Author Topic: Mr Bill Hahn Jr (Read 6211 times)

Sam Green Racing · « **on:** February 20, 2013, 04:34:55 pm »

Welcome.

Sam Green Racing · « **Reply #1 on:** February 20, 2013, 06:16:29 pm »

In case anyone is wondering what this is about, here is my conversation with Bill last night.

Sam Green Thank's Dragbike USA for including this. The rebuild of these two historic Top Fuel motorcycles is a massive undertaking for young Russ and brother David. If you click the link above, you can follow the progress of the rebuilds from the day Russ announced this fantastic project to the present day. I'm not sure why Russ chose our forum ( http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?board=113.0 ) to announce the rebuilds but it led to him finding a very loyal fan club. The fan club has raised a considerable amount of funding (through membership) as well as finding some hard to find parts that were needed for the rebuilds. Russ was also lucky in that our forum sponsor Jay Eshbach of APE also became a sponsor of RC Legacy Motorsports. Jay more or less built APE around the Honda CB750 in the early 70s and his interest in these old bikes is as strong today as it ever was. If you would like to be involved in these great projects, you can contact me through Facebook or by registering in the forum ( sohc4.net ). A big thanks to my friend Robbie Crawford for bringing this to Dragbike USA. Sam Green, Chairman, RC Legacy Motorsports.

High Performance and Racing Forum
forums.sohc4.net
High Performance and Racing Forum

Dragbike USA Thanks for the additonal info and backstory, Sam! As a SoCal native, I literally grew up around these RC fuelers, and they are a big part of my formative history too, as is the SOHC 750 the basic reason why the Hahn name became associated with high-perf motorcycles.
Dad fell in love with the CB750F upon its launch in 1969, and overnight changed his company name (and mission!) from "Action Hydraulics" to "Action Fours"! The rest is history

Sam Green. WOW, Action Fours and RC in the same breath. Equally as famous when it comes to the Honda CB750.
If you still have an interest in the bikes that your father made history with, I would feel honored if you would join us at sohc4.net to share what you remember of those golden days.
I realize that we don't know one another but it's like sponsorship, if you don't ask, you don't get.
It's unreal how these old bikes keep bringing people together. Last November I was racing at Valdosta with my CB750A when a guy came by and started talking about the bikes. Just then he spotted a picture on our trailer door of one of the V&H boys on the RC double engined top Gas bike taking on Russ on the AT&SF. He started screaming, "that's my bike, that's my bike"
We wern't sure if he was having a fit or an orgasm. A few days later it was confirmed that he had bought the bike from Russ and he still had it.
It just goes to show that Honda were right with their advertising, you do meet the nicest people on a Honda. I do hope you can join us and share your experiences. Regards Sam.

Dragbike USA
Sam>
I'd love to get involved! I am in the process of chronicling my father's career for an upcoming website devoted to same, and I am confident that there would be much mutual appreciation, as well as information exchange. Surely folks ther can help me find pieces of my late father's history that even I am unaware of, and pics would be great too!

Sam Green.
When we spoke last night but I didn't connect Action Fours with the name Hahn.
I am from the UK and have only been involved in drag racing for a few years but I did remember from the magazines of the day the name of Action Fours.
When you mentioned the name Hahn I put two and two together and knew who I was talking to.
We have passed comments before on the old Dragbike.com forum and I found your posts interesting, factual and entertaining.
I'm sure you will find a wealth of information from the members of sohc4.net.
I noticed that you had registered and saw that you were browsing and I posted a welcome thread for you.
I'm sure you will find from the members of this forum, things that you didn't even know about your father, Russ Jr did. haha. Looking forward to your contribution on the subject of SOHC4s.
Warm regards Sam.

Dragbike USA
Thanks Sam, I will stop in at sohc4 and have some fun! See you there.

Sam.

dusterdude · « **Reply #2 on:** February 20, 2013, 06:52:48 pm »

Groovy,welcome bill

Sam Green Racing · « **Reply #3 on:** February 20, 2013, 07:05:27 pm »

Hi Mark and thanks, I knew he would find support in here.

Sam.

Bill/BentON Racing · « **Reply #4 on:** February 20, 2013, 07:29:35 pm »

Welcome, still have catalogs your Dad sent me and a wall poster of products.Gary Pena informed me a few weeks back. Your Dad was definitely into the CB750s and very creative, check out the drive on his double.He will be missed! Bill Benton Thanks for joining, look forward to your posts.

sorcerer · « **Reply #5 on:** February 20, 2013, 07:31:09 pm »

Action Fours were the other fast guys , actually the first fast guys with his Dad's double...and always kept us on our toes. Were talking 1970-73 drag racing here. Very cool.....at Lions, Irwindale etc...

