Your Dream Bike

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Paulb_imp

Running like a top
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Everyone has a dream bike that they would someday like to own. I'm very fortunate in that my ambitions are modest and therefore affordable. The bike of my dreams has always been a J.A.P. engined vintage speedway bike, this one dates from 1947. I bought this bike in April of last year and have just completed the engine rebuild and it is now ready for methanol and firing up. In England speedway is a race of four laps of a quarter mile oval cinder track. The bikes have no brakes and no gears, the only controls being a throttle and a clutch. Engines are 500cc single cylinder units with long stroke for plenty of torque. I'm not sure if you have speedway in the US, I suspect flat track is your equivalent. What you do have is one of the worlds best speedway riders in Greg Hancock who was world champion in 2014 and who shows no signs that his mature years are going to slow him down.
 
Great bike Paul. Speedway racing, like flat track, is exciting and unfortunately a rare thing in the US. Congrats on the restoration.:thumbsup:
 
Amazing bike Paul. Never seen anything like it. I really appreciate period restorations, whether they are bikes, cars, furniture or buildings, you did a great job. How fast are you going into corners with no brakes ? do you drag your feet ?
Questions answered, gotta love You Tube.
 
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Chapomis_imp said:
Amazing bike Paul. Never seen anything like it. I really appreciate period restorations, whether they are bikes, cars, furniture or buildings, you did a great job. How fast are you going into corners with no brakes ? do you drag your feet ?
Questions answered, gotta love You Tube.
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Corners are 60mph+ and everything is sideways. Only left hand turns so only one footpeg on the right. Left boot is dragged and is fitted with a steel plate. Only heros need apply and I'm not one.
 
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Chapomis_imp said:
Just watched a few videos....never considered moto racing as being a contact sport:
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It's not all like that but you might notice that Pedersen was at the centre of quite a few of those clips. Some of the old clips show circuits without airbags on the perimeter. All tracks used to be like that and when airbags were introduced many fans complained that this was making the sport too soft!!
 
Gawd, I love that. I dig watching Speedway vids, it occasionally pops pup on MAVTV here, and have been aware of the sport sine the '70's. That is a sweet machine.
 
Paulb_imp said:
Everyone has a dream bike that they would someday like to own. I'm very fortunate in that my ambitions are modest and therefore affordable. The bike of my dreams has always been a J.A.P. engined vintage speedway bike, this one dates from 1947. I bought this bike in April of last year and have just completed the engine rebuild and it is now ready for methanol and firing up. In England speedway is a race of four laps of a quarter mile oval cinder track. The bikes have no brakes and no gears, the only controls being a throttle and a clutch. Engines are 500cc single cylinder units with long stroke for plenty of torque. I'm not sure if you have speedway in the US, I suspect flat track is your equivalent. What you do have is one of the worlds best speedway riders in Greg Hancock who was world champion in 2014 and who shows no signs that his mature years are going to slow him down.
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We do have speedway here. Most of the tracks are in California. Remember Bruce Penhall?

I've been to a few speedway events over the years. It's quite possibly some of the most exciting form of motorcycle racing I've seen.

The cool thing about speedway is that the rules specify a very simple bike. No fancy technology allowed, not even electronic ignition. Your '47 J.A.P. could give current bikes a run for their money.
 
Very cool. The only name that comes to mind when I think about speedway racing is Bruce Penhall, which is probably going back a bit in time.
 
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Wow! Beautiful bike.

Couple of dirt tracks in my area run bikes about once a month in the summer, a smaller circuit of folks just having fun. Country folks love their racing.
 
I attended an indoor speedway race at the Cow Palace in San Francisco in 1974 or thereabouts. It was absolutely amazing. Those bikes accelerate like a light switch and the riders are phenomenal. Between races, they held a trials exhibition. Guys on Ossa's, Montessa's and Bultaco's riding up and over huge obstacles (water tanks, redwood stumps, barrels, vehicles, etc.) without dabbing. I knew what trials was but I was stunned at what I witnessed. When I watch what they can do today on modern bikes, I'm even more in awe.
 
Paulb_imp said:
Pterodactyl_imp said:
Nice bike Paul. You have done a great job. Speedway still runs in OZ but it's not as big as it was. In this thread Cormanus describes a ride he and I did to Mildura to the Wintersun Rally. We did in excess of 3000kms on this ride. The Wintersun is based upon a speedway event the Mildura club runs. You might like these photos.







Cheers mate, and enjoy that dream bike.
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Thanks for the great photos and the thread link. I've never seen sidecar speedway so that was a particularly interesting picture, they appear to be going round the other way!
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Yes Paul, the sidies are running clockwise. Direction depends on class and competition rules.

I'll be having a look at the dirt bikes that are running at PI over the WSBK weekend in February. With luck I will get a photo to post.


Cheers
 
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LongRanger_imp said:
I attended an indoor speedway race at the Cow Palace in San Francisco in 1974 or thereabouts. It was absolutely amazing. Those bikes accelerate like a light switch and the riders are phenomenal. Between races, they held a trials exhibition. Guys on Ossa's, Montessa's and Bultaco's riding up and over huge obstacles (water tanks, redwood stumps, barrels, vehicles, etc.) without dabbing. I knew what trials was but I was stunned at what I witnessed. When I watch what they can do today on modern bikes, I'm even more in awe.
Click to expand...
If you like trials riding check out Danny McAskill

 
Papa Weeley_imp said:
Wow, that's a beauty! Always interesting to see other riders' tastes in other bikes.
My long-time bucket list/dream bike is a Norton Commando Interstate in black/gold:


It was mostly the likely intense care and fiddling required that made me get the CB11 instead of a pristine (and never-ridden) Norton from a friend of mine...
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There was a nice 850 Commando at the big motorcycle show in Dallas and a BMW R90 next to it which reminded me of Peter Egan's recent comparo between the two. If you haven't read the article, you are sure to enjoy it:

[url=http://www.cycleworld.com/2015/12/21/classic-motorcycle-rematch-norton-commando-vs-bmw-r90s-comparison-cycle-world-feature-by-peter-egan/]http://www.cycleworld.com/2015/12/21/classic-motorcycle-rematch-norton-commando-vs-bmw-r90s-comparison-cycle-world-feature-by-peter-egan/
 
Egan's story is poetry to my ears, just like everything else he writes. I'd sure like to meet him someday and thank him in person. For those unfamiliar, his book Leanings (and I think he wrote a sequel or two) is outstanding.
 
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