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Motorcycle land speed record

 
Wikipedia: Motorcycle land speed record
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The Curtiss V-8 of 1906-7

The motorcycle land speed record is the fastest speed achieved by a motorcycle on land. It is standardized as the speed over a course of fixed length, averaged over two runs in opposite directions.

First set, unofficially, by Glenn Curtiss in 1903,[1] the first officially-sanctioned FIM record was not set until 1920. There was controversy over the 1930 record, when OEC claimed to be fastest, on the basis of a publicity photo taken before a Zenith went quicker. "It was quite a while before the controversy died down."[2]

Contents

Jet-engine trike

The fastest record certified by the FIM is that set in 1964 by the jet-propelled tricycle Spirit of America. It set three absolute land speed records, the last at 526.277 mph (846.961 km/h). While such records are usually validated by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, the FIA only certifies vehicles with at least four wheels, while the FIM certifies two- and three-wheelers.

Piston-engine bike

The holder of the absolute record for motorcycles is the "fastest man on two wheels". All such records have been with piston-engine machines.

Date Location Driver Make Engine displacement cc (cu in) Speed Comments
mph km/h
1903 Yonkers, U.S. Glenn Curtiss Curtiss 1,000 cc (61 cu in) 64 103 over the mile, first (unofficial) World Speed Record, Hercules V-twin[3]
January 24, 1907 Ormond Beach, U.S. Glenn Curtiss Curtiss 4,000 cc (240 cu in) 136.27 219.31 Unofficial record stood over 20 years[4][5]
1920 Daytona Beach, U.S. Gene Walker Indian 994 cc (60.7 cu in) 104.12 165.67 [6]
1923 Brooklands, UK Bert le Vack Temple-Anzani 996 cc (60.8 cu in) 108.41 174.58 [6]
1924 Arpajon, France Bert le Vack Brough Superior-JAP 867 cc (52.9 cu in) 118.98 191.59 [6]
1926 Arpajon, France Claude F. Temple OEC-Temple 996 cc (60.8 cu in) 121.3 195.33 [6]
1928 Arpajon, France Oliver M. Baldwin Zenith-JAP 996 cc (60.8 cu in) 124.55 200.56 [6]
1929 Arpajon, France Bert Le Vack Brough-Superior 995 cc (60.7 cu in) 126.75 207.33 [6]
1930 Arpajon, France Joseph S. Wright OEC Temple JAP 994 cc (60.7 cu in) 137.23 220.99 [6] First official record to exceed Curtiss' pioneering effort.
1930 Ingolstadt, Germany Ernst Jakob Henne BMW 735 cc (44.9 cu in) 137.58 221.54 [6]
1930 Cork, Ireland Joseph S. Wright OEC Temple JAP 995 cc (60.7 cu in) 150.65 242.59 [6]
1932 Tát, Hungary Ernst Jakob Henne BMW 736 cc (44.9 cu in)[7][8][9] 151.77 244.40[6]
1934 Gyon, Hungary Ernst Jakob Henne BMW 736 cc (44.9 cu in)[7][8][9] 152.81 246.069
1935 A3 autobahn (Frankfurt-München route), Germany Ernst Jakob Henne BMW 736 cc (44.9 cu in)[7][8][9] 159.01 256.046[7][8][10] [6] First record over 250 km/h (160 mph)
1936 A3, Germany Ernst Jakob Henne BMW 493 cc (30.1 cu in)[7][8][11] 168.92 272.006 [6]
1937 Gyon, Hungary Eric Fernihough Brough Superior-JAP 995 cc (60.7 cu in) 169.68 273.244 Fernihough was killed in a 1938 attempt[2] JAP supercharged[2][6]
1937 Autostrada A4 (Italy) (Brescia-Bergamo route) Piero Taruffi Gilera 492 cc (30.0 cu in) 170.27 274.181 Supercharged four-cylinder. Taruffi famous as Grand Prix driver.[6]
1937 A3, Germany Ernst Jakob Henne BMW 495 cc (30.2 cu in) 173.68 279.503 [6] Last pre-WWII record
1951 Ingolstadt, Germany Wilhelm Herz NSU 499 cc (30.5 cu in) 180.29 290.322 [6] First post-WWII record
1955 Christchurch, New Zealand Russell Wright Vincent-HRD 998 cc (60.9 cu in) 184.83 297.640 [6]
1956 Bonneville, U.S. John Allen Triumph 649 cc (39.6 cu in) 193.730 311.778 [12][broken citation]
1956 Bonneville, U.S. Wilhelm Herz NSU streamliner 499 cc (30.5 cu in) 211.4 338.092 [6] First record over 200 mph (320 km/h)
