I had seen “The World's fastest Indian” movie 3 times.
I had even begged the poster from the cinema manager!
Then, after about 7 years nurturing of a quiet little passion for anything a little left of centre that had been made to travel extremely fast. I saw a partly dismanted Postie Bike on a trade Me advert.
The tiny bike's shape was fluid and lithe..... the 1960's ohc motor produced 7 horsepower. I was smitten! It went straight onto my watchlist and 4 days later, after a bidding frenzy I earned the right to travel 300km to Dargaville in a small noisy and smelly van .The bike and its small mountain of spares were home that night and spread out across the shed floor.
How to keep this fabulous score a secret from the good lady?....
I had to be ruthless, anything that was not needed on the bike to provide forward motion was removed.
The spare parts that would never be needed on a pure sports version and anything that was duplicated in the parts bin was put straight back on TardMe.
The rest was pushed into a corner of the man cave and hidden with an old couch that I had promised to fix for her but ended up sitting on during my late night 'gazing at my old bikes' sessions.
For the next few nights my time was spent searching internet forums and websites to determine the best way to get a bike with a top speed of 78kph to crack the ton!
Trying to coax sufficient tricks and ponys out of a tiny old fashioned motor was just asking for grief .
So, seeing as this whole thing was about having a laugh without spending too much moolah,
I decided that something radical might be in order... I investigated fitting a GSX-R 750 motor that was cheap and even wondered about fitting a German stationary Diesel engine that was on 1 dollar reserve!
Then I looked at a form of bike that I appreciate even less than a Heritage Special Road King FLGH
…. Did you know that high quality racing pit bikes are actualy packed with tech features and fancy materials at crazy cheap prices?
I started by spending a lot of time on a USA forum and discovered that their top selling pit bike brand was fitted with engines that I could buy from a pit bike dealer in Auckland. EASY!
More about the motor soon – but now my work was starting- rebuild the wheels with some nice new chrome spokes. Measure up the bikes bolts and screws and trundle off to Fortress fasters and hassle them with my fussy and complicated order of 137 assorted bolts. nuts, scews and washers in stainless steel.
Rebuild and rechrome the tiny front forks and find an alternative to that heavy duty front guard. Gettin me some o them fancy gas reservoir rear shocks from those nice people at NZ Motor Factory too. I set about lengthening the swingarm and adding rearset pegs and controls. Woohoo! I found that although I couldnt use that GSX-R 750 motor, I was able to use the lightweight pillion pegs off the bike.
I had started a ''World's Fastest Postie Bike' FaceBook page weeks earlier to share the madness with friends.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/world...40117289361834
The positive comments had promped me to think sponsorship. After a brainstorming session with the dog we decided that four companies could supply me with the bits and pieces that were needed to get this bike to the track.
I wrote up a proposal and approached Cycle Treads Superstore for tyres and a Tauranga company that I had used for years for some hot new paint. Linkup Paint Supplies BOP loved the idea and have even arranged to have the frame and parts to be professionally prepped and painted so that I dont have to!
House of Custom in Paeroa have sorted my paddock stand and a great little 125cc fairing in fibreglass so that we will have somewhere to write wonderful things about the sponsors.
But right at the top of the heap is New Zealand Motor Factory in Auckland. they import that great little racing pitbike engine the FORZA 155HO plus a pit bike range and quads as well as scooters. Yhey have massive premises in East Tamaki and carry spares for all models.
The FORZA 155 high output is the backbone of the american pitbike racing scene. It is a sold there as the Daytona 160 but the agreement with the factory dictates a name change for sales in other countries.
Now, these motors bolt into standard Honda mounts and share the same 'laydown' format. Everything else though is a world away from the Honda C50 C75 C90 and CT110 that inspired it.
This crate motor kit with exhaust, carb, CDI, coil, irridium sparkplug. Unifilter filter and Motul 15w-40 oil costs less than the wrecker was going to charge me for a fifteen year old GSX-r motor.
I just knew that I had done the right thing .To the uninitiated observer it looks just like the original motor. Okay, okay- apart from the massive flatslide carby and the headerpipe that is the diameter of a cucumber! Oh and the high capacity oil cooler and the liberal finning on all the hottest parts of the beast. That 28mm flatslide carburettor makes the motor so snappy from down low. Its a bit of a shame that the bike wont be used on a circuit against other bikes, Im sure that with lower gearing this bike would be a screamer with its close ratio box and 6 plate high performance clutch.
The FORZA Engine uses the Honda pattern primary sprocket which makes ratio selection cheap and easy with ten dollar sprockets available from 13 teeth to 17 teeth. In the rear same applies. The old CT90 had two variants, Postie and Farmer with different ratios. Also those tiny Honda Monkey Bikes and the ST70 and ST90 had tiny 32 tooth and 34 tooth sprockets because of their low overall wheel diameter. Based on my redline on The FORZA155HO of 12,000rpm I will have gearing to rival the takeoff speed of the Airbus A370. This is going to be fun!.
The frame and parts are now painted with 3 coats of Linkup Paint Supplies twopack "Monza red"- so shiny, I can see my nose hairs in the reflection.
Cycletreads Superstore's Bridgstone Battlax sticky tyres are fitted and the wiring is sorted. A 15,000rpm rev counter, rearset pegs. a steering damper and the cutest set of clip on bars make it look like a salt racer.
It is sitting here next to me now with a tiny foam pad for a seat and its highest point a good handwidth lower than my belt and Im thinking, “With this 50 year old girth under my belt- how am I going to get top velocity from this red rocket?
I need a 48kg female with big balls- thats what I need!” Luckily I know just the Person..... bwahahahahhaa! (evil laugh)
Last years NZ 125cc GP winner Avalon Biddle, young, keen, tiny and brave. Perfect!
Well- the bike is now assembled and ready to roll.....
I'm taking it up to meet its rider in two weeks and it will be on the burnout pad at Cold Kiwi in September. See you all there!
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Originally Posted by merv
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