New Kid On The WERA Grid: Benelli 350/4

Manx

Well then Hate, we met at Putnam a number of years ago, I was admiring your stainless exhaust fabrication, we battled at the GNF in 2004, I repaired your frame at Jennings and we traded some paint on the same day....

 

I remember that Jennings day well. And to show my appreciation, we did rub leathers and paint later that day. Which just goes to show you that 'no good deed goes unpunished' as per your signature statement.

Hope to catch up with you again on the track,....

 

Hope to see you on the track also, up to this point I have been the one doing the catching up...

 

George Beale replica, built in 1995.

http://www.motorbase.com/auctionlot/by-id/2128221351/

Have you pulled the valve cover and checked for tight valves yet?
Does it run above idle?

 

for 50,000 quid lets hope she idles! Nice to see Rob actually paid for this one....

 

I'm taking the Benelli with me to the AHRMA Grattan event to work on. I've been told by AHRMA that the bike canNOT run at their events as long as it has Team Obsolete stickers displayed on it. I also have been told that I have to cover up those stickers if I even have the bike in the paddock at their event. None the less, I've got new tires to balance and mount and oil to change and new rear sprockets to try on and valve lift to check with a warm engine and so on. I'm still counting on bringing the Benelli to the WERA Mid-Ohio event, for sure.

 

You've got to be joking! Another 'Team Obsolete' controversy? you would think that AHRMA management would have learned something from all the money they spent on legal fees. Sounds very intelligent: cover up the 'offending' stickers or else. All AHRMA riders should be offended that one of their own is subjected to this BS.

 

aaron phinney owns phil buschs up in grey me. im pretty sure its for sale. one of stans 400/4's just sold to a guy in long island. you can find aaron on the caferacer.net board. hes one of the mods/owners.

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Well Doc, I'm in the pits at Grattan, def like to see this benelli, so paper over those stickers and roll it out of the trailer!

 

JoeC, sent you a PM. Thanks!

The cover up sticker thing is ridiculous...I thought they were trying to move forward...jeesh.

 

FYI, the Benelli sounds awesome, even just up & down the paddock. Holy crap that thing is loud.

 

ChuckS, Did you introduce yourself? I'd like to know who my friends and supporters are.

Yea, The Benelli started right up. It sounded awesome and everyone really like hearing it run. I had it on display the whole week end and there was always a crowd around it to check it out and ask questions.

And loud is an understatement. The DB meters all broke. Children started crying. Calves were born early in the next county. Even the unflappable MS Hampsters ran scared.

And to accommodate AHRMA's demand of covering up the TO sticker, I ran some tape across it. Here's a photo of my minimalist effort:

 

Well done:up:

 

Nah, I'm the bashful, shy and quiet type.

with a ponytail to my waist and lots of tattoos. Traveled up and pitted with Carl A.

 

Tape over is BS....man, those guys just need to move on....EXCELLENT tape job Doc. :up:

I cant wait to hear that thing.

And Doc, you are lucky to have Plausible Deniability in assocating with this Chuck character ....Naaa, I always look for him and the KWC at the track, those boys are a hoot!....it is kinda funny that everytime I see them they are walking the other way ...briskly.....

 

Lawyers R Us

"And to accommodate AHRMA's demand of covering up the TO sticker, I ran some tape across it."

Nice tape job. According to my interpretation, the AHRMA requirement was satisfied. But then, I've had rules interpretation issues with them from time to time . . . .

What are you going to do about the sound issue? I suspect the WERA Mid-O folks may have something to say about that. Maybe your own db meter . . . ?

 

ahrma has to be the dumbest race organization in the world. what a bunch of turkeys!

however you just gave me an idea on what to do with the official ahrma staffers fleece jacket that someone just gave to me this year.......get a big TO patch put on the front and back.

good that you got it fire up stu!

looking forward to seeing you at mid-ohio.

tex

 

No kidding, how many decades has this crap been going on anyway? I remember hearing all kinds of grumbling back in the mid-90's...I still haven't figured out what the malfunction is...

 

83BSA said:

The Benelli is seriously beyond the sound parameters by contemporary standards. So loud that it may just blow out any meter readings. I can only assume that M-O/WERA/AMA is willing to tolerate this beast for the VMD event simply to give the spectators an opportunity to hear a real live GP machine from the past.

 

AHRMA rules are a moving target. The banning of TO stickers on a bike originally was applied to any bike trying to pass tech. There was also banning of any bike that tried to register with TO as its sponsor. The banning of TO stickers on a bike in the paddock only came up last week.

I did put the tape thru the sticker to accomodate their demand to cover up the TO sticker. In a feistier mood, I could have written 'banned by AHRMA' on the tape. None the less, the officials at the track were civil as usual and there was no backlash.

AHRMA is composed of a good group of officials 'on the ground' and AHRMA continues to offer a good venue to race. After that there are the politics which continue to stink up the place.

As far as the banning of Team Obsolete stickers again. Where does it begin and end? Does it end with the wording Team Obsolete? Or does T Obsolete or Team O qualify as bad too? There are several derivatives that could apply? TO Racing. So policing this is absurd. Obsolete T, O Team, OTO, on and on. But when you have nefarious rules and penalties, you can make them up as you go.

I was put on notice that I would be subject to page 17 of the AHRMA rulebook which lists all the possible penalties from verbal reprimand to banning if I did NOT cover up the sticker. However, there is no rule in the very same rulebook that addresses 'unapproved stickers'. Go figure.

Ultimately, the Benelli was the most exciting bike at the AHRMA Grattan event and, as such, offered the spectators and riders a real opportunity to get up close to this bike. And when I fired it up on Sunday, everyone was thrilled to hear it. And that's what it's all about.