6 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

Impressive machine that .. even the trolley to move it about on looks the part .. 

I'll take it that it has a bespoke crank , rods , pistons etc and is a 360° set up ? did the crank cases and main bearings need beefing up as I'm not overly sure on this but did that Triumph engine have a main bearing on either side of the big end journals only as opposed to having a centre main between the journals also as is beloved of Jap para' twins ( didn't the Enfield Interceptor have 3 mains also ? ) .. I also presume the valve train and valves are specialised kit .. Also given how quick an engine like that can spin up is the magneto recalibrated to give it the necessary timing curve or is there a manual adjustment you can make while its running on the day and does the mag' have an rev limiter built in .. Is that the kill switch cord ( yellow ) hanging off the left handle bar ? And the frame did you do the frame also ..

To get it off the line obviously big revs but do you go max dictated by a rev limiter of the mag ( above ) and just dump the clutch which doesn't look like it's too progressive or near max revs and try and feed it a bit .. Yea I see what you mean about the wheelie bars and rear tyre .. Altogether a deeply impressive machine which I imagine wasn't cheap to put together not only in components cost but man hrs making bits .. And finally you were the pilot .?

Thanx.

Yeah the trolley was handy for working on the thing track side, like a mobile bike bench.

Made by a firm of steel fabricators for free, still going strong on my old industrial estate.

Off topic, but the owner's main hobby back then was travelling the world seeing Bruce Springsteen concerts... I mean everywhere. He'd have a 2 week holiday in the USA and plan his trip around which cities BS was playing. I'd go in one day and say where's Pete, oh he flew to Tokyo yesterday to see......

I think i mentioned earlier about the billet steel crank & rods? Pistons were modified Cosworth car items.

Yes, 360 degree crank, no gay 270 or 180... More details in the Brit Bike topic.

Cases, as stated earlier were one-off based on a Puma design. Basically Pre-unit Triumph but 10 times thicker everywhere and 20 times more robust. The cases alone weighed more than a pair of T140 c/cases with a crank inside!

Drive side crank ran a 2" (TWO INCH) mainshaft in a 2 piece needle roller brg.

I think the only Brit company that ran that centre crank brg in a parallel twin were AJS/Matchless. Not RE no.

Valve train was nothing special, i can't remember who made the o/size valves. Cams were by Megacycle.

Magneto was a plain old Joe Hunt, same as a Morris, fixed, no advance curve, same as on my road Triumph (can make cold kick starts interesting). The faster it spins the bigger & fatter the sparks....

Yes, you can manually adjust them for advance or retard on the slots the mag sits in.

Never come across a mag with a rev limiter. The kill wire is the only wire on the bike and yes that yellow thing is the (mandatory) lanyard to the kill switch.

Frame was made by a bloke called Bob Brookes who ran a part time drag racing engineering outfit from his garden shed and had a well known supercharged nitro Kawasaki based racer. This "garden shed" was a full on fabricating & machine shop inside and Bob made EVERYTHING himself including broached & splined pulleys etc. Very clever guy.

 He also adapted the back wheel to fit, made the engine plates, supplied the gearbox and made the clutch for us.

First time out, the bike ran a conventional hydraulic clutch on the h/bars with conventional brake levers in the normal place. After that first weekend we realized (and were told) that we did'nt need a h/bar clutch at all. Basically do it like a Honda Wave! So the next few runs was just about dialling the clutch in right, more or less weights on the throw-out fingers. See pic. This also meant we could do away with the awkward rear foot brake and have both front & rear brakes on the h/bar. Just like a Fino/Scooby!

Up until we stopped riding it, we never did get the launch as aggressive as we wanted. Sit at the line holding the bike on it's front brake and very Q/A throttle and just let go of the brake, wack the throttle and boom.

I don't think the wheelie bars were ever really needed, and the rear wheel/tyre combo was way wrong for the power output.

We got a lot of freebies like the Goodridge hoses, all the paint & powdercoat, the trolley, the sheet alloy work, but if i'd paid for everything i think it came out near 20k English. My hours in it were about 1 and a 1/2 years building it every spare hour i had. Sold it in 2007 for about what the engine was worth.....????

And yeah, i was the only rider on the track....

 

 

5 hours ago, canthai55 said:

TZ750

Kenny Roberts said the yellow one was the most evil bike he ever rode

It's where the famous line came from -"they don't pay me enough to ride that thing".....

I know what you say about the engine in these not being the finest but that is one pretty motorcycle .. And those short little silencers .. 

12 hours ago, canthai55 said:

TZ750

Kenny Roberts said the yellow one was the most evil bike he ever rode

I like the part toward the end of the exhibition video where he says "I won!". 

Other side of the cooled out XS750 Yam .. Nice paint job on the tank and seat .. Engine looks much better without the OE black finish ..

 

Early 50's German Victoria 350 cooled out a bit and standard for comparison .. 

 

Stunning 1938 German Horex 600 ..

Couple of late 30's Germans .. 

The Be-eM by all accounts is super rare with that bodywork ..

