the noise of a million angry wasps

[daleyd]

There used to be a couple of old tz750 race bikes (not sure if they were pukka ones or whether they were 2 350s stuck together, which was apparently a quite do-able conversion) that used to race at Anglesey track in the early 2000s.

They would gobble most things up along the short straight but struggled around the bends. Sounded (and smelled) fantastic though! I would have liked to have got to go to a proper 2s gp just to hear the racket, but by the time I had the money to afford to do things like that they had already gone

 

[chunkolini]

Bonkers. Is it supposed to slide on the straights.
I have heard of this legendary performance for donkeys years.
I would not want that in my garage.
Norlander thanks for sharing that.

 

[CRB]

Development has been based around the restrictions of GP racing with no other outlet. Yet the rules therein are random to suit the organizers/governing body.

These governing bodies restrict true development because the backyard engineers cannot have a hope getting into the races, unless their ideas match the envelope.

Dustbin fairings, super/turbo charging, amount of rear wheel showing etc etc.

When I heard that 250GP was being lost and the new format was going to be frames with standard engines, I though, naively, that there would be all sorts of new styles and innovations to behold on a Sunday.

Cycling....same again, but Chunko and I know the future.

Night, night.

 

[chunkolini]

The closed rules for 250 racing gave close racing. True
Pah!
Racing is about going fast. Easy. For classes use Capacity, end of rules. if it needs to include budgets restrict electronics. Tight rules always fit the bigger budget teams.
Racing is about going fast.
How naive. Kill Kill Kill.
That is why I like drag racing. The classes are easy to understand.
I also believe in cheating in any competitive event.

 

[the snooper]

The closed rules for 250 racing gave close racing. True
Pah!
Racing is about going fast. Easy. For classes use Capacity, end of rules. if it needs to include budgets restrict electronics. Tight rules always fit the bigger budget teams.
Racing is about going fast.
How naive. Kill Kill Kill.
That is why I like drag racing. The classes are easy to understand.
I also believe in cheating in any competitive event.

tut tut tut go and sit in the corner, with a pint of cider

 

[normspanners]

There was a 125.
18000rpm. in 1966.
That had me gritting my teeth.

Power band between 21k and 22k, no power anywhere else, bore 30mm, stroke 28mm and four valves per pot! fancy servicing that?

Not that I am arguing but green and white numbers are 250 black and white= 125
I have heard it, in the flesh!! with Mike on full song something I will always cherish. It was quicker round Oulton than any other bike and his lap record stood for years until the super bikes.
BUT unfortunately I am old enough to have sat on Mikes 250 6 bike in the back of a transit and 'rode' it back to the pits when it broke down (easier and less damage than strapping them to the side) and I have warmed up Bill Ivys 125 V4 for him, rev counter didnt start to register until well into the 10k ish .
Them where the days, when I had hair!!

 

[normspanners]

BUT they did do a 251/3 ish cc, I think, so that ran it the 350cc class because it was quicker than the actual 350.
Mind you the 250 was quicker around tracks than the 500 because they couldnt get it to handle it had so much power and mike took it on himself to fit the 500 engine in a norton featherbed frame but honda wouldnt allow him to race it, as it wasnt a true honda.

 

[julianthegypsy]

I remember Mike saying he had to virtually drag it around the track like an angry pig :-)

 

[norlander]

norm-I remember a picture of MH holding out a sign to his team mate with 18000 written on it-I think Mike had crashed or retired and was signalling to his team mate to take rev the bike to 18k but I was not at the track and cannot remember what bike it was-but think it was a Honda-any ideas??

 

[norlander]

Bonkers. Is it supposed to slide on the straights.
.

Well I would think the TZ750 would have slid about every where because of its mental power band the tarmac track version would get the back end trying to overtake the front sometimes-Roberts used it to get round tracks a bit faster and of course became the first American 500cc champ.
The original riders in the good ole days would have no doubt slithered about-they just found a field and made a rough oval track to race round-suitably fortified by alcoholic beverages.
Would have looked something like this-bikes are about 2.48 in on the video:

Yes, the bikes are pretty slow-those flatheads and panhead harleys are not cheap to source, weigh in about 600lbs and are rigid back end (no suspension) so respect to the blokes who take them round wearing little or no safety gear.

 

[normspanners]

norm-I remember a picture of MH holding out a sign to his team mate with 18000 written on it-I think Mike had crashed or retired and was signalling to his team mate to take rev the bike to 18k but I was not at the track and cannot remember what bike it was-but think it was a Honda-any ideas??

That could have been Stuart Graham, son of Leslie Graham, the first ever 500 cc world champion, who I was middle named after, Les was a close friend of my Dad, or Jim Redman they where the Honda riders I think in 1966 ish when I was about 12

I remember Mike saying he had to virtually drag it around the track like an angry pig :-)

I used to have a direct head- on picture of Mike on the 500 accelerating out of a bend with his right foot peg on the road and you could clearly see a 10 deg twist in the frame from the front to the rear!! he said it was never the same on any bend due to the twist.
I think it is stated that his absolute fav was the 296cc 6cyl and could have walked away with any 500 race on it.
As riders go,I remember at oulton there was a classic race nortons ajs matchless etc, all 500 singles and Mike blew up his ajs in practice I took his mechanic to Bill Smiths where bill had an old Matchless scramble engine under the bench not been run for 10ish years as matchless and ajs where virtually the same it fitted, on every lap we could see down the hill to knickerbrook half way round the lap, ten'ish riders would pass Mike,they where probably 20mph faster, but by the time they went past the pits mike was in the lead!! and he did that every lap of about 12 till he won.