Blast from the past

[speedpro]

Sorting out the crap in the garage and found a box of photo albums. I have a scanner now so here's a sample. All taken at the Wiri container terminal probably in about 1983. My watercooled AC50 is being ridden by someone else. Chris Costello, current AMCC president is on the MB50. #48 I can't recall his name but he was fast, maybe Tonto.

Note the huge expanse of asphalt. I don't know how many acres but it was huge with just a gentle slope. Couple of cones and away we went.

[speedpro]

last one for the moment. Note the knee sliders, they weren't common then

[rainman]

That takes me back. My first bike ever was an MB50.... :)

[Buckets4Me]

wonder if my pics are going to look old to the next generation lol
:niceone:

some of thoes bikes look trick as well
fancy pipes clipons bigger tires etc

[speedpro]

Some would still be competitive today. With the faster tracks a lot of development went into making them run hard. A lot of us ran good tyres as well, like French Dunlop tt100GP2s. Running every fortnight it was possible to wear a pair out in a year. Same as now there was a hard core that put a lot of effort into it. My AC50 was watercooled with a homemade CDI, titanium muffler, and Suzuki A100 factory race kit wheels. A group of us spent every friday night at Norris Farrow motorcycles at Kumeu doing bucket development. It wasn't unusual to have 6 or so buckets getting modded with porting, pipes, tyres & wheels each friday with Jason shouting "Chinese" for everybody who turned up. Couple of times guys coming back from a night in town would drop in to get the cables or oil for their motocross bikes. We had the cops ask us to bring the shop bikes in from out front a couple of times, at 2am ish, and also could we at least turn the shop lights off.

[Buckets4Me]

sounds like a lot of effort went into makeing bikes back then
a lot of time and money would have gone into them (Time more than money)

well I know of people that where racing then but not buckets putting
hours and hours week after week into there buckets now

some are chasing 30+ hp but we will see if they ever get there :yes:

[speedpro]

30+hp. I've seriously looked into that with probably the only person in NZ that is capable of designing a bucket engine to do it. It might be possible but it is really pushing limits with what can be done without cheating. Custom bits will need to be made. Whoever does it will need the right software, good fabrication skills and a bunch of equipment like welder and lathe and maybe mill. It is unlikely to be possible for a bunch of guys in a shed.

[Buckets4Me]

how much different is it at the crank than the rear wheel

[gav]

Do you recognise this guy? Think his name was Tonto, Wanganui street races

[speedpro]

Found Tonto at wiri, note the hang-it-all-off style. The other photo has Chris Costello(MB50) and Ian McAdam on what ended up being a reasonably fast Kawasaki 100

[speedpro]

Couple of our sidecar we bought off Chris Costello. Pretty cool little thing with rear engine, hub-centre steering, full floating discs with internal calipers and not much higher than your knees. It had a watercooled barrel when we got it and I did the head as well. 19.9hp at the rear wheel meant it went pretty good. The bikes are as they were built and rolled out of the garage. RG50 with TS125/100 and RG50 with full reed conversion

[speedpro]

And a few from Wanganui, 3 different years but similar lines on one corner. Either I had it sussed or I'm a slow learner.

[speedpro]

First one is Wanganui as well but I can't pick the corner. The others are at Manfeild. The 3rd photo shows Chris Smith ex NZ 125GP champ on #16 and Murray Cross on #3. Sorry not sure of the others. The 4th one shows Morley Shirriff, Chris and Craig's Dad, in front. Chris and Craig weren't far away either making for one hell of a race. The 5th one has Jason Ulyatt I think. He's now in the USA and the 6th I ran out of time to photoshop anyone in behind me.

[speedpro]

Both these are from a trip to the south Island in Oct '92. The guy in the red leathers is a South Islander so obviously I have just passed him and am pulling away. That was Saturday and the other one is from Sunday port races at Nelson. Wasn't a bad day apart from crashing on the cooldown lap and smacking my ankle good. I just had to get past this Harley that had been blocking me the whole race but didn't quite make it. What a tosser.

