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Racing bikes with no brakes, clutch, or gearbox at 90+mph

Started by norton73, October 25, 2017, 06:24:26 PM

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norton73

This year was the start of a new race series, Sons of Speed boardtrack bikes racing on a banked track. 

https://selvedgeyard.com/2017/04/12/sons-of-speed-a-race-of-pre-1925-board-track-motorcycles/





boardtrack racing was popular in the teens and twenties, racing on banked tracks up to 2 miles long made of 2x4s set on edge. the bikes had no brakes, clutch, gearbox, or throttle. The carb was just wide open, only way to control speed was by way of a primative kill switch, usually a piece of hacksaw blade on the bars wired to ground out the magneto.

After a bunch of deaths, including spectators, the races were stopped in the mid 20s.


Loose nut holding the handlebars

Deadly Dave

#1
I rode both Daytona Sons of Speed Race practice sessions (Bike Week & Biketoberfest) on my 1921 Harley-Davidson blanked off single. It is a unique experience to ride a bike with no brakes, clutch, tranny, or suspension on a modern banked speedway. When you decide to pit, you hit the kill switch between turns 2 & 3, and coast into the pits coming out of turn 4, using only the engine compression to slow you down. Photo by Jim Dohms of Dohms Creative Photography - New Symrna Speedway Biketoberfest practice.