FJ2400 - Bonneville Land Speed Racer

[freakhousecustoms]

I've always said that I've got more ambition than brains, so -after a few small successes (and many, MANY failures) - I'm going to build a bike to chase the AMA 3000-A-AF record, set by Tom Elrod back in 1977 at 188.006mph.   In all honestly, for me, it's more about building this monstrosity than anything else, so just getting the bike to The Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials and running up and down the Salt will be a check in the Success Column for me.  Here's Mr. Elrod on his record setting bike:




I had found one FJ1200 on Craigslist and a friend of a friend of a friend caught wind of what I was trying to do and he mentioned that HE had a friend with an FJ that had been sitting outside for years.  I was able to get both bikes for a song and after getting "Bike #2" running, I disassembled it to get back some floor space.



So Like & Subscribe on YouTube to receive notifications when I put out new episodes.

I'll be building a complete frame/chassis - using as many stock components as possible (with a few upgrades where needed) - and I'll fabricate the pieces needed to couple the two motors together at the transmission output shafts as I *think* they've worked themselves out in my head.  :?  My philosophy here, as well as in the past, is that if I'm not asking any single component to do any more than it was intended to do - engines included the most, in the stock configuration, that increases my chances of a successful race week.

I have built & run a dual-engine bike at BMST for 2018 & 2019, so while this isn't my first rodeo, I am still learning new things & new approaches to old ideas every day.  I'm also video-documenting the entire build on my YouTube channel, the first episode of the Build debuts on Monday, January 4th 2021. :

Freakhouse Customs Channel

Or click the picture below:

[freakhousecustoms]

A little history of Fran, just so you know this isn't going to be some pipe-dream "build".  I haven't missed a BMST since I started going there in 2014. 

Back in 2016, I wanted to take a shot at an AMA record.  As a complete newb to land speed racing, my greatest fear was that I'd go all the way out there an then fail Scrutineering, so I decided I would build a completely stock bike and make a run at the 1350 Production Classic record. Now, being a Chopper Guy at heart, I didn't actually own many stock parts. Two of the hardest parts to find were the airbox and full exhaust, the 2 things guys chuck almost immediately and replace with performance parts. I searched far and wide and finally found a stock bike out in Bakersfield, CA - this all coincided with the David Mann Chopperfest that I had already planned to attend, so I worked it all into one trip.

Got that bike home, actually got it running, but eventually decided that the 80,000 mile engine I had been running for the last 5 years would be more reliable, so I yanked that engine out of the chopper and installed it into the Production frame. What a pain in the ass that was, I remembered why I started building chops in the first place, because it's way easier to work on without all the extra/stock stuff in the way.

Made it out to Bonneville in 2016 and, long story even longer - I made 2 horrible passes with the carburetors dumping too much gas into the engine and when I went to try to fix it, I somehow tossed a screw down through the carb, started the bike, hammered the screw and bent a valve, ending my race week.

[freakhousecustoms]

So, I'm dejected because I blew up my bike on the 2nd pass. The good news is that I was going for an open record, so 2 runs was enough for me to claim the AMA 1350-P-PC record at a super soft 104mph. I was sitting in the garage, looking over the carnage and trying to figure out my next step(s) when my phone rings and a buddy of mine says he's got the answers to my problems... "You've GOT to come get it", he says, "It's got your NAME on it!"   



So now, with an entirely different (but complete) motorcycle, I assemble "Sparkle Panties" to run in AMA 1350-A-CF in 2017




2017 would prove to be one of the small successes I had mentioned before.  Even with a bunch of problems, the bike ran all week, it got faster almost every run and I ended up setting the record at 128.437mph. 

[freakhousecustoms]

Just a few more photos, mostly because I love them.   

[freakhousecustoms]

So... you can see where this is going, right?  I've still got the 2016 Production bike, along with the 2017 A/Special Construction bike... so what's a boy to do?  Splice 'em both together and make a couple runs in the 3000-A-CF class.  :roll:

BMST 2018 had more downs than ups, but I did get the bike running for the event and even managed a couple passes (albeit on only one engine).  But at least I got some nice photos.

[freakhousecustoms]

2019 - With a year of "refinement", I went back to the Salt with some shiny paint and a positive attitude. 



As usual, I had a BLAST on the Salt




As far as my actual racing?  LOL - well, let's just say that the bike came out EXACTLY as I designed it.  It ran very well and few actual "gremlins" reared their heads.  But she was an ill-handling b!tch the moment I went above 124mph (GPS-verified).  Too much rear gear.  Too heavy.  Too much weight up front. Possibly too much rake.  Too much frontal surface area... the list goes on and on.  Everything that I thought I knew, turned out to be wrong.   

So. Now. Hopefully taking into account everything I did wrong, I'm going to attempt to learn from those mistakes and take that into this next build.

Here's a quick sketch I did, just to get some ideas out of my head.

[T Legg]

Pretty wild, kind of a burning man for motorcycles. At this point you could of gone faster and had a more stabile ride with your stock FJ1200. I think with out all that rake it should be a little safer. I look forward to seeing what you can get your double FJ engine bike to do. Welcome to the forum.

[freakhousecustoms]

At this point you could of gone faster and had a more stabile ride with your stock FJ1200

Yes sir, you will get zero argument from me; there are faster & more stable bikes out there, and if I wanted to do "easy", I would have stuck with my ZX14.



