SuzukiHayabusa.org
GENERAL => MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE => Topic started by: scott g on July 09, 2016, 01:31:57 PM
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And so will follow a lengthy story,
in continued parts - stay tuned.
One record………?
OK, maybe a second…….
What if I can set five……..?
Are ten possible ?
What about 100 ?
250 records ?
500 Records ?
What’s the point of more than ONE good record ?
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I started riding motorcycles in 1958, when I
was about 14 years old. I showed absolutely
NO aptitude whatsoever, and could barely get
around a corner.
I continued riding sort-of casually until the
mid 1960’s, just for cheap transportation, you know.
Then I discovered Royal Enfields.
My first real motorcycle purchase was a trade in to the local
Yamaha dealer in 1965, and it didn’t even run…..
Burned valve and head ! BUT, it was only $25.00………
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What if I can go 100mph, 150mph, 200mph, 250mph, 300mph
Just how fast can a kid from the dirt backroads in Tropical North Queensland, Australia, go on the world famous salt of Bonneville USA 8)
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That summer, while working as a life guard, I
spent evenings learning to work on the
250cc single 4-stroke.
I couldn’t afford “Whitworth” tools, so I ground
and filed down all the bolt heads to fit my father’s
meager collection of American wrenches.
I had no tools of my own…………….
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A local bike mechanic had a stash of RE 250 parts.
He offered me the needed head for $15………or the whole engine for $25…….
Confronted with a lifetime of spares, I plunked
my money down and went away happy.
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Later, I “turned” the 250cc single for enough money
to buy two (2) non-running RE 700cc big twins.
I built up one to sell, and with that money,
built the other bike into a dirt bike, with which I
won my first race, a heat of scrambles, in 1967.
All without showing any talent
as either a rider or a mechanic.
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By 1971, I was earning a little money in the evenings,
wrenching on bikes, while working a “day job.”
At about that time, I was looking at an issue of CYCLE Magazine,
and saw the results of the 1971 Bonneville Speed Trials.
In that article, I read that someone had set a WORLD RECORD
(The promoters, the SCTA called them national records – then and now)
on a Harley Davidson Sportster.
I owned a Sportster, and I thought I had made it fast.
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I remarked about the beginnings of my soon-to-be-life’s
“obsession” to a friend, and he gave me a long cold look:
“You, in the outback of North Florida,
could build a world’s fastest motorcycle………Sure !”
We, he had called my hand, and I was holding nothing !
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The short background of this was that, in the CYCLE article,
it seemed POSSIBLE that a no-talent rider (me), with primitive
mechanical skills (me) could actually SET a WORLD RECORD !..............
Being less than studied on the subject, I didn’t know ANYTHING
about how “altitude” figured into the equations of power, or how
“aerodynamics “(that’s something about airplanes, right “ affected SPEED.
If I had known what I didn't know,
I never would have tried.
BUT, I didn't know what I didn't know................
Boy, was I heading for an education FAR
more interesting AND EXPENSIVE than college……..
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And now, at 72, you are still doin' bike stuff..................gotta luv a man like that.............gives me hope.
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I just read the title and don`t really understand the amount of records in US, how can you get 450 records in land speeding ? You must start with a bicycle and build it from there.
We have only few, n/a, turbo, nos and if somebody wants to run records for small engined bikes, and thats it ? And if someone runs better speed in a class then the record is not yours anymore , of course.
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Speeduck...some of these guys are incredible ..!!
For example recent Loring ..guys setting 10- 20 + records in one meet with one bike ...(some have broke over 30-over 40 and even over 60 in one meet)
These guys are good..!!...I saw pics of them holding up piles of record certificates thanking their sponsors
"some" of them are simply amazing !!
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That`s my point, what kind of records can you break 20 at a time ? Bike with a stripes on the side, without stripes ?
Do you really have sponsors on the land speed bikes ? What do they get in return ? Here they laugh at you if going to ask for sponsorship.
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Over the next 18 months, I studied
all sorts of things about making bikes fast,
hiding from the wind, and staying safe.
