zagger Posted July 15, 2018 Share #1 Posted July 15, 2018 (edited) My friend built a bike to set the speed record in its class at the Bonneville salt flats. I'm heading out there with him in about 3 weeks. The bike is a 650cc Triumph Bonneville T120. A few of us are headed west from Wisconsin in his Suburban with the bike on a trailer. Racing at Bonneville has been cancelled due to rain for the last 3 years. Hopefully it goes off this time. This is a video of the last time he was out there: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075QN4TDN His bike is the yellow Triumph. NOTE: WATCHING THIS VIDEO FOR FREE WILL START A TRIAL SUBSCRIPTION TO AMAZON PRIME WHERE YOU WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY CHARGED IF YOU DON'T CANCEL. zag Edited July 15, 2018 by Freebird Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowpuc Posted July 15, 2018 Share #2 Posted July 15, 2018 My friend built a bike to set the speed record in its class at the Bonneville salt flats. I'm heading out there with him in about 3 weeks. The bike is a 650cc Triumph Bonneville T120. A few of us are headed west from Wisconsin in his Suburban with the bike on a trailer. Racing at Bonneville has been cancelled due to rain for the last 3 years. Hopefully it goes off this time. This is a video of the last time he was out there: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075QN4TDN His bike is the yellow Triumph. zag Personally I LOVE riding the Bonneville and,, although I have never ridden it competively Zag, I wish your friend nothing but the best of the best out there in realizing his dream in the attempt to set a record!!!!! What a BLAST!!! I know that the salt doesn't look like it when looking across it from the Bonneville entrance at the end of that roadway near Wendover but, it can in fact be a very dangerous place and is not always welcoming to high speed pursuit.. "Pot Holes" of salt mud and the like can really mess up your day... I have ridden it many times just for fun in everything from cars to bikes (below is a video attempt to top out Tweeks in all her glory) and, after topping out my "bucket list" early model R1 Yamaha (made just before they speed limited them to 186 mph) at 172 mph (176 actual on the gps) tached out in 5th Gear have now got a dream (inspired by my precious wife) to make another trip out to the Bonneville with the R1 in tow to see if Maggie the R1 would actually carry full tach in 6th gear and see if it would break 200 mph = I honestly think she has it in her!!! Please let your friend know that he has a DEFINITE follower of what he is up to, someone who truly has his that he is 100% successful in his record setting attempt and someone who obviously shares in the passion and love for what he is up against!!!!!!! Also,, PLEASE keep us posted here as his day comes forward and, if possible,, get lots and lots of pictures for us my brother!!! Now this IS exciting!!!:fingers-crossed-emo:fingers-crossed-emo:fingers-crossed-emo:fingers-crossed-emo:fingers-crossed-emo:fingers-crossed-emo:fingers-crossed-emo:fingers-crossed-emo Puc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utadventure Posted July 15, 2018 Share #3 Posted July 15, 2018 Zagger- Right now we are having a very dry spell. Hopefully for the Salt Flats, it will stay that way for you! Go fast and be safe. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condor Posted July 15, 2018 Share #4 Posted July 15, 2018 Personally I LOVE riding the Bonneville and,, although I have never ridden it competively Zag, I wish your friend nothing but the best of the best out there in realizing his dream in the attempt to set a record!!!!! What a BLAST!!! I know that the salt doesn't look like it when looking across it from the Bonneville entrance at the end of that roadway near Wendover but, it can in fact be a very dangerous place and is not always welcoming to high speed pursuit.. "Pot Holes" of salt mud and the like can really mess up your day... I have ridden it many times just for fun in everything from cars to bikes (below is a video attempt to top out Tweeks in all her glory) and, after topping out my "bucket list" early model R1 Yamaha (made just before they speed limited them to 186 mph) at 172 mph (176 actual on the gps) tached out in 5th Gear have now got a dream (inspired by my precious wife) to make another trip out to the Bonneville with the R1 in tow to see if Maggie the R1 would actually carry full tach in 6th gear and see if it would break 200 mph = I honestly think she has it in her!!! Please let your friend know that he has a DEFINITE follower of what he is up to, someone who truly has his that he is 100% successful in his record setting attempt and someone who obviously shares in the passion and love for what he is up against!!!!!!! Also,, PLEASE keep us posted here as his day comes forward and, if possible,, get lots and lots of pictures for us my brother!!! Now this IS exciting!!! Puc Well that was intertaining, but where's Willie Nelson when you need him... LOL :whistling::whistling: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyR Posted July 15, 2018 Share #5 Posted July 15, 2018 Am I missing something? Amazon wants to charge me $2.99 to watch this video or otherwise signs me up for Amazon Prime, for which I believe there is a monetary charge. If I had just clicked [watch video] without paying attention to the fine print, my credit card would have been charged and I would have been signed up for a recurring monthly charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slowrollwv Posted July 15, 2018 Share #6 Posted July 15, 2018 Am I missing something? Amazon wants to charge me $2.99 to watch this video or otherwise signs me up for Amazon Prime, for which I believe there is a monetary charge. If I had just clicked [watch video] without paying attention to the fine print, my credit card would have been charged and I would have been signed up for a recurring monthly charge. I must have missed it also. I do not have or want Amazon Prime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zagger Posted July 15, 2018 Author Share #7 Posted July 15, 2018 I must have missed it also. I do not have or want Amazon Prime. Sorry! I do have Amazon Prime and the video is "free". I guess that I thought it was free for everyone. Not a big deal, I will give you the main idea: big open space, guys messing around with tuning, bikes disappear into the