The Problem With Vintage Racing...

When I used to race WERA way back in the dark ages, the early 80s, the cheapest fun out there was LW Production on an RD. The only thing we could do was take stock parts off the bike, and add rearsets and low bars. Rearsets made the bike safer by far, and the bars went with the pegs. Stock pipes on an RD work fine. I think I had maybe $500 total in my bike. Other than tires once a year it was dirt cheap to run. My buddy's GS450 Suz was almost as cheap.
The secret here is to limit mods to safety related stuff. Anything you have to change to go faster is wasting $$$. Just buy a bigger faster bike to start with and ride it stock. If your bike has modified cylinders, just get them resleeved back down to stock bore and porting. Reliability is the key to more track time, fun, etc...
I have a bone stock RD400 I picked up for $300 in the garage now just waiting for Production class rules to come around again. I'd have to get into vintage racing if that happened. And I bet 3 or 4 of my old racing buddies would do the same............on our way to quadrupling the class size.
http://www.wera.com/graphics/smilies/upthumbs.gif

 

not going to be an old proddy class anytime soon....but you can run a stock rd350/400 in V2 now, pipes and rearsets are allowed.

 

Resleeving is expensive and unnecessary. It's cheaper to find a set of unported cylinders off ebay or from a junk bike.

 

Any idea how much? I have a block that will need that in the future.

It was cheap 'til y'all went and did what you did,didn't you?

 

No need to wait any longer, as pointed out by Scott (WERA33) production based (SS rules apply) RD400's are allowed in V2 and should be competitive. The only difference is that the rules allow you to run pipes.. This was in the interest of keeping it low cost as stock pipes are going for as much or more than a decent set of chambers these days due to the restoration market and in the interest of ground clearance / safety. :up:

So basically the rules are identical to what you seek with the exception of allowing chambers. Motor cannot be ported, stock carbs and airbox. You can de-tab the frame and remove the street stuff, rearsets are allowed stock wheels must be retained. should make for a cheap ride and you already own one... So bring it out and join V-2 and have a great time! :up:

 

Is my 'Yellow Peril' okay for V2?

 

To be legal it only needs a stock motor. If I remeber the bike set up I think you are good to go! :up: Stock wheels? RD forks?

(EDIT for post below)

Pretty certain that you would be welcome in V2 with the bike AS IS....

 

If you're riding it - yes.

 

I am pleased as punch! V2 here I come...how about my aircleaner, it isn't a stock unit, it's one of those "two into one" deals...yep, stock forks, wheels,
nuts, bolts...

 

Mongo says we can't insult each other anymore.

Just for that I'm riding hard in 2007.:tut:
No more Mr. Nice Guy in White.
Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Into My Races.

 

I don't remember a final decision on the "air-box" rule, I lobbied for and would LOVE to see it written as a "Stock Y boot with a filter mandatory" finding a filter for the stock box is not an easy task these days, a generic filter that fits the stock 350 air-box Y boot is easy to acquire from any number of suppliers and in my view the best route to a simple rule for everyone. :up:

We need to see what Sean has to say on this as there seems to be several more people considering this "stock" vintage racing route!

 

Ask him, you have more 'pull' than me.
I'm just a poor sharecropper.
This should be cleared up so some
stock RD folks can go racing in V2.

 

Sean reads this thread, pretty sure he will comment soon... :up: need to get Lyn to comment on this one... :up:

 

Don't do that. The warning label says Viagra may blur your vision.

 

You better not get in front of me in a full tuck position, Carl!

 

We can't insult each other anymore ?

Thats gonna be boring..........

 

Probably be a good idea to require the nuts on the rider be safety wired as well in this particular case.

 

And I bet you are wishing you could be the tech inspector in my case!

 

Some time ago I had a discussion with Sean about RD Yamahas in V2 and he was willing to consider some limited modifications in addition to those permitted by the Superstock Rules. Generally, we discussed that many RDs that had been run in Formula RD had frame tabs cut off (SS rules prohibit cutting off tabs), that many racers fitted non-standard seats and many did not have fenders. Sean was open minded about these modifications. We did not discuss air filters.

I have built two V2 RDs and provided air boxes for both. I did not have filters for either and haven't really tried to find a source for them (left that to the riders). I do not know if that is possible. The Y-boot filters that most of us used on our Formula RD bikes are readily available and affordable. Individual can type filters, K&N and others, are also available. These aftermarket filters may, or may not, be better than the stock air boxes but you can get them and it is difficult to find OEM air boxes for motorcycles made in 1976. I would like to see the air filter rule amended to permit any style of filter.
Lyn Garland