I eventually approached Dick O’Brien at the
Harley racing department, and he saw to it
that I received a number of REAL racing parts,
including a new XRTT road-racing chassis,
and many chassis and engine parts.
I set to work.
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I had located a 1957 883cc Harley Sportster; at an affordable price.
For me, that meant accepting partially - blown-up crankcases,
and not much usable. But…..it was cheap !
Eventually, I was ready to race at Bonneville in 1972;
some 2,500 miles from home, and being
about as hospitable as Hell on a bad day.
But Bonneville 1972 got rained out.
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Back to the drawing board, and improvements
were made to the engine and chassis. The engine
got low-friction bearings and improvements to the breathing.
For testing, I fit Morris cast wheels and dual-disc
front brakes, and went road-racing. After maybe
three races, I mysteriously found myself ranked 3rd place
nationally by the AMA – surely a mistake, since I could barely ride…..
The Road race chassis was then converted for Bonneville use……..
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Amazing - you ARE an Icon, Scott. :thumb: :bike:
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Scott, you are like the rest of us that had little money about the same on experiance, but very long on desire and what I call McGyverism, mean you can get something figured out and done while most others are still scratching there heads and whatever else, I myself spent many years at the drags with verious vehicals bikes, door cars, the last being a Alcohol Dragster, many parts nessessary to keep this stuff on the track was got through trades, doing machine shop work at night, what is boils down to is like yourself, I would not have got past my first nitrous fire if I had to pay up front, for everything, and you are also right in it was a very expensive education that would be near impossable for someone to teach, sadly now being older, and still having to work a fulltime job, I have little ambition to get to the track anymore, I would really like to take the bike to a meet and turn it loose, if for nothing else except to get that 200 MPH hat and jacket :lol:, but I'm afraid I'd really like it and I cannot afford to get started up in something like that again, maybe if the lottery would tip in my favor, I'd be there on the line with 600HP ready to get-r-done, ......you keep the shine side up........and lastly although I never met him very sorry to here about Sam Wheeler.....
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Rocketgeezer, been there done the miles, where if you wanted to try something different, you fabricated it, if it didn't work you binned it and tried again,, you read, there was very little published as said speed secrets were just that, you applied as best you knew, there was no google, heck, living here in Australia it took three months for the latest edition of "Hot Bike" to hit the newsagents, :)
Scott, its a great read/reflect back to how it was,, how for many our journeys parallel each other, keep'em coming mate 8)
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Thank you, Geezer(s) and Roo !
I suspect that my background in this LSR stuff
humble as it is, is not far from what many
others of us have done and experienced.
I appreciate your comments, and I feel proud that
maybe I have been able to express a little of what
we have experienced, and so show that we have
not been alone, shouting uselessly into the night.
I hope too, that what my "story" will show it that
a simple person, with limited talent, can become
a success of some sort, if "he" just exhibits:
perseverance !
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My friend Roger Reiman in Illinois had
some old-fashioned Harley parts around,
which had no use in modern bikes.
He sent those on to me at small costs.
I found a likely hub for a Bonneville
(no brakes) front wheel.
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Bought a used alloy rim.
Bought some “blank” spokes, which I cut to length,
then taught myself to form threads on spokes,
and to lace and true wheels.
My day job was teaching school,
but only part time,
and cost was a REAL factor !
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In 1972, there was an 883cc class,
and there were NO 2-strokes or
overhead-cam bikes that were big
enough to fit into “class C-883cc”,
which required Factory cylinders and heads,
with standard bore and stroke.
PERFECT for a Harley sportster with 883cc’s.
We were full speed ahead to hit Bonneville
in August 1972, and KICK ASS !
BUT, 1972 was rained out.
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Over the winter of 1972-73,
I spent so much time on the bike
that I did not notice the (unannounced)
elimination of the 883cc class,
and the expansion of that class
into the 1,000cc class.
(In creative writing,
this is called “foreshadowing “)
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In 1973, after a meandering trip to Bonneville
on a long summer holiday with my wife, I
promptly hammered the bike down the track
to an “amazing” top speed of 85 MPH (by time slip)
on my very first run on the salt.
