Bill, Brian & List
Jeff Shipley a long time lakes and Bonneville racer has a twin engine
streamliner with two Chevrolets mounted sideways and four wheel drive. It's
quite a engineering feat. The car is still in the de-bugging stages. I
believe it has ran 200mph up till now.
The drive train is something else and hard to describe. Has cross shafts
etc. and some kind of reduction gear box.. It's slippery design and a sling
shot driving position. Hope to see it at the Lakes next month. Great site
for information, right guys.
Glen (need for speed)
----- Original Message -----
From: <ardunbill@webtv.net>
To: "brian falkner" <falken@ihug.co.nz>; <bigsid@webtv.net>;
<land-speed@autox.team.net>
Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2001 5:00 PM
Subject: Re: Gyroscopic Effects: Flywheels
> Glad you liked that, Brian.
>
> The gyroscopic effect of the wheels on a motorcycle has long been
> recognized. It is generally beneficial because the greater the speed of
> the wheels/gyroscopes, the greater is their stabilizing effect since a
> gyro wants to remain in its plane, and more so the faster it spins.
>
> This gyroscopic effect can become detrimental to the quick handling of a
> road-racing motorcycle at high speed because it slows the reaction of
> the bike when the rider wants to bank and turn. Hence the practice with
> such bikes, for about 70 years now, of using aluminum rims (when they
> were spoked) and lightweight racing tires, and the lightest possible
> brake parts (magnesium alloy hubs/drums/backing plates), and even light
> "butted" (two diameter) spokes. I don't know that the ground contact
> point has any effect in this matter.
>
> With a speed trials bike the wheels would be a valuable stability
> factor, straight-up.
>
> I'm sure you're right that the crankshaft of a single or twin has a
> gyroscopic effect inside the crankcase, adding stability to the machine.
>
> I don't know about any gyroscopes on four-wheel streamliners, maybe
> someone else can comment. Don't know if any use cross-mounted engines,
> except where motorcycle engines are used in the small four- wheel
> streamliner classes. Generally a streamliner is built with the smallest
> possible front aspect.
>
> Brian, being in New Zealand, are you familiar with the legend of when
> Burns and Wright took the World Motorcycle Speed Record at 185 on a long
> straight closed public road there in 1955? Vincent Black Lightning, of
> course, a standard chassis with B & W's homemade fish-shaped streamlined
> shell over it. Burns wrote a story about it, which exists in
> manuscript, but was never published. Anyhow, the machine was geared to
> 6000 rpm at 185, so those Vincent flywheels were helping stability with
> their gyro effect. "A lovely great mill" as Burns described the engine.
> This record was set with "80-10-10" fuel by the way, 80% methanol, 10%
> petrol (gas) and 10% benzole. No nitro down there at that time! I'm
> sure there's plenty now. Cheers Bill
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