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This was my first
race bike. Me and a mate went off to buy it on impulse, because it was the
cheapest advertised that week. We met the guy selling it in a lay-by, and
it just so happened that there was a narrow tarmac lane out the back of
the lay-by down to a farm. "Do you want to try it".."Oh
yeah..!". He fired it up..."Bloody hell what a
noise....lovely", I jumped on and set off down the lane. The bike
appeared to have no suspension at all, no seat padding, and was generally
exceptionally uncomfortable. I was just getting used to it and starting to
speed up as I approached a blind corner, "Aaaahh, there wont be
nothing coming.....Oh shit, oh no, Jesus Christ, that's it then".
Fortunately there was a small gap between the edge of the combine
harvester and a stone wall, trouble was the gap was in the ditch. I had no
choice and swerved off into the ditch, cacking myself, but I did make it.
I spent about 15 mins. getting all the shit off, and out, of the bike,
whilst waiting for the combine to clear off. I then did about a '20' point
turn ( dismal turning circle ), 'thrashed' it back up the lane and handed
over the cash.
I had absolutely
no Idea what to do next. The bloke I got it from advised us that we needed
an ACU license, and to join a club. The Internet wasn't around then, so
finding phone numbers etc of clubs or even the ACU proved difficult.
Still, I was pretty determined now, having just spent 400 quid, and made a
load of phone calls, went to a few race meetings, asked a load of guys in
the paddock, and finally met someone down the pub. The guy down the pub
was the most useful of course, and he sort of took us under his wing for a
while.
What was the
bike.
Everyone
that saw the bike said "what the hells that then". I didn't
really know so I tried to find out. Over about a year I gradually found
out what I had bought. An early surprise happened at my second race
meeting, some chap came up and offered me 125 quid just for the front
wheel. It turned out it was a Yamaha TD2B twin leading shoe effort and
very difficult to get. I didn't sell though. At another meeting I noticed
a bike with the same frame but it had a triumph 500 twin in it. This chap
was very informative and told me that "BSA flogged off all their 350
Bandit/Fury frames for 100 quid a piece when they abandoned the project, a
lot of racers bought them, by the way, where did you get it". When I
told him he said "Oh yeah, i know him, he said he was going to put a
Honda engine in it, it used to have a triumph like mine, he blew the
triumph up at Castle Coombe". He walked over to have a look and said
"Do you want to sell those MP forks, I'll swap you for some Road
Holders". " No thanks mate".
The
engine was a stock Honda 400 four with a Dixon Racing Yoshimura 460 kit on
it. This included, big bore pistons, road and track cam. With this kit it
used to rev to about 13,000 and go quite well. The previous owner
obviously had a British 'bent' and had fitted 4 AMAL 26mm concentric carbs.
This is really the only thing I changed. I got some 26mm Mikunis which
made it loads better, only at low revs though, there wasn't anything in it
flat-out.
The verdict: This
bike was on a par with a tuned 250/350Lc (pre power valve), but was a lot
more reliable. Perhaps reliable is the wrong word, what I mean is cost
effective. A tuned LC required rings regularly and probably pistons, and
always the threat of a seize. I never spent a penny on this engine in a
full years racing. I then lent the engine to a bloke as a spare for the TT
F2 race, he did the practice sessions using it - then swapped back to his
own for the race. It did another years racing the following year and it
still had no money spent on it. I used to put Shell R40 (straight 40 Grade
) engine oil in it, it was brilliant. When the engine did finally
come apart, for a cam chain, it looked perfect.
I sold the bike
to a friend who in turn gave it to another friend, both raced it for a
year. The last one advertised the bike for 500 quid in MCN. He was a
bit slimey and mentioned the TD2B wheel. He had loads of offers for
the wheel. Some guy rang up and said "I only want the wheel, I'll
give you 2 hundred quid for it". "Naah, the whole bikes got to
go, give me 400 for the bike".....Ummm "OK..!". That was
the only offer he had for the bike, and the last we saw of it. I bet the
rest was scrapped.
God I'm starting to feel old.
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