Motorcycle Drag Racing For Beginners

Cool pics of a Triumph rigid rear wheel taking off.

Neat article on how to get started by Bob Braverman. Worn down four inch Dunlop K70's & Avon S.M.'s make good drag tires for the stock classes. Lots of basic stuff here. Dig Boris Murray's "Flustration" after the brush work as done by Baxtalo Juki as told in a previous post. I love the striped helmet face sheild! Find some old rule books and start building.

1967 Cycle Guide

Perry & Scott - The Hard Luck Twins

The un-named double as Max Kelly built it. Featured in Hot Rod magazine in 1964. The most beautifully engineered Triumph double engine dragbike ever built. Problem was it didn't perform as good as it looked. Sold to the Perry & Scott team sometime around '65-66?

Uh-oh, a Triumph double engine fuelbike getting shut down by a single engine Sportster is not OK. Sonny Raslowski hooks up with just a hint of smoke coming off of his Avon Slick while the Perry and Scott bike is boiling it's Avon away.


This beast needed more traction than the four inch Avon could provide for sure. The blower was ditched by Scott in favor of four Amal GP's set up for fuel. The forks were also changed to the somewhat common Triumph Terrier forks.

Smoking another one, but looking damn good doing it. This material is from 1967. I think the bike may have been retired in the late '60s. It's such a distinctive bike, I wonder what happened to it. Could it still be stashed in a shed somewhere?

Mickey Hall's 40 inch Triumph Dragbike

"Some build for show, some build for go. And there are those that build for both"

Shaved iron 650 engine with all the tricks, a chromed Velocette girder forks with a 21" wheel, perfect overall lines and A show winning design and finish.

1967 Modern Cycle

Dragbike Ignition?

This is one of the few peices I got from the Al Brown collection. If anyone knows the story on it or needs it, leave a comment or email. kustomhut13@yahoo.com

Pre-unit Triple Tree Identification

Two types of pre-unit triple tree tops. The one on the top has a flatter front shape and the nacelle mounting bosses are smaller. Anyone know the difference? My guess is that the top one is earlier, but it has no part number. I have a couple like it and they both have a triangle type signia cast into the top. If you can identify years used on these please comment or email.

Jim Muntz Custom Bonnie by Von Dutch

Paint by Von Dutch and the neato engine turning probably was too. I like the aluminium spray on the cylinders. Is anyone still doing that?

1966 Modern Cycle

Dave Kirkland Show Dragbike Update II

From Dave:

"Here is an update on the drag bike's progress. Dad and I have gotten quite a bit done. Actually, just waiting for a few parts to get back from the chrome shop and it will be ready to put back together.

I have spent about 80 hours on the frame and in that time have come to the conclusion that this should stay a show bike only. This frame had more blue spot putty and lacquer primer than I've seen in some cars. And the entire frame, top to bottom, front to back, is completely covered in bondo.

I have included some pictures of the engine reassembled and the paint and body work. The bike should be completely done in a week or two and I will be sending some pictures."

The original molding in all its glory.

Beautiful!

One of the rocker manifolds is just a dummy. That's usually the case when you see a manifold on each side of the engine.

Stunning work. Custom bike restoration done the right way. Staying absolutely true to the one of a kind period correct build and doing it to show winning standards. I kinda had the feeling from the beginning that this was purely a show bike, but when they're this good you gotta love it. When it's done it'll be 1969 all over again. Can't wait to see it.

