Frank - Sam and I have been through this. Clutch guys use a line lock to hold bike on starting line with a dragging clutch. Sam asked the powers that be. Yes, line locks on rear brakes are legal in Street ET. It's considered a safety item. I don't assume, I ask. Hondamatics use the line lock on the starting line to prevent creeping forward, just like clutch bikes. I just leave harder when the line lock is released... I welcome protests. Educating fellow racers doesn't take long so long as the officials are doing the talking. Chain guard - check, lights - check, tires with tread - check, no two step - pull the tank - check, fuel shutoff - check. Protests won't take 5 minutes.
I have no idea how Chad got the front end of his Hondamatic in the air. He ran mid 13's with an old school big bore and nothing else. Stock converter so it left at a low rpm (3k or less). With my dragbike chassis Hondamatic, I can launch at 6k (modified converter) with no wheelie bars and not have any issues. Solid rear end about 10" over. I run a wheelie bar for the power wheelie the bike makes at around 7,500 rpm in low only. Front wheel comes up 2", bar hits, front comes immediately down. Throttle is wide open from the first yellow until you back it off after the finish line. The best launch I ever got was a 1.78. Remember, I'm launching with the equivalent of second gear on a clutch bike. I run a small slick on the big engine Hondamatic since it races Pro ET. Hondamatics don't have to just race in Street ET.
Automatics are not clutch bikes. The setups are very different. Give a guy who has been racing them since 1985 a little credit on knowing a little about racing them. When Sam wanted help, I tried to have him go with a big rear brake setup. The staging is different using a line lock. For a beginner, it was not welcomed. A hand control of the rear brake gives less pressure than a foot. That forces Sam to use part throttle launches to prevent red lighting. Someday, I hope to show you time slips on a Hondamatic with a foot rear brake and line lock. You've probably never seen a series of more consistent bracket timeslips. That's why I say that it will take a Hondamatic to win the SOHC purse for Street ET. Vic came close with the Worm to winning Street ET at a couple of Cup events, but air changes cost him in the final. Low horsepower bikes are hard to dial-in. The fact that Vic made two finals with a ~50 hp at the crank bike speaks for the consistency of the setup and intelligence of the rider who dialed the bike.
Don't confuse your horsepower with mine. If I had a Hondamatic that had 150 horses at the rear wheel, many changes would be required. My stroker 1180 cc 'matic made only 100 horses at the rear wheel. There's at least a 20% loss going through a loose converter. How sensitive would any of your dragbikes be with 100 horses at the rear wheel? Apples and Oranges
