From: dunham@mpd.tandem.com (Jerry Dunham)
Newsgroups: tx.motorcycles
Subject: Re: AAahhhh, wipe-out!
Date: 5 Jan 93 18:39:34 GMT
Reply-To: dunham@mpd.tandem.com (Jerry Dunham)
Distribution: tx
Organization: Tandem Computers, Inc., ISD

In article <1ic9a1INN241@swrinde.nde.swri.edu] kent@swrinde.nde.swri.edu (Kent D. Polk) writes:
]In article <1993Jan5.012443.336@rpp386> jfh@rpp386.cactus.org (John F. Haugh II) writes:
]>>                                                             Race carts don't
]>>have a suspension, or rather have a nearly perfect suspension and can head
]>>pretty much full throttle straight through a corner. Talk about a RUSH!!!
]>>(Always did want to Kart race :^( :^( )
]>
]>Then you should go to Malibu Gran Prix here in Austin.
]
]No. I don't mean toy carts. I mean the ones that used to go upwards of 200mhp
]at Indianapolis.  In the 70's nothing but a tracked vehicle could out corner
]them.

Indianapolis?  You don't mean the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, do you?  I
have never heard of karts racing there.  Might you be referring to Indiana-
polis Raceway Park out at Clermont?  I've been there for kart racing and 
they never got anywhere near 200 MPH.  They did put an extra chicane in the
main straight, though.

]You know, the ones you would pull on like trousers and then lay down on your
]back with a little helmet pillow. The 'suspensions' on those things were
]simply a flexible Moly tube with the wheels attached. It was so flexible that
]you could pick up each wheel about 6" off the ground with disturbing the
]others...  You would 'throttle' by adjusting the tuned exhaust on one or two
]18,000+ rpm reed valve fixed-drive 2-cycle engines from Italy. (Took two for
]the higher speeds) Yep. No transmission.

I thought I recalled that the open-class karts DID have transmissions.  I
guess I'm getting fuzzy with the passage of time.

]At Indy they used to put chicanes in the straights because the course was too
]boring. And they were still running lap speeds about 20 mph faster than
]anything else. It was wild to watch these races. They didn't need to 'late
]apex' or brake at the corners as they could pretty much take the shortest
]line close to full speed.

This part appears accurate.

]A long time ago I help some guys try to build something like this.  They
]couldn't afford one of those fancy I'talian engines, so we used a Yamaha 100
]twin from a racing dirt bike of the era. It would only go about 130 mph
]though. And we used the transmission. But 130 mph with your eyeballs about
]10" off the ground with 2ft. flames shooting out the pipes is fairly
]interesting. A bit more interesting than Malibu Gran Prix, I dare say :^)

The 100 twin (actually 97 cc) wasn't "a racing dirt bike of the era".  It
was from a street machine (I had one), and it was commonly modified for
road racing in the 100 cc class (a friend of my cousin had one of those)
when mounted in a Rohr/Van Tech tubular frame.  One of the guys who used 
to work for me here once built (back in the '70s) a machine similar to the
one you describe, but using a Suzuki 125 cc twin.  Last I looked he still
had a picture of it in his office.

]Haven't kept up with the sport though and have no idea what's going on
]nowadays. I've never gone to a Malibu Gran Prix. I figure that unless I can
]do at least 70mph, it's not worth it. I rather go back to Gymkhana racing in
]a parking lot with my old Fiat (I'd probably do it with a chopped Subaru
]nowadays) or something like the old hill climbs they use to hold out by Lake
]Travis.

What?!  And give up on the MiniCoopers?

]Kent 'Bonzo' Polk
]Yeah!!!

It must be Bedtime for Bonzo.

-- 
Jerry Dunham                   DoF #1.5             dunham_jerry@tandem.com
Tandem Computers, Inc.                                dunham@mpd.tandem.com
Austin, TX                                                    (512)244-8598
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