With the GSX-R rider struggling to put down the power and popping a wheelie trying to accelerate as fast as possible, the “toy bike” takes the cake and absolutely wipes the floor with the street bike.Įverybody in the audience seems to be completely bewildered by the result, which I am guessing is a natural reaction to have. However, when push comes to shove and the drag race is set to start, the 125cc drag bike completely bolts off the line so fast that you’ll have to rewind the clip if you happen to blink. This whole scenario looks more as if the assistant is a kid who is winding up his toy bike to launch it down a Hot Wheels track rather than a serious race. The prep stage of the drag race is absolutely hilarious, with the 125cc bike repeatedly launching for a short distance to lay rubber and warm up its tires, then being pulled back by an assistant to go again. However, our two-stroke hero has an ace up his sleeve, it is a fully purpose-built drag racer, and I suspect the rider was heavier than the entire bike. ![]() The opponent it gets pitted against has a meager displacement of 125cc, which looks more like a bicycle than anything else, and the race gives the feeling of a rigged boxing match. The differences between what Suzuki uses on the track and what they sell to their customers are more related to meeting regulations than anything else, with their capabilities being very similar. The more astute of you might hear the name and immediately think about Suzuki’s racing heritage, and you would be absolutely correct. However, there are a number of sports bikes that can run a 10-second ¼ mile with mild modifications but suffice to say, motorcycle racing has come a long way since the 1950s.On one side, we have a 1000cc Suzuki GSX-R. Of all sportbikes, the most recognizable is the Suzuki Hayabusa with its 1300cc engine, and it is still regarded as one of the fastest production motorcycles ever made. ![]() Since the 1980s, motorcycle drag racing has primarily been dominated by Japanese sports bikes, although it is not uncommon to see BMWs, Buells, and Harley-Davidsons at many events. However, in the following decade, things would change with single-engine and forced induction bikes becoming the norm, a trend that continues into the present day. Not to be outdone, there were triple-engine bikes, and by the 1970s, seven-second ¼ mile passes were not unheard of. ![]() Bud Hare chose a different route by stuffing a pair of 650cc Triumph engines into a custom-built chassis. Using the latter as an example, he started with a 45-horsepower 998cc Vincente Rapide that evolved over the years into the iconic 450-horsepower drag bike known as Barn Job. This is especially true for the builds of well-known racers of the time like Pete Hill, Bud Hare, and Clem Johnson. In other words, it came down to how much you were willing to spend, how creative you were, and how fast you wanted to go. Likewise, classes were still a decade away, and the winner was nothing more than who had the fastest bike.įor some, these are remembered as the "good old days" since there were no rules governing modifications or engine sizes, and most participants were amateur racers that built their own bikes. ![]() The first was actually an unused runway in Santa Ana, California, where races were initiated by a flagger instead of the "tree" used today. Unsurprisingly, speed contests became increasingly popular, which led to the idea of drag strips where competitors could push their vehicles (or motorcycles) to the limits in a controlled environment. While many people associate this era with automobiles, the same can be said for motorcycles. As life began to return to normal after WWII, the trend during the 1950s and 60s was for bigger, faster, and more powerful machines.
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