Wannabe's wild ride - Bonneville

[wannabe]

So, I just got back home from checking off another item from my 'things to do before I die' list. This week, I drove to the Bonneville Salt Flats to run in the 3rd annual all-motorcycle land-speed event sponsored by BUB. (www.speedtrialsbybub.com)

Yahoo maps said that it would be a hair under a 9-hour drive. It turned out to be about 14 hours each way, but it was totally worth it. It's going to take me a few days to post up everything that I saw and did this past week. So much happened that it felt like I was there for a whole month.

I can honestly say that it was the best time that I've had in years. I am so going again next year. :thumbup

Let me start off with a picture of the magic sign just before you get onto the salt.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2693664-dsc00084.jpg

[wannabe]

I arrived a day early as I usually do to a new event so that I could get my bearings. This is me with my bike on Saturday. Notice how clean the bike is. This would be the last time that my bike would be that clean.

You can't tell, but I'm sporting some serious wood right now just being on the salt and thinking about all the history that was made there. The pictures can't help you understand how absolutely breathtaking it is on the salt.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2693670-dsc00081.jpg

[wannabe]

I ended up getting to the salt before dawn every morning, and I was lucky enough to get out there and take this picture on the only morning without any real cloud cover. There was a system that came in the rest of the week.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2693675-dsc00111.jpg

[wannabe]

I'm tired, so I'll go ahead with the 'long story short' post and fill in the rest of the details little by little over the weekend. Unfortunately, the printers were broken, so the organizers ended up hand-writing your best time on a card and certifying it with two official signatures. Here is mine.

(Yes, I really did go that fast.)

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2693683-card-small.jpg

[wazzuFreddo]

I was there this summer too :teeth
The place is amazing :cool
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h17/wazzuFreddo/P1000833.jpg

I didn't go out on the flats on the bike though, the bike I was riding wasn't mine :x
I wasn't on a sportbike anyhow :p

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h17/wazzuFreddo/P1000831.jpg

[wannabe]

Here's the last one for tonight. This is what I looked like going over 180 mph. Everyone thought that it was a great pic, but I couldn't help but look at it and think, "Man, I really need to work on my tuck." :teeth

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2693687-me-small.jpg

[cbrf3]

damn.. that looks like lot of fun...

[machete]

very nice man. exhilirating to be able to top out on your machine. look forward to the other photos.

[duc996girl]

Dude Aris...that last photo is so fucking sweet! Congrats man! :thumbup Super fookin' cool!

[Junkie]

i take it the speed limiter on your bike has been disabled?

[zefflyn]

That's kinda ironic that you were going for speed trials, and it took you 14 hours to get there. How often did you stop?

[wannabe]

OK, so I know that I said that I was going to bed, but I need to start telling my story. ...

This was my first time on the salt. For those of you who don't know me, I have been running at the NHRA (drag racing) Division-level for the past 3 years. I thought that it would feel the same, but all my friends who run on the salt told me that it would be a totally different experience.

The goal for the week was just to have fun and not fall off at any time. (But, in the back of my mind, I also wanted to break a record.) I tried to keep my expectations really low. "Just be safe and have fun." That's was my mantra going in.

I ended up pitting next to a couple of other newbies who brought their Hayabusas to the salt to see what they could do. Who knew that I would end up being their ad-hoc coach for the week? Even though I was new, some things that I learned at the dragstrip actually helped on the salt.

[wannabe]

The mind-set for the first run was a mad combination of emotions for me. My stomach was in knots with a combination of discomfort, excitement, fear, and dread. Here are a small list of things that I heard or read that added to my mindset:

1. All the salt-guru's kept saying that the existing salt conditions were the best that they had been in over 20 years. This is supposed to mean that there was going to be a butt-load of traction out on the course. I was used to a nice flat dragstrip surface that was prepared with gallons and gallons of traction compound, so I was not putting too much stock in this comment.

2. I read a story about a guy who rode his busa from Los Angeles to Bonneville then decided to make some passes. He ended up skulking back home because he could only manage a 150-mph pass on a bike that supposedly could go 200 mph according to all the magazine articles. I knew enough not to believe that magazine articles, but I knew that there was a strong possibility that I was not going to break 150 mph on the first pass.

3. I spoke to one guy who has been running on the salt for well over 25 years. He told me that the first time out, 130mph was a very good run. So, this was about what I was expecting.

4. The AMA record in my class (MPS-P 1350 - Modified Partial Streamlining - Production motor 1350cc) was only around 164 mph. I thought that this would be a good goal before the end of the week, but I was not expecting to get there.

So, all of these things were going through my mind as I went up to the line and waited for them to give me the green flag....

[Mrwoo]

Awesome bro. Thats up there on my to do list!!

[wannabe]

The staging area to get in line for a run was right in the middle of the 5-mile course. So, when they waved me off to ride to the starting area, I had to still ride 2.5 miles to get there. I cruised there at around 60-mph and practiced my tuck on the way.

A bit of background: They were running a long course (11-miles long) and a short course (5-miles long). You had to run a minimum of 175 mph on the short course in order to qualify to run on the long course. Both courses were layed out on the same stretch. The short course just started on Mile 3 of the long course.

I was waved to the start of Mile 3 and waited for them to give me the green flag. I was told that the timed mile went from Mile 5 to Mile 6 and that there would be 2 green flags to indicate the start and the finish of the timed mile with two red flags in between indicating the start and finish of the timed kilometer for the international sanctioning organization (FIM).

[wannabe]

So, now I'm at the line idling my motor waiting for the starter to give me the green flag. I go through the pre-run checklist:

kill lanyard connected - check
air shifter on - check
kickstand up - check
clean out motor - check (big revs with clutch pulled in)

I see the flag and gingerly take off. I try to gradually give the bike as much gas as I can without spinning the rear wheel. (No such luck) I get a little too excited with the throttle. The rear wheel spins, and my tach quickly heads towards the limiter.

I immediately hit the button and shift into the next gear to bring the revs down. This does the trick and I start accelerating hard. I go through the gears and hit my 11,500 rpm shift points all the while trying to go as straight as I can and maintain the best possible tuck. I can't believe how many things there are to do:

1. Hit my shift points.
2. Head down
3. Ass up.
4. Elbows in
5. Knees in
6. Feet in.
7. Keep the bike straight
8. Watch the flags.
9. Watch the tach for any signs of traction loss.
10. Remember what gear you're in.

Unfortunately, I didn't quite do everyting on the list. I ended up trying to shift from 6th to the non-existing 7th gear when I lost track of where I was in my gearbox. Hitting the shift button while I was in 6th gear made the bike hesitate enough for me to smack face-first into the windshield. (oops....)

I see the Mile 4 flag and think "Man, I am so not used to being in a tuck and full throttle for this long."

I pass a bunch of red flags and black flags. I am somewhat disoriented. They told me that the timing flags were green. I just passed the pits. I was thinking "Was that it? Did I pass them yet? Fuck it. It's a long course. I'll keep it pinned just in case."

The next thing I know. I see a flag that says Mile 7. "Oh shit!" Time to get off the gas.....but not too fast. Don't get up too early and get blown off the bike. Don't use the front brakes.

I ended up slowing down in time to turn off at Mile 8. I rode back the 3 miles to the pits to find out how I did.

