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BMW @ Bonneville

danielroth

don't think
I just got back to Phoenix from the world famous Bonneville salt flats.
My 9 man team ran the tech inspections and impound for well over 300 motorcycles that came out to prove their abilities on the 8 and 11 mile tracks during the week of September 2-7, 2008.
The weather was amazing and the salt conditions were the best they've had for years.
We worked 13 hours a day to make this year the smoothest running event yet.
If you brought a bike to this years trials, and it passed tech inspection, you could run it from sun up to sun down. We set records for the number of passes and actually ran out of riders or the numbers would have been higher.
BMW's from 1955 to 2008 had the chance to be the fastest in their class.
I don't think one went home empty handed as we measured the bore and stroke on every one that came through tech inspection either for a FIM or AMA land speed record.
What I think is kind of silly is that no manufacture's representatives ever show up. Nor do the reps from national clubs; ahem. Its the chance to prove to the world what your marquee can do but they don't seem interested. However, it's probably better without all that because its nice to have a large international race event that is completely void of corporate control and sort of grass roots.
I was way to busy to do a good job of taking pictures, getting the personal stories, and writing down everyone's contact info. Next year.
Here are a few pictures I was able to capture of our fine BMW's and their pilots setting those world land speed records.

<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/2999/dscf5013ik1.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a><br/><br><a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/7899/dscf5021ui4.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a><br/><br><a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/3439/dscf5039ct5.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a><br/><br><a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/1897/dscf5058ky0.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a><br/><br><a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/4536/dscf5063ee4.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a><br/><br><a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/4306/dscf5064sh3.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a><br/>
 
Good to see that Len Kerkoff of Autobahn Craftwerks in Cincinnati, Oh. made it to Bonneville on his BMW. The one with the orange frame. I wonder how he did on his runs? I got the oppurtunity to see his bike at his shop earlier in the year.:clap
 
Len and his team were one of my favorite folks to deal with.
Always smiles and super attitude all around.
Len's team were posting runs over 105 on a 500cc.
I don't know why more shops don't put rigs together, if for nothing more than PR and a good time on the salt.
The RS in the photos only had a top average of 109; the official numbers won't be out until later but that should inspire anyone with an old pushrod bike to consider running next year as I believe that record should be shattered.
-dan @ motoghost phoenix
<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/8910/dscf5097dr0.jpg" border="0" alt=
 
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My buddy Leo Goff use to drag race a Norton Commando back in the 80's. He set a lot lot of records back then in several different racing venues. He said he was going to to convert it to a land speed configuration and take it to Bonneville. Never did. U can see the bike by doing a web search for, olde bike club Memphis. Look under Steve's racing forum. It was one serious drag bike back in the day, it was even featured in Hot Bike Magazine.
 
I was there, thanks for your scrutineering! Bonnneville is a blast, went last year for the first time with BMW XPLOR and had such a good time I built a bike and came back this year--and I will be there next year too. The BMW with the aluminum tank was the coolest bike around, talked to the pilot for a bit, real young guy. The orange frame one was the loudest bmw in history, must have had a huge overlap cam in it. I toasted a cam in my 68 honda 175 and was unable to break any records, aside from total dollars spent per cubic centimeter. I will throw a few more buckets of cash at it over the next year and break that record (106mph) in 2009! If you haven't been to motorcycle speed week you need to go there, great people, good times and a truly unique experience.
 
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