The naked standing record was in the high 120’s.
( I am off to Bonneville tomorrow.
See some of you there, and to
be continued when I get back.)
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Ok; How about a little "narrative shift " here ?
My team (Guthrie Levie Racing) is now
home from the salt, and
doing needed maintenance.
We had an EXCELLENT Speed Week,
and want to go back for more at
World of Speed next month.
We may visit the BMST for a "review,"
but have no real interest in
running against AMA records.......
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and congratulations on all of the records. Did I see a 238+ record? :thumb:
But the one record that I do have a question about ... Dang!
1101B Scott Guthrie Racing 175CC APS-PF 168.389
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and congratulations on all of the records. Did I see a 238+ record? :thumb:
But the one record that I do have a question about ... Dang!
1101B Scott Guthrie Racing 175CC APS-PF 168.389
Yes Ransom, We now as a team (John Levie riding)
have the fastest SCTA Bonneville record for a streamliner
at 238 mph, with an exit speed of 244 mph.
That was the FASTEST MOTORCYCLE OF THE MEET !
We also have the SLOWEST (Scott Guthrie riding)
Bonneville SCTA world record at a (get ready for it ) 18 mph !
FIRST team to have the Fastest and
Slowest bikes at one time !
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Congratulations Scott on the records!
What were you riding on for the 18mph record.........John's back? :D
Dan
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Congratulations Scott on the records!
What were you riding on for the 18mph record.........John's back? :D
Dan
Thanks Dan !
When we started the week, we knew the "liner"
was going to be fast, but we didn't expect THAT fast !
After the experience soaked in, we thought it would
be fun to also be "The Slowest......."
And I chose to be that rider.
(After all, if you can't laugh at yourself,
you are probably the only one
who isn't laughing....)
I selected my ride for the week, a 175cc
pushrod-operated LIFAN, of Communist Chinese
manufacture (more on this later).
I equipped it with a sidecar (We are big into sidecars),
and HAMMERED the bike down the track to
qualify at 19.9 mph,which was actually a little too fast,
since the prominent French team Saline Visine" had set
the previous lowest record at 19.833 mph..
Having cleared this ridiculous endeavor with the SCTA,
I set off the next morning to "back up" the record,
hopefully with a slower speed that the day before.
Running first on "record morning" (A HIGH honor) I sped
down the track at what I felt would offer my "best"
performance - 5,000 rpm in 2nd gear.
I was dreaming of 10 mph, but was
handed a timing slip in the low 18's.
Still good for the slowest record speed ever........
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Fastest "motorcycle" at the event was Ralph Hudson on a 1000 cc partially streamlined bike at over 235 mph ...
fastest 3 wheeled machine ..was definitely the full streamliner with streamlined wheel on a stick jutting out the side ..2000 cc machine of Guthrie Levie racing ..
a great effort all the way around
... by putting a wheel on a stick out the side of a push rod bike to be able to set yet "another" record ...
at 19 mph ...
that fits this thread to a T
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Fastest "motorcycle" at the event was Ralph Hudson on a 1000 cc partially streamlined bike at over 235 mph ...
fastest 3 wheeled machine ..was definitely the full streamliner with streamlined wheel on a stick jutting out the side ..2000 cc machine of Guthrie Levie racing ..
a great effort all the way around
... by putting a wheel on a stick out the side of a push rod bike to be able to set yet "another" record ...
at 19 mph ...
that fits this thread to a T
Thanks for stopping by and offering comments, Joe.
Joe brings up some very good points, one of which is that the track surface
was both slippery and treacherous; Fast running was NOT the easy task for
the powerful bikes that could spin their wheels at 200 mph with a flick of the wrist !
Ralph Hudson - who has been running at Bonneville
for almost 50 years - was particularly affected.
Ralph's best speed on pavement is over 262 mph,
but he could only manage 235mph at this meet.
Joe Amo, timed previously at Bonneville at
an astounding 272mph only saw a best of 197 mph
The HALOPHILE, which has shown 252mph in the past ten years,
could only manage a single run over 200 mph; at 215mph
A full-on Japanese Kawasaki team running the desirable H2R
unobtanium bike went 220 mph,
FAR short of expectations !
A full-on Honda FACTORY team ran
a streamliner well, but it had 4 wheels....
(This and all previous times are per the current SCTA results)
This was NOT an easy week to find traction.
MANY teams went back and forth between the long (5 mile),
and short (3 mile) courses hunting fort he right combination
of traction, handling, and distance,
Our team, anticipating problem salt conditions for the last few years,
and traction problems with the existing tires, has been moving toward
the stability and predictably of the sidecar for the past four (4) years
It has paid off, with 244mph
in the first meet for that bike.
1670cc Gen I Hayabusa, N/A
Fastest 3-wheeler in the SCTA record book............/b]
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very excellent points Scott..!!
maybe thats part of the future of Bonneville...there has been a trend..
if two wheels become too tough to tame...put a strut off the side with a third wheel...and go after
side car records..
that is some tongue in cheek..and some very daunting "reality"....
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Its only human to aim for the best of conditions, but it dosent hurt to have a "backup" plan, with it, one gets the optunity to make more passes, thus gaining knowledge :wink:
Scott,, the addition of an extra wheel gave a better "feel" to handeling the ruff condition of the salt ?,,,
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very excellent points Scott..!!
maybe thats part of the future of Bonneville...there has been a trend..
if two wheels become too tough to tame...put a strut off the side with a third wheel...and go after
side car records..
that is some tongue in cheek..and some very daunting "reality"....
Quite correct Joe:
For years, starting in the 1980's, I would measure the coefficient
off friction( traction ) before we started racing. If we had brought
four (4) bikes, we might run only the "little" bikes if the traction was low.
If traction was high, out came the big bikes.........
We measured the thickness of the "salt crust" at the six(6) mile mark,
and found the crust to be about 3/4 inch thick. At the start line, it was
maybe 1/4 inch more, or one (1) inch thick.
In the 1950's, it was maybe 5 inches thick.
We may soon be running on mud, if we run at all.......
For us, the future may include sidecars,
which will allow us to go as fast at 2-wheelers,
but with far less risk.
And....risk is part of all this.
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I think it is just genius to build a "fast" S bike with a sidecar. Especially, considering the salt condition...
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I think it is just genius to build a "fast" S bike with a sidecar. Especially, considering the salt condition...
Thank you, Ranson !
We started this year's program with two
"solo" bikes, and two side-car bikes.
By the end of the week, we were at 3 sidecars............
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I think it is just genius to build a "fast" S bike with a sidecar. Especially, considering the salt condition...
Thanks Ranson, but I can only claim partial credit for the idea.
My partner, John Levie, and I had discussed our "directions"
about 5 years ago, and the concept of the sidecar kept coming up,
and we pursued it as an alternative of wheel-spinning solo bikes.
I think the "gestation" of the idea appeared to me after
my friend Jason McVicar was tossed off at
Bonneville about ten(10) years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QImtEKiicus
(Jason is now in the GUINESS BOOK OF RECORDS
as the fastest survived motorcycle crash)
We both consider this a questionable idea for a
thing to do intentionally to get into the record book !
Over the great Bonneville Famine of the past 2 years,
John and I had time to look more deeply into our 5 and 10 year plans,
and with the "thinning" of the salt, we thought we would try sidecars.
We ran our first "serious" attempt in 2013,
and that put John into the Bonneville 200 mph club,
followed by his DAD soon after in the same bike.)
Over the past 2 or more years, john drew and
built the current sidecar-streamliner.
This was a bit of an "iterative process,"
and eventually involved cutting out and replacing the complete roll-cage,
and eventually completely re-fabricating the WHOLE frame.
Over the winter, we will probably re-do the back half,
and add suspension and stiffen the swing arm........
I am VERY suspicious of head-safety in streamliners
in general, and bike liners particularly.
Sam Wheeler's death has only darkened my view of these things.....
