18 replies to this topic

[Aspelund]

Hello!

Right now I'm working on an article about first racing motorcycles with fairings (so called "dustbins") in former Soviet Union. Two estonians were first in this field: Jaan Küünemäe and Ants Promet. You can see the picture of Promet fairing from the year 1957 mounted on his M-52C racing motorcycle.



Actually I would like to know, who was the first person to mount a fairing on a motorcycle for the first time in the history and who was the first to use it in road racing? And then it happened?

With greetings from Estonia,
A.

[Ray Bell]

I really don't know how much help these will be to you... but they're something either to lead you to your answers or to mislead you!











All of these are from the immediate pre-war period... given to Campbell McLaren by a German embassy official who had become a friend of the McLarens when he was to be incarcerated for the duration.

[GeoffE]

Images on this page suggest that Geoff Duke's bike was "unfaired" in 1954 but had a fairing in 1955.

http://tinyurl.com/3dgmqt

[f1steveuk]

I am absolutely convinced that I have seen a Brooklands races with what can only be described as a fairing in the late 1920s, which he removed as it became "nervous" along the Railway Straight in side winds. Now I have to find the book I saw it in.

[GeoffE]

Was it this one?

[fuzzi]

Ah, the great Eric Fernihough complete with his black cat emblem on the headstock fairing ..

Geoff Duke's Autobiography "In Pursuit of Perfection" contains two photos of him on the Gilera in the GP des Nations at Monza in 1954 with a full dustbin fairing. Gilera's must have picked up some tips pre-war as Piero Taruffi's record runs with the Gilera in 1937 (shown in Works Driver) show him with both front and rear fairings, though the front is wrapped around the wheel so to speak.

[f1steveuk]

Originally posted by GeoffE
Was it this one?

That is certainly one of them, and I think the other one was Jim wright, with more of a frontal fairing.

[Mal9444]

Am I right in thinking that full-bin streamlining was banned in about 1956/ 57 because of fears that speeds were becoming too high - rather as in 1956 sports-racing cars had to have full width windscreens (part of the post 55 Le Mans reaction)? Or is that half-remembered urban myth?

[Paul Rochdale]

Malcolm

I'm pretty sure that the ban on 'dustbin' fairings for road racing was as a result of their lack of stability, in some cases, in cross winds. These were replaced what became known, allbeit briefly, as 'dolphin' fairings where the front wheel had to be left exposed and the most foremost point could be no further than the front wheel spindle.

[fines]

From what I recall NSU had the first partial and then full dustbin fairings (other than in record runs!) in around 1952/3. And yes, I believe they were banned for handling reasons, rather than being too fast. Wasn't 1958 the first year of the ban? And, coincidentally I'm sure, also the year of the mass factory retreat?

[Terry Walker]

Moto Guzzi, Mooliabeenie International Meeting, Western Australia, 1955. Geoff Duke was present on his Gilera, and cleaned up, but my older brother, who took this pic, must have run out of film so I don't have a pic of the Gilera. The dustbin fairing was indeed shortlived in the motorcycle GP scene, and my understanding (from my brother who was a keen motrorcycle racing enthusiast at the time) was that the bikes were unstable at speed and the fairings were barred for safety reasons.

[wolf sun]

Does this help?

It´s from a fifties´ book called, fittingly, "Das Autobuch" (The Car-Book). If you need text and captions translated (into English), I´ll do that - not now though, due to my incredible `knackeredness´ ...

[D-Type]

I'm reviving this thread to ask a question prompted by the "Is real road racing dead?" thread, namely: Did they race in 'dustbin' fairings on the Isle of Man, or only on the likes of Monza?

[cpbell]

Originally posted by D-Type
I'm reviving this thread to ask a question prompted by the "Is real road racing dead?" thread, namely: Did they race in 'dustbin' fairings on the Isle of Man, or only on the likes of Monza?

Thanks to my father being a huge fan and enthusiast of motorcycle racing in the '50s and '60s, I can confirm that they did - the first 100 mph average was posted by McIntyre on a Gilera in the 1957 Senior TT resplendent with a full fairing. Not everyone used full fairings everywhere; some used half-fairings at slower circuits.

[fines]

The dustbin was used on the Mountain Circuit to shelter the rider from the cold winds at Bungalow and Crag-ny-Baa!

[cpbell]

Originally posted by fines
The dustbin was used on the Mountain Circuit to shelter the rider from the cold winds at Bungalow and Crag-ny-Baa!

LOL!

[Mal9444]

And I'm fairly certain I watched fully dustbin-faired bikes at the Ulster Grand Prix on the Dundrod circuit in 1955, but the memory is hazy and may be acquired, through old photos and association. Certainly, by 1956 the bikes had dolphin fairings, and I have the most vivid and wholly unhazy memories of Surtees, McIntyre and all the greats.

I met John Surtees last year, and in the course of conversation mentioned to him that we had met before, me standing in the hedgerow up around Budore and him going past inches away on his MV Augusta, doing about 120mph. Curiously enough, and despite my meeting him exactly there several times that day and in exactly similar circumstances and retaining vividly the memory to this day, he did not remember it at all - although he did recall being there of course. He just didn't remember me.

Funny ole world, innit?

But by golly, that was a noise, and no mistake.

[taylov]

Originally posted by Mal9444
And I'm fairly certain I watched fully dustbin-faired bikes at the Ulster Grand Prix on the Dundrod circuit in 1955, but the memory is hazy and may be acquired, through old photos and association. Certainly, by 1956 the bikes had dolphin fairings...

This got me raiding my programme collection and earliest photos I have of "dustbin" fairings in UK National M/cycle meetings both are from 1956.

The cover of the Thruxton 1956 Easter Monday meeting programme shows a race in ?1955 with such a bike. No clues as to identity.

More helpful, the programme from the 6 October 1956 meeting at the Crystal Palace shows #137, B.P. Setchell's fully streamlined 350cc AJS 7R at Ramp Bend. Photo was taken at the Easter Monday meeting 2 April 1956.

Tony

[Mal9444]

I did say it was a hazy memory.. however, this photo on the cover of a VHS of the '55 UGP, while not I agree conclusive, would appear to support it. It certainly looks like Dundrod.



The VHS appears to be available here http://www.ttwebsite.com/shop/amulree/ and I do believe I am going to order one, to go with my BP Films VHS of the '55 TT and of course the not-to-be missed MFQ colour footage of the same year.