My Racing Days

These pictures are of my Honda 550 four-cylinder. I bored that 1970's Honda 550 out to 650cc, turbocharged it with American TurboPac, put Dunstall fiberglass bodywork on it from England, and did every trick in the book from Target Racing swingarm bushings to Accel electronic ignition to Lockhart oil cooling and a Yoshimura cam. There are many, many more modifications and racing parts to this bike...way too many to list here. I had about $15,000 in 1970's dollars in this bike. It would get to about 120 mph, then the turbo would kick in. Top speed about 165-170 mph, no joke. Not bad for a old Honda 550. I kept it barely street legal, and back in the seventies when these "crotch rocket"-looking bikes had yet to appear on the street in any numbers, I sure drew attention wherever I went. I have included pictures from Atlanta International Raceway, and Roebling Road Raceway near Savannah. Also included are pictures of me working on and storing the bike in my apartment.

This picture is of my Honda MT125R factory race bike. A 125cc bike that went 110 mph, and you could almost pick up with one hand. Sweet! The picture was taken in the infield part of Charlotte Speedway.

This is me on my honeymoon, racing my Yamaha SR500 thumper for the first time.

These are two Yamaha clunkers I got cheap and campaigned alongside my main bikes.

This is before my racing days...my trusty ole Honda 450 twin cylinder. Notice the "ape hanger" bars. Sheesh!

This is a picture of a bike I never owned, a Yamaha RZ350. I remember when they came out, and I could kick myself now for not buying one. It was the last street-legal two-stroke motorcycle. The next year the EPA shut them down. A shame!