But, we are trying !
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Its only human to aim for the best of conditions,
but it dosent hurt to have a "backup" plan, with it,
one gets the optunity to make more passes, thus gaining knowledge :wink:
Scott,, the addition of an extra wheel gave a better "feel" to handeling the ruff condition of the salt ?,,,
Yes, Ro, we kind-of plan for the worst, and hope for the best
I don't really like the low-speed handling of the sidecars,
but it seems more steady and "car like" as I go faster.
I am still trying to adapt to the idea that when I turn "into" the sidecar,
the rig steers like a bike, and like a "car" when I steer "away.
To much for my feeble brain.........
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Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled programing.................
In 1973, after a meandering trip to Bonneville
on a long summer holiday with my wife, I
promptly hammered the Harley down the track
to an “amazing” top speed of 85 MPH (by time slip)
on my very first run on the salt.
The standing record was in the high 120’s.
I had been faster in my 6-cylinder
Dodge Van, on the way to the track…….
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(Digression)
While at speed week 2016,
I had a chance to chat briefly
with Joe Amo ( currently at
#3 on the ALL-TIME FASTEST
RIDERS LIST. And, truth be known,
should probably be in position #2, just
behind Bill Warner)
Joe was having trouble with the track.
* * * *
Also saw friends Bob "Stainless" Steel and
John Gowetski, who run a small car using
mostly motorcycle engines.
Their driver spun the car, and really hammered
the left front tyre. Somehow the car stayed
upright. The same incident on a bike
could have been pretty bad !
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OK.....another bit of a digression here.............
I was a freshman at Florida State University
in 1962. Joining me on the Freshman swim team
was my friend from Largo FL, . Joe Papalardo.
Joe played in a "dorm band" that year, but eventually
left school to work and play in a
couple of bands in the Largo area.
Joe eventually was hired to play in
Tommy Roeman's band, "The Roemans.
http://www.m3cats.com/roemans_joe_pappalardo.htm
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While driving back and forth to Tallahassee (FSU)
from Sarasota FL in the 1960's,
I found myself sharing rides with Reese Wynans,
younger brother of my good friend "Bud" Wynans.
( I was great hot-rod pals with Bud.
He had a 1950 Mercury2-door coupe,
as did my mother.
Bud's, however had a 392 Hemi
under the hood. )
Reese had started FSU in Classical Piano,
but soon switched to popular music, and
later moved on to play with
a number of popular groups,
such as Stevie Ray Vaughn.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reese_Wynans
He currently backs up Joe Bonamassa.............
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OK: I have digressed (again)to last week's
SCTA Speed Week. which is current news.
A casual reading of the results will offer that my team
GUTHRIE LEVIE RACING set twelve(12) world records,
that my friend JOHN LEVIE was the fast bike of the event,
with an exit speed of 242 mph, while setting four (4) records.
John's dad Allen set two (2) good records, and that I sort-of
trailed the group on a 175cc LIFAN going MAYBE 65 mph.
You might wonder why the idea of riding a bike at Bonneville
at SLOWER than the speed limit was at all attractive........
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Well, we had gone there to set records,
and I was the Caboose.
Having drawn the short straw...I was assigned
to the team's slo-poke...a Chinese Communist
Lifan motorcycle, of dubious origin.
The engine was a FULL 175cc of push rod-operated
Communist power, with basically a 1970 design.
Even the manual was in Chinese, so tuning was chancy.
I had ridden this bike 5 years ago, and it made me swear
off Bonneville riding almost forever,
and after my first run on Saturday,
I almost quit again..............
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The bike wobbled, weaved and bucked
like an un-broken pony for three(3) miles,
and I couldn't have kept it on my side
of the road if I was on the highway...........
Yes, it was that bad..........
BUT, it was, at a magnificent 65 mph,
good for the first 1/2 of a record........
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Just endured Hurricane Hermine.
Eye of the storm went
directly over our house.
Not my first hurricane,
and everything OK now,
with full utilities and internet
back up after only 3 1/2 days...............
