12 replies to this topic

[k21john]

Morning Chaps

Here's a rare one that I'm trying to find out a bit about......

Kingston Racing Motors (KRM) if my grey matter is working produced a 350 it may have been a 750 called the Super Streak, it was a little unique as I seem to remember that it had cooling fins or ducts running through the engine. I don't know WWW it was produced or raced.

I do stand to be corrected but an interesting concept all the same, any info would help the nagging pains in my distant memory banks

John

[Russell Burrows]

Morning Chaps

Here's a rare one that I'm trying to find out a bit about......

Kingston Racing Motors (KRM) if my grey matter is working produced a 350 it may have been a 750 called the Super Streak, it was a little unique as I seem to remember that it had cooling fins or ducts running through the engine. I don't know WWW it was produced or raced.

I do stand to be corrected but an interesting concept all the same, any info would help the nagging pains in my distant memory banks

John

It was discussed a while back, John - can't though now find it. From memory, a 350 air cooled four that was never raced, perhaps not ever actually fried up? Someone with a engineering reputation was said to be involved, again I can't recall who.

Its existence was announced with the then usual 'world- beater' fanfare around '68ish ?

[k21john]

It was discussed a while back, John - can't though now find it. From memory, a 350 air cooled four that was never raced, perhaps not ever actually fried up? Someone with a engineering reputation was said to be involved, again I can't recall who.

Its existence was announced with the then usual 'world- beater' fanfare around '68ish ?

Cheers Russell, I did have a search around the forum but could'nt find anything hence the posting now, I have heard rumour that the bike has been restored so just trying to find out if it's the same one I rember hearing about many years ago...

Cheers

John

[GD66]

Well, let's hope it still exists, it was indeed a wonderful-looking weapon with porcupine barrell finning and, what gave us all hope after a couple of decades of "British World-Beater" headlines in the Pommy racing press : ex-AMC development engineer Jack Williams was involved, so there was some degree of hope that it wasn't just another in the series of "Pie-In-The-Sky" design atrocities like the Excalibur X-4 and the like. OK, in the end it didn't happen, but in the end, reality set in, and the press stopped chasing unrealistic dreams. I'd be interested to hear Peter Williams' current take on the bike, as in the day it actually looked like quite a weapon...

[philippe7]

Yes, we discussed it less than a year ago, which is very recent by this forum's standards...this is what I had found then, hope the link still works

Googling KRM brings up litterally thousands of irrelevant pages, and when you add "motorcycle" to the search they insist that it should be spelt KTM but nevertheless I think I found somewhere to start :
http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/wiki/KRM

I remember reading about it even in the french press at the time, but I think it's a bit later than '68...maybe 71 or 72 ? I remember a colour pic that showed stunning ( by the standards of the time ) brightly coloured frame, exhaust pipes, etc...

Edited by philippe7, 05 May 2010 - 10:33.

[exclubracer]

Yes, we discussed it less than a year ago, which is very recent by this forum's standards...this is what I had found then, hope the link still works



I remember reading about it even in the french press at the time, but I think it's a bit later than '68...maybe 71 or 72 ? I remember a colour pic that showed stunning ( by the standards of the time ) brightly coloured frame, exhaust pipes, etc...

I recall an article about the 350 or 500 4 cyl KRM in MCN way back in the mists of time. As previously stated, it came to nowt in the end, like so many British 'world-beater' projects, egg-beater more like.

[Paul Collins]

I recall an article about the 350 or 500 4 cyl KRM in MCN way back in the mists of time. As previously stated, it came to nowt in the end, like so many British 'world-beater' projects, egg-beater more like.

I remember MCN running a story on it around 1972, I think it may actually have got as far as being tested at Cadwell Park, one point I do remember is that it was claimed excitedly in the article to be producing 'only 8bhp less than Ago's 350 MV'

The problem was that by 1972 Ago's 350 MV was already getting a hard time from TR2B Yamaha's so anything with 8bhp less and probably a few pounds heavier was not going to take the world on anymore.

I have often wondered what became of the prototype though, I seem to remember it was being built nearby to me in Hull (Kingston upon Hull) hence the Kingston Racing Motorcycles name.

[Herr Wankel]

I remember MCN running a story on it around 1972, I think it may actually have got as far as being tested at Cadwell Park, one point I do remember is that it was claimed excitedly in the article to be producing 'only 8bhp less than Ago's 350 MV'

The problem was that by 1972 Ago's 350 MV was already getting a hard time from TR2B Yamaha's so anything with 8bhp less and probably a few pounds heavier was not going to take the world on anymore.

I have often wondered what became of the prototype though, I seem to remember it was being built nearby to me in Hull (Kingston upon Hull) hence the Kingston Racing Motorcycles name.

I hope I haven't got this wrong(as usual) but the Hull connection brings me to recollecting that the current owner is Dick Pipes the racer,from the Hull area.As I say I could have 'cocked up' again.What I do know is that the original project was bank-rolled by Hallmark Tractors of Ashby de la Zouch in Leicestershire.
HW

[joepotts7]

The Hull link was Ron Phillips. Ron did the work on the KRMs, but Jack Williams acted as a consultant. I should clarify that this is NOT the Ron Phillips of Fahron engineering (2 stroke specialists) at Nottingham. The Hull based Ron Phillips did plenty of specials (eg DOHC and 4 valve conversions) especially on small italian machinery like Gileras and Bianchis. There were a few KRMs built. I better not go too much further about what happened to them, but lets just say there was some 'dodgy behaviour'. Sadly not all motorcyclists are good people.

[k21john]

Yes, we discussed it less than a year ago, which is very recent by this forum's standards...this is what I had found then, hope the link still works



I remember reading about it even in the french press at the time, but I think it's a bit later than '68...maybe 71 or 72 ? I remember a colour pic that showed stunning ( by the standards of the time ) brightly coloured frame, exhaust pipes, etc...

Hi Phillippe7

Thanks for the link to the article, I also seem to remember that the fairing had quite large side bulges on it, perhaps with the cooling ducts through the engine it made it wide hence the fairing bubbles.....

John

Sure would be nice to find a photo.......

[Graham Clayton]

More information and a photo:

https://cybermotorcy...british/krm.htm

[tonyed]

I have the March 1973 Motor Cycle Mechanics featuring (two page story) c/w photo of 'dolly bird' sitting on it on the front cover of the KRM entitled 'Four Stroke Four - and its' British'

Yes, another British 'false dawn'

Over complicated, under engineered and overblown.

It seemed to get everything wrong:

2 valves per cylinder.

Full skirt pistons

Air cooled

It was to boast, simple maintenance - 4 pot ohc 4 stroke, not quite as simple as the Yamaha offering of the time which was about to shed the air cooled engine for a water cooled plant that same year.

The TD/TR/TZ range needed two simple special tools - a rotor puller and a clutch locking tool to take it apart.

How did the British motorcycle industry get it so wrong?

A list as long as your arm of false promises and crap offerings.

Never mind the British BullDOG after the Manx Norton and AJS/Matchless bikes of the 50's and the brief resurgence with the Greeves Silverstone/DMW Hornet et all two stroke singles of the mid 60's it was British BullSHIT all the way.

Probably the trouble associated with never moving out of the Victorian era.

[billlawrence]

Well mate you said it all a lot of hot air   Bill