[wannabe]

So, I get back to the pits and start talking to the two other newbies on their Hayabusas. They ran before I did and both got their results. They both only ran about 155 mph and were shattered with their performance. One of their pit crew guys told me that the announcer said that I went 165 mph.

So, I expected 165 when I got to the time slip. I looked down and saw:

K: 183.018
M: 182.899

Holy shit! My first run ever on the salt resulted in me breaking the record in my class by almost 20 mph!!!

Needless to say, I was absolutely stoked. Then, dread crossed my mind as I thought about having to tear down my motor so that they could verify its displacement. I was actually happy to find out that another guy in my class ran 206 mph 5-minutes later. I knew that there was no way for me to get there, so the pressure of the record was off. From here on out, it was just for fun.

At least I can tell everyone that I had the record for 5 minutes. :teeth

[wannabe]

OK, now that's definitely it for tonight. I'll post up the remaining stories and pics later this weekend after I get a chance to take my bike apart and clean all the salt off of her. I'm gonna need to tear her down to the frame to get all the salt off.

This is what she looked like after only the first pass. The stuff was caked on even thicker later.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2693791-dsc00087.jpg

[oyabun]

Originally posted by wannabe



10. Remember what gear you're in.

Unfortunately, I didn't quite do everyting on the list. I ended up trying to shift from 6th to the non-existing 7th gear when I lost track of where I was in my gearbox. Hitting the shift butting while I was in 6th gear made the bike hesitate enough for me to smack face-first into the windshield. (oops....)



great story! i don't know how many times i've tried to shift to 7th on 880 every morning. i've finally resorted to saying each shift/gear out loud.

it seems to work for now.

:teeth

[ScottRNelson]

Thanks for sharing your experience. That is so cool.

I drove out on the Salt Flats once in 1996 about a week after the time trials. In a minivan. Had to go find a car wash, probably in Elko, to get the salt off of the bottom of it.

The salt was rougher than I had expected. The road heading out to that sign was a better place to check the minivan top speed than the salt, but it was only half as fast as your bike.

And congratulations on having the record for five minutes.

[CruisingRam]

GReat story! Please do tell us the mods done to the bike for the salt run etc- also, did the M/V Agusta run the same week as you?

[wannabe]

Well, I guess after a week of getting up before dawn to get onto the salt in time for a good run while the air was still good kinda sticks to you. I ended up waking up at 6am for no apparent reason. :teeth

Thanks everyone for your comments so far. I'll try to answer some quiestions quickly.

Originally posted by Junkie
i take it the speed limiter on your bike has been disabled?

Yes. Actually, that became the goal after the second pass. I wanted to tell my Japanese friends that I went over 300 kph. :teeth


Originally posted by zefflyn
That's kinda ironic that you were going for speed trials, and it took you 14 hours to get there. How often did you stop?


Actually, yes. I stopped quite a bit. I have a 6 x 10' trailer, and my poor 6-cylinder Tacoma was not liking some the altitude and the hills. There were some stretches where I was at full throttle only going 40 mph. So, some of that time is the underpowered truck, and some of it is from me stopping every couple hundred miles to stretch my legs.


Originally posted by ScottRNelson
The salt was rougher than I had expected. The road heading out to that sign was a better place to check the minivan top speed than the salt, but it was only half as fast as your bike.



So, you absolutely understand how NOT easy it is to go fast on the salt. :thumbup The course itself was much smoother because they spent 2 weeks grading it.


Originally posted by CruisingRam
GReat story! Please do tell us the mods done to the bike for the salt run etc- also, did the M/V Agusta run the same week as you?


Thanks for reminding me. I'll post up the mods later. And, Derrick on the M/V August did run. He was one of the coolest guys that I met on the salt. Anyone who would thrash his $20,000 bike on the salt is OK in my book. :thumbup He ended up going a little over 170 mph before packing up with his woman and his dogs to head toward Yellowstone. I have about 40 other stories like his that I'll post later after I finish going through my passes.

[wannabe]

OK, per Mr. Ram's request, here are my bike mods:

Bike: 2001 Kawasaki ZX-12

Full Acra race system
Power Commander with stock Acra map
Speedo Healer set for 17-46 gearing
Bear velocity stacks
Forks lowered 1.5" through the triples
Rear lowered to middle hole on dog bones
stock front and rear Dunlops
Mirrors removed and replaced with blocks
Home-built air shifter
LNR 2-step rev limiter & engine kill
single front rotor
engine kill lanyard


There were so many more things that I could have done to the bike to make it go faster, but I didn't want to put the time in because I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. Almost all of the above mods were already on my bike for dragracing. I just put the stock tires back on and just ran it that way.

[wannabe]

For the second pass, I swapped the gearing and went 1 tooth down in the rear because I was just about topped out in the revs going trough the traps.

I also made sure to count my gears this time. It was a clean pass, and it produced these numbers:

K: 185.640
M: 185.519

I was going to get back in line, but there was some not so happy weather coming in from the West. An old salt veteran told me that the weather came in fast on the salt. So, I did the smart thing and packed up my gear into the trailer.

It was a good thing that I did because the weather came in hard and fast. 45+ mph winds came in and kicked up a salt storm. I helped a couple people try to pack up their stuff to keep it from blowing away. It literally hurt to stand outside my truck!

Here's a pic that I took from my truck as everyone was making a mad dash to get off the salt before the weather got worse.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694053-dsc00119.jpg

[wannabe]

I have to admit that after the first run, I was more than happy. I went much faster than I expected. After the second run, things started to change. I was just short of 300 kph (186.411 mph). I wanted to be able to go back to work and tell all my Japanese friends that I went over 300 kph. I guess that this is how the sickness begins.

[wannabe]

The next day, I went another tooth down in the rear just to see if I could get a better drive through the traps. I waited in line for 8 hours and finally got up to the starting line. While I was there, the same weather patterns from the day before started to build. The wind started kicking up to the point where I flat refused to make a run because I didn't think that it was safe.

Luckily, the control people agreed. The workers took down our numbers and promised that we would be the first to run the next day.

That was cool, but here I was sitting at the start line almost 3 miles away from my pit looking at another wind storm building up behind me. I hauled ass back to my pit, parked my bike, and just started literally throwing things into my trailer. My helmet bag ended up blowing away. It's probably somewhere in Salt Lake City by now.

With a little help, I got all my gear in my trailer before the worst of the wind came in again. I sat in my truck for a few minutes trying to get my heart to settle back down from the mad rush.

I would have to wait another day to try to go over 300 kph....

[wannabe]

The next morning, I was ready to go. I had the right gearing, and some good thick morning air for my motor.

I picked up my slip and saw:

K: 187.348
M: 187.234

Yeah, baby!! That's over 300 kph!

I was happy. I got my goal, and the rest of the week would just be play time for me.

I went back to my pit and did some more tweaking. The salt flats are at over 4200 feet above sea level. So, the air is really thin. I figured that I was running kinda rich, so I decided to make the next pass without the exhaust pipe. Plus, I just love riding around with a loud bike. :teeth

Normally, I like to be methodical about things and only make one change at a time. I figured that I would make one pass without the pipe on the short course then the next one would be on the long course.

While I was in line on the short course, a couple guys in the long course line looked bummed. They were told by the workers that they weren't going to send anyone down to the long course start until they had three people in the long course line. I decided to do them a favor and hop in that line with them. I more than qualified for the long course, so they let us go.