1956 Bonneville, U.S. Johnny Allen Triumph 649 cc (39.6 cu in) 214.5 345.188 Unratified by FIM[13]
1962 Bonneville, U.S. William A. Johnson Triumph 667 cc (40.7 cu in) 224.57 361.41 [6]
1966 Bonneville, U.S. Robert Leppan Triumph Special[6] Gyronaut X-1[13] 1,298 cc (79.2 cu in) 245.60 395.28 Triumph Special twin-engined[6]
1970 Bonneville, U.S. Don Vesco U.S.A Yamaha 700 cc (43 cu in) 251.66 405.25 [6] Turbocharged[13] twin-engined[12][broken citation]
two-stroke[citation needed]
First record over 250 mph (402 km/h)
1970 Bonneville, U.S. Cal Rayborn U.S.A Harley-Davidson 1,480 cc (90 cu in) 254.84 410.37 [6] twin-engined[12][broken citation]
1975 Bonneville, U.S. Don Vesco Yamaha 1,480 cc (90 cu in) 302.92 487.515 [6]First record over 300 mph (483 km/h)
1978[12][broken citation] Bonneville, U.S. Don Vesco Kawasaki 2,030 cc (124 cu in) 318.598 509.757 [6] Turbocharged[13] twin-engined[12][broken citation] two-stroke[citation needed]
First record over 500 km/h (311 mph)
1990[12][broken citation] Bonneville, U.S. Dave Campos U.S.A Ruxton Harley-Davidson 3,000 cc (180 cu in) 322.150 518.450 twin-engined[12][broken citation]
Longest held official record, 16 years (see Curtiss' 20 year unofficial record)
3 September 2006[14] Bonneville, U.S. Rocky Robinson U.S.A Top Oil-Ack Attack streamliner 2,600 cc (160 cu in) 342.797 551.678 twin Suzuki engines[14][broken citation]
5 September 2006[14][broken citation] Bonneville, U.S. Chris Carr U.S.A BUB - Lucky 7 streamliner 2,997 cc (182.9 cu in) 350.884[14][broken citation] 564.693[14][broken citation] BUB/Sierra Design V4[citation needed]
26 September 2008 Bonneville, U.S. Rocky Robinson U.S.A Top Oil-Ack Attack streamliner 2,600 cc (160 cu in) 360.913 580.833 twin Suzuki engines[15]
24 September 2009 Bonneville, U.S. Chris Carr BUB - Lucky 7 streamliner 2,997 cc (182.9 cu in) 367.382 591.244 BUB/Sierra Design V4[16]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Harvey (2005) p. 253
  2. ^ a b c Tragatsch (1984) p. 304
  3. ^ House (2003) p. 31-32
  4. ^ House (2003) p. 41
  5. ^ de Cet (2002) p. 116
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Setright (1979) p. 238
  7. ^ a b c d e Walker (1999) p. 16
  8. ^ a b c d e Walker (2001) p. 188. "Then in 1936, BMW technicians decided to decrease the engine's displacement from 736 to 493. This might have seemed a backwards move, but there was a sound basis for this technical change. [...] The engine was a 493 cc double-overhead-cam with a bore and stroke of 66 x 72 mm, a Zoller supercharger mounted on the front of the crankshaft [...] This supercharging technology had been under development since 1929, when a production R63 model had been fitted with a positive displacement blower..."
  9. ^ a b c Setright (1979) p. 238 lists this as 735 cc, not 736 cc.
  10. ^ Tragatsch, caption p. 304, credits this run as 256.06 with a supercharged 746 cc, while contradicting this on the same page in a table listing the displacement for the '32-'35 BMWs as 735 cc, and as 495 cc in 1936, rather than 493 cc.
  11. ^ Setright (1979) p. 238 has this as 495 cc.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Hennekam (2005) p. 57
  13. ^ a b c d Tragatsch, p.305.
  14. ^ a b c d e[broken citation] "World Record attempts: Historic land speed record broken in Bonneville". FIM. 2006. http://www.fim.ch/en/flat/photos/photosworldrec.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-19. 
  15. ^ Motorcycle.com Staff (2008)
  16. ^ Harley (2009)

References

v • d • e
Extremes of motion
Speed
Air (transcontinental) · Land (railed · road car · motorcycle) · Water (underwater  · transatlantic)  · Space
Distance
See also

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