touch the ground with the feet. When stopped he stays on a funny position with one foot down, the ass out of the settee and a bended leg over the motorcycle.

Ok, the guy had been a gymnastic champion and had an amazing equilibrium but there are well known racers that did not touch the ground with the feet. The most known was Gaston Rahier and that did not prevent him to be 3 time world motocross champion and to win 2 times the Paris Dakar. Look at the photo:

https://rideapart.com/articles/retro-suzuki-dr-big

Anyway the big KTM 620 was a mistake. For driving that animal fast was needed a lot of force and the motorcycle was really only at ease going very fast on fast tracks. One of the new 250 4 strokes motorcycles is much more fun to ride and much more easy, much lighter too. I am quite sure you will be able to ride one of those even without touching the ground with the feet.

[Neeltje]

I started out on my Dad's '58 BMW R-50, and being 12-years old at the time, I could barely reach the pedals, much less the ground, so he'd hold the bike by the saddlebag brackets until I was ready to roll out of the driveway. I'd then cruise around the neighborhood for a while, drive past the house laying on the aftermarket air horns to get his attention, go back around the block repeating the process until he came out to reel me in. Some times it would take a while, but he never failed to show up before I ran out of gas.

Later (much later) I literally broke my neck on a grass track outside of Marmande (FR) riding my faithful Matchless 500 single, cracked 6 ribs and fractured both wrists on trials held in the Gorges du Tarn riding a Yam TY-250, and finally made the mistake of letting go of the handlebars on my brandy new '87 V-Max while decelerating to light a cigarette in downtown Biarritz, which cost me a broken leg, a new helmet, and about $2500 in repairs.

Yes, I remember it well! (Especially when the humidity's high). And as much as I miss riding, I wouldn't take a bike out on the pavement on a bet these days. I just wouldn't feel comfortable knowing that the majority of those in their 2-ton cages around me are more into "Texting" than "Driving".

Jacques

[Claude_Marie]

Originally Posted by Polux

[...]

I am quite sure you will be able to ride one of those even without touching the ground with the feet.

Polux, you got me wondering if are either a very optimistic, polite or kind person.
Possibly all of that at once.
;-)


@ Jacques
That's why your pack of fags* reads :
SMOKING KILLS


* Fag : slang English for cigarettes, don't get into funny ideas.

[Patchy]

I spent most my life racing any thing. Started out a spit crew for Rod Hall in the desert, got into road racing cars, then motorcycles, had a drag bike that would do 7 seconds, what a ride!! Then started building a bike for Boniville trying to get over 200 mph. Then I met my wife and after a year or so she introduced me to sailing and says she wants to cruise the world on a sail boat. I of course accept her wishes, but it still makes me laugh. I spent my whole life trying to go fast, nothing was fast enough, 200 mph seemed like a low goal.... Now I get really excited when I see 7 knots.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Patchy

I spent most my life racing any thing. Started out a spit crew for Rod Hall in the desert, got into road racing cars, then motorcycles, had a drag bike that would do 7 seconds, what a ride!! Then started building a bike for Boniville trying to get over 200 mph. Then I met my wife and after a year or so she introduced me to sailing and says she wants to cruise the world on a sail boat. I of course accept her wishes, but it still makes me laugh. I spent my whole life trying to go fast, nothing was fast enough, 200 mph seemed like a low goal.... Now I get really excited when I see 7 knots.

If you are excited when you see 7K you need to get another boat.

That's funny how much fun you can have sailing a responsive and fast cruising boat on demanding conditions: Downwind with lateral waves you get the same slide sensation and pleasure of control you get on a car or motorcycle drifting on a twisting road and going upwind on nasty conditions, trying to avoiding big waves and putting the bow on the right place to minimize drag and impact, you have the same sensation as choosing the right path with a motorcycle on a trial zone.

Many don't really understand why so much fuss about a boat that can go 2 or 3 miles faster than a main market cruising boat but most of it is really all about sailing fun, control and sailing a 8T boat with the tip of your fingers.

[FSMike]

Ended my motorcycle road racing career in 2009 at Daytona International Speedway when I high sided in the International Horseshoe. Collected the right femur, thigh, a rib, and assorted bruises.
Decided I didn't bounce as well at age 65 as I used to, so I sold all my bikes except the one I crashed on, a much modified 1989 Honda GB500 single. I kept it for living room sculpture, as soon as I get a living room lol.
For more information on vintage motorcycle racing, visit AHRMA.org. It's a great organization, and I still do some volunteer work for them a couple of times a year.
The Barber Vintage Festival is a must see. It's held at Barber Motorsports, just outside Birmingham, Al.
Keep the shiny side up!


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[sirkus]

I raced the national series in Norway and some scandinavian races between 1998 -2007.
Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki. All Superbikes up to 220hp on the back wheel.

Did training camps all over Spain in the winter time and racing in the summer. When the budget exceeded 100k a year to get into podium I quit. I do miss the trills, but not the pain.
Planning on taking a ktm500 (130 kilo) on a multihull.

[tp12]

Originally Posted by sirkus

I raced the national series in Norway and some scandinavian races between 1998 -2007.
Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki. All Superbikes up to 220hp on the back wheel.

Did training camps all over Spain in the winter time and racing in the summer. When the budget exceeded 100k a year to get into podium I quit. I do miss the trills, but not the pain.
Planning on taking a ktm500 (130 kilo) on a multihull.

Wow, that's nuts. Superbike racing is SuperExpensive racing...

Now that's interesting (taking the KTM on board) what Multi are you going to get? I really like the idea. I was going to take my carbon pushbike in a vacuum bag