It was a looooonnng ride out to Mile 0, where the start for the long course was. I was glad that I put too much gas in my tank.

[wannabe]

I can honestly say that I was starting to feel somewhat comfortable on the short course. The long course scared the heck out of me. The start for the short course was on Mile 3. This time, I was going to get a 3-mile run up to where I was starting before.

I figured that I would get on it and just not tuck until I got to a little past mile 2. I still got to 6th gear before I got to Mile 3. So, I used the two miles before the timing mile to just play with my tuck position.

You wouldn't think that you would have time to do this at 180+ mph, but I started moving around on the bike to find the sweet spot where the tach started moving up. I tried any combination of pushing my head down, lifting my butt, moving back on the bike, etc.

Doing that produced:

K: 189.961
M: 189.986

[wannabe]

This is where the Bonneville sickness really started to hit high gear. I was already well above my first goal of just going fast enough to qualify for the long course. (175 mph.) After that, I achieved my secondary goal of going over 300 kph. (186.411 mph).

But, now, I was 0.014 mph away from breaking 190 mph. I wanted it bad! In one swift stroke everything that I had accomplished on the salt up until then no longer mattered.

[squid vicious]

I don't get why you get a Kilo reading and Mile reading...and they're the same. What am I missing?

[mcarb]

Its his speed in mph over the period of one mile and one kilometer.

Nice story.

[Lester Green]

hey Aris when you say the salt is rough do you mean the course is bumpy and not flat as a pancake? can't imagine hitting even a slight bump at 180+, i think that would skeer the shit out of me..

[wannabe]

Originally posted by Beetlejuice
hey Aris when you say the salt is rough do you mean the course is bumpy and not flat as a pancake? can't imagine hitting even a slight bump at 180+, i think that would skeer the shit out of me..



The course was actually smooth, but towards the end of the week, some ruts started to build up on the course. It kinda felt like riding diagonally accross some railroad tracks at 180+ mph. Yes, it was every bit as scary as it sounds. :teeth

[wannabe]

The rest of the week, the wind kicked up. Even with a 10mph head wind, I still managed to pull off a 186 mph pass.

The rest of the passes weren't too exciting, so I'll start with the other stories from the salt.

[wannabe]

For the ladies out there who don't think that they can do this, I'd like to introduce you to Belen (pronounced BEE-LYNN) Wagner and her father, Wiltz.

Belen has made over a hundred passes on the salt. She has been doing this for close to 20 years. And, she has about a dozen records to prove it in the 175 cc classes.

This weekend, she was debuting her new 250 cc NSR. The existing record in that class is about 120mph. Belen ended up going 152mph to absolutely shatter the record.

Belen's tuck is a thing of beauty. She just about blends into the paint when she rides that bike. She and Wiltz welcomed me and did everything they could to help me the whole week. :thumbup

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694227-dsc00024.jpg

[wannabe]

Oh, I almost forgot. I had to take my front fender off after almost every pass to clean the salt from underneath. The salt just caked on the fender and made the front wheel hard to turn. :wow

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694230-dsc00115.jpg

[wannabe]

This is my new buddy, Don's bike. He was the reason why I didn't have to tear my motor apart for inspection to get the record. He and I raced in the same class. Don was at least nice enough to let me think I had the record for about 5 minutes before making his 206 mph pass.

Don did a 1mm overbore to bring him up to 1349cc on his Hayabusa. Don's bike was a work of art, and Don was a real class act out there. :thumbup

But, he decided to call it a week after he used up all of his luck....

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694235-dsc00001.jpg

[wannabe]

On Don's last pass, he told me that he saw some black pieces zing by his head in the traps. Those black pieces turned out to be pieces of his front tire.

He only noticed when someone came by him and told him that his front tire was flat. Don knew that he dodged a bullet on that one and decided to call it a week with the new AMA and FIM record in the MPS-P 1350 class.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694236-dsc00002.jpg

[GearSlammer]

crap, are those bridgestones?

nice write-up. very detailed. looks like you had a good time. thanks for answering everyones questions.:thumbup

[geo]

Fantastic writeup, wannabe! Thanks for sharing your experiences.

[Lester Green]

Aris you rock dude. more pics please

[wannabe]

Now, we get to the fun. Guess who was there this week filming an episode of one of my favorite shows on TV.

I always watched the show hoping that I could vote at one of those things. I finally got to do that this week.

edit: This episode is scheduled to air at the end of October. Make sure to watch it and keep and eye out for my fat ass. :thumbup

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694289-dsc00032.jpg

[wannabe]

In this episode, they put Roger Goldhammer from Canada against Matt Hotch from Southern California. Everyone knows Matt Hotch. But, I have to admit that I didn't know Goldhammer until that weekend. He was actually behind me in line for a day and we bullshitted for a while as I checked out his bike. I didn't even know that he was in the biker build-off until Matt Hotch showed up.

Part of the gig was that both of them would run on the salt and let the riders and mechanics vote on their favorite bike.

Here's a pic of both bikes lined up for voting.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694301-dsc00036.jpg

[wannabe]

It was very interesting to see the two builder's visions of what they thought Bonneville was about. They both came at it from two completely different directions.

Matt knew the long and wonderful history of the Vincent motorycle at Bonneville. So, he built a beautiful rendition of a Vincent which included a specially built $85,000 one of a kind Vincent motor.

It just seemed like a shame to have the salt scratch the paint on this bike. Matt made 2 runs and was able to go about 99 mph with the bike.

Wanna see what an $85,000 motor looks like?

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694309-dsc00037.jpg

[wannabe]

Roger had a different idea. He figured that if he's going to go all the way to Bonneville from Canada, he was going to build a beautiful bike that had potential to break a record. He ended up building what I thought was the most beautiful bike that I have ever seen on the Biker Buildoff show. (I love it when form and function come together.)

This picture doesn't do the bike any justice. It looks much better in person.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694313-dsc00027.jpg

[wannabe]

Roger started with an Aprilia 2-stroke motor. He ended up going 123 mph on the bike. He actually broke the existing record in the class. But, just like me, someone else destroyed his time by going 152 mph. Yes, Belen Wagner was running in the same class on her Honda NSR 250.

Here's a closer shot of the motor.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694316-dsc00028.jpg

[wannabe]

For me, the sexiest thing on Roger's bike was the front end.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694319-dsc00030.jpg

[Lester Green]

is the kill switch something you can buy as a kit and install and then take off rather easily?

[wannabe]

Here's another bit of history for you guys. Would you believe that the first motorcycle to run over 200 mph was a German bike with an 500cc NSU motor? The bike was ridden by a gentleman named Wilhelm Herz. He went 211.40 mph at Bonneville back in 1956.

But, as they were packing up to head back to Germany, a Texan on a Triumph 650 ended up running 214 mph to take the record back. This is why Triumph has a bike called a Bonneville.

Here is a picture of Wilhelm's son sitting in a replica of the first bike to go over 200 mph. The NSU team flew this bike all the way from Germany and made a couple of 200mph passes this week.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694329-dsc00010.jpg

[wannabe]

Originally posted by Beetlejuice
is the kill switch something you can buy as a kit and install and then take off rather easily?


It depends on what you mean by 'easily.' They are bolted onto the bars, but they are hard wired into your ignition.

I bought mine from www.pingelonline.com.

