flattracker

Another Virago Varient. This time it’s more of a Flat Tracker style bike.

Since the Cafe Virago pics were such a hit I thought I’d post this highly modified TR1 tracker. The TR1 is a not a Virago but it’s a very very close cousin. Anyway I love the kind of balls it takes to try builds like these especially when it pays off so nicely. Oh and I saw these over on ADV rider but tracked them down to the excellent (and all in Italian) Ottenero Blog. Really interesting stuff.

UPDATE: Reader Submittal A really cool Moto Morini flattracker!

Alvin sent in a good description of this cool ride.
He Writes:
Glad you enjoyed the pix- it’s a pretty neat little bike.
By way of description, it is a 1978 500 Morini with 19” dirttrack wheels and Grimeca brakes that I use to run in the “Vintage 500 Pushrod” class in AMA District 36 dirttrack events. The motor is stock internally with slightly bored carbs. What really makes the motor sing are the pipes, the 72 degree V angle of the motor usually makes the front pipe much longer than the rear pipe, because I’m not using a battery and it’s a race bike where a little exhaust heat isn’t a problem, I snaked the rear pipe through the frame and the pipes ended up with 1/16” difference in length. The motor revs easily to 12K RPM and has seen 13K twice when I mis-shifted. I’m using standard 35mm Ceriani forks with Cartridge Emulators and a careful revalve/respringing, the shocks are adjustable YSS units that work very well indeed. The bike is the most powerful in its class by a fair margin but because I’m so big (6’1”, 270 lbs), I’ve only been able to earn a #2 plate my first year and a #3 plate my second year. Best of all- it makes a bitchin’ noise at 12K!

Reader Alvin Webber sends in these great pics of his Moto Morini Special. I love builds like these. Must be a gas to ride!

Alvin Wrote:
Hi- I saw your photo of Pete’s 350 Morini
dirttracker and thought you might find my 478 interesting too.

You Bet Alvin! Thanks Much! Oh and here’s the link to Pete’s bike!

Classic Kawasaki Flat Trackers. Carry over post from my 2-stroke site…

Like I’ve said before sometimes I get stuff over on my 2-stroke blog that’s just too good not to “cross-over” to here. Hope ya don’t mind..

My new favotite blogger Mike Stuhler of the excellent STUSSHOTS blog sends in these fantastic pics of a bike I’ve been enamoured with for years. I’ve actually posted a small grainy version of that beautiful green and white tracker somewhere on here before but it was a really rough shot. These come straight from the source and the detail is revealing. Reverse cylinder top end, big gulping roundslides, nicely tucked in chamber and some sweet fab work.

Mike Writes:

Hey Steve- Here are a few shots for you that might be of interest to you.Back in late 74/early 75 Erv Kanemoto–who went on to tune World Championship teams for Spencer, Lawson, Gardner, Kocinski and several other somewhat well-known racers, put together a couple of H2 triples for flat tracking, in the hopes of trying to compete against the upcoming and omni-present XR750 onslaught that was about to overtake and dominate American Class C flat track as it was known in the day.Kanemoto was a genius in putting together some of the finest, let alone fastest bikes of the day. This particular little gem of a project involved a Champion frame, Ceriani front end w/ what I believe were Akront aluminum rims. The mags were just starting to be regarded as enough of a weight and time savings, but only a few guys were running them, hence the standard spoke rims. As you can see he ran both on this sweet little piece. I’m not familiar enough with the technical aspects of what he did do in the way of porting/polishing this jewel, but it was pretty much a rocket ship. But, like the TZ that Roberts won Indy with–a week later after the Terre Haute shots attached were taken–they just wouldn’t hook up on a dirt track real well. And the power band on these were even more of a lightswitch then even the TZ turned out.But man, if you were a 2 stroke head, and I definitely was and still am, these things sounded f…in wicked.These shots attached were a few I took that historical week. Donnie Castro was just out of a contract from the Yamaha super team as they went it alone with KR that first year. So Erv enlisted Donnie at several races–Terre Haute, Indy, and Syracuse–on the eastern swing, and also had Scott Brelsford at Syracuse as well. Neither qualified in at any of those races that I remember.I’ve attached some shots of Donnie and the H2. The color shot is from TH and in the far left you can see the brim of Castro’s hat, and the dude in the sunglasses is former #9, Gary Nixon. The others are of Donnie at TH and Indy during practice/time trials–again in August ’75. I’ve got some other b/w shots of both DC and Brelsford from Syracuse, but I’ll save those for another time and another surprise!
Mike

Can’t Wait! I always wondered about the timing of these bikes in relation to King Kenny’s dream machine. I can only dream what THAT matchup would have sounded like. Thanks Very Much for filling in the history on these awesome rides.

Virago!! Flat tracker!?!

In my new found fascination with all things Virago (see HEREe and HERE)I’ve discovered yet another incarnation of the basic simple V-twin ride… Soon we’ll be seeing Virago motocross bikes lol!