I know how it is to get addicted to building
something "different". Back when I was
road-racing motorcycles I had a Norton 500cc
single. I wanted race in the 750 class, but I
wanted to stay with a single (don't ask me why).
There were no 750 singles, so I decided to design
my own using a pickup truck-load of boneyard
parts. I cobbled together a bunch of parts around
a Yamaha bottom end with a home-made cylinder and
a modified piston from a Dodge truck motor and
came up with a 750 cc single cylinder motorcycle
with 11.5:1 compression. It could not be kicked
over. I weighed over 200 even then, and all I
succeeded in doing was shearing off starter lever
splines, bending the starter lever, and damned
near breaking my leg. We tried to push start it
many times, but the compression was so high on
the single piston that when it got to near top
dead center, it was like having a rod through the
cylinder wall. The rear tire would just slide.
It absolutely would not turn over. Pull the
spark plug to insure that mechanically it was
sound, and it would kick over like a 125 dirt
bike. Tried everything in the book but never
succeeded in getting that motor started. I was
going to try and design a compression relief that
would lift the exhaust valve a little, and I was
going to build a remote electric drag-bike-style
starter using a gear reduction starter from a 440
Chrysler, but I gave up before I ever got it
done. Sometimes you gotta try something just
because you gotta try it!
--- Jim Dincau <jdincau@qnet.com> wrote:
> Dick, thanks for the neat story. Making the
> most of what you have is what
> hot rodding is all about. I have decided on F
> class for the street roadster
> I am building. I have a late model Mercruser
> block (Chevy II) and I am going
> to run a Fontana head, steel crank and rods
> with a dry sump. I know there
> are other motors I could run but I am addicted
> to building a 4 banger, the
> bigger the better. If I was logical about it,
> it wouden't be me.
> Jim Dincau
> #700 C/BFMR running
> F/SR building
>
>
=====
Dick J - - ECTA #72
G/FCC - FX/GMR
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