Race of the power bikes (2014)

Best 50 min spend this year so far. Have a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-SOXVVdIZ4

Dan

Saw this about a year ago when the link was posted on this forum. I noticed that the video was uploaded by PW's son. I think it is essential viewing by all commando owners, it is most inspiring and is record of history. That is one of the major values of Youtube generally and the reason that I upload every bit of Australian road racing history that I can get hold of. There is practically nothing available about Australian road racers of the 50s and 60s. These days we do 'historic ' races and the young guys don't know what history really looked like. The videos help preserve reality, even if we go nowhere near recreating it.

Watch from here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2JX2iinzxQ

dantriumph said:

Best 50 min spend this year so far. Have a look:

Dan

Click to expand...

I watched it again last night and have always thought it strange that Mick Grant doesn't get a mention despite finishing second...on another John Player Norton. There was a sentence towards the end of the film that alludes to them getting a 1-2. He is shown on the podium though.

Dave Crashford is great in this also
Brilliant stuff

Hi all,
Fascinating!
By today’s standards I was appalled at how easily they talked about the death of riders.
Just amazing how a world beating bike like the JPN was produced on such a shoestring. If the bike had a known gearbox problem why wasn’t it fixed?
I have a couple of questions that someone might be able to answer for me.
# What competition is the Powerbike?
# What is GP?
# Is that different from the Tourist Trophy as won by Slippery Sam Trident?
# What different types of races were there?
# Was there stock production bike races?
# What were the other bikes he was competing against? They mentioned Suzuki and you can certainly hear two strokes racing. I think I saw a trident and was there a BMW or person Guzzi in there. i could hear a four cylinder bike which I presume was a Honda.
# How many horsepower was the JPN producing?
regards
al
oh, and Ps
i was impressed by how well spoken Peter Williams was. He appeared to be such a decent person.

I think the power bikes were used in the Trans Atlantic Formula 750 Series of races in the early 1970s. The TZ750s displaced the four-strokes. In 1972, the TR500 Suzuki was probably racing against the four strokes. An RG500 would crap on any Norton except a John Player Special - rotary.
Peter Williams was a professionally qualified engineer. He would have completed a 3 or 4 year university degree.. Very few motorcycle racers have done that. Most probably stuff their schooling up by playing with motorcycles.
At that time the 'fast' Honda was the CR750.
With the JPN, torque was more important than horsepower. It about how you get the power onto the ground. The best Commando 750 probably put out 80 BHP, a TZ750 has over 100 BHP - but you have to get the TZ750 upright before you can really use it. A lot depends on the circuit on which you race.

British production bike racing allowed a fair level of modification. But the JPN would not have been eligible in it'd later forms.

The IOMTT is not a race. It is a time trial. If you actually race there, you end up dead. Until about the late 1980s, it was part of the Grand Prix series of international races. - Barry Sheene refused to race there.

Alan L said:

Hi all,
Fascinating!
By today’s standards I was appalled at how easily they talked about the death of riders.
Just amazing how a world beating bike like the JPN was produced on such a shoestring. If the bike had a known gearbox problem why wasn’t it fixed?
I have a couple of questions that someone might be able to answer for me.
# What competition is the Powerbike?
# What is GP?
# Is that different from the Tourist Trophy as won by Slippery Sam Trident?
# What different types of races were there?
# Was there stock production bike races?
# What were the other bikes he was competing against? They mentioned Suzuki and you can certainly hear two strokes racing. I think I saw a trident and was there a BMW or person Guzzi in there. i could hear a four cylinder bike which I presume was a Honda.
# How many horsepower was the JPN producing?
regards
al
oh, and Ps
i was impressed by how well spoken Peter Williams was. He appeared to be such a decent person.

Click to expand...

Riders:

People die whether they road race or not. If you road race, you actually live. I am 80 and have only one regret - I did not do enough road racing. I was too busy working and improving my capabilities. I have known a few guys who died while racing, but I can only think of one instance in which I really believe I could have died. Deaths on public roads involving motorcycles, are much more common.
During my professional life as a scientist, I always had my race bike in the background. It is an interest which keeps me alive.

Dommie Nator said:

Riders:

https://www.iomtt.com/tt-database/events/races?meet_code=TT73&race_seq=9

Click to expand...

When the JPN was raced, the only separate 5 and 6 speed boxes were Quaife and Schafleitner, which were probably too fragile to cope with the torque of a Commando engine.. The current TTI box is stronger. - Thicker shafts which don't bend so easily.