[wannabe]

On the other end of the spectrum, there are also records for classic bikes. Here's a nice little Indian. Just two years ago, this bike was sitting in boxes in a guy's garage. His buddies convinced him to let them put it together to run at Bonneville.

They ran an average of 99 mph to get the record in their class.

Even though I went almost twice as fast, I thought that these guys were nuts. The bike has a left-hand throttle, a left-foot clutch, and a right hand lever shifter.

I would have crashed this thing just riding in the pits. The guy told me the right mindset for riding the bike. He said that it was just like driving a car. Left foot clutch, right hand shift, and left hand steer. The only difference is that you also have a throttle in your left hand.

I still think it's crazy....

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694335-dsc00130.jpg

[wannabe]

OK, that's enough for now. I have to get back to getting the salt off my bike..

[jrace]

Originally posted by wannabe
Roger had a different idea. He figured that if he's going to go all the way to Bonneville from Canada, he was going to build a beautiful bike that had potential to break a record. He ended up building what I thought was the most beautiful bike that I have ever seen on the Biker Buildoff show. (I love it when form and function come together.)

This picture doesn't do the bike any justice. It looks much better in person.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694313-dsc00027.jpg

That's a sick bike. Two-stroke? Those forks are gonzo!! BMW retrofit, or one-off?

Congrats on your awesome runs. I was going to run MPS-P 250 but the bike nor I were ready in time. Maybe next year.

cheers,

-jim

edit: Ignore my Q's above. Page 3 just showed the bike, and page 4 had all the answers. :teeth

[Ardy]

wow...
thank you for sharing this. Kinda reminded me of the movie "Worlds fastest Indian"

I wish we had somewhere local where we could open up our bikes.


Rob

[wannabe]

Here's another story that shows how many different type of bikes there are at Bonneville. It's not just about getting a Hayabusa or ZX-12/14 and running over 200mph. It's also about getting to run on the same salt as all the historical people and running as fast as your vehicle will go.

These guys have the record for the fastest stand-up scooter. They are running a 2-stroke Honda CR500 dirt bike motor in this scooter. They went 103 mph on this beast this week. :wow

If you take a look at their website, you can also see videos of them doing some insane hill climbs with this thing.

www.projectexs.com

They came in running on alcohol, but they couldn't get it to work because it kept freezing the intake. They eventually switched back to gasoline. Once again, it's all about tinkering to try to squeeze every mph out of your vehicle.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694424-dsc00132.jpg

[wannabe]

Yet another great story is this bike. When I first took this picture, I was planning on posting the pic with the caption, "And the winner of the 'I can't believe it passed tech' award goes to..."

After talking to the guys who built it, I was impressed with what they were doing. They epitomized the spirit of Bonneville. Their goal was to be the first electric bike to run over 100mph. They ended up going 77 mph this week. They were working on a fairing for the bike, but they didn't get it done in time for the event.

This was only 1 of two bikes that you couldn't hear coming. :teeth

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694426-dsc00133.jpg

[wannabe]

Now for the big boys. First of all, I'll start with a little history. I'm guessing that most of you are like me and didn't know anything about land speed racing.

This first pic is of the old Easyriders bike that was on display at the event. Dave Campos broke a 20-year old record when he went 322 mph in 1990. That record stood for 16 years. Everyone told me that back when they were building this thing, Easyrider magazine did a promotion where you could pitch in some money to help fund the attempt at the record. $20 got your name on the fairing. I spoke to a couple guys who were around back then. He said that everyone that they knew who actually gave money couldn't find their names on the machine. :teeth

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694429-dsc00127.jpg

[wannabe]

Three streamliner bikes showed up this week to try to beat the Campos record.

The blue one on the right is the Ack Attack Streamliner. You can see pics of the building of this beast here. (http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/ack-attack/ack-index.html)

Right off the trailer, the Ack team busted out with a 344.9 mph pass and backed it up with a 341 mph pass. They shattered the 16-year-old record by 20 mph. That's huge.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694435-dsc00092.jpg

[wannabe]

The next day, the BUB streamliner goes out and runs 354 mph and backs it up with a 346 mph pass. :wow It was on now.

The old record stood for 16 years. But, now, I was lucky enough to witness two guys battling to take the record from each other by the end of the week.

Later in the week, Ack guys tried again and could only muster a 346 mph pass.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694438-dsc00093.jpg

[wannabe]

So, it appeared that BUB was going to take the record. Well, that was until Mr. Sam Wheeler pulled into town. He pilots the EZ Hook Kawasaki streamliner.

Wheeler ended up making a 355 mph pass as he went by us. All he had to do was turn it around and make another 346 mph pass, and the record belonged to him. Unfortunately, after he went through the timing mile things started to go horribly wrong.

Wheeler's aerodynamics put a lot of force on the front tire. While he was trying to slow down, the front tire blew and put him on his side at over 300 mph.

Sam was unhurt, and the streamliner was fine other than some rash on the starboard side.

The bummer is that he didn't have a spare front tire. Bub gave him one, but it didn't fit.

So, the record for the fastest motorcycle belongs to BUB.

At the banquet on Thursday night, they mentioned that this is the only time in history that they had 4 guys in the same room who had all gone over 300 mph on a motorcycle. :thumbup

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694440-dsc00013.jpg

[wannabe]

Here was Dave Despane (sp?) interviewing Sam Wheeler afterward.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694442-dsc00007.jpg

[wannabe]

Here's another story. There were two other guys on ZX-12's running there this week. One guy was on a 300 HP turbo 12. Unfortunately for him, he only had some obscenely tall gearing, and he couldn't get the bike up to speed. He ended up cooking his motor.

The other 12 was ridden by my new buddy Ali from Virginia. (Yes, he had a longer drive than me.) He was running a 40HP shot of nitrous, and he only weighs 125lbs. He ran his bike in the MPS-AF 1350 class. This class is just like mine except that any fuel is allowed. (Nitrous is considered a fuel not a power adder like a turbo or supercharger.)

This was Ali's first time at Bonneville also. He had done the standing mile at Maxton where he went 199mph. Ali ended up shattering the record in his class by averaging 202 mph with his bike in the wind. The bike easily has more.

I felt bad for him because he ended up having to do what I promised myself that I wouldn't. I told myself that if I get a record, I would just let it go because I did not want to take my motor apart. Ali wanted his name in the books. So, here he is spending hours taking his bike apart so that they could measure the motor's discpacement to make the record official. :thumbup

Ali helped me understand why there aren't more ZX-12's in the record books. It is a royal pain in the ass to get to the spark plugs so that the officials can get in there to measure the cylinders. :teeth

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694454-dsc00022.jpg

[Lester Green]

how close are spectators allowed near the track when the streamliners are running? how loud are they?

[Port4mance]

Awesome thread and sounds like you had a great time out there. Bring your bike over and we can do some tequilla shots. :p

[RydTher]

Nice story Aris, good job on your speeds

[wannabe]

Man, resizing pics is a pain in the ass.... :teeth

OK, here's another Bonneville story. This is Jack Tate. He rode his Ducati ST4 over 1600 miles to get to Bonneville. Then, he unbolted the saddlebags and went 157 mph on the salt.

He then had another 1600+ mile ride back home. Jack is my new hero. He is a Ducati guy through and through. He has done this for three years now.

He told me that this is the last year that he will be doing this. Starting next year, he wants to get serious and start going for some records. He wants to be the first guy on an Italian twin to go 200 mph on the salt. He has some sponsorship lined up, and he said that he is going to start running a 999r next year.