Bill....great , not so high on themselves, people here, welcome to a more mature motorcycle forum with a lot of old school talent , helping some younger or new to SOHC guys with thier projects.

This site has at least 40 hard core fans of the RC Legacy and they have collectively sponsored this effort. Their enthusism has brought in APE and recently CP / Carillo as sponsors as well.

Russ Jr.

Bill/BentON Racing · « **Reply #6 on:** February 20, 2013, 07:42:38 pm »

Bill Jr. Any chance you might still have the double or another bike from your Dad's stable? As Russ said we can and will and enjoy helping.Welcome to the best forum I've found .

We like pics!!!!

Retro Rocket · « **Reply #7 on:** February 20, 2013, 11:00:06 pm »

Welcome from down under, believe it or not, i have Action Fours catalogs from the 70's as well....

This place is getting cooler by the day....

voxonda · « **Reply #8 on:** February 20, 2013, 11:54:00 pm »

Welcome from the Netherlands as well,

Even to this day use info from the catalog I have from Action Fours.
Cant wait to hear more from you.

Cheers, Rob

Jim F · « **Reply #9 on:** February 21, 2013, 05:58:52 am »

I might be wrong but Bill picked up his double at Valdosta last year from Jerry Cooper from
Cooper Performance.............Jerry Told me about this bike a few months back and was going to
bring it out if I ever got down to his shop for some pictures...........

Bill did your Dad start the company called American Turbo Pak? (ATP)
its still early and only on my first cup of coffee

interesting

Jim

Sam Green Racing · « **Reply #10 on:** February 21, 2013, 06:01:17 am »

http://www.bikermetric.com/2010/11/1972-honda-twin-motor-cb750-drag-bike.html

dusterdude · « **Reply #11 on:** February 21, 2013, 12:54:39 pm »

Quote from: Sam Green Racing on February 20, 2013, 07:05:27 pm

Hi Mark and thanks, I knew he would find support in here.

Sam.

hell yea sam,another legend on the forum

Sam Green Racing · « **Reply #12 on:** February 21, 2013, 05:32:51 pm »

Billy is on the way, he missed this thread so I copied and pasted the link to him.

This is his Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dragbike-USA/303116777999?fref=ts

Sam.

dragracer · « **Reply #13 on:** February 26, 2013, 10:07:39 pm »

And by the way Bill, Jr, unlike the extremism over at dragbike.com, for the most part we are APOLITICAL on this forum. It helps us to all remain friends this way. Lol

Bill Hahn Jr. · « **Reply #14 on:** March 05, 2013, 09:47:28 am »

Hi everyone, what a rousing welcome! Thank you for being such curators of the sport and its amazing people. I am honored and humbled in realizing just how many people Dad's work has touched, and what a proud family legacy I am a part of.

I have so much to say, so much to share, so much to ask for...I hardly know where to start. Please consider this a drive-by wave of hello, as I've presently been rather caught up in the spring sales rush here at Hahn RaceCraft. That, combined with a loving new wife, a full plate of projects and a farm full of pregnant critters-a-poppin...it all keeps this loyal gearhead mighty occupied this time of year!

Nonetheless, I am very energized by this reception, and will be back very soon to settle in a bit more. Thank you Sam for calling my attention to this wonderful ragtag collection of real believers!

Boost regards,
Bill Hahn Jr.

Retro Rocket · « **Reply #15 on:** March 05, 2013, 02:35:22 pm »

Quote

Thank you Sam for calling my attention to this wonderful ragtag collection of real believers!

We all resemble that remark....

Sam Green Racing · « **Reply #16 on:** March 05, 2013, 05:03:04 pm »

Yes, we resemble that remark, we are not a wonderful ragtag collection of real believers, we are a wonderful collection of 100% real believers and I'm quite sure you will fit in quite comfortably.

Your dad was a believer and look how well he did.

For anyone that has not heard of the name Hahn, Bill's dad was Mr Action Fours, a tuning shop that gave Mr RC his biggest head ache in the drag racing world of the 70s, and they are still going strong to this day. http://www.turbosystem.com/
Welcome Billy, I'm sure the guys on here will enjoy your postings as I did when you were a regular contributor on Dragbike.com.

Sam.

Bill/BentON Racing · « **Reply #17 on:** March 05, 2013, 05:19:09 pm »

As someone said, getting better by the day!! Bill, we're here for you.You now have lots of new friends.Ask RC Jr!!!.....Good Luck, Bill

Sam Green Racing · « **Reply #18 on:** March 05, 2013, 05:56:48 pm »

From time to time we have new members that join us, they spout a load of BS and leave, never to be heard from again.
Here is a bit of BS concerning young Billy, the problem is, it ain't BS.

enjoy.

http://www.turbosystem.com/cycle/index.htm

Sam.

