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Vintage Fuel Drag Bikes

1M views 3K replies 270 participants last post by  JOHN HANSON 
#1 · (Edited)
This is a new thread I am starting dedicated to Nitro Fuel Drag Bikes. If you were involved with a Top Fuel or Junior Fuel Motorcycle team in the 50s, 60s, 70s and up to 1994 (25 years ago) we invite you to join in and share some of your memories. Or, if you didn't belong to a team but share our passion please join in too. There are other threads here on drag racing so let's keep this about "Nitro". My first fuel bike was an A/F Harley back in 1969. My last was the twin-engine Harley "Freight Train" that I retired in 1985. I will be sharing many fond and a few not so fond memories. This video was filmed in '83 and '84. The opening burnout was me and "The Freight Train" at the 1983 IHRA Spring Nationals in Bristol Tennesee. That was back when Top Fuel Motorcycles were occasionally invited to join in with the cars in a special T/F Motorcycle class. The rest of the video was filmed by my wife and is a little shakey at times but a treasure to me since it is the only film I have of my 21 year motorcycle drag racing career. For some of you it will be the first time you have seen a T/F Motorcycle started on rollers. I hope you enjoy.
 
#758 ·
When I came back to racing in 1963 after a four year absent for personal reason and at the same time to start my Family with the birth of my Son, Boris was already a well established Top Figure in Nitro Bike Racing on the West Coast, at the time Jim Cook was Riding for him...and as some of you know Jim did some riding for me in his later years...

It was soon after meeting Boris that he started doing his own riding and we became great Friends, sharing outings with our Families...we had some great times together as friends and competitor...I don't think while at the Drag Races I ever missed one of his passes whether from the side line fence, the start line or from the other lane...I always wanted to make a pass or two on his Double Triumph myself but it never happened...when I first met Boris I was running my Knucklehead bike in Top Gas and his being at the Top in Nitro was what caused me to try and catch up with what he was doing...which gave me cause to keep going until we both became the two to beat on the West Coast...

When the time came of the Slider Clutch, Boris had a hard time winning but still manage to cross the finish line first in many a final...No matter if he was making a Single Pass or in the other lane trying to cross that finish line first, he always showed Professional and Spectacular runs...
 
#777 ·
Here's a question I've been meaning to ask for a while. Seems that earlier in the thread I saw pics of a knuckle racing in the '60's... then when I came back today to catch up on one of the best threads on the whole damned internet:

When I came back to racing in 1963...
...when I first met Boris I was running my Knucklehead bike in Top Gas...
I've heard that even on a pretty stock motor, a set of shovel heads is a noticeable improvement over pans; were the panhead ports/chambers better, worse, or roughly the same as knuckles?

-Bill
 
#760 ·
That is a lot of posts in a short period.
In honour of that Frank, and the fact that I promised I would post a picture of two hot pieces in my last post - I think Joe especially will like this one. He said he never saw his single with the wheel off the track. Well it is not very high, but he is trying hard against TC back in 1973 when I took this shot of him.

Tire Wheel Automotive tire Vehicle Automotive design
 
#761 · (Edited)
That is a lot of posts in a short period.
In honour of that Frank, and the fact that I promised I would post a picture of two hot pieces in my last post - I think Joe especially will like this one. He said he never saw his single with the wheel off the track. Well it is not very high, but he is trying hard against TC back in 1973 when I took this shot of him.

View attachment 61178
Hmmm, I had a hard time keeping my Single Engine Fuel Bikes front wheel on the ground...

The bike you show against TC was the last Single I build, I built it for the 1973 Indy Nationals, 108 Cubic Inches, with a bigger tire in the back and a Lenco two speed Transmission , I added an extra ten pounds to front forks because during testing at Irwindale Raceway I couldn't keep the front down when I shifted into high gear...



Great Picture Keith, you can see my rear tire start to grow and still stuck to strip...