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The bike wobbled, weaved and bucked
like an un-broken pony for three(3) miles,
and I couldn't have kept it on my side
of the road if I was on the highway...........
.
We had four(4) bikes to run at speed week,
and I was dragged into service to run the little bike.
In the middle of preparing for the first runs
of the week - always a flail with 650 teams lining up,
and this year the pressure of having missed two full seasons
adding to the "itching sensation" to get in the first run........
I had paid little attention to the preparation of this,
the slowest bike, and that mistake
would come back to haunt me..........
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To try to get the most out of our bikes
at Bonneville, I usually have special leathers
hand-made to fit my “substantial” frame.
This can be a lengthy “in person” process,
since I must approximate (for the maker)
a riding position that is used
in no other motorsport.
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Just endured Hurricane Hermine.
Eye of the storm went
directly over our house.
Not my first hurricane,
and everything OK now,
with full utilities and internet
back up after only 3 1/2 days...............
Scott, great to hear that you and yourse came thru "The Blow" ok,,
Have endured being thru and on the edge of many Cyclones in this part of the world (Tropical North Queensland, Australia),, the sound of the wind is :twisted:,, good to see that thay restored your utilitys in three days, our last (five years ago) it took seven days before the electricity was restored, although this was a small price to pay as many others had their homes destroyed,,
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Another factor is that the SCTA,
who runs Speed Week at Bonneville,
requires special leathers,
calling for NO cooling vents, and NO
cloth panels – which means that
modern, “off-the-rack” road-race leathers
may not pass inspection.
It also means that I sometimes must spend the
whole last day in a “fitting,” where I show my “special”
riding position to the “leathersmith” and he makes
the leathers fit “tight,” for least wind resistance.
This year, the fit was a BIG problem……
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My Leathers fit VERY tight,
and I am sure the wind resistance was minimal.
On the other hand, I could NOT change
my position on the bike.
AND, the position I had was WAY to far forward,
putting too much weight on the front forks.
The immediate result was that the bike was all over the track,
and I could hardly get the bike to go straight !
The other situation was that I spent three (3) miles
at about 65mph wondering if the next bump was
going to put me on the salt !
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Just got to hate leathers that shrink over time like that.... I think it is the exposure to the salt :hys:
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Just got to hate leathers that shrink over
time like that.... I think it is the exposure to the salt :hys:
Yes........
Or, in my case, SALT PORK..........
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Later, in impound after the first run, I
noticed that my partner John had dropped the
front forks to suit his smaller and 50 pounds lighter build.
With me on the bike, it looked to have NO rake or trail……………….
The next morning, with GREAT trepidation, I
donned my back-up (NOT custom made, and a lucky-eBay – find)
leathers and tamed that bike to a howling 64 mph return run,
and set my FIRST EVER Bonneville record below the national speed limit.
(Friday morning, it is back to the salt
for the next race.
Your service may be interrupted......)
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Interestingly, my “down” run
was a solid 65 mph,and the return
run was a disappointing 64mph.
That may not sound like a big deal,
but at Bonneville, records change hands
with less than a 0.010 mph speed difference.
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I could read Scott's stories all day. There has to be a book if not a docu-drama mini series on his life. I turn on TV and there are shows on Tiny houses, Kids in Tiaras and their fanatic moms, Honey Boo Boo, etc yet nothing on this amazing individual and his life.
Please keep this going Scott, its very interesting for me an others to read about your early life and racing. I only met you in 2002 so before that all I knew was that the record books I had seen had your name in them many many times.
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I could read Scott's stories all day. There has to be a book if not a docu-drama mini series on his life. I turn on TV and there are shows on Tiny houses, Kids in Tiaras and their fanatic moms, Honey Boo Boo, etc yet nothing on this amazing individual and his life.
Please keep this going Scott, its very interesting for me an others to read about your early life and racing. I only met you in 2002 so before that all I knew was that the record books I had seen had your name in them many many times.
Thank you, E Don !
(I plan a section on "Motorcycle Racing things that made me
a Better Person" and Don's story will be part of that, so stay tuned !)