 

The Zundapp 800 is cool or what with the twin plug heads .. 

lets not forget Britten - " Buy a bike ?  Nah - I'll build one from scratch"

http://www.britten.co.nz/

Over a 100 yrs old a bevel shaft OHC 996cc Engine from a Cyclone board racer .. This bike once belonged to Steve McQueen .. 

 

Next to nowt info on the Warbird but those barrels , cyl-heads , pushrod-alignment and physical size suggest they may be off a radial aero engine on custom made crankcases .. The sheer carburettor throat size is another pointer .. Either way it looks torquey enough to plough a field .. 

The Warbird:  "... It’s based on the cylinders and heads from a radial engine, and the accessories related to that motor are from a full-size aircraft engine. This monstrous V-Twin displaces 3129cc, with a bore and stroke ratio of 5.125″ x 4.625″ ..."

 

http://www.bikeexif.com/aircraft-engined-motorcycle

 

"... The cylinders, heads and pistons are from a 30s vintage Continental R670 radial aero engine ..."

 

Specs and more pics:

https://www.motorcyclemojo.com/2008/11/warbird/

 

 

Rip that tarmac .. Warbird's engine .. Dig the double cables to each carb , twin spark plugs and the intake size .. Extra neat crancase that's reasonably easy to do .. A quite magnificent piece of engineering but you definitely want well tied shoe laces to ride it looking at that primary chain .. 

( Guzz' you gotta miller up there as well mate I can imagine a project like this would be right up you're street after seeing the drag bike so long as you can get hold of couple an old radial barrel's and heads   ) .. 

Saw an air show in the US where they fly a bunch of old biplanes with radials.  Beautiful old engines, still chugging after nearly 100 years.  The details on the "Warbird" bike are very nice, including the airspeed indicator speedometer.  Maybe Jay Leno would buy it.

46 minutes ago, Damrongsak said:

Saw an air show in the US where they fly a bunch of old biplanes with radials.  Beautiful old engines, still chugging after nearly 100 years.  The details on the "Warbird" bike are very nice, including the airspeed indicator speedometer.  Maybe Jay Leno would buy it.

Cheers Dam' .. 

8 hours ago, Damrongsak said:

Saw an air show in the US where they fly a bunch of old biplanes with radials.  Beautiful old engines, still chugging after nearly 100 years.  The details on the "Warbird" bike are very nice, including the airspeed indicator speedometer.  Maybe Jay Leno would buy it.

Jay Leno don't like no stinkin' choppers....

8 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

Rip that tarmac .. Warbird's engine .. Dig the double cables to each carb , twin spark plugs and the intake size .. Extra neat crancase that's reasonably easy to do .. A quite magnificent piece of engineering but you definitely want well tied shoe laces to ride it looking at that primary chain .. 

( Guzz' you gotta miller up there as well mate I can imagine a project like this would be right up you're street after seeing the drag bike so long as you can get hold of couple an old radial barrel's and heads   ) .. 

The crank is based on HD (S&S), the cases are his own and even more impressive is he machined them on a little generic Chinese/Taiwanese 626 mill. Fit in most peoples shed's and about 1500 quid to buy new.

Carbs have 2 cables because they are S&S and recquire a push/pull system. Timing cover is a 4 cam cut down Sportster cover.

Inlet & exhaust are in interesting locations, but that is the architecture of a radial.

It is a very pretty motorcycle and in particular, a very pretty engine.

Not strictly Bikeporn but .. 1915 French Verdel 5 pot radial as they were factory made and an even wackier 1920's German Megola with the engine built into the wheel .. Who say's Germans don't have a sense of humour .. The bike itself is ugly as sin so I've spared putting that up .. 

Pratt & Whitney 2800 2 row 18 cyl used in a variety of WW2 planes .. after this they start getting ridiculous going up to 36 cyl's 

Allen Millyard's taken on same idea but with a cast vertically split crankcase and S U carb's .. 

'Zorst pipe welding is top class ..

Skinny sexy Guzzi .. though personally I'd put flat bars on it for a bit more comfort ( too old now for crouching tiger riding position ) .. 

4 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

though personally I'd put flat bars on it for a bit more comfort

And change those stupid f###ing tyres.................

42 minutes ago, thaiguzzi said:

And change those stupid f###ing tyres.................

Hahaha I'll take it you don't rate 'em Guzz' .. 

Cooled out Nimbus 750/4 from Denmark ..

 

Standard bike has beautiful paintwork .. 

 

( Edit standard 1938 .. Modded early 50's .. )

Godzilla V twin by Drysdale with conical camshaft .. And unusual conrod to keep both cyl in line .. 

 

Not strictly bike stuff but you gotta admire it even if it was hideously complicated and totally unreliable .. but when it did run it made a sound like you've never heard before .. BRM's H16 from the 60's .. 2 flat 8's atop one another and geared together like Brough's Golden Dream .. 

6 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

Godzilla V twin by Drysdale with conical camshaft .. And unusual conrod to keep both cyl in line .. 

I've seen this before. The cam is STUNNING and extremely clever!

The rods are std practice with in line vees or aircraft rotary's. However, IMO and what do i know, that rod set up does not look as substantial as a stock HD set up.

