For perspective, a stock 400 Hondamatic runs high 11's in the 1/8th mile and low 17's in the quarter mile. My 450 Hondamatic ran high 8's (high gear only) in the 1/8th mile, low 14's in the quarter with both gears. Slow is a relative term. A car running low 14's is considered quick, but a bike running the same times is considered very slow....?
Sam is looking for high 11's on a street legal tire. An 11 second car on street tires is borderline undriveable on the street. Going from 14's to 11's is still considered slow for motorcycle bracket racing. One of the reasons that slow, consistent bikes are disliked is the cost factor. Most quicker bikes have more $$$ invested in them. A lot of racers still equate money spent to the amount of times that they should win. A stock appearing Hondamatic winning against modified Hayabusa's does not win friends. Losing to the Hayabusa 6 times in a row gets you accepted by the big $$$ racers.
Bracket racing is ideally driver competition. If you are a better driver to react to the lights and can judge the finish line better against your opponent will usually win. The quicker you go, the greater the challenge to get consistency. Sam can have the best bracket bike in the country and still lose. His challenge after getting the bike done is to learn the reasons why he will probably initially lose races. Learning from your initial mistakes makes you a better racer. (in any category) Not learning from your mistakes is how you consistently lose to a good bracket racer on a Hondamatic.
One recommendation on Sam's bike that I didn't mention in my visit is the bike chain. Go with the 530 size racing chain.(no o-rings)
The earlier 750's came from the factory with a 530 chain. The sprockets fill all SOHC 750's. The 630 chain weighs more and usually doesn't have any more tensile strength. A very unique shape forms in the chain when on the starting line with an automatic 750. The rear brake keeps the bike from moving while the slipping torque converter tries to drive the bike forward. The lower side of the chain goes into a sine wave shape until the brake is released. Yes, that's with a properly tightened chain. You do tend to stretch the chains out quicker than someone would on the street. Every couple of seasons, I replace the chain with a new one. Sam running only up to 4 events a year will have forgotten when he put on the chain by the time it needs replacing. Kinda like the rear tire. You wear out the rear tire with burnouts, not by going miles down the track. Sam's season will be 20 - 25 miles total travel. How long would your rear tire last if you travelled 25 miles a year? Dry rot of the sidewalls will end a tire's life, even with Sam driving it a few times a year.
Jon Weeks (hondamatic on several internet forum sites including dragbike.com)