I beat, (oops) won this race with a great 8.64 ET but got a hole shot pulled on me in the finals by Routts Double...

TC looses, Smith Snoozes...
 
#768 ·
mrmom9-As good as the Kosman and Yetman frames were A lot of people actually ran fuel sportsters using stock frames:eek:.I used one,still have the bike.Dave Campos iirc was using a stock frame as late as 1969,and I think Gordon Katelys first 55" fuel bike was in a stock frame,may be wrong about that,I know he had gone to the Yetman frame by 69.I have seen them used both with struts and with the KR rigid sections. I notice that a lot of people have posted pictures of what are obviously snap shots.Can anyone tell me how to do that? Preferably so a 60 plus computer illiterate can understand it!I have a few pictures of some of my old bikes I would really like to post.Frank-this is the best thread I have ever read on the Jj!Thank you!
 
#770 ·
Fellas, It never occurred to me that I would actually contribute to this thread other than read it every day, but I was thumbing through one of my old Hotrod mags, it's the MAY 1964 issue.

I was born in 69, so I didnt buy it new, an older buddy bestowed up on me a trove of these some time ago.

Anyhoo, hope you enjoy...





I did the best I could with the pics if you go to my profile they might be bigger...I got them as big as I could...hope they dont suck to bad...
 
#771 ·
Sorry about picture, I have it some place better than this but can't find it...This is when Mr. Johnson lived in an upstairs Apartment in an old house in Pasadena CA and that door led to a one car garage where he kept the "Barn Job"...by the way that was a famous Apartment...

When he worked on it or made parts for it, it was in down town Los Angeles where he worked in a Machine Shop...

 
#775 · (Edited)
I am into the "Freight Train" years,'83-'86 now, but I can't help going back a few years and showing you what a pack rat I am. I was going through old "stuff" and ran across a folder containing receipts, sponsorship programs, etc for 1979, the year I went Fuel Bike racing again after a 10 year absence. I got free Valvoline oil and Champion spark plugs but had to buy everything else, most at a discount. There is much discussion now on how expensive it is to race today compared to years past. This I will prove. I purchased my T/F Kaw from Danny Johnson for $10,500.00, state of the art and race ready. To do that today will cost $200,000.00 +. Nitro was $650.00 a drum. Double that today. Wiseco sold me pistons for about 60% off retail ($90.00 for 4). A 10 inch goodyear slick was $109.00 (no discount). Double that today. I only got 25% off factory parts but I didn't use much of that.

The biggest increase percentage wise has been........guess..........gas!!!! 1979 was years after the Arab oil embargo but even waiting in long lines during the '74 embargo it was only 60-80 cents a gallon at the gas stations, depending where you lived. I paid my first $1.00 a gallon for regular gas in 1979 driving around the country. Today it is approaching $4.00 per gallon or a 400% increase. Quality motels were $30.00 a night. 2 or three times more today. So is food ......yada,yada, yada.

I did not have a lot of money but could afford the best to go racing Fuel Bikes in '79, about $20,000.00 for the bike and expenses. NO WAY TODAY!!!!
 
#776 · (Edited)
Here is one of a few flyers I saved advertising a match race I was booked in for. It was Joe Norman on his supercharged nitro Funny Bike, Larry McBride on Danny Johnson's T/Fer, Paul Ray on another Johnson built T/Fer and me on "The Freight Train" in the dark photo at Farmington Dragway. The year was 1983.
 
#780 ·
Keith,

I know Danny built at least 10 almost identical T/F Kaws, maybe a few more before they got outdated. They were I believe the last T/F frames he built. The twin engine V-8 Suzuki was built by Puppet.


Bobby K is definitely one of the pioneers but he was a good 10 years before my time. Joe will be the one who knows more about him. I know he is mentioned in an upcoming book.
 
#785 ·
Keith,

I know Danny built at least 10 almost identical T/F Kaws, maybe a few more before they got outdated. They were I believe the last T/F frames he built. The twin engine V-8 Suzuki was built by Puppet.

