Jim and list
My take on this subject (I worked with the Richard Brown rocket powered
motorcycle streamliner team) is that all streamliners ridden feet forwards
go down to the ground at some stage in their life.
With new bikes it is often at modest speed in the first mile as balance is
not established (didn't one have the chute come out?). With bikes going
faster it is sometimes due to tyres going down or failing - then the
accident is much greater. Chutes not flying straight can also pull the
bike down - it nearly did twice at 200+ mph for the Gillette Mach3
Challenger but the rider kept her upright.
The rocket bike went down once (during testing on a beach) and once only,
when the stabilisers were retracted and the bike was not vertical. Graised
the outer skin but not the rider. This bike then went on to set a flying
1/4 mile UK record on a 1.9 mile long runway then hit a peak of 365 mph on
Bonneville salt - but the rear tyre lost air pressure at that speed.
The rider practiced on a trainer bike until he could ride in curves as well
as in straight lines. The South Africans have just built an updated
version of the trainer bike to try out on their desert surface (similar to
the Black Rock) ready for the rocket bike team to try for the outright
fastest speed on two wheels in 2004.
Malcolm Pittwood, Derby, England
ps the bike had hub centre steering.
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