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Author Topic: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !  (Read 30619 times)

Offline scott g

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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 ?


Offline scott g

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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………




Offline FlaminRoo

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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)
« Last Edit: July 09, 2016, 05:04:26 PM by FlaminRoo »
First Australian to ride a motorcycle 200mph at Bonneville,,

Offline scott g

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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…………….

Offline scott g

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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.

Offline scott g

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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.

Offline scott g

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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. 


Offline scott g

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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 !

Offline scott g

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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……..


Offline Ghost-Geezer

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And now, at 72, you are still doin' bike stuff..................gotta luv a man like that.............gives me hope.
"The thrill of Boost cannot be duplicated on earth."

"One drink is too many and a thousand is not enuf."

"Step UP or Step Aside"

"Four wheels moves the body,
Two wheels moves the soul."

Offline speedduck

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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.

Offline joea

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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 !!
« Last Edit: July 30, 2016, 05:26:46 PM by joea »
ex busa owner
not worthy

Offline speedduck

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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.

Offline scott g

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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.

Offline scott g

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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.


Offline scott g

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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……..


Offline Ghost-Geezer

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Amazing - you ARE an Icon, Scott.   :thumb: :bike:
"The thrill of Boost cannot be duplicated on earth."

"One drink is too many and a thousand is not enuf."

"Step UP or Step Aside"

"Four wheels moves the body,
Two wheels moves the soul."

Offline Rocketgeezer

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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.....
The older you get do you notice you start chickening out way before the bike does

Offline FlaminRoo

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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)   
First Australian to ride a motorcycle 200mph at Bonneville,,

Offline scott g

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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 !

Offline scott g

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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. 


Offline scott g

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #21 on: August 02, 2016, 08:27:08 AM »
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 !

Offline scott g

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #22 on: August 06, 2016, 01:35:23 PM »

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.


Offline scott g

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #23 on: August 08, 2016, 11:02:05 AM »
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 “)


Offline scott g

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Re: Why would ANYBODY want more than ONE LSR record ? - that's just GREEDY !
« Reply #24 on: August 10, 2016, 03:56:02 PM »
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.
)