12 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

Cooled out Nimbus 750/4 from Denmark ..

Those frames are actually flat plate. Not the sort of material i would associate with a strong chassis.

The Nimbus was never my cup of tea unfortunately. The Sunbeam was a much nicer version of a similar idea.

13 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

Hahaha I'll take it you don't rate 'em Guzz' .. 

If you'd ridden a bike with that style, ESPECIALLY in the wet, you would not rate them either.

The whole custom/hipster world thinks they are marvelous at the moment, which just goes to show, that outlandish unrideable choppers from 20 years ago are just as bad as a modern unrideable brat/scrambler/cafe racer built by some hipster/plonker/numpty with these tyres fitted.

They fit on and work well on restored 40-50's Americana and rigid 3 wheelers. That's it.

I can attest and verify they are a great tyre on a rigid sidecar outfit.

 End of rant.

   Carry on.

5 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

If you'd ridden a bike with that style, ESPECIALLY in the wet, you would not rate them either.

Oh yes I can testify how dodgy rubber like that is .. Similar put me in hospital one cold wet morning 38 yrs ago with 2 broken legs .. The Guzzi has been dressed up for the photo shot as they are fashionable but as you say impractical as well .. 

 

6 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

I've seen this before. The cam is STUNNING and extremely clever!

The rods are std practice with in line vees or aircraft rotary's. However, IMO and what do i know, that rod set up does not look as substantial as a stock HD set up.

Indeed the simplicity of the conical camshaft is there to see and grinding those profiles is a lot easier now with multi axis profilers .. The concern would be long term wear on the lobes .. Spot on with the conrod design being commonplace in Radials 'ere's the most extreme 9 cyl version .. 

The old Enfield with the OHC's .. Do you know anything about that .. Homemade .? 

I had to put the Puch up as someone has been bonkers enough to put a turbo on it .. 

On 7/4/2018 at 2:52 AM, MartinL said:

At first glance, it looks like there'll be some burnt legs and melted kickstart rubber for riders of this bike. I'm sure that's something RE's designers have ensured won't happen, though. 

Seems to be true.

I have with mine the problem that I can touch with my Foot the gearbox as there is only a limited space between foot bar and the cover.

After a few kilometers its pretty hot when you forget about it but done a few times the lesson is learned.

 

Same Problem I had also with a Heritage Soft-tail.. You might do it 4-5 times then you will not even come close with your Ankle anymore ????

 

But still an enjoyable ride for just 200.000 baht in Pattaya.

 

3 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

 

The old Enfield with the OHC's .. Do you know anything about that .. Homemade .? 

I have seen this bike before in a magazine or on the net.

I'm not sure the motor is an Enfield, (i doubt it actually), the bike is German?Austrian? owned and those photos are from a German bike meet.

 Everything i read was about joking/comical remarks about not catching anything in the open chain cam drives....

Possibly a home brew JAP motor converted to DOHC. With external chains.........

Airhead Beemer underneath this.........

 

 

I remember when this it first come out and I wanted one ,for me it looked just right ,and in BRG .

1 hour ago, thaiguzzi said:

I have seen this bike before in a magazine or on the net.

I'm not sure the motor is an Enfield, (i doubt it actually), the bike is German?Austrian? owned and those photos are from a German bike meet.

 Everything i read was about joking/comical remarks about not catching anything in the open chain cam drives....

Possibly a home brew JAP motor converted to DOHC. With external chains.........

Airhead Beemer underneath this.........

 

 

That was a German BMW and was designed for racing but never made it further than a test run alike. Was the first idea for aerodynamic on low budget 

10 hours ago, See Will said:

That was a German BMW and was designed for racing but never made it further than a test run alike. Was the first idea for aerodynamic on low budget 

No, it was built in the last 2 years for the Sultans of Sprint 1/8 mile drag racing / custom series throughout Europe, piloted by a woman, fairly successfully. Very Hipster. Pure form over function.

37 minutes ago, thaiguzzi said:

piloted by a woman, fairly successfully. Very Hipster. Pure form over function.

Yes, we all know what women are like, but what about the bike?

3 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

No, it was built in the last 2 years for the Sultans of Sprint 1/8 mile drag racing / custom series throughout Europe, piloted by a woman, fairly successfully. Very Hipster. Pure form over function.

You got it right mate.. that aerodynamic disaster was also a BMW but some guy in central Germany made it and before he drove off he was just flipping over as there was almost no space to get the feet in a favorable angle to the road. Just a small wind gust knocked his balance.. 

 

But we Germans are famous for crazy bikes..

Look at the last one that went through the news made by a cartoonist called "Broesel" ("Crumble" or also a small piece of Hashish is called Brosel, - which suits more to him.) 

 

The RED PORSCHE KILLER and what it's all about.

 

And the story behind it.. Unfortunately his Cartoons have been only in German and his Movies never have been synchronized. But to that time they were "bike porn" of the highest class.

 

That 2nd book brought me a 4 weekends duty in a Navy Training Camp because I could not stop laughing during the Lesson after I had a short sneak into the new bought book.

That Master sergeant was yelling at me and it just made it worse...