I am now in the public library in Wendover at Bonneville,
the better to use a land line.
We raced to a 289 mph top speed into a 14 mph
headwind yesterday with out new sidecar rig.
That makes us the fastest sidecar in history,
and optimistic about 300 mph later this month, at the next race.
Spent this morning meeting folks associated with the TRIUMPH
land-speed-record bike, being driven by GUY MARTIN.
GUY is a smart man, but I needed an
English-to-American translator,
which Guy had with him.
Spend a further 2 hours familiarizing myself with
the bike mechanicals, and now feel quite
comfortable around the cycle.
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(Back to the "slow" bike...................)
Consider that, as speed increases,
so does the wind resistance, but in
greater proportion than the speed.
That might mean that, had I been on
one of our 250mph turbo-Hayabusa bikes,
that the LEATHERS ALONE,
could have made a 5-10 mph difference.
That’s a lot of wasted horsepower !
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Last week, I hung around with the
“First Lady of Bicycling at Bonneville.”
She set the new BICYCLE record at Bonneville
with an amazing 147 mph for the full mile
(in this case 3 to 4) on her FIRST RUN.
The rest of her meet was largely
a disappointment, but they did
get a lot of media attention.
I had watched Allen Abbot set the (then)
men’s record in 1973, and he showed
up to be part of the festivities…….
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Consider that, as speed increases,
so does the wind resistance,
but in greater proportion than the speed.
That might mean that, had I been on one of
our 250mph turbo-Hayabusa bikes,
that the LEATHERS ALONE, could
have made a 5-10 mph difference.
That’s a lot of wasted horsepower !
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Back to Speed Week, and the "Little Bikes."
I then, with a little more experience under my belt,
was able to notch a 2nd record, at about the
same speed, 64+ mph...........I was on a roll !............
On the third record, I found I had been WAY over-confidant.
I hit a small pot-hole, and the bike jumped sideways
hard enough to tear the sole off my racing boot...........
But another record was gloriously set,
the third in the 64mph range...........
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(sorry, just can't resist !)
Guthrie-Levie Racing
DOMINATES
Land Speed Racing !
Guthrie-Levie racing
Is the first and ONLY
Racing team in LSR to have
over-250 mph speeds
on 2-wheels, 3-wheels and 4-wheels !
JOHN LEVIE in 2016 at 289mph on 3-wheels
Dean Sabatinelli in 2010 at 269 mph on 2-wheels
Shane Stubbs in 2009 at 265mph on 2-wheels
Scott Guthrie in 2004 @ 251mph first on 2-wheels
Scott Guthrie at 258 mph in 1992 on 4-wheels
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Quite proud of this..........
3412 GUTHRIE LEVIE RACING
RIDER: JOHN LEVIE
SCS-BF 1350 CC
DOWN RUN: 266.460MPH
RETURN RUN: 280.600MPH
HIGHEST SPEED AT EXIT: 289.750MPH
NEW RECORD
273.530MPH
This was the fastest
record of the meeting,
CARS INCLUDED !
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Little bike again..............
The 4th record was yet another droning 64mph,
but we were learning !
That fourth record was up to par,
at around 64 mph, with no problems, and...............
I think I was adjusting to the power and handling of the beast................
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Interestingly, records three and four were set with
no changes other than removing the fairing.
So yes, since all four records
were in the 64mph range,
it looks like the fairing was,
aerodynamically speaking,
worth NOTHING.
Actually, the fit of my leathers made more difference in
the speed than the WHOLE FAIRING and WINDSCREEN !
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After John set "fast time of the meet," at 242mph, we decided
to have a little fun, and "bookend" John's "fastest"
time with the "Slowest" speed of the meet.
The administration was initially unimpressed
with the idea, but "track time" was more
available this late in the week.
Many of our competitors had either blown their engines,
or had set all the records they could.
Also, the track condition had scared a LOT of folks off.
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Racing at Bonneville is almost universally
about holding the throttle wide open,
and going as fast as possible
In MY dubious case, I was trying
to go SLOWER than anybody in the SCTA
(Southern California Timing Association)
had ever gone
The speed to beat ?...
