Vintage Fuel Drag Bikes

[bhead1968]

Originally Posted by vendetta

In amongst my trawling the web for vintage drag bike info i met Geoff James whom emailed me the attached pictures of "Icarus".and some info on the bike.
"the original Triumph 350 motor I had in the drag bike used to lose its piston crowns. This was because the supercharger allowed me to exceed 4000 ft/min mean piston speed, which is close to the limiting factor where things let go big time. I machined up my own short stroke crank from EN24 and mated it to a modified 500cc triumph barrel and head to convert it to a very oversquare 350 and drop the piston speed.I was second fastest 350 in the country behind Fred Wells in 1970. I also ran the standing start mile at Greenham Common on one occasion and was very close to the world record, despite a headwind and being over-geared for the conditions. Terminal speed was 147 mph if I remember correctly. That was on just 10% nitro."
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on another note-can any one tell me where i can order one of the MH slicks pictured from whom will courier it to new zealand.and what size rim do these fit?are they 18 x 4"-4" rim?

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Great pictures, I recently have been trading emails with Geoff, discussing his famous "Icarus". Great guy and discussed with me in detail, about his bike. Aside from the facts mentioned above, that bike ran mid 10's in the quarter! Absolutely amazing on a modified 350 triumph.

Curious if there was anyone, back in those days, running a Unit 650 in this config? With a Shorrock supercharger?

love this thread.

[Dean Lowe]

[Keith Lee]

Originally Posted by bhead1968

Great pictures, I recently have been trading emails with Geoff, discussing his famous "Icarus". Great guy and discussed with me in detail, about his bike. Aside from the facts mentioned above, that bike ran mid 10's in the quarter! Absolutely amazing on a modified 350 triumph.

Curious if there was anyone, back in those days, running a Unit 650 in this config? With a Shorrock supercharger?

love this thread.

I think it is pretty safe to day that anyone running a blown Triumph in England would not be using a Triumph gearbox. Until the advent of two-speed boxes and slipper clutches, it was usually an AMC box and clutch used by riders.
George Woods ran high nines riding a blown 350 Triumph. A nice guy, who I met again after some 30 years only the other month.

[ironhead red]

Hey Joe,
I was at a car show Saturday, & a guy with a swap meet table had a Ziploc bag full of mint 1970's Harley literature. Along with some Evel stuff were all of the 1975 Harley "Enthusiast" magazines, and guess what... There you are in the May/June and July/August issues on your twin Shovelhead 216 incher. Along with Marion Owens, Ron Fringer, and Ron Maginnis. The May/June issues shows how you broke the track record at the NHRA spring nationals at Columbus, Ohio with a time of 8.39 seconds.
This is some great stuff. I'm glad I was the only "biker" at the car show or this stuff would have been snatched up before I got there.

Ironhead Red

[Joe Smith]

Originally Posted by ironhead red

Hey Joe,
I was at a car show Saturday, & a guy with a swap meet table had a Ziploc bag full of mint 1970's Harley literature. Along with some Evel stuff were all of the 1975 Harley "Enthusiast" magazines, and guess what... There you are in the May/June and July/August issues on your twin Shovelhead 216 incher. Along with Marion Owens, Ron Fringer, and Ron Maginnis. The May/June issues shows how you broke the track record at the NHRA spring nationals at Columbus, Ohio with a time of 8.39 seconds.
This is some great stuff. I'm glad I was the only "biker" at the car show or this stuff would have been snatched up before I got there.

Ironhead Red

That's cool Ironhead Red, I think I have some of that literature myself and then some of it is Memories...The Spring Nationals was one of my favorite NHRA Nationals that I did the Exhibitions because my Eastern Base was in Gahanna a Suburb of Columbus, my Father in Law lived there...only trouble was that track was really short and trying to get stopped before I went off in to the grass was a real problem sometimes but they always had a great Crowd there...

[Old Codger]

Frank, This is off topic. Currently does motorcycle drag racing have a sanctioning body? I know that the AMA is out except for setting rules and selling insurance. Also the NHRA has pro stock. But is there a sanctioning body for motorcycles and puts on events for motorcycles?
Great to hear about Korry Hogan and the speeds he doing. More importantly great to hear that he wasn't seriously injured.

[frank spittle]

To my knowledge there are no current motorcycle drag racing organizations in the US open to all brands. This is truly sad and a testamint to the declining popularity of drag racing in general.....actually racing in general. I believe I raced during the greatest era of racing....the '60s, '70s and '80s. I bet Joe will say it was the '50s, '60s and '70s. Regardless, there has not been nearly as much interest in racing since the internet was created. As all of us know you can spend as much time as you care on the net learning about anything.

