Experiments: weird, bizarre, useless, etc...

How about the KRM Super Streak? mentioned on this forum before, a 350cc across the frame 4 cylinder 4 stroke, built in Hull I think, I remember it undergoing testing at Cadwell, but I dont think it ever actually raced.

I remember this, was featured on the cover of Motorcycle Mechanics,, wonder what happened to it.

I think the guys that built that snowmobile thing was quite senior at Renault F1 team obviously from the pics, I remember reading an article about it somewhere.

About the time I stopped reading the bike racing mags sadly, as they were just full of regurgitated press every month.  But the odd good feature like this.

And things like the MotoCyczs

How about the Norton racing  four ? I have seen some part from a 125 cc test engine at Sammy Millers museum pity it didn't go any further than that maybe Joe Craig  didn't like it   Bill Lawrence

Apparently Andy Molnar is supposed to be building a version of this according to posts on the CRMC board a while back.  The story is that it will be allowed to race in the Senior Classic TT, quite ridiculous really.

Edited by Paul Collins, 25 September 2017 - 20:04.

One of two spotted among the spectator's bikes, Amaroo Park, Sydney, in I think the early eighties. 

The two-cycle GP bikes have unique sound, they ran open pipe two-stroke racing snowmobiles up here long after the GP bike had silencers, amazing sound but there is something about the sound of a four-stroke bike with four open megaphones that rivasl the sound of a V-8 with open headers.

I have heard Wankels, big V-12 two-stroke diesels, V-8 two-stroke boat motors and many others but a four-stroke , four cylinder four  open megaphone  bike motor is hard to beat.

Edited by Paul Collins, 26 September 2017 - 06:42.

I suppose if the drawings are sill around Andy Molinar could make one would be good to see one going   Bill Lawrence

I suppose if the drawings are sill around Andy Molinar could make one would be good to see one going   Bill Lawrence

I can understand that but to actually race it in a "classic race" is silly.  It was an idea nothing more, the bike never existed.

Here's another oddball one, can anyone remember the NVT Wulf? during the dying days of the Norton Villiers Triumph group, they had a prototype which was something like a 500cc two stroke parallel twin, the engine looked a bit like a Suzuki GT500, only the incoming fuel charge didn't enter the crankcases but was pumped from one cylinder to the other in some form of cross porting arrangement, it didn't use the crankcase in the traditional 2 stroke way, in fact I think it was a wet sump bottom end.

I don't know if it ever actually ran.

I remember that, didn't it have a "stepped" pistons? whatever they are.

It certainly looked the business.

there were drawings of the Norton four a Reg Deardens, a 125cc slave unit was made for evaluation but that was it from my memory.

Kawasaki I think got very close to using a fuel injected 250 in GOP racing in the late 80's, long before Honda had really put much into them.

Think Aaron Slight rode it actually

Does anyone remember the never to be really seen Blata V6 WCM were supposed to run.

I think the Kawasaki thing has been done in numerous iterations, maybe not racebikes though.

And further to the NR theme, found an interesting article the other day about the proper race spec NR750.

A sort of developed version of the 500, they only ran it twice but my God it was gorgeous and they reckon even in 87 kicked out 180hp!  What a beast.

And continuing on Kawasaki's someone made a V6 out of a couple of two stroke triples, cant remember which ones they used but might have even been 2 x 750cc H2 motors, bet that handled well!!

Allen Millyard has made a straight 5 Kawasaki stroker .....



amongst many others. A sideways glance at his V8 Z1800 or V12 Z2600 and you'd swear they were showroom models. The man's a genius 

While looking for something else, I wish I had book marked the site/s I found, non-auto based V-8, V-12, V-6, straight 6, straight 8 and many other such motorcycle customs.

Some of the bikes turned into racers or café racers were amazing and make me wish I had not quit motorcycles.

Allen Millyard has made a straight 5 Kawasaki stroker .....
amongst many others. A sideways glance at his V8 Z1800 or V12 Z2600 and you'd swear they were showroom models. The man's a genius

Edited by Paul Collins, 05 October 2017 - 22:04.

I am sure all of you must have seen and heard the clip of Guy Coulon on his special?

He made a 6 cylinder 300cc 4 stroke a few years ago, never really been seen much, but it is a beautiful thing, as you would expect from a man who has worked with such distinction

I do not have any clips or pics, but I am sure you can find them if you want to.

GC's v6 and here

I kept a scrapbook of technical bits from MCN and MCW from the late ‘70s to the late ‘80s and articles from the monthlies, when there some weird and wonderful devices around, and also took photos of any I saw when at meetings – I might dig some out when I have a moment.

The queen of the hub-centre solos was ‘Nessie’, the Mead & Tompkinson endurance bike (or rather bikes, the 2^nd one was most successful, with a Z1000 lump) which raced in the 1970s in the Bol D’Or etc; it had Difazio front suspension, parallelogram swinging arm, and underslung fuel tank.

I think Norman Hossack devised the girder double-wishbone (above the wheel) front fork, the design used on the Fior bikes but in alloy which looked very tidy. I saw a European 250cc race at Donington in 1985 where there were two of the TZ-powered ones, before they moved into GPs with the Honda 500-powered ones and then finally the one with an inline 4 based on sidecar racers’ version of the TZ500 (with 3 pipes coming out of the seat).

