Posted on 09/09/2020 7:04:01 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT
Motorcycle racer Ralph Hudson, current FIM World Record holder for the all-time fastest non-streamliner motorcycle at 297 mph, died from injuries suffered three weeks ago at Bonneville, according to a statement released by the family.
.... A gust of wind sent him into a speed wobble – also known as a tank-slapper - from which he did not recover.
... Hudson made a one-way pass of 304 mph, the fastest ever recorded speed for a sit-on motorcycle.
(Excerpt) Read more at autoweek.com ...
I recall reading about Mr. Munro in Floyd Clymers Cycle Magazine, circa 1962.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burt_Munro
My personal top speed is 117, done years ago on a sport bike. Well, what would be called a naked bike today- no fairings etc. That was back when I was young, dumb, and immortal. Now I’m with Red Badger, 65 or 70 is plenty fast enough. I enjoy the ride and the scenery, not scaring myself silly.
Very nuch.
I use a calendar ... if I can find one.
I may have to change the methodology in the coming years?
Still a young septuagenarian.
I can’t help but think of the 80s show Streethawk.
300 mph capable and he never stopped to fill up.
It was a fun show.
I was 13 and had gotten a new speedometer for Christmas for my big Schwinn with the full tank on the frame. Come spring, I just had to see how fast I could go. No helmet, of course. The last thing I remember is the speedometer said “45” — then I woke up about 16 hours later.
My folks carried me into the house and called the doc. He asked “Is that him screaming?” and my folks said “Yeah.” The doc replied “He’ll be fine.” No visit to the ER, no X-Rays or MRIs. I think I’ve been fine these pas 56 years, but I may not have a good reference point after that incident.
Hmmmm another victim of chinese virus....
The only thing I can think of that went wrong was possibly a rock on the highway caused my front tire to angle off the road and I had zero time to correct. I just remember waking up moment later with a busted bike I had to push home with a hurt leg......................
I have seen 40mph on a straight, clean, smooth down grade; did not like it!
Our son was doing a coast-to-coast pulling MY TRAILER somewhere in the Rockies he exceeded 50 MPH! On his GPS.
Over 3K miles 28 days and two partial rest days along the way at friends’ homes.
He dropped the trailer here in DuPage County to pick up the pace en route to DC.
I think I hit a small pothole, but not sure. People say I went over the handlebars and landed on my head.
You’d think I would have learned my lesson. But, nope. Ten years later, I was a field service engineer starting up power plants and spent one weekend at the Paradise Inn on Mt. Rainier. Early Saturday morning I pushed off on my Bertin 10-speed bike (a French bike) from the front of the Inn and did not pedal a single time for the next 13 miles! On the way down the mountain, a couple of motorcyclists pulled up alongside me with their engines off as they were running low on gas. One of them taps his speedo and yells at me “You’re doing 45!” Again, here I was blasting down the mountain at 45 with no helmet. Fortunately, everything went well and I arrived at the bottom safely. It took several hours to climb back up to the inn after that exhilarating 25 minute downhill blast.
I hate the media! If this guy breaks the 300 mph barrier, we would not have heard one bit of it. But, he gets killed trying, and it is all over the media.
Same thing with MotoGP, Isle of Man, and auto racing.
“Fastest I ever went was 130.”
Same here, backing down from that speed was more frightening than getting there. (Speed wobble).
Never again.
1. that is speed for a ‘flying mile’ not a dead start mile.
2. MOST of the racers at Bonneville are older people.
A long time friend of mine has worked at Speed Week for well over 40 years & he is 82.
BTW
I know for a fact that my Triumph Sprint ST 955 will still do 135 mph (on the speedo, for what that’s worth) as of last month. A few years ago, I hit over a 100-kph going down the south side of the Col d’Izoard on a Specialized Enigma bicycle shod with 25mm tires (Garmin GPS confirmed). That event became more terror filled later as we thought about it at the bar.
They’ll test for Covid.
I would have yelled: NO BRAKES!!!!!!!!!.................
I knew a guy who melted his brake pads in the Italian Alps. He rode down the mountain with no brakes.
He rode down the mountain with no brakes.
WOW!
A total nightmare.
Walking in cycling shoes, very bad and worse downhill.
Last week I was working on a bike that sat in a friend’s garage for some years... fresh tires, clean, lube...
Take it for a spin, feels good... the brakes are squealing and chattering...
I live off a BIG HILL!!! (for the area) it is sometimes claimed to possibly be maybe twenty feet high! On a good day.
Coming in I could see the front brake smearing onto the rim; I don’t think they aged well, or something.
Did 94MPH on a vespa scooter W/10” wheels, downhill.
That was much scarier than 140 on a BMW.
Last week some moron passed me in the left lane of the freeway doing about 75. I was wondering about his tires overheating. Suddenly the windshield started getting pelted with rubber. The idiot turns right in front of me and came with two feet of becoming red mush from the van to my right.
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