I can't wait to see that. :thumbup

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694574-dsc00026.jpg

[Port4mance]

Aris batch resize those things! I gotta see more pics!

[Lester Green]

Another question, you said you ran stock tires, why not DOT race tires or slicks? is it a non issue since you going in a str8t line. what about speed rating on the tire? sorry for all the ? but this is awesome and i'm glued to this thread..

[wannabe]

This is the last story I'll be posting until people start e-mailing me pictures and videos. I'll post the good ones when I get them.

I have to throw this last picture up. The gentleman that is working on this bike is named Tom. But, everyone on the salt knows him as Santa Claus. (Really. I'm not kidding.) I think he gave in a long time ago and actually introduces himself as Santa Claus now. :teeth Everyone knows him. And, he is absolutely one of the nicest men that you will ever meet in your life.

Santa is a living legend on the salt. He has been coming for decades. He normally comes to work on other people's bikes. After decades of crewing, Santa decided to run his own bike. Unfortunately, he ended up blowing up his motor on his second pass.

Yes, Virginia. There is a Santa Claus. :teeth

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694592-dsc00091.jpg

[wannabe]

Originally posted by Port4mance
Aris batch resize those things! I gotta see more pics!


Sorry, Matt. That's about all the good ones that I have left. Someone is going to send me a CD ROM with about 200 more pics. I'll post the good ones in the batch when I get them.

[wannabe]

Originally posted by Beetlejuice
Another question, you said you ran stock tires, why not DOT race tires or slicks? is it a non issue since you going in a str8t line. what about speed rating on the tire? sorry for all the ? but this is awesome and i'm glued to this thread..



I ran the stock tires because I had them and they were free. I saw a couple people running slicks out there for a couple of passes. I don't know how well those worked.

No worries about the questions. I'll try my best to answer all of them for you.

[wannabe]

This streamliner was built by the two coolest geeks that you could ever meet. They are a pair of quiet engineers who managed to get a 50cc motorcycle to go 150 mph. :wow

http://www.landracing.net/emAlbum/albums/Bub%20Speed%20Trials/2006/Photos%20All%20days//IMG_3918.jpg


edit: I just put the link up for the pic because I didn't want to steal it from the great website.

[busabull]

good job Aris. wish I could have been there.

[396]

congrats Aris.

[ALANRIDER7]

Nice effort. :thumbup

Any body interested in this should definitely watch "The World's Fastest Indian." Great Movie.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694665-world-s-fastest-indian-poster-1-789819.jpg

[machete]

Hey Aris, try using Picasa, from google. it's a free download, you can upload all your photos to it via folder, and then export them, and it will resize them in bulk for you into a new folder. and then it's as easy as posting them. kick ass photos. nothing like hanging out with a bunch of like minded gear heads, running your machines to their wits ends.

[CHICKenstrip]

Thanks for sharing the pics and stories, Wannabe! :thumbup Hats off to ya for realizing a dream! :)

[gogounited]

Brilliant thread! Thanks for sharing.

[The Biejing]

Aris;
Wow!!!! About the only speed feat I really want to attain is getting into the "200 MPH club". I don't care if I do it in a car or on a bike, but it is something I have wanted to do since I was a kid. I guess some day before I go to the great bye-and-bye, I'll just have to give it a try.
George

[wannabe]

Originally posted by The Biejing
Aris;
Wow!!!! About the only speed feat I really want to attain is getting into the "200 MPH club". I don't care if I do it in a car or on a bike, but it is something I have wanted to do since I was a kid. I guess some day before I go to the great bye-and-bye, I'll just have to give it a try.
George



Good luck, dude. The 200 mph club membership requirements are much more strict than they used to be. In the old days, everyone who went 200+ mph got in. Now, you have to go 200+, break a record, and be voted in by the membership for your 'exemplary performance.'

I think that I will have to go something like 225 mph to get into the club.

[WillG]

Hey Wannabe,

I was the guy in front of you at registration Sunday morning. I didn't know I was talking to a fellow Barfer.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2695435-bonneville_r6.jpg

[Bad Dad]

Oh my god Aris! This is the coolest thread I think I've ever read on BARF. I can remember when you were first thinking about drag racing, and then watching you throw yourself at that full bore and watching you advance.

Now this! What an absolutely amazing adventure! I'm so proud of you for attacking your dreams, and I"m thankful that you brought them back for us to share.


Absolutely awesome bro! :thumbup



Oh yeah, the dawn pic, and the action pic are priceless!

[wannabe]

Originally posted by WillG
Hey Wannabe,

I was the guy in front of you at registration Sunday morning. I didn't know I was talking to a fellow Barfer.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2695435-bonneville_r6.jpg



Sweet, dude. :thumbup Are you going again next year? How fast did you end up going?

[wannabe]

Originally posted by Bad Dad
Oh my god Aris! This is the coolest thread I think I've ever read on BARF. I can remember when you were first thinking about drag racing, and then watching you throw yourself at that full bore and watching you advance.

Now this! What an absolutely amazing adventure! I'm so proud of you for attacking your dreams, and I"m thankful that you brought them back for us to share.


Absolutely awesome bro! :thumbup



Oh yeah, the dawn pic, and the action pic are priceless!



Thanks a lot, Marco. It's cool that you remember my old dragracing threads. After this week, I don't think I'll be dragracing anymore. Even with all the time that it took to tear down my bike to properly clean out all the salt, this was a butt-load more fun.

Now, I have another 359 days to obsess about next year. I'm already pricing out some different nitrous systems so that I can go over 200 mph next year. (Man, we really need a 'fingerscrossed' smilie) :teeth

[Shotline]

Wow Aris,

Very impressive. I am jealous....maybe next year I will go. My ZX12 is still fully stock, is there an all stock class? The fastest I have gone on mine is 140 on 680 years ago......at night!

Beautiful pictures too.

I still say you should buy my bike so you have a backup.:laughing

[wannabe]

Originally posted by Shotline
Wow Aris,

Very impressive. I am jealous....maybe next year I will go. My ZX12 is still fully stock, is there an all stock class? The fastest I have gone on mine is 140 on 680 years ago......at night!

Beautiful pictures too.

I still say you should buy my bike so you have a backup.:laughing



Yes, there is a 1350 cc production class. But, please note that the salt will scratch the paint on your bike.

I believe that the record in the production class is a little over 184 mph.

[ian408]

Awesome thread!

[wannabe]

Originally posted by wannabe
For the ladies out there who don't think that they can do this, I'd like to introduce you to Belen (pronounced BEE-LYNN) Wagner and her father, Wiltz.

Belen has made over a hundred passes on the salt. She has been doing this for close to 20 years. And, she has about a dozen records to prove it in the 175 cc classes.

This weekend, she was debuting her new 250 cc NSR. The existing record in that class is about 120mph. Belen ended up going 152mph to absolutely shatter the record.

Belen's tuck is a thing of beauty. She just about blends into the paint when she rides that bike. She and Wiltz welcomed me and did everything they could to help me the whole week. :thumbup

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2694227-dsc00024.jpg


I almost forgot to tell this story. This is the best 'small world' story that I have. I was standing in line talking to Belen. I told here that I remembered seeing her on the Discovery channel and asked her if she had done any other shows. She told me that when she was 18, she was in a documentary called, "The Lazy Man's Zen."

