Flat Trackers?

**Big Dave** · 8th January 2010, 10:26

Doing some research into Flat Track Racing.

http://kiwiridermagazine.blogspot.co...d-xr1200x.html

XR1200X pic set is on the page too.

I've done the google basics - You guys got any good links or interest in the machines - local content particularly - Motu?

**trustme** · 8th January 2010, 12:58

The king & the evilest flat tracker ever. A repost but you may not have seen it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k8hJWKIVNs

Also have a squizz here
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=272954

**HenryDorsetCase** · 8th January 2010, 13:49

http://www.sideburnmagazine.com/WELCOME.html

Gary Inman ex Performance Bikes

Somebody prove me wrong, but my understanding is if you want to go fast and turn left on diirt in NZ you have to do it on a speedway bike. Even long track (the equivalent to a mile oval or whatever) is speedway longtrack.

**Motu** · 8th January 2010, 17:34

You must have seen this video.

They turn right and jump too.

**Motu** · 8th January 2010, 17:47

It's a pity Harley didn't have the guts to turn the XR1000 into a streettracker way back when,instead of making a dorky cruiser thing.The XR1000 is much more XR750 than the XR1200.

Local content? Not much these days,but late '80's to early '90's it was pretty popular,races all over the country,but mainly centered around Rosebank.The streettracker thread on ADVrider is great,there are some really nice streettrackers and real live flattrackers on there....and real flattrack riders too.Look out for the really nice R65 streettracker....

**trustme** · 8th January 2010, 18:15

Peoria
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fydwFFeJAUI

**trustme** · 8th January 2010, 18:24

I'm frustrated , I can't find 3 seminal flat track pics.
1 The King, short track, cranked over with the front about a foot in the air
2 Nicky Hayden training for the day job
3 Jorgy on Ron's Norton, 80hp from a 750, It lived hard & died young.
[ I'm Nortie from way back ]

Any helpers ????

**trustme** · 8th January 2010, 18:30

Jorgy.

It's not the one but it will do
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...a%3DN%26um%3D1

**Spuds1234** · 8th January 2010, 19:11

Originally Posted by trustme

The king & the evilest flat tracker ever. A repost but you may not have seen it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k8hJWKIVNs

That bike sounded amazing. I want one.

**Motu** · 8th January 2010, 21:18

This is another good thread on ADVrider....http://www.advrider.com/forums/showt...ight=flattrack

This is a great shot of Scott Parker,who held the No1 plate 9 times,and shows just how close they run at high speeds.

And the Peroria jump,at 90mph....150kph.

**Motu** · 8th January 2010, 23:21

How about a bit of history,my version anyway,so tear it to pieces.It started in the USA...tough times,abandoned horse racing tracks....pretty tempting I must admit.It spread to Australia,became pretty big,and then started in England.They let it develop itself,sticking to small 1/4 mile tracks,using cinders from iron works or power stations maybe,finding out what made a bike fast on these tracks.After several years the bikes and tracks had settled into a pattern,and rules were made to lock in speedway and the solo bikes we know.

In the USA it went along a different track - they stuck to the bigger horse racing tracks, 1/2 mile and mile,and ran them as they found them...hard packed dirt.Pretty soon the bike manufacturers took over - they made factory bikes for their factory teams to ride...if you didn't ride for a factory team you had no chance of winning.The powers that were at the time didn't like this,so made a rule that only ''stock bikes'' could race....bikes Joe Public could walk into a shop,buy and race the next day.So that is the fundamental difference - bikes and tracks allowed to develop by themselves....or bikes restricted to what was sold on the floor...street legal.

After WWII some organization was needed,and the National Circuit set up.Professional riders rode on 1/4 mile,1/2 mile and mile dirt tracks,and also road race circuits....after the season was up the rider with the most points wore the No1 plate on their bike,and down in that order.The US was not involved in motorcycle racing in the rest of the world,they did their own thing in their own little world.In the late '60's some like Gary Nixon went to race overseas - and the rest is history,starting with Kenny Roberts who took his dirttrack style to the seal and changed how powerful bikes were ridden.

Some will want to criticize Harley for forcing the rules to favour their own outdated bikes...and there is some truth in that.However,bikes have changed so much,that the XR750 is still a bike based on the old cast iron Sportster,and is perfect for high speed dirttrack.You can't buy an XR750 off the floor anymore,you have to make one.You can't really ride a modern bike on a Mile...but you can build one that can,and is still done.

**Motu** · 9th January 2010, 10:45

For local content you need to talk to Owl Morris,he is a member of this site,but seldom comes here.Here is his home page and the history of his TT500,and involvement with flattrack at Rosebank.Owl wrote the MNZ rules for flattrack in NZ,and would know more about it than most.

http://owlmorris-ttsr500.4t.com/index.html