Let's see YOUR drag bike !

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04 Apr 2024 09:40 #897257 by Vinsky
Replied by Vinsky on topic Let's see YOUR drag bike !
Get a copy of EJ's book and video if you can. He led an interesting life and accomplished a lot of things.
I was fortunate to talk with him a few times, mostly about the bikes and his development of the one of the first motorcycle dynos.

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08 Apr 2024 21:11 - 08 Apr 2024 21:16 #897403 by Vinsky
Replied by Vinsky on topic Let's see YOUR drag bike !
Years ago MTC Engineering sponsored a lot of bike drag racing. My welding/fab shop was 3 buildings down from them. Over the years I did a lot of welding for them, especially Kawasaki cranks. Ken Tipton the owner was quite an interesting innovator and developed a line of hi-performance race bike parts.
This is a photo of an aluminum frame I built for him that had a turbo kz1000 motor in it. As I recall, it weighed 13 pounds.  I don't know what happened with it after they moved to Florida.
 

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Last edit: 08 Apr 2024 21:16 by Vinsky.
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10 Apr 2024 14:19 #897466 by Injected
Replied by Injected on topic Let's see YOUR drag bike !
That MTC aluminum laydown frame is cool, never really heard of anybody using aluminum tubing. I wonder how well that held up?

My buddy had a cro-moly "D&K" frame that looked similar back in the late 1970's (1428cc Alcohol Injected)





Laydown frames lost favor due to all the prostock racing taking place around that time. Situp frames using back half conversions were cheaper and easier to get made.

I have a custom situp style frame that was made around 1990. It has a larger tank tube than is normal because the builder was running alcohol. Its steel but I never did weight it before installing the engine, its suppose to be lightweight as its scratch built and not a converted stock frame.



 
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10 Apr 2024 23:34 - 10 Apr 2024 23:53 #897498 by Vinsky
Replied by Vinsky on topic Let's see YOUR drag bike !
That's a beauty.   I have another aluminum framed bike from the early 70s that was sponsored by MTC and was on the front of one of the catalogs. Muldoon and Tedder built 3 of them and also a twin engine version.  Do you have a copy of John Stein's book: Motorcycle Drag Racing : A History?  200 pages and lots of pics of vintage drag bikes.

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Last edit: 10 Apr 2024 23:53 by Vinsky.
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11 Apr 2024 09:06 #897515 by Injected
Replied by Injected on topic Let's see YOUR drag bike !
I don't have John Stein's book but I do have this one :



I picked it up at a swap meet for $7, it covers up to early pro stock printing date is 1982. It does have some pictures of the early stuff.
 
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11 Apr 2024 10:40 #897520 by Dragbike_Mike
Replied by Dragbike_Mike on topic Let's see YOUR drag bike !
Here's John Stein's book.  Very well written with a lot of nice color pics.  A great read for anybody who's interested in the sport..

   

Presently - 1980 KZ1000B4 LTD w/mild ported head, Megacycle cams, 1015cc Wiseco, Falicon Supercrank, R&D undercut trans
In a former life - KZ-based dragbike - CrMo car tire chassis, 1395cc, Hahn Racecraft turbo system, VP C16, Orient Express 3-spd auto, 7.80's @ 165-170.

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11 Apr 2024 10:44 #897521 by Dragbike_Mike
Replied by Dragbike_Mike on topic Let's see YOUR drag bike !
And here's yet another dragbike book.  A softcover book, similar to the one posted by Injected; although not nearly as well written.  Some decent pics but very light on content.  More of a curiosity piece..

 

Presently - 1980 KZ1000B4 LTD w/mild ported head, Megacycle cams, 1015cc Wiseco, Falicon Supercrank, R&D undercut trans
In a former life - KZ-based dragbike - CrMo car tire chassis, 1395cc, Hahn Racecraft turbo system, VP C16, Orient Express 3-spd auto, 7.80's @ 165-170.

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11 Apr 2024 11:55 - 11 Apr 2024 12:15 #897530 by Dragbike_Mike
Replied by Dragbike_Mike on topic Let's see YOUR drag bike !
One more from the archives.  It's pretty rare as it's the first (and last!) issue.  Not sure what went wrong here, who knows!?  

On the cover is the Hahn turbo Kaw funnybike.  The inside cover says that it's Neal "Fast" Lane in the saddle, but I say that it's Billy Vose.  Both were hired guns, back in the day, and could ride pretty much anything.

I once witnessed Neal take a wild ride on that bike at Atco.  I was sitting in the shut down area waiting to be picked up so I had a good head on view.  The bike got a bit out of shape at half track, or so.  Neal had to put his foot down to keep the bike upright; but didn't get out of throttle(!).  Back in the pits, it seems like his only concern was the damage to his boot - some kind of alligator skin cowboy boot, as I recall.  He was a man of style!


Presently - 1980 KZ1000B4 LTD w/mild ported head, Megacycle cams, 1015cc Wiseco, Falicon Supercrank, R&D undercut trans
In a former life - KZ-based dragbike - CrMo car tire chassis, 1395cc, Hahn Racecraft turbo system, VP C16, Orient Express 3-spd auto, 7.80's @ 165-170.
Last edit: 11 Apr 2024 12:15 by Dragbike_Mike. Reason: Edit attachment and description
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11 Apr 2024 13:31 #897534 by urankjj
Replied by urankjj on topic Let's see YOUR drag bike !
Very cool, I've gotta get the John Steine book. I have the Mike Nelson one and one other. It's pretty much a bio of Elmer Tretts life and career. A lot of good pics inside. Keep the sport alive while we can....
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12 Apr 2024 11:25 #897576 by Vinsky
Replied by Vinsky on topic Let's see YOUR drag bike !
My favorite from back in the day was Bo O'Bratcha and the Terminal Van Lines Kawi which is in Don Garlits museum. It may have been the first or one of the first blown Kawasakis. Another favorite was the Clem Johnson's Barn Job Vincent. It is in John Stein's collection now.

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13 Apr 2024 09:53 #897595 by Street Fighter LTD
Replied by Street Fighter LTD on topic Let's see YOUR drag bike !
Great memories


Original owner 78 1000 LTD
Mr Turbo Race Kit, MTC 1075 Turbo pistons by PitStop Performance , Falicon Ultra Lite Super Crank, APE everything. Les Holt @ PDM's Billet Goodies . Frame by Chuck Kurzawa @ Logghe Chassis . Deep sump 5qt oil pan. RIP Bill Hahn
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13 Apr 2024 14:36 #897603 by Injected
Replied by Injected on topic Let's see YOUR drag bike !
That Terminal Van lines bike is tiny compared to modern TF machines. Its crazy to think that street tire bikes run faster than that ever did.

Found this online : fuelcurve.com/top-fuel-bikes-of-the-1970s/


 
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