Gotta use smilies - too many people are serious when they say stuff like that (you should see the emails I get at times)
I really appreciate the suggestion but the thought of making Vintage rules even more confusing bothers me some. I will look it over more though, could just be me being overwhelmed with more info. One thing on production bikes. If you look at the production stuff you saw in the 70's that was only 10 years old, you can find 10 yo machines now that are stock with no real effort. The problem is finding stock parts for those machines that used to be 10 but are now 50... It's really weird to realize that the first motorcycle I ever rode - a 76 KZ650 is as old now as a 1941 HD would have been when it was new.
The debate is endless....i say bring them in( indexing anything close to what is allowed) and see how they run. I think a large percentage of new racers to the vintage ranks will be regular folks looking to have fun with stock road bikes with modest upgrades.( i think i fall into this description) If the grids could be filled with authentic period race bikes, we wouldn't be having this conversation. It won't take long to figure out when a bike should be moved up a class. Besides how many vintage guys are really "hangin out there" riding to the very limits of traction to win races.
I just wanna race guys like Charlie, handle bar to handle bar , knowing he will race me clean and knowing we both have to go to work on Monday morning:up:
Time and the passing years are certainly working against the future of Classic Vintage racing. Only a few bikes on the two lists have any chance of ever seeing the race track in any condition. Some may have been wishful thinkng on someones part. You had a KZ650, thats cool, always liked those bikes. That was the bike of choice in 650 production in those days. One guy named Spencer Byrum used to run in like five classes. Winning in 650 and 750 production, atleast at SP, also placing well in open production and 650 and 750 superbike. Once at a trophy presentation he had won so many that on his way to pick one up he returned another, maybe the trophy budget was tight back then or something, not sure, was a classy move on his part.
Kudos to ya, Dave, for taking a strong stance on the AHRMA Barber situation. I was wondering why more riders didn't speak up.
Here is my take on a few things, but I don't have a V-8 bike, so my thoughts on that are just some ideas. I also already have bikes that will fit well in V1, 350GP, V2, V4, V5 and V6 so I have no need to have any rules changed for my personal benefit, for me it is just a matter of what bike I want to race on any given weekend that I can make it to a track. So, could V-8, if it were created, race on Sunday with the B Superbike expert race and V7HWT could run with BSS Ex. As far as the smaller/older classes, I would like to see a lt and hvy production class run under SS rules except for air filters. I would break it at above and below 500cc and have it be 1975 and earlier including like design. I think that would be a cheap entry or low mod cost class. It could just be run at the same time as V-2 or V-3. I think the limiting factors in that type of racing would be wheels, brakes, carbs and forks if you keep it to SS rules. I think the most expensive parts of a bike for that class would be tires and shocks. If possible I would restrict the tires to non-race compound tires like the BT-45, GT501 or demon sports which would really keep the costs down. Just my thoughts since I wouldn't play in either class. Ken
I'm pretty sure we don't really need more classes dividing an already small enough group of riders but I do appreciate the ideas.
Bro Chuck, You do realize in answer to your wildest 2 stroke dreams, the Vespa P200 is legal if 350GP, already. This could be Rockers vs. Mods taken to the track. You do have a Vespa, don't you? Ken
Hey Charlie, it is an identical bike to the 250cc DS7, although the R5 was first and came out in 1970. Being a piston port motor and a 5 speed makes it inferior to the RDs that replaced it. This is why the DS7 is in 350GP and not the RD250. RDs are in V1 V2 and not GP because they are faster than the piston port bikes so to build an R5 for V2 is wasting time and $$. And for everyone who says that it will win everything in sight, I say that is true of ANY bike if ya want to spend crazy $$ on it, and then ride it well. V1 = RD250 GP350 = DS7 250cc V2 = RD350 GP500 = R5 350cc Mark Badger
What gentleman doesn't have a Vespa, Brother Ken? It's a babe magnet and besides, it can corner low...I have a vision for the future: scooter racing with legalized online betting...way safer than Rollerball. :up:
Thats not entirely accurate, reed valves are a restriction on the intake and do spread the power band making it more rider friendly. Piston port can make more peak horsepower but narrow and like a light switch. Which is faster is up to the rider. The R5 already has won everything in site, see posts 41 and 80. I agree, one could spend crazy money on ANY FOUR-STROKE and win everything in sight. It only takes a third or less money to make a TWO-STROKE win while going faster. An unlimited R5 is too much for gp 500. With restrictions, maybe a good fit.
I think the purpose of inclusion is to get bikes out on the grids, and as long as there are no apparent advantages (displacement, 'modern' frame & forks, etc), why not let them race and see what shows up? By the way, Pat Mooney's Norton Manx is eligible for 500GP, as is the Manx that Tim Joyce rides...are you telling me that a warmed up Yam R5 will clean up on Pat and Timmy? This I gotta see.
Not with you riding it, I dont care how warmed up it is. Again, reread posts 41 and 80, a rider with the skills would simply disappear in front of them, no doubt about it.
