BonneVille Salt flats 2005
9-6-05
Ran 61.506 AMA National Record
Reported in from Roger Brophey
This has been quite an unusual saga beginning nearly a year ago with a email to me from a avid Whizzer fan in Kentucky. We are both members of the historic racing motorcycle association (AHRMA).
Now mind you, we have never met ,or even had a phone conversation to date, and Kenny Thomas asked if I owned Double Vision the twin engined whizzer that ran Bonneville some years ago. We swapped many stories, and after a hundred emails we had agreement to run it again.
Kenny has a beautiful, streetable parallel twin with a gearbox and several really fast "Hot Rod" type Whizzer's along with "Roller Road, a real time dyno built into a flatbed trailer, so it was easy to take him up on the offer to build and supply the engine help. Soon his Whizzer club joined in with some interest and support as I began to ready the chassis. It surprised both of us how enthused others became in the project, it also surprised us in how much money it would take to complete the project.
How fast will it go?
The goal became to get the Whizzer logo a speed record but there is no class for the Whizzer. It must run on an "inch for inch" basis with bikes that go over a hundred miles per hour. Fat chance to get a 60 year old flathead and the goal was to keep the bike near original spec's where rules would allow. Belt Drive, no gearbox, no overhead valves.
Many people tell me they had a Whizzer that went 60 mph, maybe so when clocked by grandma's desoto downhill with a tailwind and weighing only 80 pounds, but consider this, that to set a record the bike must run the 5 mile coarse flat out, turn around within two hours , re-run the coarse backwards with no changes and pass all the tech stuff. For the Whizzer that will be 10 minutes flat out at 4000 ft. and 100 degrees plus temperatures. That will be the challenge! We'll be happy if it can run 60 mph the whole distance!
For you tech -ees the bike has a 60 inch wheel base single loop frame, with disc brake, powered be 2 Vintage Whizzer "J" Model engines, 300 series cylinders, roller crank, Standard High Compression Head, Carter Carbs, Battery Ignition, and some Secret Kenny Thomas tweaks to the engine! The engines are coupled by a notch belt to keep timing, and it fires as a"twinglle" on the same stroke. the primary drive is via a 1/2 v-belt and final drive is chain. engine turns 6200 RPM and estimated 10 + hp on gasoline. Weight 110 pounds.
The event was held Sept 5th through the 9th at Bonneville Salt Flats.
Thanks Roger Brophey and Kenny Thomas