Bill/BentON Racing · « **Reply #19 on:** March 05, 2013, 06:22:07 pm »

What'd he do after lunch?

Great read, sometimes it's not passed on , this one, no doubt, your Dad had to be proud. Now we need you to EFI some SOHCs!

Welcome, look forward to your posts.Thanks Bill

Bill Hahn Jr. · « **Reply #20 on:** March 06, 2013, 06:28:50 am »

Thanks again folks! As you can imagine, my family history is a large factor in my life, with me its primary recordkeeper now. I want to ensure that my father's legacy does not get blown over by the sands of time. As his most significant work just barely missed the dawn of the internet era (not unlike Russ in this regard), it is not well documented online, and exists mostly in the memories of those who were there (whose recollections and collected memorabilia are of striking concern to me...more on this later). As such, many of today's enthusiasts are not aware of his enormously significant gifts to the sport they so love, and would enjoy his story. Now, they shall be able to, as I am compiling materials and information for a website detailing Dad's significant career.

At this point, a shout-out to Russ Jr's efforts in restoring the famous RC fuelers. Undoubtedly, his motivations are allied with mine, to conserve and preserve the past so as to benefit the future, and to do justice to a body of work that's just so dynamic that it deserves to be recorded, and yes, to even be chronically proud of. It was an amazing time, with brave men doing very new and adventurous things...and that, folks, makes my heart and brain just sing, for it truly gets no better than that. These stories MUST be told.

I won't mince words...while I'd love to be a part of forum communities worldwide, I've had to be selective and limit myself accordingly, lest my zest for conversation and writing dominate my entire life. The reason I chose this one is rather specific, really...while I dearly love the bike I like to call "the shot heard round the world", the mighty HAHNda SEE BEEE SEVEN-FIFTY FOUR *applause!*, my attendance here is almost strictly academic, as my objective is to gather information about my father's early career and properly document it.

Now, don't get me wrong...it will be fun too, for you folks as well as for me. My plan is to evolve the actual text of the tribute website here, with everyone welcome to participate who has dependable information and/or memorabilia to add. I see it as a rather free-form, organic exercise, one that over time will harvest more and more snippets of information that I will continue to weave into the story. When we're all satisfied that the story is complete and accurate, that will be the version I use in Dad's tribute website.

This will take some time, and I expect to troll with this 'net for perhaps a year. The thread(s) will sit idle at times as my more pressing engagements dictate, but will of course remain available for all to add their own memorabilia and recollections. We'll start a new thread for this purpose, I was thinking of a title something like "Tribute to Bill Hahn, founder of Action Fours and American Turbo-Pak" (I hope that's not too long!).

I figure we can bounce a few more ideas and howdies around on this thread before I start the new one. It's going to be a fun ride, and I thank you all in advance for being here to help me chronicle my father's career. He deserves to be remembered.

Bill/BentON Racing · « **Reply #21 on:** March 06, 2013, 06:51:39 am »

The stories need to be told,separate thread great idea,title not too long,heres a poster displayed in batcave!

Good Luck,Bill

NitroHunter · « **Reply #22 on:** March 06, 2013, 12:01:54 pm »

BH jr. Thanks for making time with us, your father's legacy as an early giant in the sport is pretty cool, and important to our history.

Oh and another mildstone 'shot heard 'round the world' worth remembering - one you might familiar with - Mark Miller's 6.98.

dusterdude · « **Reply #23 on:** March 06, 2013, 02:36:44 pm »

Welcome bill,glad to see you made it

Sprocketwerx · « **Reply #24 on:** March 10, 2013, 07:16:15 am »

Welcome Bill, we've chatted on dragbike.com and FB a bit and I've been following your ecotec projects with great interest.

I'm blown away by the "resurrection" of so many pioneers in our world of Honda4s... that is, the sharing and compilation of experiences that make those stories come to life.

My folks (mom mostly) were pretty anti-motorcycle and not much interest in racing, so my exposure was local and via magazines.
Never Met or saw Bill run, but anyone with even the slightest interest in motorcycles at that time knew the name Action Fours.
I'm enjoying the education here and hope you find what you need and enjoy the stay while your here.

BTW, given the RC tribute thread here, and another forum's thread on Denver Mullens, this could stretch out well more than a year

Pull up a chair, set a spell.... take ya shoes off...LOL... Yall come back now y'hear?
(I have no idea where that Beverly Hillbilly reference came from...lol)

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Author Topic: Mr Bill Hahn Jr (Read 6211 times)