1971 The Bonneville Story Speed is Essence - 5-Page Vintage Motorcycle Article

Description: Yes we combine shipping for multiple purchases.Add multiple items to your cart and the combined shipping total will automatically be calculated. 1971 The Bonneville Story Speed is Essence - 5-Page Vintage Motorcycle Article Original, vintage magazine articlePage Size: Approx. 8" x 11" (21 cm x 27 cm)Condition: Good The BonnevilleStoryBonneville is unlike anyplace you'veever been — at least while you're awake.It's got to be akin to being an amoeba atthe bottom of a bone china tea cup.There you are — a speck despoiling a vastwhite surface which stretches to infinityin all directions.While you're contemplating The Mean-ing of All This, you hear a high-pitchedwhine, not unlike that of an ME-109 in apower dive. You look up and see nothingbut a white hole in the sky — the sun —but it's so hot it must be just a hole in thesky because the sun seems to be comingout of the hard white sand, too. For amoment, you can't tell where the skystops and the land starts. . .Suddenly, you identify the source ofthe siren-like sound — far out on thehorizon you see a shimmering projectilehoming in on you. You wonder whetheryou should attempt to run but, rapidlyguaging the rate of acceleration of theland-bound missile, you judge correctlythat any move would be futile — eitherthe pilot of the beast sees you or hedoesn't.Suddenly, he's past — so fast youcouldn't even read the name on the sidebut at least you were able to identify thenature of the beast — a Bonneville stream-liner — a fragile monocoque shellstretched over a custom frame runningtwo dr more bike engines and capable ofspeeds exceeding 200 mph in the flyingmile. Lay one over at speed and you slidefor two miles. . .The StreamlinersThis year there were three 'liners atBonneville, but the hopes of any of thembeating the record was slim since thecourse was shorter than usual, due to badsalt surfaces caused by rain. Don Vescowas the favorite, with his twin Yamaha350-powered bike running an aero-dynamic shell designed by Lynn Yakelbut he dumped it at 60 mph, ending hischances of breaking his own record of212 mph.Two other streamliners met up withproblems, too. Bill Wirges, packing a1000 cc Kawasaki in his perfectly de-tailed 'liner discovered every rookie hashis problems and decided to try for his300-mph run next year. Giff Rondine, aveteran of the salt, wasn't so lucky. Giff'sBultaco-powered liner has an open cock-pit, good for fresh air but not so good ifyou turn turtle. Which he did — at 150mph. A sturdy roll bar, shoulder harnessand Bell Star helmet saved him. A father-son project, the Conboy liner, self-immolated itself, canceling out the team'schances for a record run. Ironically, anon-board fire extinguishing system failedto work.3000ccIn the 3000cc class, Harley-Davidsonwas the only name to be riding andWarner Riley was the success story —having toted his fully faired HD Sportsterall the way from Skokie, Illinois to makehis run, at 200.298 mph for a two-way,average, thus making him the 11th bikereligible for membership in Bonneville'sfamed "200 MPH" club. Bob George ofHawthorne, California, had two Harleyengines but kept throwing chains, pre-venting him from matching his pastrecord of 202.379 mph."Trick" was the word for CarlSchollman's bike. Schollman, of Cotati,Calif, used an old heater fan motor as asupercharger on his sportster. His run of119.802 won't knock anybody over butmaybe supercharged bikes are just overthe horizon?... 13204-AL-7112-50

Price: 13.27 USD

Location: Kingsport, Tennessee

End Time: 2024-08-23T01:04:33.000Z

Shipping Cost: 5.95 USD