Anyone a member of the Bonneville 130mph or 150mph club on a XS650?

Oxblood

Oxblood

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My wife has wanted to get into racing for a while now and while we were back east I bought a Honda hawk set up for road-racing but we never got around to racing it. Being back in Colorado I sold the Hawk and started thinking about a salt flats machine. I've got an extra xs laying around wanted to test the waters on where to get started. I don't know much about salt flat machines but the only way to learn is to do right?

Matt
 
Lowbrow Customs made a bike for the salt flats. I think they have a dvd and maybe some info on their blog. Not a 650.
 
Looks like I can't run in the VG class so I would be limited to the G class which puts me with any engine in the same displacement range, if I'm reading the rulebook right... not looking too good for the xs
 
Ya, vintage class is pre '56?. So you would have to run in your cc class. I have the SCTA book and I think it is over 145mph for modified and production 650 class. I'm not sure the XS will put you in the book.
Kyle from Lowbrow has the new partial streamliner/ pushrod record on his Triumph.
I'm going this August to watch and next year with a bike. Not looking for any records, but I have wanted to do it since I was a little kid.
 
I dunno. Might be able to do that if it can spin enough RPM and still make good HP. Weld/balance the crank, lose 1st and 2nd gears, etc etc. trim the bike's weight way down, put a small skinny guy on it (that leaves me out :laugh: )...

Way back when there was a guy who turned the cylinder head around on a Honda CB450, thus putting the carbs pointing forward. This allowed him to use the ram air from the high speeds to cram more air into the cylinders, along with eliminating excess curves in the exhaust pipes. I wonder if an XS could be done that way?

EDIT: Turns out, yes it has been done. http://www.xs650.org.au/offbeat.html

awolfskill2.jpg
 
Last edited:
If you go to the SCTA website, check out some of the smaller cc records. The 250 class amazes me. Only problem I could see with the XS is that it is in the same class as new technology. No year discrimination. Matching a 650 twin against a brand new bike that has electronic this, fuel injection that, ect.
I'm still gonna do it just to see what I can come up with and for the thrill of being on the salt.
 
1974jh5 said:
I dunno. Might be able to do that if it can spin enough RPM and still make good HP. Weld/balance the crank, lose 1st and 2nd gears, etc etc. trim the bike's weight way down, put a small skinny guy on it (that leaves me out :laugh: )...

Way back when there was a guy who turned the cylinder head around on a Honda CB450, thus putting the carbs pointing forward. This allowed him to use the ram air from the high speeds to cram more air into the cylinders, along with eliminating excess curves in the exhaust pipes. I wonder if an XS could be done that way?

EDIT: Turns out, yes it has been done. http://www.xs650.org.au/offbeat.html

awolfskill2.jpg
Click to expand...

1974,
Do you know what bike the swing arm came off in the reverse cylinder engine bike.

leslie
 
No, I don't. There is some info on that web site concerning the guy's build but it doesn't go into great detail. I think it's from an MX bike of some sort, the monoshock links look like the Kawasaki stuff osterderm is using on his monoshock conversion.
 
I was reading my SCTA book and it says that in the 650cc class M-G, which is Modified frame-Gasoline engine,
the current record is 162.026 mph.
In the P-P class, Production frame-Production engine, which, "The motorcycle must appear identical in all respects to the production model it represents, including the intake airbox and exhaust system", is 165.994 mph.
 
Run the Bub event. I think it is way better than speed week for motorcycles anyway.

The AMA record for modified/production engine is 111.235 mph. As littlebill said you are never going to be competitive with a modern sports bike in the same class.
 
I'm not sure it would while in the 650cc class. That salt is not asphalt and it has very peculiar trates. A modified 650 might hit 120, maybe, but that salt can make you spin the whole time. If its damp its like mush.
 
Only thing I can do is try! The wife's going to decide if she wants a chop or a racer then I'll start calling some engine builders. Otherwise I can try and do it on the triumph you can barely see in the background.

IMG_20111227_171212.jpg
 
Cool that our wife wants to do it. I have been surprised at how many women are running these days, and mostly motorcycles.

Hope to see you out there!
 
I say go for it. Just the history of the past riders draws me to it. I wouldn't care if I only hit 75, I gotta do it.
The person who holds the Production class 650 record is Susan Robertson.
Check out Lowbrows Triumph, The Salt Ghost.
 
Build the race bike. It may not set any records against the more modern 650 class bikes but you might come close to 650 twin records. And you will have the fun of building the bike with the wife. You can always build it into a chop later.
Leo
 

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