I knew that film. It was one of my favorites when I saw it in college. I told her that a line from that movie was one of the reasons why I always wanted to run at Bonneville. The only part of the movie that I remembered was a guy explaining the meaning of 'lazy man's zen.' I told her that I remembered a guy in the movie explaining that there are some Zen monks in Tibet that sit in a corner and practice for over 15 years so that they can get to the point where they are not thinking about anything else except sitting in the corner. The guy continued to explain that when you're riding a motorcycle on the salt at over 150mph, you are instantly not thinking about anything except riding a motorcycle at over 150mph....hence, "the lazy man's Zen."

I told Belen that this was ultimately the reason that I was at Bonneville that week. All of a sudden, she had a huge smile on her face as she told me that it was her father who said that in the movie. She dragged me over to him and made me repeat what I just told her. I was really happy to finally meet the guy who initially put the idea of going to Bonneville into my head.

Wiltz seemed to be just as excited as I was. He told me that "Dude, you're the reason I'm here" is probably the biggest compliment that he had ever received on the salt. :thumbup

[Lester Green]

Originally posted by wannabe
I almost forgot to tell this story. This is the best 'small world' story that I have. I was standing in line talking to Belen. I told here that I remembered seeing her on the Discovery channel and asked her if she had done any other shows. She told me that when she was 18, she was in a documentary called, "The Lazy Man's Zen."

I knew that film. It was one of my favorites when I saw it in college. I told her that a line from that movie was one of the reasons why I always wanted to run at Bonneville. The only part of the movie that I remembered was a guy explaining the meaning of 'lazy man's zen.' I told her that I remembered a guy in the movie explaining that there are some Zen monks in Tibet that sit in a corner and practice for over 15 years so that they can get to the point where they are not thinking about anything else except sitting in the corner. The guy continued to explain that when you're riding a motorcycle on the salt at over 150mph, you are instantly not thinking about anything except riding a motorcycle at over 150mph....hence, "the lazy man's Zen."

I told Belen that this was ultimately the reason that I was at Bonneville that week. All of a sudden, she had a huge smile on her face as she told me that it was her father who said that in the movie. She dragged me over to him and made me repeat what I just told her. I was really happy to finally meet the guy who initially put the idea of going to Bonneville into my head.

Wiltz seemed to be just as excited as I was. He told me that "Dude, you're the reason I'm here" is probably the biggest compliment that he had ever received on the salt. :thumbup
that just made my night,srsly..:thumbup
i doubt i will ever forget that story..

[GAMBLER]

great story, thanks for sharing it with us.

[wazzuFreddo]

Dude, that sounds like an awsome time. Do they let people go out there to watch?

[WillG]

Originally posted by wannabe
Sweet, dude. :thumbup Are you going again next year? How fast did you end up going?

I am going next year, but I don't know if I will stick with the R6 or build a faster bike (Turbo Busa here I come). I have been going though the 650cc records to find what class I should run next year and what modifications todo.

The fastest run on my R6 was 149mph.

[WillG]

I think they said the frame for this bike is a crf450.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/177/483/2696525-experimental.jpg

[Nucking Futs]

I was just going to post that! It is from a CRF.

[uhmeebuh]

Originally posted by wazzuFreddo
Dude, that sounds like an awsome time. Do they let people go out there to watch?

Road trip!

Hmm - maybe I should keep the gixxer and beat my indicated Hawthorne speed... :devil

Geat write up and pics Aris! Like Marco, I looked forward to your drag reports. Nice to see this stuff. It's a side of racing that few of us get to see so intimately. Thaks for sharing!

[wannabe]

Originally posted by wazzuFreddo
Dude, that sounds like an awsome time. Do they let people go out there to watch?



Yes, people can watch. But, it's much more fun to try it. The BUB race has a 'Run What Ya Brung' class that has less strict tech rules. For $200, you get 2 passes on whatever bike you came with. And, then, if that's not enough for you, it's $75 per pass after that.

[faz]

Aris, simply awsome! :thumbup

[WillG]

Originally posted by wannabe
Yes, people can watch. But, it's much more fun to try it. The BUB race has a 'Run What Ya Brung' class that has less strict tech rules. For $200, you get 2 passes on whatever bike you came with. And, then, if that's not enough for you, it's $75 per pass after that.

Run What Ya Brung was $100.

[PASTAPWR]

Aris,

What a great story. Thanks for sharing with us.

Like many others, I always get a kick from reading your drag race reports.

Keep us posted on your future exploits.

[wannabe]

Originally posted by WillG
Run What Ya Brung was $100.


I stand corrected. :thumbup

[budman]

Cool stuff Aris :thumbup :Port :banana


Worlds Fastest Wannabe!

Congrats brother .. like Marco said.. you are doing it.. keep at it!

:smoking

[tiltedworld]

Incredible Aris!!! :wow :wow :wow

[cruzinZ]

Cant wait till you share your story next year about this event. Hopefully you'll be able to get another barfer to load his bike into your trailer and ride out in the tow vehicle with you. Just post up and see if anyone is interested. The drive is much easier if you split the milage down to 400-500 miles per person.

Have fun and build up a bike for the next years event!

[busabull]

Aris that's great. I wish I could have been there.

I guess I'm going to have to come to cali and build a motor huh.
2 stage over bore etc.

[wannabe]

Originally posted by busabull
Aris that's great. I wish I could have been there.

I guess I'm going to have to come to cali and build a motor huh.
2 stage over bore etc.


Eric, that's a great idea. Bore the motor out to 1270 cc then stroke it to 1349 so that I can stay in the 1350cc class. :thumbup

After that, add some nitrous....


It's wierd. Sometimes I think about how cool it would be to go over 200 mph, but other times it feels like even 200 mph is not enough. 200 mph seems like too easy of a goal now. I almost want to shoot for 220+.

Will this sickness never end???

[Go2Trackdays]

Wow - awesome thread Aris, thanks for sharing !!! I think the BARF Moderators need to make "Speed Runs" or such a new category!!!

[busabull]

the sickness only gets more and more profound. we can build it though and hit 200+

[VTRweasel]

The Weasel agrees, Aris does in fact rock :thumbup

[MAXX LEAN]

Originally posted by VTRweasel
Aris does in fact rock :thumbup

+1 :cool

I miss the drag race reports :( I do however look forward to some Bonneville reports in the future ;)

Let us know when you plan on going again. My GF really wants to go watch. :wei7

[xmailman]

<The blue one on the right is the Ack Attack Streamliner. >

Boy, am I old. Mike Akatiff used to be Jim Rice's mechanic back in the early '70's for AMA flat track.

Look's like he is doing OK as a wrench these days, ( Huge understatement ) LOL.

[wannabe]

Originally posted by xmailman
Boy, am I old. Mike Akatiff used to be Jim Rice's mechanic back in the early '70's for AMA flat track.

Look's like he is doing OK as a wrench these days, ( Huge understatement ) LOL.


Thank you very much for the history lesson. :thumbup I totally didn't know that.

[firstbuell]

hey - that's MY signature on yer record card - I remember you, smiling braodly but VERY disappointed you didn't hit 190mph - next year, Aris

this was my 1st Bonneville as well - great fun all 'round

being the announcer [with no PA !] sucked big time, yes,

but the BUB's scene was the best

"I'll be back" - oh, yeah....

