MPH verses ET

Speed, ET and why did it happen.

My Double Harley ran a pretty consistent 176 MPH, give or take, at every track I raced on. Those times were with ET’s between 8.12 and 8.40 on any track, night or day.

Talking about unusual Speed’s, I did turn 181, 182 and right at 183 MPH at the Ontario Super Nationals with ET’s between 8.02 and 8.12 and at Indy I had a run of 188 MPH with an ET of 8.77. Ron Fringer ran a 187 MPH on the same bike with Injectors at Orange County Raceway with a mid eight second run.

The thing is those ET’s from the 176 MPH to the 180’s is quite a span. But, I notice on all the faster runs there was something different, it was a feel they had that I tried to duplicate many times but could not seem to do it consistently. The bike seems to have a floating feeling through the traps and was harder to get stopped so I never doubted the MPH plus they were done at an NHRA National Events.

In those days the only instruments we had was the Air Density Gage and I kept a record of all runs that included spark plug range, jetting and nozzle size, rear tire air pressure, shoe size, sh*t everything and on those runs the air density in the record book was right at 104 which was in those days was perfect air.

So, on those runs some place on the track there was a different acceleration rate that I can’t explain, I just knew there was a different feel on that run.

Old Friend

OK, this is Doug Gall, ran a Top Fuel Harley in the old days. Anybody know if he is still around????

Would you ride one and Who brings the Spectators

Yeah, I have the same feeling today, but if you could take one back 35 years I bet I could make some great runs.

You have to admit it takes all kind of racers, drivers and riders to make Drag Racing what it is today but it would be a pretty sad if every one rode only what you ride, there would be no Drag Racing, not today, maybe fifty years ago when thats all there was around but stock cars and bikes.

It seems that the argument right now is mostly between riders from the past and Sport class bikes from the past and present, the ones that buy and ride a street bike and just because it is a fast bike at the drags it's still just a street bike, the same bike you can ride to work every day. Don't come back and tell me it's because you did this to it and that to make it go faster and quicker because that's exactly what the bikes up ahead of you in the bigger classes do to make there bike go faster, being it fuel or what ever. Isn't that what Drag Racing is all about. I wouldn't want the Top Fuel and Funny cars today to go the same speed and ET as the one you buy off the show room floor that it is representing.

I said before, I raced my whole career on a Top Fuel bike without Wheelie bars but wheelie bars that's how they do it today. A Harley, whether the parts look like a motor or not that runs in the sixes at over 200 MPH and "Spiderman" that just ran another ET in the fives and has gone almost 250 MPH, well I don't know how you could put that any place but the thing that every body's wants to see.

I think we, the ones that have concern for what is happening to Motorcycle Drag Racing should let things lie, and do for our selves, meaning AHDRA, they seem to have plenty of spectators, it sure impressed me at Las Vegas.

Big Guy

Bryce,
Don't get me wrong, I understand, show and go is a must, 35 years and it's still the same, just cost a bunch more money. I think back and all I had to do was build an inclosed trailier with Harley Davidson printed on both sides, a tow truck the same way and I was high dollar.
Well, enough said about that crap, you guys are doing great no matter the cost. I think you should feel lucky that you are one of the Top Dogs and keep racing, no matter who the rider is.

Kart Racing

I quit Drag Racing "once" for awhile because of cost, and this was a long time ago. Started going Kart Racing because it took in the whole family. Had a great time until the Kart Factorys and retail stores got involved and they had so much better equipment and went so much faster that the same thing happened. Cost got so high I had to quit that too. When I went back to Drag Racing my wife and I decided as long as the race bike payed for itself we would continue to race, it turned into a business before we knew what was happening. Both working to make things work, you get caught up in that sort of thing because you love to race. We were lucky to have turned that first eight second run which got us the start to great Sponsership from Harley. Still we had to go on the road ten months a year to even make that work, and the cost kept going up out of our own pocket, even getting paid from Harley and NHRA. It seemed no matter how good you got it still cost a lot of money. You had to really love Drag Racing to keep going and it was a lot o work. And it goes on and on and on.

Try this one

http://quickthrottle.com/HarleyOutsourceOption_files/slide00 01.htm

AHDRA, Pomona California

I met Valerie Thompson at the Laidlaw's Harley dealership event where he Sponsored the Pomona event, 2007. I had a booth there showing off and signing pictures for an lot of people. She came over to my booth and gave me this picture. She is top gear, very serious about her racing and has good racing equipment also.