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G Schenck · 06-13-2010, 07:18 PM

I am not going to tell any of my stories, but I will copy one from the Comp forum that I thought was real good.

Greg

There are many seniors that read Comp Buzz and a lot of them still compete on the track. I am one of them but I am the only one (I think) that competes on a dragbike. I work with the Watson Boyz in D-4 and I am sure many of you know me.
The year was 1970; things were a little different then. Horsepower was growing faster than starter motors. Most motorcycles had kick-starters and those with electric starters were unable to handle any significant horsepower changes.
The “high class” tracks had powered roller starters. A devise built into the ground with 2 rollers about 8” apart, powered by a V-8 engine would start most vehicles. Most cars still had differentials, which would allow a single tire to be put on the rollers. My memory of whether the rollers were wide enough to accommodate posi is not clear, but I think so.
The “country” tracks had push to start, or in the case of motorcycles, you would hang onto the rearview mirror, be towed to about 30 MPH, let loose, pop the clutch and start the motor. A few racers built their own rollers that depended on a car or truck with a differential spinning the rollers. I just had to have my own rollers!
In the spring of 1970 I bought a magazine project bike that competed in the Daytona 200 road race. When it arrived, I just had to start it.
This really isn’t a drag strip story; it’s a home in the driveway story. I put my new 1969 Toyota Corolla wagon on the rollers with one wheel on the ground. Next the race bike, not yet a dragbike, on the other half of the rollers, and propped it up. Next I go around to the passenger side of the Toyota, climb in, start the motor and put it in second gear. Clutch out. rollers spinning exit the wagon and get on the bike.
The Toyota had a unique feature. It had a choke lever in the dashboard. By moving the lever I accelerate the motor and the rollers. Now I squeeze the clutch, put he bike in 2nd gear and let the clutch out. We used to call that “burping” the motor. The motor burped all right, but when it did, the horsepower of the motorcycle was greater than the horsepower of the Toyota. There goes my new Toyota through the back wall of the garage, collecting everything in its path.
Now that’s a funny story! I have to admit even a short time after it happened, and after suffering the expense. It was funny even then.
There’s a chapter 2 to this story but I’ll save that for another day.
Rich Gentili
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06-13-2010, 07:18 PM	#5
G Schenck Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Harahan, La. Posts: 521 Likes: 41 Liked 81 Times in 35 Posts	Re: Your Most Embarrasing Street Moment. I am not going to tell any of my stories, but I will copy one from the Comp forum that I thought was real good. Greg There are many seniors that read Comp Buzz and a lot of them still compete on the track. I am one of them but I am the only one (I think) that competes on a dragbike. I work with the Watson Boyz in D-4 and I am sure many of you know me. The year was 1970; things were a little different then. Horsepower was growing faster than starter motors. Most motorcycles had kick-starters and those with electric starters were unable to handle any significant horsepower changes. The “high class” tracks had powered roller starters. A devise built into the ground with 2 rollers about 8” apart, powered by a V-8 engine would start most vehicles. Most cars still had differentials, which would allow a single tire to be put on the rollers. My memory of whether the rollers were wide enough to accommodate posi is not clear, but I think so. The “country” tracks had push to start, or in the case of motorcycles, you would hang onto the rearview mirror, be towed to about 30 MPH, let loose, pop the clutch and start the motor. A few racers built their own rollers that depended on a car or truck with a differential spinning the rollers. I just had to have my own rollers! In the spring of 1970 I bought a magazine project bike that competed in the Daytona 200 road race. When it arrived, I just had to start it. This really isn’t a drag strip story; it’s a home in the driveway story. I put my new 1969 Toyota Corolla wagon on the rollers with one wheel on the ground. Next the race bike, not yet a dragbike, on the other half of the rollers, and propped it up. Next I go around to the passenger side of the Toyota, climb in, start the motor and put it in second gear. Clutch out. rollers spinning exit the wagon and get on the bike. The Toyota had a unique feature. It had a choke lever in the dashboard. By moving the lever I accelerate the motor and the rollers. Now I squeeze the clutch, put he bike in 2nd gear and let the clutch out. We used to call that “burping” the motor. The motor burped all right, but when it did, the horsepower of the motorcycle was greater than the horsepower of the Toyota. There goes my new Toyota through the back wall of the garage, collecting everything in its path. Now that’s a funny story! I have to admit even a short time after it happened, and after suffering the expense. It was funny even then. There’s a chapter 2 to this story but I’ll save that for another day. Rich Gentili __________________