The venerable 19.9 mph of the
powerful "Saline Visine" team of France,
set with their electric Paris moped............
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I attached a sidecar to the thing,
and I wobbled down the track
as slowly as possible...............
Never having tried to go slow at
Bonneville before, I almost over-shot
the mark, but was able to make a
last-minute adjustment
in the final 1/4 mile,
to clock 19.8 mph.............
Victory was in sight !............
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AND, BTW, this bit about losing records
by small amounts is far too real !
Until this year, we held a decent record
in the 1000cc class at 230.711 mph.
It was broken in August by another
team going 230.719 mph.
We had LOST a world record by 0.008 mph.
Eight THOUSANDS of a SINGLE mph………..
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at those speeds .008mph equates to 1/8" :lol:
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now there is an idea in the making Scott....
Wheelie through the first light but have the front down for the last one... a 5 foot advantage in the mile... :shock:
So now all you have to do is talk one of you riders into trying it :hys:
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now there is an idea in the making Scott....
Wheelie through the first light but have the
front down for the last one...
a 5 foot advantage in the mile... :shock:
So now all you have to do is talk
one of you riders into trying it :hys:
And we KNOW which one it will be........................[/b][/size]
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that 1000 cc record was seriously soft as they come imo...
but on this years salt...that speed is very commendable..!!
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Before embarking of the 2nd record run,
I checked in with the race director,
and he offered his blessing......
with the understanding that this foolishness
would only be tolerated ONLY once more.
I returned to the start line the next morning.............
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In the cool hush of 7:00 am Bonneville stillness .I
was ushered to the reverential spot....
to run FIRST on record morning
I was overcome with emotion.............
All eyes were on me, as I
started my epic quest........
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After yesterday's speed, the
timing tower - 2 miles away - had
decided they needed to watch me with binoculars.
This was ostensibly to make sure I
was not pushing with my feet,
but also because, from their viewpoint,
they were unable to tell if I was actually moving...........
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I'm beginning to think that the speed of this thread is not that much faster :lol: :lol:
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I'm beginning to think that the speed of
this thread is not that much faster :lol: :lol:
Well, none of this is anything
anybody NEEDS to know.....
If you want it to continue, say so.
Otherwise, rather than bore you,
I'll just quit, and go on to something else...............
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I'm beginning to think that the speed of this thread is not that much faster :lol: :lol:
Said in jest my friend :D, please continue 8)
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I quickly fond the sweet spot in the
engine's power band and gearbox.
4,000 rpm (Red line is 10,500 rpm),
and 2nd gear of the 6-speed box.
Life stood still, and (almost) so did I.
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The final timing slip ushered us into the
impoundment area, where the bike
was fully checked for legality,
and the new record was stated.
My return run, at an unprecedented 16 mph,
was good for an 18.9MPH AVERAGE, for the
SLOWEST RECORD IN HISTORY.
The tiny crowd went WILD,
with one person applauding,
and the other person cheering.................
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I followed up the next morning with a full-power
record attempt with the 175cc converted,
as before, to sidecar..
I gave the bike everything it and I had,
nursing the throttle for every 0.1 horsepower,
and using every rider's trick I knew,
and was able to grab my 6th record
of the week at ALMOST 60 mph...............
The name of the motorcycle ?
The HINDENBERG !
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So" what was the point of all this,
you might reasonably ask ?
First, we went to Bonneville to SET RECORDS,
and these six were available.
Second, I needed a lesson in humility,
which was offered is GREAT quantity.
Third, only five(5) people in the 80 year
history of the SCTA at Bonneville
racing have set six(6) records in one
week with one (1) motorcycle.
I had done it in 1985, with a vintage
Yamaha, and Now............. I was the
first (and only) person to do it twice.....
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OK........I kind of wandered
"off topic" again.
If you like, we can restart
this at an earlier period,
say in the 1960's.
But: it will involve sex, drugs and
rock and rock-and-roll................
Any takers ?