Soo FRICKIN cool!! Drag raced cars for many years in the 80's and 90's...Knew a bunch of guys that raced bikes just like that...I'm 64 and seriously considering getting back into bracket racing with the vintage Ducati I'm restoring. Truly great that you are continuing your father's passion!!
Or anything British! Cape Town's Optare Solo buses were imported in CKD form from the UK. I was on one in a rainstorm and noticed that it leaked rainwater in the best British tradition.
At St Francis KS there’s a motorcycle museum. There’s one of these sitting on the floor with the parachute attached to the celling . Cords running down to scooter .
Those things had a "light switch" power band! In 1973 I was just out of high school, older neighbor guy said he was going to buy his first motorcycle, a new RD350 but he came home with something else, don't recall what it was. I asked him why no RD350, he said he left the bike shop and at the first stop sign when pulling away the bike pulled a giant wheelie, he said I don't know how I saved it but realized this wasn't for him, traded it back in within a week.
They weren't that bad, if they were tuned right! I always enjoyed doing a tuneup on them, another mechanic at the shop only worried about making sure they ran good at top end while I started off by synchronizing the carbs so they would pull smooth for low speed all thru to top end and they worked very well for even the less skilled rider could handle them up to the guys that wanted to experience all of the power that little bike would put out! I had a lot of owners that specified that they wanted me to work on them.
The Jalopy Journal
