171.600MPH from a single cylinder Velocette at Lake Gairdner, South Australia..!!!

Wow....an email from Australian Velo Clubmember Stuart Hooper with the news that at the speed week trials on the salt lakes at Lake Gairdner in South Australia his supercharged single cylinder Velocette did 171.600mph.....
Stuart has set previous records at Lake Gairdner and also at Bonneville Salt Flats....

His email follows....

Hi to all,

For the first time in many years Lake Gairdner Speed Trials were unaffected by wet weather.  The surface was initially a little rough and the weather very hot requiring a careful eye on engine temperatures and excessively rich mixtures to ensure the engine survived the meeting. After a steady sighting run to check out the new body and steering geometry the Big Velo ran 166 mph on its second outing !!!!  This was good cause for celebration as the Velo was now the Worlds fastest British single surpassing the fantastic Vincent Might Mouse of Bryan Chapman.

 After a photo session day I decided a higher speed was possible and lined up again with a bit higher gearing and a higher ratio supercharger drive. The third run was only 152mph but this was against a 15 to 20 mph headwind so it was back in line for another 8 hrs for one final run. Friday morning was calm and cool, ideal conditions.......... but the morning ticked inexorably by with one delay after another and a headwind starting to flutter the flags and things looking like the meeting could be cancelled without another run. Finally the track was clear and the Big Velo boomed away from the line with its nearly 100mph first gear into a 7 to 10 mph gusting head and slight crosswind. By the time I changed up from third into top at 156mph the bike was weaving and darting about somewhat in the ruts on the track and the odd gusts of wind, but with the throttle hard against the stop one hand hovering over the clutch lever and the revs climbing towards the 6500 mark the track markers started to slip by faster and faster  until the final timing light flashed past and it was time to slow down with the old Venom single leading shoe brake smelling as only red hot 50 year old asbestos can. Back to the pits to see the crew flashing lights, cheering and jumping around !!!!......... 171.600 mph !!     .....  A fantastic end to a great week....... The Velocette name is again in the record books where it belongs !

Worlds Fastest Velocette.

Worlds Fastest British Single

Worlds Fastest Single Cylinder Sit On Motorcycle.

A sincere thanks for the support to my crew and all of you over the years,

Stuart Hooper

ps..... Just how fast can a Velo go ?

In the preparation for this attempt, Stuart supercharged the single cylinder engine and sent these photographs... 

Pen and Ink illustrations, cartoons from my usual sources....been a couple of years since I run any....as mentioned back then, I'm a great fan of them.....

As I'm currently running a section in the Australian Velocette Owners Club magazine which I edit...FTDU or FishTailDownUnder...on technical pen and ink drawings this is as good a time as any to review some more in my blog.
The two major English motorcycle magazines from the early 1900's up into the 1970's, "The MotorCycle" and "MotorCycling", ran many as did the French magazine"MotoRevue"...
All great resources....
Relax with me as we wander back in time.....But before we launch into the drawings, a photo I like a lot...
The original was in poor condition as you'll see by the bottom LH corner...
Two Aussies hard at it on home built 250 DOHC Velocettes...#31 is Les Diener on his newly built 250 DOHC based on a pushrod MOV and still in a rigid frame...hard on him is #15 Alan Burt riding the Waggott 250 DOHC Velocette based on a KTT engine and again in a rigid frame..taken at the races in Mildura, Victoria on the NSW/Victoria border, but unsure when...DQ will have to do some research and correct this post....