But where's the fun in that?   
For me, it's more about the journey (build) than the eventual destination (setting a record), seeing what I can do on a bike that I built, out of my own head, with my own two hands, that's the reward.  Other folks have differing opinions, which suits me just fine.

Ironically, Burning Man is the same week as Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials, I cross paths with many folks heading out that way on my pilgrimage to The Salt.

[T Legg]

I applaud what you have done so far. It must have taken a lot of guts to drive that thing up to 128 mph when you could feel it starting to squirm.
I was lucky enough to watch the thrust SSC break the sound barrier out on the black rock . LSR are thrilling.

[racerrad8]

Steve picked this up a while back.

http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=16908.msg170587#msg170587

Randy - RPM

[freakhousecustoms]

It must have taken a lot of guts to drive that thing up to 128 mph when you could feel it starting to squirm.

I've handled "the squirm" before... this was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. 
Get in the throttle, it hits the "wall of air" and breaks traction and SHOOTS about 3 FEET to the right.  Ok - back out of it, come back on the throttle but this time, when it breaks traction it shoots 5' to the LEFT?!?     It didn't squirm or wander... it SHOT off course. 

I tried it 3.. (4?) more times and called it quits.  It never did the same "wrong" thing twice.

Lots of theories, by me and by fellow racers/builders on what I did wrong.  Hoping to correct (some? most? all!?! of) them on this build.  But that's the "fun" of it:  build, race, fix, repeat.

[freakhousecustoms]

Steve picked this up a while back.

Randy - RPM

Neato!  Once I get over this whole "double-engine" phase, I've got an AMR Blower on the shelf that I want to chase some Blown records with.

#soManyRecordsSoLittleTime

[fj1289]

I have an outboard bearing support plate for an FJ you may be able to put to good use on the new build.  

I agree with reducing the rake!  Looks like Sparkle Panties was built more as an Arlen Ness tribute than an actual race bike.  Good result though!   Looking at this further - it follows the form of a lot of the early twin engine drag bikes.   The twin engine bikes on the salt seem to have gravitated to less rake.  Wonder if it is more for weight distribution?  Or weight on the front wheel?  I also wonder how much the difference in racing surfaces makes? 

Are you using the front half of the FJ frame?  If you use early R1 USD forks, the triple clamps from around 2002 or 2003 (need to confirm which years) are 25mm offset vice 35mm to give more trail with the same rake.  That's the setup I'm running - stable as a freight train, even with fairly nasty cross winds.  Haven't had it on the salt or dirt - so can't comment on it's "off road" abilities!

Chris

[freakhousecustoms]

I have an outboard bearing support plate for an FJ you may be able to put to good use on the new build.  

Love it!  Thank you for the offer and I'd love to borrow it just to look at it, but to couple the engines together (as I have it spaced out in my head), I am going to have to build an outboard DOUBLE bearing support plate.  The plan now is to take the stock transmission sprockets and weld shafts between them to get the chain to go around the rear engine, instead of going under the engine, like how I did the GloWorm.  So both shafts will be supported on the "outside" - which is how "normal" dual-engine guys do it.  (I love how double engine stuff is becoming "normal" to me! LOL)

I agree with reducing the rake!  Looks like Sparkle Panties was built more as an Arlen Ness tribute than an actual race bike.  Good result though!   Looking at this further - it follows the form of a lot of the early twin engine drag bikes.   The twin engine bikes on the salt seem to have gravitated to less rake.  Wonder if it is more for weight distribution?  Or weight on the front wheel?  I also wonder how much the difference in racing surfaces makes? 

So, I'm a "chopper guy" - before I started all this, "too much rake" was not in my vocabulary.  But after the 2019 season (and talking to many much more knowledgeable folks than me), the GloWorm had too much rake, which distributed the weight in all the wrong places and... did I mention I was using the stock, 30-year old front springs  ?

In my opinion, the racing surface makes ALL the difference.  I won't mention the actual road that you may know of, but it rhymes with "Muscleville", and the GloWorm may - or may not - have gone MUCH faster on that 2-mile stretch of asphalt with ZERO problems than it did on the Salt.  Once that tiny 130-rear tire broke loose, all it wanted to do was come around me to say "Hi!"     I was at 45º rake with The GloWorm and this time around, I think I will be keeping the rake at 35-38º.  I think stock is 35º?

Are you using the front half of the FJ frame?  If you use early R1 USD forks, the triple clamps from around 2002 or 2003 (need to confirm which years) are 25mm offset vice 35mm to give more trail with the same rake.  That's the setup I'm running - stable as a freight train, even with fairly nasty cross winds.  Haven't had it on the salt or dirt - so can't comment on it's "off road" abilities!

I will be using the FJ neck and -at the time of this writing- the FJ front forks.  My plan is to install the 1.0kg RaceTech springs to handle the increased weight, but I like the overall feel of the FJ at speed.  If push comes to shove, I have a complete Hayabusa front-end... but I truly believe that the Yamaha parts are up to the task.

[freakhousecustoms]

fj1289,

Is your outboard bearing support anything like what I've got on my drag bike?




I am just now wondering how long I've been missing that one bolt...