[Joe Smith]

Originally Posted by frank spittle

To my knowledge there are no current motorcycle drag racing organizations in the US open to all brands. This is truly sad and a testamint to the declining popularity of drag racing in general.....actually racing in general. I believe I raced during the greatest era of racing....the '60s, '70s and '80s. I bet Joe will say it was the '50s, '60s and '70s. Regardless, there has not been nearly as much interest in racing since the internet was created. As all of us know you can spend as much time as you care on the net learning about anything.

The 50's 60's and 70's was when you pretty much built your own stuff buying aftermarket Hi-Performance from a few that were just beginning to manufacture racing equipment that was still in the test stage...I think it was the beginning of real M/C Drag Racing...I know I built every thing I raced with some of the test racing equipment that was available at the time...I built all my own frames, motors and heads...

The Eighties was the Jap Invasion into M/C Drag Racing with the introduction of Automotive Engines, it was the start to the ending of the Careers of a lot of great Pioneers in the Sport....and at the same time produced a number of great M/C Drag Racers to come...

I know I wouldn't trade my days in the sport for today's but it's only because I'm to old to ride anymore...but if I was in my youth I would love to ride any of today's Top Fuel Harley that I build myself...Frame and all...

[Bukowski]

Korry Hogan. He made a beautiful 5.78 246 mph run and as he reached to push the button that deploys the chute, wind got under his hand and peeled him off the bike.

Found some video of the crash

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnHNRzrRovE

[frank spittle]

Had a nice phone conversation with Pete Hill yesterday. He had recently returned from his annual ride out to Bonneville. And he will turn 80 in a couple months. Jackie drove out following him this year (just in case). This is an amazing couple. They still work full time in their bike shop in South Carolina and show no signs of retiring.

[frank spittle]

Originally Posted by Joe Smith

The 50's 60's and 70's was when you pretty much built your own stuff buying aftermarket Hi-Performance from a few that were just beginning to manufacture racing equipment that was still in the test stage...I think it was the beginning of real M/C Drag Racing...I know I built every thing I raced with some of the test racing equipment that was available at the time...I built all my own frames, motors and heads...

The Eighties was the Jap Invasion into M/C Drag Racing with the introduction of Automotive Engines, it was the start to the ending of the Careers of a lot of great Pioneers in the Sport....and at the same time produced a number of great M/C Drag Racers to come...

I know I wouldn't trade my days in the sport for today's but it's only because I'm to old to ride anymore...but if I was in my youth I would love to ride any of today's Top Fuel Harley that I build myself...Frame and all...

If I had to pick one decade it would be the '70s. It was when most of the legendary Fuel Bikes were built. 'The Hog Slayer", "Goliath 1 & 11" your double and the rest of the double Harleys, John Dixon's and Pete Hill's blown Harleys, Russ Collins' "Atchison,Topeka & Sante Fe" & "Sorcerer", Boris Murray's twin engine Triumph, to name a few and Ron Teson's Honda that would change Fuel Bike racing forever.

[Old Codger]

I have heard through the rumor mill that T. C. never raced the 3 engine Norton. Is this rumor true? I was told that the bike was built and raced by a guy in Louisiana and that T. C. bought it after the twin engine Norton went to England.

[frank spittle]

Originally Posted by Old Codger

I have heard through the rumor mill that T. C. never raced the 3 engine Norton. Is this rumor true? I was told that the bike was built and raced by a guy in Louisiana and that T. C. bought it after the twin engine Norton went to England.

This is all true. It is the bike Allen Mavor raced. It is a well built bike but never had the success of "The Hog Slayer"

[Keith Lee]

TC and John Gregory did start building a triple of their own, but it was never completed.
To me the Hogslayer name on the Alan Mavor bike just does not seem right, as it is missing a key ingredient in the build to deserve the legendary name.

[cabana dan]

TC named it the Hogslayer and when Al had it it was Triclops...

[frank spittle]

Originally Posted by Keith Lee

TC and John Gregory did start building a triple of their own, but it was never completed.
To me the Hogslayer name on the Alan Mavor bike just does not seem right, as it is missing a key ingredient in the build to deserve the legendary name.

They had every intention of finishing it.........until two engine limits were placed in the rules. I agree it should not be confused with the true "Hogslayer"

[dudley32]

Just a pic...no idea..just liked it...

[Joe Smith]

Originally Posted by dudley32

Just a pic...no idea..just liked it...

The great Leo Payne in the early seventies...

[frank spittle]

Ray Price is recovering from heart by-pass surgery. This is something that many of us have to deal with in later years. He is 74. I have not spoke with him but am told he is doing fine. I will give an update as soon as I talk to him. Here he is at Bowling Green with his Funny Bike back in the day.

[Nottso]

Glenn Kerr was kind enough to send me some pics of himself and "Dubble Trubble." Thought you guys might like to se them as well. Thanks, Glenn.