Kevin Cameron

[husaberg]

Guru, AMA tech inspector, and probably the best technical editor who ever wrote


Yeah i know it doesn't belong in buckets but there is less a-hole here

[husaberg]

more...

[pete376403]

When I was buying "Cycle" magazine, Camerons articles were almost always the first thing to be read.

[husaberg]

When I was buying "Cycle" magazine, Camerons articles were almost always the first thing to be read.

Yeah he sure has an easy to read syle always entertaining and really informative at the same time.
I have TDC vol 1 and his Performance street bike books, they are both excellent reads.

[husaberg]

The other that would not fit.

[oldjohnno]

His "Classic Motorcycle Race Engines" is a must-read and is full of insights about the engine designs and how they came to be. It's interesting to see how pragmatism often triumphs over technical sophistication, and sprinkled throughout are little pearls of wisdom like "there's little to be gained from carving an alternate universe from billet".

People that combine both technical understanding and the ability to write clearly and in an entertaining way are rare - another that comes to mind that I enjoyed very much was the late Gordon Jennings.

[husaberg]

His "Classic Motorcycle Race Engines" is a must-read and is full of insights about the engine designs and how they came to be. It's interesting to see how pragmatism often triumphs over technical sophistication, and sprinkled throughout are little pearls of wisdom like "there's little to be gained from carving an alternate universe from billet".

People that combine both technical understanding and the ability to write clearly and in an entertaining way are rare - another that comes to mind that I enjoyed very much was the late Gordon Jennings.

I haven't seen that one, but i will find it and put in on the Xmas list
Yes to Jennings as well and prior to that Phil Irving aka Slide rule
Who also managed to pen the most revered and iconic motorcycle in the world and a F1 wining engined.

[husaberg]

The rest that wouldn't fit.
plus some i missed.

[jasonu]

Yeah i know it doesn't belong in buckets but there is less a-hole here
]

I'm sure they won't be far away.

[Michael Moore]

"there's little to be gained from carving an alternate universe from billet".

Depends on your goals, there can be a lot of personal pleasure/satisfaction from that kind of activity.

Add Vic Willoughby to the list of "interesting writers on technical subjects".

cheers,
Michael

[oldjohnno]

"there's little to be gained from carving an alternate universe from billet".

Depends on your goals, there can be a lot of personal pleasure/satisfaction from that kind of activity.

I agree entirely Michael but I think Cameron was looking at it from the perspective of a factory racing department looking for a return on their investment within a reasonable timeframe. A recurring theme in the book is the need for a new engine to be able to be brought to a competitive state fairly quickly, and this often means a simple, conservative design is often a better choice than a radical one with possibly more potential. While you're still developing the next world beater the competition is gathering points. Brabhams V8 is another example of a simple engine of limited potential that was successful purely because it could be brought up to speed quickly while the oppositions engines were still being de-bugged.

Add Vic Willoughby to the list of "interesting writers on technical subjects".

cheers,
Michael

Anything in particular by Willoughby you'd recommend?

[Grumph]

Anything in particular by Willoughby you'd recommend?

The Racing Motorcycle - Hamlyn, 1980. Probably well out of print now but pretty good stuff. Different perspective from Cameron as Vic actually rode a lot of the bikes mentioned. Like Cathcart in that respect - but goes deeper technically.
Bradley wasn't the first to use that title...

I've made the mistake of trying to carve an alternate universe from billet more than once - and been on the fringes of a couple ot other projects who've gone down this track. It's not just factories who like simple solutions. Most projects never get finished simply because they wouldn't accept a simple answer.
It quicker to get a bike on track using existing parts than making your own....Are you listening Husa ?

[husaberg]

The Racing Motorcycle - Hamlyn, 1980. Probably well out of print now but pretty good stuff. Different perspective from Cameron as Vic actually rode a lot of the bikes mentioned. Like Cathcart in that respect - but goes deeper technically.
Bradley wasn't the first to use that title...

I've made the mistake of trying to carve an alternate universe from billet more than once - and been on the fringes of a couple ot other projects who've gone down this track. It's not just factories who like simple solutions. Most projects never get finished simply because they wouldn't accept a simple answer.
It quicker to get a bike on track using existing parts than making your own....Are you listening Husa ?

Yes i was thinking how deeply that parrallelled me....... right up to the part where you expected me to listen to reason.................

I'm sure they won't be far away.

Already one here it seems

[oldjohnno]

Yes i was thinking how deeply that parrallelled me....... right up to the part where you expected me to listen to reason.................

If it's any consolation Husa you're not alone. More than once I've abandoned projects that somehow got all out of proportion to what was really needed.

The really stupid thing is that I tend to lose interest and move on after all the hard work is done and all that's left is the detail work to finish it

[diesel pig]

The really stupid thing is that I tend to lose interest and move on after all the hard work is done and all that's left is the detail work to finish it

I think it's because after a couple hours milling billet or cutting and welding some one else can come along say look at what you have done! where a couple hours sorting out wiring and control cables or sorting out jetting and some one else would ask what have you done?