Methanol and pump gas LSR

Spqreddie

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Free and Wright set their records with methanol/castor oil mix right?
and Dikerson the only one on pump fuel?
Thanks,
Eddie
 
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TouringGodet

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Also, Wright and Burns, when they went to Bonneville in 1956, it was the early days of nitromethane, and they used a small percentage. The story is, they were poorly advised on the mixture, and had they run a higher percentage, they might have been able to reach 200 MPH, or possibly even bettered the NSU speed.
 

Big Sid

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Marty Dickerson on the John Edgar bike ran straight methanol fuel as did the 36 Harley Knucklehead he beat .
On his own racer Marty ran high octane GASOLENE setting his record speeds .
Riding the Joe Simpson blown Lightning he used Methanol .
When Simpson battled Rollie Free both ran straight methanol , both unblown . Sid .
 

vincati

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When Marty set the Class C record on the blue bike in 1952 he ran 87 octane pump gasoline (and 8:1 Compression) pursuant to the rules then in effect.
 

mercurycrest

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Marty Dickerson on the John Edgar bike ran straight methanol fuel as did the 36 Harley Knucklehead he beat .
On his own racer Marty ran high octane GASOLENE setting his record speeds .
Riding the Joe Simpson blown Lightning he used Methanol .
When Simpson battled Rollie Free both ran straight methanol , both unblown . Sid .

This is a good example of how inaccurate stories get their start! Marty never raced the Edgar Bike! As to oil used, the Edgar Bike was "ran as received from Vincent's", chances are pretty good it used bean oil. Whenever I talked oils to him, Rollie always went on about using 5wt Mineral Oil and how sewing machine oil, if you could easily get enough, would be his preference, so I'm thinking 5wt is what he used in the Lightning. Marty used Kendall 20 or 30wt whenever I saw him run. I had no face to face talks with Rollie after the 1980 Bass Lake Rally, just a few letters and only first met him in 1973, so I suggest Mike Parti, John Miller or Marty would be the final authorities on Rollie Free.
Cheers, John
 
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Big Sid

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Jeeeez ! Me snap memory power is leaking like a baby's diaper . Seems to be rapidly going to hell . My own book covers most of this stuff in detail and I knew most of these guys myself . I'll try to do better , think carefully first before firing off such crappy answers .
What else to say but sorry . Sid .
 

Spqreddie

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Thanks all,
so the fastest Vincent running on pump gas in the '50ies was Marty Dickerson's ??
Free and others records on Methanol/oil? George Brown in UK was sprinting on gas or methanol?

Dickerson's bike has been the faster ever on regular gas?
Thanks!
 

davidd

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I think that Eddie may be correct. Steve runs in the Production class because his bike is not legal for the Vintage class. You have to use original cases, muffs and heads to be eligible for the Vintage class and he is using Irving-Vincent cases. Also, the "Gas" that is allowed at Bonneville is leaded super high octane. There are several blends and octanes available, but the idea is that if you run in the "Gas" designation (as oposed to "Fuel") that everyone has the same advantage by using only mixtures that are available on site.

By contrast, Marty ran his blue bike in "Class C" which was restricted to pump gas and 8:1 compression pistons. 147 mph is quite an achievement under those conditions.

The John Edgar bike was a stock Lightning, but they ran high compression pistons and fuel and thus it ran as a Class A machine.

David
 
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