[wannabe]

Originally posted by firstbuell
hey - that's MY signature on yer record card - I remember you, smiling braodly but VERY disappointed you didn't hit 190mph - next year, Aris

this was my 1st Bonneville as well - great fun all 'round

being the announcer [with no PA !] sucked big time, yes,

but the BUB's scene was the best

"I'll be back" - oh, yeah....



Hey Curt,

Yeah, it was a bummer about the lack of a PA. It would have been cool to hear about everyone's runs as they happened. But, the BUB event was really cool. I don't think that I have any need to go to the SCTA event any more. The BUB event was just fine for me. (Plus, I have no urge to ride in the grooves that the cars leave on the course.) :teeth

See you next year!

[xmailman]

For more photo's go to this thread.

http://www.pashnit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7902

Bill

[wannabe]

Originally posted by wannabe
It's wierd. Sometimes I think about how cool it would be to go over 200 mph, but other times it feels like even 200 mph is not enough. 200 mph seems like too easy of a goal now. I almost want to shoot for 220+.

Will this sickness never end???



OK, I just had a reality check when I ran the numbers. 220 mph may be a bit harder than I thought. Knowing that drag goes up as a cubed function of speed, I can calculate roughly how much horsepower it's going to take to get me where I need to go. Assuming that everything is the same as this year, I would need approximately this amount of horsepower to overcome the additional aerodynamic drag and achieve the given speeds next year:

Assuming that I had 170 RWHP to go 189.986 mph this year, I need the following:

for 200 mph ---> ~ 198 HP
for 210 mph ---> ~ 230 HP
for 214 mph ---> ~ 243 HP
for 220 mph ---> ~ 264 HP

So, it appears that I should be able to hit 200 mph with just a 40HP shot of nitrous. To get to 214 mph, I will need to get a bigger motor plus some nitrous.

Why did I include a seemingly arbitrary number like 214 mph? Well, based on the current rules, this is what I will have to do to get into the official 200 mph club.

So, now the question is: Do I just go for 200mph next year, or do I shoot for the moon and try to get into the official 200mph club?

Damn, the sickness just keeps getting worse...

[busabull]

let's go big. you deserve to be in the club

[lefty]

Awesome!!!!!

Thanks for sharing your stories, and thanks for making us KAWI owners proud!!!

[firstbuell]

RE: the "200 mph Club"

amongst those who achieve a speed of 200mph or more,

a selected few are welcomed into the literal Club [with associated T-shirt/hat/etc]

selection criteria include many subjective areas beyond the objective speed threshold

I dunno [yet] how to crack that particular code, Aris -

good fortune!

[busabull]

how about a 1375 and some nitrous.

[wannabe]

Originally posted by firstbuell
RE: the "200 mph Club"

amongst those who achieve a speed of 200mph or more,

a selected few are welcomed into the literal Club [with associated T-shirt/hat/etc]

selection criteria include many subjective areas beyond the objective speed threshold

I dunno [yet] how to crack that particular code, Aris -

good fortune!


Curt,

The minimum speeds are called out on the 200 mph Club's website:

http://www.bonneville200mph.org/2004_motorcycle_records_and_mini.htm

So, the idea is that you have to break an existing record AND go above the minimum speed that they set in your class.

If I go all motor, the minimum is 205mph, and if I spray nitrous, the minimum is then 213.491 mph.

I would have to do it through FIM since the 200 club doesn't recognize AMA records.

I don't know. I'm somewhat torn. Half of me really wants to get into this prestigous club, but the other half of me thinks that the new minimums are just a way for the existing members to make the club more exclusive.

I figure that I'll try to bust over their minimums first than worry about how I feel about getting into the official club after they give me an invitation. :teeth

[wannabe]

Originally posted by busabull
how about a 1375 and some nitrous.



Sorry, Eric. 1375 cc would automatically bump me up into the 1650 cc category. If I do that, then I'll be right at the bottom of the category's displacement limits again kinda like now where I'm running 1199 cc to run in the 1350 cc class. Unfortunately, there is no 1200cc class. I'm stuck riding my bike in a class that goes from 1001cc - 1350cc. So, the get the most bang in the class, I would need to go above 1340cc's.

[busabull]

we can do it. everything sounds great. so when do I have to make my next trip to SJ

[wannabe]

Originally posted by busabull
we can do it. everything sounds great. so when do I have to make my next trip to SJ



Give me some time to get the parts together.

[firstbuell]

can you get into club thru BUB event

or must you go to SCTA, USFRA, etc. meets?

[wannabe]

Originally posted by firstbuell
can you get into club thru BUB event

or must you go to SCTA, USFRA, etc. meets?



As far as I know, they still don't recognize the AMA records, so if you want to get in at the BUB meet, you will need to officially beat an FIM record.

So, the answer is yes, you can get into the club through the BUB meet.

[busabull]

TEAM F.A.R.T. coming to a salt flat near you:fart

[atoyf]

Aris,

thats great what you did. That's one of the things in my to do list in my life.

I need to get used to my bike even more and then prep it to go bust some 200mph run.

One question for you - how much was the whole trip? You can pm me if you want.

I might go with you next year!

[wannabe]

Anton,

These are rough numbers:

Pre-entry: $325.00 (Run whatcha brung is $100 for 2 runs)
Gas: $200
Hotel for the week: $200
Food: $ 150 (You can save a lot of money here if you stay away from the buffet line.)

From there the price goes up depending on how many times you go to the strip club while you're there. :teeth I was getting up before dawn every morning, so all I wanted to do when I got back to the hotel was eat then go to bed.

[atoyf]

totally affordable numbers!

i should be getting in touch with you in a year or so! i wanna do it!

[firstbuell]

yeah, don't let that $150/week[!] for a room slide by

my 2-bed Nugget room was only $20 nitely Mon-Thur [just $50 on Fri/Sat] - meet runs Sun-Thurs

b'fast across street was $10

fireman's auxilliary burger/chips/drink lunch @ track was $4[!]

tacos or horchada a mere $1 each @ Nugget sports bar - burrito was $2.50

aside from 1500 miles of $3 gasoline, a bargain vacation....

[TIMEATELL]

:thumbup Inspirational is an understatement. Thanks for sharing your experience Aris.

Wortham

[wannabe]

Originally posted by firstbuell
tacos or horchada a mere $1 each @ Nugget sports bar - burrito was $2.50



Man, I missed those. I'll have to try them out next year. :thumbup

[yohuallin]

subscribin to thread :)

[firemanjim]

Aris,first off welcome to the sickness. I saw you in line a couple of times with that huge shit eating grin.
I have been doing this for about 6 years now and enjoy it more all the time.This was my first taste of Bub's and I sure hope they can iron out some of the problem areas--it was sooo slooww----
AMA records not recognized by the SCTA or the 200 MPH club--who are not affiliated with each other at all.
200 MPH club more like a good ole boys club and the "minumums"are to keep the number of motorcycle entrants down,it seems to me.
I assume you will be running in the MPS class(modified partial streamlined) as any bike with a fairing falls in here.You would be running in the 1350 class so current SCTA records are here
http://www.scta-bni.org/Bonneville/records/BNIrecs_bikes.htm
class records for you are
MPS-F Bad for Good Racing Kawasaki 9/03 213.491
MPS-G Rick Yacoucci Suzuki ' 01 220.553
You better do your homework to get these speeds at Bonneville.Lots of good advice available on www.landracing.com
and I would be happy to share any knowledge gained over the past years there.Not sure if I will do Bubs again,the plus was not having the cars chew up the course,but the lack of PA,radio broadcast of info and the incredible lines kind of cancelled that out.
The USFRA runs the WOS event in sept, it has a 130 MPH club that is a better deal than the Run What Ya Brung one at Bub's and they have always been motorcycle friendly.
I looked at the 1650 records and they are not bad--
MPS-F Smathers Moreland Suzuki ' 02 214.033
MPS-G Haven/Scheire Racing Suzuki 10/03 215.443
course that puts the "minimums" necesarry higher.
Make sure you are looking at the latest 2006 minimums list as it has been "updated".
http://www.bonneville200mph.org/2004_motorcycle_records_and_mini.htm

