A Speedway bike is a simple piece of machinery... It has one gear, no brakes, minimal suspension at the front only and runs on methanol. A modern Speedway bike can actually accelerate to 60 mph faster than a Formula 1 Car and can reach up to speeds of 90mph on the relatively short straights of a speedway track.
1927 Harley-Davidson "Peashooter"
1928 Douglas DT5 (UK)
1929 Sunbeam Dirt-Track model (UK)
1930s Rudge Whitworth (UK)
1934 Harley-Davidson CAC
1935 Victor Martin/J.A.P. (UK)
1949 J.A.P. Speedway (UK)
1950s Rotrax JAP
1966 ESO (Czech)
1970 2-Valve Jawa (Czech)
1970s Model 890 Jawa (Czech)
1974 Mk1 Maely (Ken Maely - USA)
Weslake Mk5 (UK)
1980s GM500 (Giuseppe Marzotto - Italy)
Mk4 Godden (UK)
1990s GM laydown (Italy)
2005 laydown Jawa (Czech)
Billy Hamill's 2006 Jawa laydown (Czech)
Machines used must...
Weigh no less than 77kg (unfuelled)
Use a four-stroke, single cylinder engine with one carburettor and one spark plug and a maximum capacity of 500cc
Have guards fitted over moving engine parts where reasonable
Use an additional chain guard to prevent a hand or fingers being cut by a chain
Have a peg (Dutch Peg) fitted to prevent a broken chain flailing and injuring a rider or a fellow competitor
Use shatter resistant plastics where reasonable
Be fitted with a dirt deflector
Be fuelled by methanol with no other additives
Be fitted with an approved silencer - (a controversial item at the moment!)
Have a handlebar width greater than 650mm and less than 850mm.
Speedway Machines cannot...
Be constructed in any part from Titanium
Use uncoated ceramic parts
Use telemetry during a race except for timing purposes
Use any electronic components to control the engine
Use brakes of any form
Use a supercharger or a turbocharger of any kind.
"Use a supercharger or a turbocharger of any kind."
ReplyDeleteA supercharged speedway bike!! That would sound utterly terrifying. And brilliant.....
Wery good page.Good memory for everebody....I am from Hungary old recer from 1960-s.
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