horizon, ewwwwwwwwww. More standing around. Someone figures out the speed - not a lot of complicated plots or anything! Going to Bonneville from Wisconsin is a long week of driving and lots of motel expenses. The motels which are close to the salt flats are quite expensive and I told my friend that I couldn't go if we had to stay at the places closest to the racing. So he booked rooms at a Motel 6 which is only 100 miles away and only costs $100 per night. Such a deal! zag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condor Posted July 15, 2018 Share #8 Posted July 15, 2018 Am I missing something? Amazon wants to charge me $2.99 to watch this video or otherwise signs me up for Amazon Prime, for which I believe there is a monetary charge. If I had just clicked [watch video] without paying attention to the fine print, my credit card would have been charged and I would have been signed up for a recurring monthly charge. That's why I didn't click on anything...... Got roped into that once before. It was a PITA. BTW not only will you get charged..or in this case free... for the video, but you'll get charged for one month of prime that if I remember is about 11 bucks.... But they don't give you a heads up until they want to charge you for another month... Tricky Basderds... One more thing about Amazon. Free shipping ain't so free. Google what you need and do a price comparison with a direct seller. 9 times out of 10 they will be cheaper with shipping than Amazon free.... IMVHO..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freebird Posted July 15, 2018 Share #9 Posted July 15, 2018 I added a note to the first post just to be sure that people are aware. I actually thought that they made it pretty obvious though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zagger Posted July 16, 2018 Author Share #10 Posted July 16, 2018 I added a note to the first post just to be sure that people are aware. I actually thought that they made it pretty obvious though. Sorry - didn't mean to create a problem. zag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freebird Posted July 16, 2018 Share #11 Posted July 16, 2018 Sorry - didn't mean to create a problem. zag I never thought you did. No problem my friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zagger Posted August 15, 2018 Author Share #12 Posted August 15, 2018 Got back from the salt late last night. zag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zagger Posted August 15, 2018 Author Share #13 Posted August 15, 2018 Set a new speed record: 211mph vs. 205mph. Took two runs (one at 208mph and one at 214mph) to get the average. zag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zagger Posted August 15, 2018 Author Share #14 Posted August 15, 2018 Lots of crazy machines out there getting up to 500mph. zag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSTDdog Posted August 15, 2018 Share #15 Posted August 15, 2018 Congrats to your friend on the speed record. That's fast on an old Triumph. Fortunately plenty of room to slow down with those twin leading shoe drum brakes........ If you haven't seen it, go rent/find the movie World's Fastest Indian with Anthony Hopkins. True story and a must watch movie for any Motorcyclist or anyone for that matter. Now having been to Bonneville, you will have an appreciation what this guy went through getting himself and his bike there from Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueSky Posted August 15, 2018 Share #16 Posted August 15, 2018 What rpm did that Triumph have to turn to put out that much hp? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slowrollwv Posted August 15, 2018 Share #17 Posted August 15, 2018 Congrats to your friend on the speed record. That's fast on an old Triumph. Fortunately plenty of room to slow down with those twin leading shoe drum brakes........ If you haven't seen it, go rent/find the movie World's Fastest Indian with Anthony Hopkins. True story and a must watch movie for any Motorcyclist or anyone for that matter. Now having been to Bonneville, you will have an appreciation what this guy went through getting himself and his bike there from Australia. Yes quite impressive for a 650 non streamlined bike. I have the movie "World's Fastest Indian" on DVD. It was a 1920 Scout and the top speed then was 56 mph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utadventure Posted August 16, 2018 Share #18 Posted August 16, 2018 That's a great record. Congrats!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildBill1 Posted August 16, 2018 Share #19 Posted August 16, 2018 Got back from the salt late last night. zag https://www.venturerider.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=114061 I had a 71 Triumph Bonneville identical to your friends in the mid 70's had no Idea it was capable of 200 plus. Modified mine for the flat track love the sound of those twin cylinders in a hard pull coming out of a tight turn. Tuff motorcycles..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyR Posted August 16, 2018 Share #20 Posted August 16, 2018 Riding one of the old Triumphs 200 mph is gutsy (I owned 3 of them). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zagger Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share #21 Posted August 16, 2018 Sorry - just noticed my typo. The speeds were in the one hundreds, not the two hundreds. The final record setting average was 111mph. This same bike can do about 130mph on a paved road in Wisconsin. The salt flats are much tougher since the elevation is around 4200ft (vs. 750ft in Wisconsin) and the surface of the salt is somewhat loose. zag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueSky Posted August 16, 2018 Share #22 Posted August 16, 2018 I was having visions of that twin turning 14k rpms developing 150 hp! Yeah, elevation knocks the heck out of hp if you don't have a turbo. Copied from the web. Higher Altitude Means Less Power Reduced oxygen in high altitudes can lead to inefficient, sluggish engine performance because there is less air to feed the internal combustion engine. Generally speaking, an engine loses three percent of its rated power for every 1,000 feet of altitude gained. This means you could lose as much as 20% of your vehicle’s horsepower if you drive it from sea level to Big Bear Lake (with its 6,750 elevation). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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