Lesson: Finesse Tape 101

For my friend Desmond . . . to answer your question.  If you are striping a car with Finesse Tape, the way Bob Spina taught me to finish off the ends as shown above.  

1. Lay down a line of tape on the bottom to give you the sharp edge you want.
2. Bend your ending lines of tape (like the top photo)
3. Paint in your stripes (multi-color job shown)
4. Remove your tapes . . . and you get this neat, sharp finish of lines on your stripes.  I like this method better than going back with a striping brush since it's faster and leaves a cleaner line.
5. You can get "professional results" and you don't have to be a professional with this method.

Last Nite . . .

 . . . around my town - it's cold out !

Cardboard cutout from H-D . . . cool.

Movie Nite - Hmmmm, which one?

It started !

Old bank building in CC . . .

Beck seals the deal . . .

They look like turbos . . . but, a turbo runs off the exhaust?

Some kind of supercharger?

All steel with slicks !

VETERAN'S DAY IN THE USA

Email from Warner . . .

I open my email this morning, and I get a response from Warner Riley himself . . . cool.

Hello:  The 1970 H-D streamliner set the record twice in October of 1970.  The 1st time the bike went 255mph using an 83 cubic inch Iron Head, and then the bike went 265mph using an 89 inch Iron Head.  These motors were run on high percentages of nitromethane fuel.  In 1971, I used the 89 inch motor to gain a personal entry into the 200 MPH CLUB and in 1972, I used a 96 inch motor to set a record at 206mph.  I also had a best ever speed of 212mph in 1972.  The 1972 motor was a 3 1/2" X 5" and it used steel cylinders with fins, that were made by S&S Cycle.  The 206 record bike ran on 92% nitro and was quite reliable.  The 83 inch motor was 3 5/16" X 4 13/16" while the 89 inch motor was 3 7/16" X 4 13/16" and the 96 inch motor was 3 1/2" X 5" . . . With 92% nitro, these motors only wanted to rpm around 5000-5200 and now I think more advance and/or fuel additive would have been a smart way to go.  -Warner W. Riley

Thanks Warner for taking the time !

Bonneville Question "Just the Facts"

I asked a "Very reliable source - Jeff Wiley" the following question after Bake's comment to get some solid numbers on what it took to go over 200mph on the salt in 1970.

My QUESTION:  Seriously, how many rpms can a 5" stroke iron Sportster on nitro turn?  I know it depends on balance and strength, but - One guy said his motor at Bonneville (stroker Sportster, a shorter 4 3/4" stroke) rev'd to 6800 rpms - and when he hit slick spots in the track - it revved up even higher.  How many rpms do you think Manning and Riley spun that streamliner?

REPLY:  I saw the pictures of the streamliner on your blog just a few minutes ago and laughed at your comment about "7,8,9 grand."  Reality is, at Bonneville an ironhead stroker doesn't like to rev over it's torque peak which is about 5700-6000.  I've ran mine over 7200 at the drags, but when I had my motor in Leo's bike we had it geared for 210mph at 5800 !  
The rest of the story, is George Smith never ran much over 65% nitro and they hurt the front piston in the motor on the first run for the record, so they did the return run only using third gear (close ratio KR road racing gears) and never put it in high, so they turned it 6000 or 6200?  The lower gear lessened the load on the motor and they got lucky and it held together long enough.  Leo always thought that if they would have jetted it up and put 90% in it - it would have went 280 or 290 maybe?  Anyway, they set the record and that was a big deal though. Jeff said, "I was there in 1970.  I was a young punk, age 19 at the time, and my 75cu in. XLCH ran 152.8mph on gas - unstreamlined.  My bike was the centerfold in Street Chopper Magazine in October or November that year.  I didn't know the magazine had taken the picture, and I went to the store to read the new magazines and was shocked to see my bike in the magazine.  As Paul Harvey used to say, "Now you know  - The Rest of the Story."

Just for the record, I (Noot) always like to get my facts straight, and this is one way to do it - talk to people who know or who were actually there that day.  It's the foundation of good reporting.

Cheryl's Coconut Shrimp !

Projects

 

'59 XLR "Tribute" Swingarm (powdercoated and ready)

Cast Iron Paint (by Por-15) and my secret blend

K Model Wheels (press in shafts-no nuts)

 . . . more knuckle stuff.

Rikki Rockett & Spina at SEMA Show Today !

Bob Spina endorses (and uses himself of coarse) FBS line tape for all his flame and graphic custom paint work.  I've been using this tape all summer . . . (almost out) and it works excellent.  It leaves no residue, comes off clean, stretches how you want it . . . and  "It just don't bleed !"  You can get FBS tapes through TCP Global, or ask your local distributor to get with the program and start stocking it . . .tell 'em Bob Spina sent ya - and get your shit together - throw out your other crap - and go FBS !

Dick and Randy

. . . a couple guys that went farther than footpegs,
grips and air cleaners . . .
Gardena must have been the hotbed o' choppers?!