Then there was the B.U.T. built by former racing driver Eric Offenstadt, using cast magnesium chassis with trailing-link cast front suspension; the TZ-powered version got a 4^th place in a GP.

Tony Foale has his own webpage with lots of interesting information about his bikes and principle of design:

https://www.tonyfoale.com/

Also Hossack:

https://www.hossack-design.com/

One of the oddest engines was the ADM (Auf Der Maur) vertical flat-4 2-stroke disc-valve solo (this was before he built sidecar engines) with longitudinal crank and 2 carbs each side. It was put in a neat solo bike but never got past testing; it did get a feature article in Superbike mag though.

Kawasaki in about 1978 did an experimental F750 with 4 cylinders on 2 cranks but not in a square, the rear cylinders were further apart than the front ones.

Various people did home-brewed TZ conversions to reverse the cylinders or to make it disc-valve; there was one that had a disc on the front of the crankcase driven by belts turning 90 degrees from the end of the crank.

On anti-dive, Honda used the adjustable lever from floating front calipers to under the headstock on F1 bikes for a while in the early '80s, as did Kawasaki  on one of their 500 GP bikes that had a monocoque chassis. 

Paul M

Yamaha raced and built a disc valve YZR in the early 90's but for some reason never used it in GP's (as far as we know)  Harada was pencilled in to ride it until Rainey duped him on Michelins and sacked him coz he hated them!!

But this was that weird time when y used the TZM which was nod mix of TZ and YZ bits, that won them a title!!

Honda too built a disc valve NSR in the late 90's, side radiators etc, but it was not a success, not sure how long it was used.

I would imagine Honda build twin crank NSR 500 motors, they allegedly built a triple for 800cc and a six for 990 MotoGP too.

Edited by chunder27, 06 October 2017 - 09:33.

And the NR500 that Honda never raced in 83 had carbon frame, carbon swingarm, even carbon fork tubes!!

Imaging trying to make that stuff in 1983!!!

Anyone remember the CIBA Geigy RG500 Skoal Bandit bike? 

Yes Paul, Thomo was the boy on John 'Fonna' Davies RDV Yam.I am fairly sure Dave Hickman worked on it a bit too. Steve Thompson was/is a very talented engineer. Didn't he work for Foggy on the Petronas thingy ?

I do recall an article by a guy in Road Racer who happily raced a Quasar for a few years!  Remember them!!

I remember this, was featured on the cover of Motorcycle Mechanics,, wonder what happened to it.

At Stafford at the weekend I bought that MCM with the Superstreak report. I will copy it and post. 

At Stafford at the weekend I bought that MCM with the Superstreak report. I will copy it and post.

Does anyone know anything about this lay-down rear-engined drag bike? Looking at the advertising hoardings, it seems like it was built in England.

Thought it was Jack Levy for minute  .All the best for the new year one and all   Bill Lawrence

Hello, I'm usually on the four wheeled side of this site, but this topic caught my eye. In particular post #29 by Macca about the TZ750 with wings.  I don't know if this has been mentioned here ? In my files I have a photo what I believe to be a Honda ? from Colin Lyster (spelling ?) with a wing on struts at the rear of the machine, and a  fin on the sides of the fairing. I can't post here, if interested pm me off the board and I can e-mail the image.

Michael, in Canada

Edited by group7, 31 December 2017 - 03:35.

Many thanks to group7 (Michael in Canada) for sending me the picture, I knew this rang a bell from an MCN years ago.

Presumably that's Colin Lyster holding the bike? 

Can't figure out how to include the pic from either Photobucket or my Google drive but it opens if you click the link (I hope) 

https://drive.google...dYps-Jp4L1sn97-

I seem to remember that Lister was going to make a racing engine using a cut up car motor don't know if he ever did maybe I am wrong   Bill Lawrence 

I recall a photo years ago of, I think, Andy Goldsmith testing the bike with wings at Snetterton.

Edited by Robin127, 06 January 2018 - 01:11.

I remember now it was a Lynton 500cc a cut in half Hillman imp engine cut in half with Listers own cylinder head .He clamed 60 bhp and wanted 300 pounds for it but as far as I know only made one .But Lysters Imp motors were successful in rally cars .He went to live in New Zealand and my have been involved with the Britton .I think Lyster passed away a few years back    Bill Lawrence   

http://gloriousmotor...e-lynton-racer/

Does anyone know anything about this lay-down rear-engined drag bike? Looking at the advertising hoardings, it seems like it was built in England.

This would have to be the definition of brave optimism    

Edited by Geoff E, 29 April 2018 - 10:19.

The 1955 Moto Guzzi 500cc V8 engine - complicated and unreliable. 

 

 

Didn't Bill Lomas Practice/race the V8 engine bike in the TT one or more years in the 50's

I've a dim memory of a sound clip of the V8 on one of the Stanley Schofield TT albums, ridden by Dickie Dale.

Small sound clip here (origin unknown) - 



from http://www.vintagebi...ies/soundfiles/

Edited by fastfitter, 11 October 2018 - 10:24.