[weak_link]

Makes me wanna go watch at the very least. :thumbup

[wannabe]

Jim,

Thanks for the advice. I was planning on some nitrous next year, so I will most likely be playing in the MPS-F 1350 class next year. If everything works out right this year, I'll be bumping my displacement up to 1340 cc plus spraying about a 40HP shot of nitrous. Assuming that the salt conditions are as good as they were this year, I should have enough horsepower to break the current MPS-F record. Of course, we all know that paper calculations are only going to take me so far. I'm just hoping that the salt conditions are as good as they were this year.

As for the 200 mph club minimums, I agree with you that these minimums are fairly arbitrary, but I still want in.

As for the issues with the BUB race, I'm sure that they'll fix most of them next year. I rode through some of the junk on the SCTA course. It was not a happy time. I'll gladly put up with the BUB event just so I won't have to deal with cars tearing up the course.

[Rek3030]

Wow, its sounds like you had an awesome time.

And I had a good time reading your thread and looking at the pics.


Hell, I want to go to Bonneville now, if its that cheap, and just to see what my bike could do, even though it would probably be usless.

Sounds like you had a great time. Grats on your record.

[firstbuell]

you know how after you learn a new word, suddenly it's in every magazine article you read?

after my inaugural B'ville experience, I learned Maxton was in eastern US, not New Zealand or wherever

then I pick up Aug "Sportrider" mag with its "Red Sled" story on building up a LSR ZX10.....seen it?

by the way, FMJ is "salt crazy", baby! I met you after driving up there from Bay Area with him

[EastBayDave]

don't know how I managed to miss this thread...congrats Aris!!!

WTG man! You have done what I have always dreamed about!

Man, ....someday I'd sure like to do this (maybe next year?) I'll have to drag out the ZX12r & see what she will do. Don't care about the paint, our "tar & chip" backroads have already toasted the bottom of the fairing...I gotta repaint it anywayz....:teeth

Awesome man! A lifetime of memories you now have, congrats.

[wannabe]

Thanks, Dave. Yes, you need to get off your butt and give it a try. :teeth

[xtasie99]

Drag goes up with V^2, not V^3.

D = 1/2*density*V^2*Cd*Area

So recalculate and tell us if that changes anything :)

[wannabe]

Originally posted by xtasie99
Drag goes up with V^2, not V^3.

D = 1/2*density*V^2*Cd*Area

So recalculate and tell us if that changes anything :)



Thank you, but it appears that I may have been a off in my explanation (I was tired with no sleep), but my calculations were correct. :nerd I meant to say that the power to overcome aerodynamic drag goes up as the cube of velocity:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/math/d/5/7/d578cac564b3955cc8186985cba66547.png


So, my earlier calculations were correct.

for 200 mph ---> ~ 198 HP
for 210 mph ---> ~ 230 HP
for 214 mph ---> ~ 243 HP
for 220 mph ---> ~ 264 HP

But, thanks for making me double check. :teeth

[xtasie99]

:) Right you are!

[firemanjim]

Aris,I have a bunch of nitrous bottles for sale if you are looking for some,I have a 2lb,a 2 1/2 lb,a 5 lb, and a 10 lb I was using for filling. 10 lb and both small bottles are filled.I am going all turbo next year so sold all my nitrous stuff.

[wannabe]

Originally posted by firemanjim
Aris,I have a bunch of nitrous bottles for sale if you are looking for some,I have a 2lb,a 2 1/2 lb,a 5 lb, and a 10 lb I was using for filling. 10 lb and both small bottles are filled.I am going all turbo next year so sold all my nitrous stuff.




Jim,

Shoot me a PM and let me know how much you want for the bottles.

[WillG]

Hey Wannabe,

Was that you in the straw hat on Biker Build off casting your vote at Bonneville?

I have to admit I was pausing my Tivo looking for myself in some of the shots.

[wannabe]

Originally posted by WillG
Hey Wannabe,

Was that you in the straw hat on Biker Build off casting your vote at Bonneville?

I have to admit I was pausing my Tivo looking for myself in some of the shots.



I don't know. I missed the episode. Can anyone burn a DVD for me? I was the only fat Filipino guy in a straw hat there, so that was probably me.

[wannabe]

OK, life got in the way, and I didn't make it out to Bonneville this year. I'm somewhat glad that it didn't work out because the weather didn't cooperate this year. I'm reading that it was quite slushy out there this year. People were talking about horrible conditions that made it feel like a death wish just going 150mph.

Hopefully life will make it possible for me to go next year and hopefully, the weather is better next year. :thumbup

[Lester Green]

OK, life got in the way, and I didn't make it out to Bonneville this year. I'm somewhat glad that it didn't work out because the weather didn't cooperate this year. I'm reading that it was quite slushy out there this year. People were talking about horrible conditions that made it feel like a death wish just going 150mph.

Hopefully life will make it possible for me to go next year and hopefully, the weather is better next year. :thumbup
It's all good..I was glued to your thread last year...great write-up. You'll be back :thumbup

[wannabe]

It's all good..I was glued to your thread last year...great write-up. You'll be back :thumbup



Thanks a lot, dude. I'm really glad you enjoyed the thread. I'm definitely hoping to make another one. :thumbup

[OldFatGuy]

Sorry, but I just don't find Bonneville exciting. :x

[WillG]

I'm reading that it was quite slushy out there this year. People were talking about horrible conditions that made it feel like a death wish just going 150mph.

I made it out to Bonneville this year with my new bike. The Bub event was much better run than last year, but the conditions were worse. They separated out the Run What You Brung to run on a different course, and they had separate lines for the long and short course. It was fun, but due to conditions and a bad wobble, my best run was only 156mph.

[wannabe]

I made it out to Bonneville this year with my new bike. The Bub event was much better run than last year, but the conditions were worse. They separated out the Run What You Brung to run on a different course, and they had separate lines for the long and short course. It was fun, but due to conditions and a bad wobble, my best run was only 156mph.


Will, I'm glad to hear that you made it out there this year. Bummer about the conditions. I'm hoping that the weather cooperates next year.

I still heard a lot of gripes about the lines, but it sounded like most of the gripes were from people towing their stuff to the start of the long course.

Were you there when the chick on the turbo busa went down? I heard that she busted up her ribs pretty bad.

[WillG]

Were you there when the chick on the turbo busa went down? I heard that she busted up her ribs pretty bad.

No, I only went for Sunday, did three runs and headed home. Maybe next year I will stay the week.

[wannabe]

The good thing is that you at least were able to get three runs in one day this time. :thumbup