Group W Racing

I’m looking for a 160 frame,engine,and what have you. My daughter wants to start racing this coming season and the boss says I can work on it in the back of the shop.

Thanks, Frank

After much effort we now have an operational sidecar. Eventually the sidecar will go onto a 1968 Honda 175 but for now it is fun to ride around.

Cool Blog, Mike!

So, it is 2 weeks before the first race, and my bike is a frame sitting in the garage with pieces scattered all over Western Washington. Being that this is the second year I have built a bike this way, I would have to say this is totally normal for me!

The big change this year will be a fairing, and an extra 10 pounds around the riders middle! I will be venturing to Casa Bateman in a few days to do the fairing mounts. Oh, and I will be replacing the seized piston from last season too…

I had all these pie in the sky plans after last season and didn’t make any of them happen, so I am hoping nobody in Seattle has raised the HP bar, otherwise I am in trouble. I guess we will see in 2 weeks.

The other news is that I have a new number this season. This is rather amusing to me, but it is a bit of an inside joke. For those of you who don’t know me, I am a firefighter in Seattle. I drive the fire engine, Engine 29, in the Admiral district of West Seattle. So, in registration for the 2008 season, I requested any number I could think of that included the number 29. Instead, WMRRA officials assigned me a number. 220. This is PERFECT, as the radio “code” in Seattle that police and fire use to identify a psychotic patient is 220, i.e, “Dispatch from Engine 29, we have a 46 year old male 220, request SPD assistance…”. Too funny. I think I will have to keep that number!

TimO, 46 year old male 220…

Well – it’s just about race season and everyone’s working on their bikes.  Parts are on order but not here yet, unexpected problems crop up, either with the bike or with normal life.  Some folks are probably doing the old “charge the battery and change the air in the tires” tune up on the same old racer, others are working at getting something together that’ll be a bit faster than last year.  New racers are trying to figure out how to do this-or-that in order to get their bike done in time. 

 How’s your progress coming?  As for me I’ve made zero progress on my own bike while I try to get parts in to finish up everyone else’s projects.  Carbs are showing up in the mail, intake manifolds are being made, dealer applications are being filled out and approved, etc.  I’ve got a batch of Pertronix units coming that should be here mid next week – I’ll be able to offer complete units ready to bolt on.  I’ve found a really good deal on a nice valve spring compressor kit – looks like it’ll retail for $40.  Kibblewhite valves are “on the way.”  Spring and retainer kits are “on the way.”

 Nothing like just before the season starts. 

 Michael