Anders 'Charlie' Karling's drag racer runs in the Top Fuel class of the European race series for 'Super Twins'. The turbocharged engine is based on a four-cam Harley-Davidson Sportster engine, although we suspect that there are not a great many original Motor Company parts in there.
Thanks go to Monique Pels for the original pictures used for this view of her father Ton Pels, and his Zodiac-sponsored Super Twin Top Fueler. The bike was Europe's first 200mph Harley - further details can be found via the above-mentioned Zodiac's site, or through Monique's own Top Fuel Drag Racing website.
Probably the most popular engines for drag bikes are four-cylinder Suzukis, both early GSX's and the later oil-cooled GSXR's. This bike has a nickel-plated steel tube frame by Steelheart Engineering to support its GSXR version. Although it has a separate swingarm, this is fixed with a solid link: suspension is not used on fast drag bikes so that the power is directed straight through the tyre to the track. Sprung rear suspension would allow a bike to 'squat' when the clutch is released, wasting valuable fractions of seconds. Although this 'super street' style bike does not have wheelie bars, they would also be difficult to install with a moving swingarm.
You would not normally find a bike here with pink paint: pink really belongs on Lady Penelope's Rolls-Royce, not on a bike, but it actually works well on this Suzuki.
OK. We have established that two cylinders generally make for the best bike engines - at least audio-visually speaking. We also know that a V8 is the best engine for a car. What we have here is a V8 bike! Australian, Ian Drysdale, has built himself possibly the best of both worlds. The 750cc V8 engine uses his own design of block, with a pair of FZR400 cylinder heads, resulting in four valves per cylinder, actuated by four overhead cams. Although designed as a limited production race bike, this must still qualify as a hot rod - it is built from a mixture of custom-built and factory (mainly Yamaha) parts, and you can't deny its function is pure performance. We just want to hear it run!
Supertwins drag racing features a series of classes for anything from stock to fuel-burning engined bikes. As long as it has only two cylinders - valves are optional! Variety is the name of the game, with Harleys, Ducatis, Suzukis, Yamahas and Hondas amongst the chosen weapons. This tasty big-bore Triumph Bonneville blasts into the high 10's in the Modified class. The combination of modern front forks and aluminium swing-arm contrast nicely with the twenty-plus year old frame and engine designs, and obviously work as well as they look.
Yes please! Hands up if you'd like this big-twin Harley race bike in your garage. We can't tell you much about it as we don't know much about it - other than it was starring at Avon Park Raceway, in July 2000, running in the European Super Twin eliminator. Pure form following function, and doesn't that wire-spoked front wheel look good on a race bike?
A perfect balance. Funny Bike racer Chris Hall has his eyes focused on the finish line, and his Suzuki riding the back wheel to a mid-seven second run. Funny Bike is the domain of turbocharged and nitrous oxide-injected four cylinder engines, and variety is the name of the game.
This early-80's Suzuki GS1000 caught our eye in the pits at a Super Series 2000 meeting. We didn't see it running, and can tell you nothing about it, except we're pretty sure it runs in the 9.90 bracket. What we can tell you is that it has been lowered, and fitted with a Vance & Hines four-into-one exhaust, later mag wheels, and aluminium swingarm, then painted in a factory-original style. But you didn't need us to tell you that - just look at the picture.
We can't claim to be experts on pre-WWII British bikes, so all we can say is that we are pretty sure this is a thirties Rudge Ulster 500cc single. Rudge built quite successful TT and Grand Prix racers between the World Wars, but the company didn't make it into the 1940's. Although drag racing took off in the UK during the late Sixties and early Seventies, there was already a strong following for sprinting - the same thing really! This old sprint bike was caught at Avon Park Raceway at a bike show in 1999. What about it appeals to us? It is obviously nowhere near as fast as the other race bikes here, but it's probably the stripped-down, no-nonsense look. And the fact that the engine's form follows its function: every nut, bolt, bracket, and fitting has a purpose, and they all blend together perfectly.
A four-cylinder Suzuki sportsman racebike, built along similar lines to the red and white GS1000 featured above, but this time based on the more angular-looking, GSX1100S Katana. Another heads-up class runner, this time in 10.90 Bike, the Kat is also superbly finished, and is typical of the standard that can be found in the pits at any drag race meeting.
A Top Fuel Bike in flight! With 1000hp barely under control, Ian King aims his missile at the top end of the track. Six or seven seconds later it's all over - at least the acceleration bit is, as he's still got to slow down from 200mph! Something you cannot get from a picture, is the sound of four cylinders igniting their force-fed diet of air and nitromethane - maybe we'll try and get a recording of it sometime. Ian's website, at www.kingracing.com has more information on his bike, and Top Fuel Bike racing in general.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of SUPERTWINS - sportsman bike racing in the UK
AUTO CYCLE UNION - representing motorcycle sport in the UK