Help Support VMAX Forum:
Tex85
Well-Known Member
Enjoyable read, thanks for sharing.
Sent from my LG-D851 using Tapatalk
Sent from my LG-D851 using Tapatalk
I recall this bike, and John L Stein I believe wrote for Cycle magazine. The article references John S Stein, I wonder if the two are related? A bike with this history was hard to ignore if you were at-all a fan of drag racing. This has some great machined parts and is just filled with shade-tree solutions but with a much higher level of execution than that term usually describes.
I like the description where he made his own cams because the companies wouldn't touch the job. I knew Harvey Crane, founder of Crane Cams, and the machinist who is making my stock rear wheels modded to fit radial rubber worked for him as a young machinist before setting-out on his own. I know he wouldn't be scared of such a job manufacturing one-off cams because he's made plenty of one-off parts which went into record-setting drag bikes. He worked for Harvey Crane long-after this bike was actively campaigned.
A good article on a part of racing history.
I just got a new Lennox 19.5 SEER A-C installed, it's the third A-C this contractor has installed for my extended family. He has a Vincent Black Shadow at his ranch in New Mexico, he's owned since this bike in the article was racing, but he said he hasn't operated it in many years (we both reside in FL) though he said he used to ride/drag race it when he was a young man. I'm gonna send him the article and see what he says. An interesting guy, he was a powerplant mechanic on the YF-12/SR-71 family when he was in the service. He said he was in Turkey for awhile, which is where the U-2 launched-from that was piloted by Francis Gary Powers. The YF-12/SR-71 was built to keep from harm's way the surveillance planes after it was shown the U-2's vulnerability.
I like the shot of the chianti bottle to mix the nitromethane. It says it's a staged shot. That stuff is nothing to toy-with.
sdt354
Well-Known Member
Very cool story. The Vincent was just a beautiful machine and way ahead of it's time. This one is very special.
alorio1
Well-Known Member
Good read Rusty, I enjoyed it.............
[email protected]
Well-Known Member
I find it amazing that engine was able to produce those speeds!
I'd love to be able to reproduce something like that to terrorize local streets a 1/4 mile at a time :biglaugh:
I'd love to be able to reproduce something like that to terrorize local streets a 1/4 mile at a time :biglaugh:
