Unfinished...

I was sitting here thinking about all the bikes I started to build but never finished.  I think it's about time I completed something starting with my 56 Harley KHK project.......

Turnip Eater

It was in 1969 that Leo Payne's famous 'Turnip Eater' (said to be a reference to the American-made machine eating up British-made brands on the drag strip) set several records, including hitting a top speed of over 201 mph, en route to an average of 196.512. His trap speed of 201 made Payne the first rider in history to push a non-streamliner to over 200 mph. His bike, which started life a s a 1957 Sportster, was towed up to 70 mph before he fired it up to begin the run. To save weight he used a single-speed transmission, which meant he had to slip the clutch up to about 110 mph. That year he broke the existing class record by a margin of 43 mph.

Payne won numerous titles and set countless records in the often informally sanctioned motorcycle drag races of the 1960s. Payne was noted for his consistency on the drag strip where his runs rarely varied by more than a few hundredths of a second.

He won with single-engine bikes during an era when dual- and even triple-engine dragsters came into vogue. One of Payne’s secrets was shaving a great deal of weight off his Sportster-based dragsters. He eliminated all unneeded parts and removed enough metal to get the normally heavy Harleys down to just over 300 pounds.

He was one of the first motorcycle drag racers to use the burnout method of warming his rear tire. These tire-smoke-filled pre-race rituals often psyched-out his opponents.

Payne was a HD mechanic and a master at building special carburetors to run a nitromethane and gas combination. Payne’s designs helped S&S Cycle launch a successful line of racing carburetors.

More Chopper Goodness From Mr Billy Lane

Devil in a Red Dress

The pictures above are of one of my favorite bikes by Billy Lane...Devil in a Red Dress.  The bike pictured below was my attempt to build something like it.  His saying is "copy me please"  because of all the designs that were stolen from him.  

It was not my intention to try to steal anything but to have something close to his chopper goodness.  I guess it wasn't even close, but, thank you Billy for the inspiration !

Poncho & Lefty

Another Masterpiece by Billy Lane

Righteous K Model

Years ago we used to call a motorcycle that was trimmed down to perfection a righteous scoot..this fits the bill.  Choppers were something you chopped all the excess off of to make them light and cool.  I never was into bikes with a lot of bondo and flashy colors...black is best in most cases

Shinya Kimura...Genius Bike Builder