King Kenny (and Corky again)

Waldheim World Series 1982

This guy on a vintage snowmobile racing site asked if anyone had any photos from the Waldheim Sask. World Series of Racing.  Look what I found.  You can see us (the Yamahas #16) pitted next to Hulings & Thorson. I was going through the photos (since I was there racing in the Junior Divisions with Gary and Berry Hickle and Noot).   Hickle raced with Hall-of-Famer Joe Matusek(Pabst Rupp) and Wayne Nicholson, Mickey Kardowsky, Tom Gara . . .  and hey, it's Fullerton . . . and those Canadians were fast, but we kicked their ass !  

The bottom photo shows Hickle getting a bad start, but according to my records - he got that Yammy (and probably his sore shoulder) warmed up for a few laps - and then smoked right by everyone for the win.  It ain't over 'til it's over !

Bonneville, Utah - October 1970

Bore: 3.365"

Stroke: 5"

89 cubic inches

265.492 mph

. . . with a single engine Ironhead stroker.

I would like to have heard that sucker wound out to 7,8,9 grand inside the tube on that
record run . . . wow !  Only Cal ever knew . . .

Chris' 1963

We get the lower end all rebuilt, pump set, cylinders fitted . . . short block is rebuilt after discovering the "welded Timken" and melted seal . . . and a way-ward spacer floating around in the gear case????

 Heads next: revealed a loose guide (pulled out with my fingers) and a valve seal that had fallen off (which Noot said acts like a pumper and can really make it smoke, since the guide is shorter now - to make room for the seal) . . .  and a galled valve, and one that looks like it hit something (might be bent?)  Changed the "grinding" throwout bearing and kicker gear in the tranny too . . . Enuff Znuff !

Motorcycle Collections

The "Billy Bike", a real 1945 "45 cu in" and the 1963 FL . . . that '63 is so cool.  When a dealership or museum acquires an old motorcycle that's traded, etc . . . it now sits idle for everyone to enjoy.  But, to me it's almost like the bike is being held hostage all of a sudden.  The life it once had with the owner that rode it for years and years on countless excursions and adventures is gone for now.  It's dead in the water.  Nobody is enjoying the whirring sound of the pan motor after a long weekend on the road.  The smell of oil and fuel, the heat, the snicka-click of the 4 speed.  It's just there in body - but, the soul is now stagnant.

TZ750

. . . race wired !

1961 Trivia

Eisenhower and Kennedy were both President

The Beatles played the Cavern Club for the first time

Gas was 32 cents a gallon

The numerals 1961 look the same upside-down !

Learning Curve . . .

I'm building a new? motor from broken parts again.  I guess that's the best way to learn this craft by doing again and again.  We'll run a vintage Sifton 412 cam (dated 1973), Wiley dynamically balanced the flywheels (his secret %percentage), McFarland milled the heads and I cleaned up the ports a bit for Rowe nitrate and  HD valves, we'll try the magneto again.  I bored the cylinders +.010 for 8:1 Gary Bang pistons - and my trusty Super E . . . all this for an extra kick in the britches. Thanks to all the new people who sold me stuff that's been in their sheds and basements and abandon houses for years and years and just want to see me go go go go go go . . . .

Dig 'em out . . .

Every once in awhile, the local HD dealership digs out some of their collection . . . I like that '59 CH.  They usually have some old stuff out there . . . a 1945 WL and a pan chopper too.

I like how guys used to race . . .

. . . with t-shirts and/or no gloves . . . care in the wind - just go faster !

Ebay

I saw this on ebay last night . . . If I had a lot of money and wanted an XR750 . . . this would most definitely be the motorcycle dreams are made of . . . . just run & jump !

New WRENCH Magazine

I still read magazines.  My attention span has not suffered so bad from internet crap that I can't sit still to read a motorcycle magazine.  My biff is . . . many of the "chopper" mags have all kinds of typos.  I'm not an English teacher, but the stories are bad (and uninteresting) and the photos don't highlight the details of the motorcycle that deserve "highlighting."   Wrench is not too bad in this department . . . however, the article on Jeremiah is real general (could have been longer and more informative).  The "Snowblind" article was probably the best one . . . and for Born Free being such a big deal, I still haven't read a decent article on this event with detailed photos and technical data.  I can't be the only one who spots a bike in the background I'd rather look at . . . I guess I'll just have to cover an event, send in my submission, and see if they print it? 

I'm in The Horse . . ! Well, sort of . . .

I see my name in the latest The Horse Backstreet Choppers.  I was probably talkin' and not paying attention when the pictures were being taken (doesn't surprise me).  Now I know the names of all the cool people I talked to during the show.  It was really fun that day . . . Me & Ricky Anchor hangin' at the show - Hope we can do it again somewhere, someday. (I'll bring the pan chop !)

WTF? New Sprocket Shaft in the package . . .

OD run-out on splines is perfect - no run-out, Zero

OD run-out on Timken surface has +.003 run-out, Bad

It was a new sprocket shaft in the package.  

Noot thinks what happened was the surfaces were ground separately, 

and they got a shaving on the center after they ground the splines.

The Timken bearing will be shaking and probably destroy itself.
You can't just throw the shafts in and start assembling . . . 
You must check run-out on parts during assembly.
You really have to check this stuff, 
even if it seems rather mundane.