[diesel pig]

Love the progressive linkage on the TF100. Did you nut it out on paper and make little models or did you're grab some box section and start cutting'n'welding until it worked?

[speedpro]

Worked it out. Had a small range of adjustment which changed it from slightly falling to slightly rising rate. Main reason I made that suspension was to make room for the rear engine mount and for the carb. Good spotting.

[Kickaha]

Couple of our sidecar we bought off Chris Costello. Pretty cool little thing with rear engine, hub-centre steering, full floating discs with internal calipers and not much higher than your knees. It had a watercooled barrel when we got it and I did the head as well. 19.9hp at the rear wheel meant it went pretty good.

Any idea what happened to it?

[speedpro]

Any idea what happened to it?

Sold it to a young guy that worked for Graeme Berry Racecars in Wellington. Last I saw it he had done some very nice work combining a fuel tank and an airbox into the rear body shell that me and Darren had made(not pictured). It was going well but the swinger kept hanging off which only slowed it down in the turns, all he had to do was get forward to put weight on the front and let the side wheel slip. The thing didn't tip because of the low CoG.

[F5 Dave]

Sold it to a young guy . . .
hahaha, Skiddy probably hasn't been called that for a long time, he's got to be over 40 now:laugh:

[speedpro]

Yeah, well I'm over 40 as well, probably more over 40 than him so I'm allowed. You young fellas are so picky.

[speedpro]

Just to prove how old I am, these photos are Black & White.

These prove that #6 didn't always look rough Pretty sure these are of the bucket all ready for the GP, looking at the fresh slicks and stuff. This is with the sleeved down RGV250 cylinder on a TS125 bottom end with a full crankcase reed conversion. After getting a placing it was checked over and disqualified for having an illegal reedvalve - 6 petal with plastic insert. Luckily for me the guy I bought it off (Pete Sales) was there and could confirm that it was off a road bike and therefore legal.

[F5 Dave]

With all those hoses it looks like a crashed helicopter.

[koba]

Very, Very cool.

[speedpro]

Not buckets I know but still a blast, from the past. 3 are of the old turbo on the back straight of a street circuit and the other is of Jim Steadman on his Z1Rtc on another street circuit which isn't too far from the one I'm on.

Brownie points to whoever guesses both circuits, and no Dave, you can't have the Brownies as well. Extra Brownie points for guessing how many miles Jim's rear tyre lasted doing speed runs on the tarmac at Woodbourne.

[Kickaha]

Gracefield and Porirua?

[speedpro]

Gracefield and Porirua?

Only 1 point

[F5 Dave]

Well Gracefield was easy enough with the bank backdrop (then I noticed the Wainui sign), but after that I'm a bit stumped, that last corner doesn't look familiar (though I'm not that old).

Tyre; hmm I'd say 'Not long enough' past flying mile?

[speedpro]

Well Gracefield was easy enough with the bank backdrop (then I noticed the Wainui sign), but after that I'm a bit stumped, that last corner doesn't look familiar (though I'm not that old).

Tyre; hmm I'd say 'Not long enough' past flying mile?

Gracefield = 1 point, 1/2 point for tyre comment. hint - it was a lot less than 100 miles till canvas was seen.

[speedpro]

Gracefield obviously and the other is Lyall Bay. I think there was two meetings there. Awesome watching the likes of Glen Williams on a Z1000J trying to get inside Freeth and the Wellington motorcycle centre guys in the first corner. There was a couple headed off to hospital after loosing skin from that one.

My notes say his back tyre lasted 28 miles, not sure why "miles".

[speedpro]

The old Z1. This is the bike I MOST wish I never sold. Moriwaki everything. About once a year I would put some lights on it and go for a quite ride to Puhoi. I did have a slightly quieter pipe than the one shown for the road.