 

Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 EFI

Royal Enfield cafe Racer | Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 EFI | Cafe racer | concept bikes
Royal Enfield Café Racer preview [ The Royal Enfield Cafe Racer may see a 2013 launch in India ] Recently, at the Long Beach Motorcycle Show held in California, Royal Enfield showcased its 2014 Royal Enfield cafe Racer. As the name suggests, this motorcycle has typical café racer styling with a round single-unit headlamp, elongated fuel tank, clip-on handlebars, bar-end mounted chrome side view mirrors, minimal body panels, chromed cigar shape exhaust, a single seat and a rectangular tail-light with aluminium mudguards. Royal Enfield cafe Racer will house a four-stroke, single-cylinder, 535cc fuel injected engine, claimed to have a power output of 36bhp.The Royal Enfield cafe Racer deploys a twin-spar tubular steel frame designed by Harris Engineering, telescopic forks upfront and a set of gas-charged shock absorbers at the rear bolted onto an elliptical tube swingarm. Unlike a traditional Royal Enfield, this motorcycle will have a leaned-in riding position which should aid handling. The company claims the Royal Enfield cafe Racer is 21kg lighter than its other 500s. For stopping power, this bike will be equipped with a single disc brake in the front and rear. Additionally, Royal Enfield will offer a wide range of accessories like aluminium fenders instead of plastic, aluminium upper and lower triple brackets, two different exhaust systems, café and clubman handlebars. The Royal Enfield Café Racer is expected to be launched some time in July-August 2013 in the US and will be known as a 2014 model due to a late 2013 launch. There is no clear indication as to when this motorcycle will go on sale in India but we hope to see it in showrooms sometime this year.  autocar   Images by Tendance-Roadster

Royal Enfield cafe Racer | Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 EFI Images 

NEW RANGE ROVER 2013

New Range Rover 2013 : 2013 Range Rover, new Range Rover Design , new Range Rover specs , new Range Rover launch, new Range Rover variants, new Range Rover price
Land Rover has revealed details and images of its 2013 Range Rover. The company says that the new Range Rover is 420kg lighter as compared to the outgoing model. An all-aluminium unibody structure is the reason behind this weight saving.

The four-corner air suspension has also been thoroughly re-engineered and Land Rover claims that this will improve the SUV’s cornering ability. While engine options haven’t been revealed yet, we expect Range Rover to continue with a choice of V8 petrol and diesel engines as also a V6 diesel mated to the new 8-speed ZF auto transmission.The new SUV is slated to be on sale starting from September this year with deliveries scheduled for early 2013.

2013 RANGE ROVER INTERIOR 
Land Rover has also introduced its next-gen Terrain Response system which selects the appropriate ride and handling setting based on the road surface.Inside, the 2013 Range Rover has got 4.7 inches of added rear legroom. Rear passengers will also get a two-place rear seat package. Noise levels inside the cabin are also claimed to have been reduced due to the use of acoustic lamination on the side door glass and windscreen.

2013 Honda VFR1200F

2013 Honda VFR1200F - New Honda VFR1200F 2013 Specs , Honda VFR1200F 2013 variants, Honda VFR1200F 2013 overview, Honda VFR1200F 2013 details, Honda VFR1200F 2013 video, Honda VFR1200F 2013 images,
Year after year, Honda’s legendary  Honda VFR1200F ranks among the most advanced and fastest production Motorcycles | Bikes on the road. Along with ABS braking, traction control, and its super-compact 1237cc V4 Engine , the New Honda VFR1200F 2013 gets a standard setting dual-clutch transmission for paddle-style speed shifting through all 6 gears.

2013 Honda VFR1200F - New Honda VFR1200F 2013 Video
2013 Honda VFR1200F - New Honda VFR1200F 2013 Images

2013 Honda VFR1200F Specs
New Honda VFR1200F 2013  has better fuel economy than the old version ( Honda VFR1200F ) , The first new point to mention when talking about the 2013 Honda VFR1200F is the fuel tank. In the new version of the 2013 Honda VFR1200F fuel tank capacity has increased from 18 to 19 liters. Thus, users can travel with VFR1200F on longer distance.Next, Honda optimized time control system valve by changing the camshaft. "Heart" is the Honda VFR1200F engine block 4 cylinder, OHC, 4-stroke, 1,236 cc capacity, the capacity to produce 111 horsepower at 7500 revolutions / min and maximum torque 120 Nm at 5500 r / min . In older versions, torque 111 Nm at just stop. The engine comes technology electronic fuel injection and liquid cooling.