No room for more trucks

Here's a picture of the guy (Rollie Free) in the picture above getting started off. Wearing nothing but a bathing suit he set a record of 150 mph in 1948 on the salt flats. CRAZY. In comparison a spread out free falling skydiver typically maxes out at around 120 mph - I did that once and it felt like my cheeks were going to fly off!!

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Looks like a mighty Vincent. Very fast, but they prefer to only drive in a straight line, or so the story goes.
 
Randy in ca said:
Here's a picture of the guy (Rollie Free) in the picture above getting started off. Wearing nothing but a bathing suit he set a record of 150 mph in 1948 on the salt flats. CRAZY. In comparison a spread out free falling skydiver typically maxes out at around 120 mph - I did that once and it felt like my cheeks were going to fly off!!

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Are those two guys in the background looking towards area 51? They do look rather 'otherworldly'
 
Gary, when you get the Hatzuki to Bonneville, going with "Lumberjack" flannel material for your speedo would really represent your area of the country best. Suspenders go well with flannel and should help to prevent it from blowing off at the high speed you will most likely attain.
 
Scotty, Please! Lord help us to 'unsee' Anybody in a flannel speedo with suspenders, especially Me!

On the original subject I built a receiver hitch mounted cycle carrier this afternoon from 2"sq with 1/4" wall and 1 1/2 sq with 3/16" wall. Two 6' rails of 1 1/2"with 5 1/2" between for the tires, as the rear tire measures at 5 3/8" wide. This is primarily for the '59 F350 with the 9' pickup box and a very stout 6x6 H beam for a rear bumper. Soon to build another crane with another WW2 Navy bomb hoist I picked uo last year. I will have the option of loading the Hatzuki into the box or onto the new carrier. But for tomorrow I'll load it on by backing under my 5 ton Beebe Bros hand crank winch in the shop. I'll get some pics tomorrow. I hope to take it to some events next summer, and from trial runs, Let's just say it's one of those vehicles that might be more fun to look at than to actually ride (at least on the mainland).
 

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GB SISSON said:
Scotty, Please! Lord help us to 'unsee' Anybody in a flannel speedo with suspenders, especially Me!

On the original subject I built a receiver hitch mounted cycle carrier this afternoon from 2"sq with 1/4" wall and 1 1/2 sq with 3/16" wall. Two 6' rails of 1 1/2"with 5 1/2" between for the tires, as the rear tire measures at 5 3/8" wide. This is primarily for the '59 F350 with the 9' pickup box and a very stout 6x6 H beam for a rear bumper. Soon to build another crane with another WW2 Navy bomb hoist I picked uo last year. I will have the option of loading the Hatzuki into the box or onto the new carrier. But for tomorrow I'll load it on by backing under my 5 ton Beebe Bros hand crank winch in the shop. I'll get some pics tomorrow. I hope to take it to some events next summer, and from trial runs, Let's just say it's one of those vehicles that might be more fun to look at than to actually ride (at least on the mainland).
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The search for better hill climbing ability has reached fever pitch. This morning after doing all the comet clutch tweaks that youtube had to offer along with a very expensive custom made rear sprocket, I decided to tear a page from some early lawn mowers and other vintage power equipment and ad an auxillary belt tensioner. This tensioner keeps the v belt deep in the front groove and inhibits the belt's ability to climb to a 'higher gear', all the while providing a much larger area of 'wrap' for less belt slip. As my rpms dropped on an incline, the centrifugal weights would relax their grip on the belt, adding to my woes. The tensioner is just for the hill climb and by pulling the lever back for normal road use, the CVT action of this comet type clutch is resumed. I have always tried to keep these videos on the short side, but this won't surprise any of you that it ran 13 minutes. I just hope someone searching for this info will come across this in the future. You might wanna pop some corn... :)

 
Thanks guys. Been PM ing with Al Hook who has experience with these CVT 'clutches'. He suggested the idler on the slack side {bottom' of belt was more customary. I told him I awoke this morning, laying in bed for an hour thinking about the same thing. My thought was turning an engine over by hand, using the fan blade for instance when setting points or valve adjustment. The belt gets excellent traction if you press on the loose side (ahead of the diving force) Behind it does next to nothing and the belt slips. My idler worked great to use up the comet's required belt slack and keep the belt from rising up into a higher 'gear', but I do see further improvements in eliminating belt slippage if I put my tensioner below. Perhaps a common spring loaded automotive serpentine belt tensioner with a link to my tankside lever, which I hope takes my scrap-built frankenbike one step closer to my lifetime dream bike, a harley WLA 45 cu in Flathead. And has there ever been a flathead diesel engine?
 
Well, Al's suggestion of mounting the tensioner on the slack side finally got this thing running like a real 'store bought' motorcycle. The belt drive feels more like a roller chain. Pretty much like my fan blade analogy. And Skip, with tensioner on the top side of belt, the shift on the fly lever was easy as can be. Now with the tensioner way down low, I envision a bell crank or two and or something with heim joints ending up in my tankside shift lever. Gonna be a regular Dr Suess engineering exercise, but well worth it. Scenario at Bonneville. I start out in my granny low, but once rolling I pull back on my 'tank shift' and the full 8 hp transfers to the salt. The comet clutch, now free to take care of all the 3600 rpms available (until the factory governor kicks in) oh never mind . At least my speedo stays intact as I cross the line at a respectable 45 mph.
 
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