Photo of the Day Rollie Free's Speed Record Attempt Practice Day V

[William Edgar]

Hi, I think the 108 bhp must have been at the crank and even then was a Superb figure out of a 998cc engine on dope. I understand that because of the altitude on the Salt quite a lot of power is lost. With 104.6 bhp at 6540 rpm at the crank, my 1272cc racer on petrol achieved 150 mph over a flying quarter with less than a mile run in, normally seated as my photo left but with open pipes. Rollie was nearly naked and prone so this must have helped offset the power Loss, What a Brave man.
I got up to 166 mph with a dustbin fairing at the same venue with the same bike in 2003.
roy the racer.

You, Roy, had to be mighty brave yourself! Thanks for the story of you and your racer. I think the fastest I ever highway rode the JEL was 115 mph, and there was still plenty left in the throttle.

 

[timetraveller]

Only of peripheral interest in this thread but I made the fairing shown on Roy's bike I made several of them at the time, five I think, and one went to a rider who later got an offer to make a copy of it in aluminium. When it was finished it weighed a pound more then the fibreglass one. Roy' s bike twice had a go at destroying the fairing with no significant damage which means it could probably have been made lighter. There is much to be said in favour of composites.