While our goal is high-performance, our focus is reliability and useability for the street rider who wants to enhance the performance of their classic without sacrificing rideability.
The photo above was taken in 1986 at Willow Springs Raceway in California. Hell bent for speed on a 320lb 850cc Norton roadracer, hitting 100+mph, heading into a downhill straight. I shift into 4th at full song and feel the tires skitter through the next turn as I approach 140mph. Is this crazy? Other riders are doing it so maybe its ok, I tell myself. The wind is screaming so loud that I can’t hear the engine ready to explode at peak RPM. At this speed the air is as thick as water and it wants to pull me off the bike. My mind is working so fast that everything seems like slow motion. Each second is split into fragments as I negotiate every bit of the track. Knee dragging on the pavement, I must be as smooth and graceful as a ballet dancer, as one jerk will break what tire contact I have left with the pavement and send me over the ragged edge. But no time to worry because I need to tighten my turn before the next straight opens up. Finally, a bit of rest as I tuck in tight to clean up air drag and wring the motor out to its max. Are those valves I hear banging against the tops of the pistons? Can I get past that guy in the next turn? Don’t crash!
The photo to the left is the Final version of my Race bike. I sold it to esteemed Norton builder Ken Canaga, who punched it out to 920cc and added some very nice wheels and brakes. It took a 3rd place at a National race against a field of Ducatis with Rob Tuluie in the saddle at Willow springs raceway in September, 1990, in the AMA GP2 twins class.