Al Brown's KEPALOA

1967 Cycle Guide

Motor Cycle World CHOPPERS Special 1971

Thee actual Amal GP carb set up from Kepaloa that I used to own. During a rough patch a couple years ago I sold it all to a guy in Europe. I really regret that one now. Sometime around 2002 I bought a chromed pre-unit Triumph timing cover with tach drive and crank seal modification through a auction on ebay. When it came to my house there was a note written on the box stating that the guy had more Triumph parts for sale with a phone number and the name on the return address was Al Brown. I had the two magazines with the big Kepaloa features sitting on the desk already as this little swingarm drag bike had been possessing my daydreams for the past couple years. I did a double check on the name and made the phone call immediately. Sure enough it was Al Brown the builder of Kepaloa. I tried my best to convey my admiration for his work and got to talking bikes with him. He told me that Kepaloa had been parted out years ago and he didn't know where the parts were. All he had left was the cylinder head and carburetor set. He said that his house had just recently burned down and his spirits were low so we didn't talk for too long. He said he wanted $500 for the head and carbs and I told him I'd take 'em. He was supposed to give me a call back on other stuff he was letting go of. I didn't hear from him for a couple weeks so I gave him another call and got his second wife on the phone. He had hung himself within a few days after I talked to him. Bummer. I tried working with the family over the phone as they wanted to cash in all his Triumph stuff, but I didn't have the bucks to travel out there and do it right. Al had built an insane double engine drag bike in his later years that he recently restored that was part of the bargain. I threw a low ball offer their way for it that they didn't go for. A few years later I met a guy at the San Jose Clubman's swap meet that had gone back east and bought the lot of parts and the double for $15,000.

The only pic I have of his double. Never heard of it before they sent me this picture taken in 2001. In lost emails I received from them at the time there were big pictures on his wall of Kepaloa before he turned it into a full on dragster. It had the same show finish except a peanut tank and some street gear. From what I could see it was beautiful. Al Brown R.I.P.

Sonny Routt's "2 Bad" Double Engine Triumph Dragbike

Sonny shaved the rocker fins, making the engine look like it's running early cylinder heads, but as the article states it's using later 9-bolt heads and Webcor big bore cylinders. There are later pictures of the top of the engine where you can see the 9th bolt.

The article says that the clutch is stock besides aftermarket plates, but that is not true. It also has a six spring alloy pressure plate made by Routt's Cycle. These were made in a few different configurations including an eight hole version.

1967 Cycle World

His first double that was wrecked in 1961 as mentioned in the article.

" 2 Bad "

Murray & Cook's "Flustration" Triumph Double Engine Dragbike

I NEED A GOOD SET OF THESE EARLY TRIUMPH TERRIER / CUB FORKS FOR MY HAGON DRAGBIKE PROJECT. PLEASE HELP!

Cycle World 1967

This is a somewhat early version of the bike when it was still running stock triumph 650 cylinders. This drag bike was one of the fastest in the world all the way up to the early 1970's.

Here's a neat email I got last month concerning Boris and Flustration after I posted some Boris Murray quotes:

"Hello gentlemen,
A pal of mine in Melbourne Australia, sent me the article of yours regarding twin Triumph motors bikes. I met Boris Murray and Don Cook in the late '60s. I am a retired sign painter, muralist and billboard painter who traveled with a Romany kumpania for 37 years. A kumpania is a traveling Gypsy tribe by way of explanation. My pal and I are both Gypsies and former riders of bikes.
When I met Boris, I was in the town of Pomona, CA where I was born. I was returning to visit old friends and kin. It was in the local Harley Davidson shop that I met Boris. He had a friend there, the friend said I was a sign man and Boris then asked me to stop by the Murray and Cook shop to letter a drag bike. I had a small lettering kit in my Harley's saddle bag, so followed Boris to his shop. The bike in question was a twin engined stretched out machine with two Triumph engines. The gas tank was within the black painted frame. I put orange gold letters on the top tubular frame piece that said, Flustration. I couldn't charge much as it was a small job and not much area to paint on.
Later on, I believe it was Don Cook who rode it in the Pomona Drags. I can't remember now, but I think the time was something like 8:14 seconds and 164+ mph. I may be wrong here, but that seems right to me. Boris rode the bike at Bonneville Salt Flats, it could have been Muroc Dry Lake (?) and reached a top speed of, I believe, 212 mph with the open frame. I think they added a small fuel tank of sorts. The wind tore off the leather edging of Boris' helmet, ripped edging from his goggles and loosened one lens,ripped the top off his gloves and tore his jacket stitches. He only had the palms of his gloves and as the wind was up, no return run. I saw Boris afterward and asked him how he held on. He grinned and said, "Pretty damned tight!"

Have a good day, nice article too."
Lucky,
Baxtalo Juki, (Lucky Dogs in our tongue)