[Sparky Bills]

OHHHH MEMORIES!

I still remember going to Ohakea (sp) for the easter races when I has 3 feet tall...

Remember that sidecar too.
Who are those 2 skinny people riding it!?

[gav]

The old Z1. This is the bike I MOST wish I never sold. Moriwaki everything. About once a year I would put some lights on it and go for a quite ride to Puhoi. I did have a slightly quieter pipe than the one shown for the road.
Any idea what happened to it? Where is it now?

[speedpro]

The guy I sold it to dismantled and sold bits. I still have the Moriwaki F1 cams and the tappets. I put Yoshimura bonneville cams in it when I sold it.

[Pickle]

OHHHH MEMORIES!

I still remember going to Ohakea (sp) for the easter races when I has 3 feet tall...

Remember that sidecar too.
Who are those 2 skinny people riding it!?

Skinny people on the sidecar? you mean the FAST GOOD LOOKIN GUYS dont you?

[speedpro]

The time we let Sparky's Dad have a drive is the only time I ever baled out. He wasn't totally to blame. We'd just come off the Ohakea tarmac heading toward the fire section front wall when the front suspension broke. Somehow or other he got it to turn left before the wall. Trouble was now we had to get through a line of trees and cross the track with a line of sidecars on it. I baled just before the passenger bit smacked a tree dead centre.

[ajturbo]

Both these are from a trip to the south Island in Oct '92. The guy in the red leathers is a South Islander so obviously I have just passed him and am pulling away. That was Saturday and the other one is from Sunday port races at Nelson. Wasn't a bad day apart from crashing on the cooldown lap and smacking my ankle good. I just had to get past this Harley that had been blocking me the whole race but didn't quite make it. What a tosser.


think the guy in the red was my old next door neighbour.. daren ???

[RMS eng]

some photos of my rg50 must be over 8 years ago one is from 2 hour,if spend some time and MONEY an RG50 is still a good race bike.other is doing a burn out on my YZ125H.

[Pumba]

Wow, that last one is an impresive shot:2thumbsup

[speedpro]

The last one would be more impressive if it had a trail of smoke off the back tyre, and you did it every lap. Not bad though.

[gav]

I'd like to see the photo after that one? High side or save?

[RMS eng]

The last one would be more impressive if it had a trail of smoke off the back tyre, and you did it every lap. Not bad though.
my RGV500 was in the shop that day,so i had to make do with the RG50
.

[TZ350]

30+hp. I've seriously looked into that with probably the only person in NZ that is capable of designing a bucket engine to do it. It might be possible but it is really pushing limits with what can be done without cheating. Custom bits will need to be made. Whoever does it will need the right software, good fabrication skills and a bunch of equipment like welder and lathe and maybe mill. It is unlikely to be possible for a bunch of guys in a shed.

Well, Speedpro with all the work you have done, you have pretty much made 30rwhp the target now...............

Some pretty interesting pictures on this thread.

[speedpro]

Found a couple of old negatives. In no order there's Morley Shirriff talking to Ziffle, Jim me and Pete Sale which was probably 1st 2nd 3rd that year, Jim making a slight damping adjustment with Ram looking on and Pete having a drink with DaveD back to camera with the bucket racing t-shirt

[jasonu]

Great pix Mike.

[F5 Dave]

I've still got one of those T shirts. Must get around to doing a Bucket T shirt thread.

[bistard]

Couple of our sidecar we bought off Chris Costello. Pretty cool little thing with rear engine, hub-centre steering, full floating discs with internal calipers and not much higher than your knees. It had a watercooled barrel when we got it and I did the head as well. 19.9hp at the rear wheel meant it went pretty good. The bikes are as they were built and rolled out of the garage. RG50 with TS125/100 and RG50 with full reed conversion

I rember having a go on the side of that sidecar when Chris owned it,went really well I thought

[Buckets4Me]

here are a few (not quite so old but not the same anymore)
249723
249724