Bobby K is definitely one of the pioneers but he was a good 10 years before my time. Joe will be the one who knows more about him. I know he is mentioned in an upcoming book.
The bikes that Danny built looked very neat machines.
Would love to have seen that Suzuki run.

The Bobby Sirkegian thing is certainly interesting, but cannot help but think there is a bit too much hype there. He was obviously one of the pioneers of the day though.

Looking forward to seeing this new book about the sport published.
 
#782 ·
xsteinauge== didn't mean Yetmans were the only thing around,just most photographed. in 1970 I bought a fuel bike rolling chassis that had run locally here in Mo. Stock wheels,forks,1/4" aluminum stuts with about a million holes in each one,all the frame castings drilled to death,pipe handlebar hose clamped to the forks and a Briggs and Stratton gas tank. I thought I'd died and gone to racing heaven.

cabana dan= I don't doubt the Leo Payne story at all. I ran a yetman for years and every spring people would say" boy, that guy's really particular he's got a new paint job every year" actually we spent every winter repairing and replacing tubes in the rear section and having it stress relieved. We had to repaint. I am currently building Yetman repops and an Improved version that is actually meant for a 6" tire for nostalgia fuel racing.
 
#784 ·
Hi Dean,

Yes I know there are some Sirkegian Bikes in the NHRA Museum, I believe there's quite a few different bikes to day...It's an Honor for anyone to be ask to put their Racers in the Museum...

I was lucky and had the Honor to have one of my bikes in the NHRA Museum at the Grand Opening...It was the only Drag Racing Motorcycle in there for a few years...


 
#786 ·
I used to work for a guy in Chicago by the name of Dick Speed, Dick raced pro stock bikes in the early and mid 80's. He gave me a fair amount of video (VHS) from races, mostly jap stuff (and mostly from the old Dragbike organization), pro stock, pro comp, funny bike etc... but it does have some harleys and fuel stuff, if one of you guys would like it, I would be glad to send it to you and you could watch make copies etc... its all done nonprofessional (i.e. a hand held) but its good memories, let me know
 
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#788 · (Edited)
WOW! I didnt know it even posted this! Frank the panhead in the upper left ran numerous times at the old spruce creek airport.You should have seen us hiding it in the brush when the cops came!The double was built by Gene Gaskin in Tampa in about 1973 IIRC.It was bought by Jeeter Cornet who ran it as a fueler for several years in the 80s.In these pics it is in the old A.M.I shop.I built the engines for it and generally helped to get it functioning after he first bought it.A VERY different critter than anything else I had ever worked on!The Triumph is an alky bike I built in the 70s.
 

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#789 ·
Yay! It will only load one pic at a time but at least its right side up.This is my old fuel sportster,31\4 inch X 5 inches.Best time ever 9.90 on 70% nitro.Normally ran mid tens.Not impressive,but great fun! This is the bike I am currently rebuilding.The pic was taken in the 90s when I cleaned the thing up and put it in the shop for bike week.
 

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#790 ·
This is a shock. Joe Mondello died today. I saw him just a couple weeks ago at the Garlits Hall Of Fame banquet. Joe did head work for motorcycle racers including Joe Smith. Am I right Joe? He was one of the greatest in motorsports. If you saw a car with a Mondello Heads sticker you knew it was the real deal. RIP Joe.
 
#791 · (Edited)
Yes, Joe was a very Dear Friend in "The Day" of Motorcycle Drag Racing...I always called us the "Two Jo's" because we worked together on my first set of good Shovelhead's for my Drag Racing Motors...He ported a lot of Shovelhead's in those days for other lucky M/C Street and Drag Racers...

My Condolence to Mary and all the Mondello Family and Friends,

GOD SPEED JOE...





Winner's Circle at Freemont Racway, you can see the Modello Sticker on Fuel Tank...There was always one of Joe's Decals on my bike someplace...
 
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