Topic: Funny, but true.................

[Hannibal Smith]

I used to build racebikes (everything but the motor) and there is one thing that I learned.

NEVER give a racer an even number of bolts/fasteners, like on the brake disc for example.

I made some sweetheart cast iron 6 bolters with 2024 carriers and 7075 buttons for an overweight (150 pounds!) 2 stroke racer, this setup was light and just fit my engineering weight/speed figures. I show up at the track some races later, and find that the fool and his monkeys are now running 3 fasteners per disc instead of the 6 to save weight ( skipping a hole). I kept my mouth shut, and then programmed all future discs to either 5 bolt or 7, so these morons couldn't half the deal.

 

[buttcan]

Lol ! Anything for another .024 seconds huh ?

[Hannibal Smith]

No doubt!

In fact, when I would get the Marchesini magnesium wheels in, I would index off the bearing and "Timesert" (Helicoil style done right) to 7 holes right off the bat. I would then make my own carriers. Brembos are nice, but the AP brakes are my favorite little sweethearts.

The Marchesini mags needed all the help they could get! They were light as piss, but the sprocket had better be anchored good, baby!

[754]

 Dont let them nuts near a 4 bolt set of Lockheeds or Kawu brakes...

 what did you put the Marchesinis on? Where where you working back then?

 Did you ever run ASTRALITES on anything..?

[Hannibal Smith]

Dont let them nuts near a 4 bolt set of Lockheeds or Kawu brakes...

 what did you put the Marchesinis on? Where where you working back then?

 Did you ever run ASTRALITES on anything..?

Marchesinis on Ducatis, and some Bimota stuff (streeters) and some GSXR's and one mega lightweight Kawasaki ZX7R (410 pounds if I remember correctly???).
 I did do some Astralites on a Ducati 750 (race bike from a Laguna Seca) and a Motoguzzi LeMans, but the Astralites were bricks compared to the 3 and 6 spoke Marchesinis. There was another wheel manufacturer that I made stuff for, and I cannot remember the name, not Dymag, not Mavic, but the poor man's Marchesini.......................

I was working on the independent racers stuff in SoCal, 90% Ducati.

Also made custom stuff for the biggest museum down south, restorations of vintage Ducatis to include a World famous bevel drive single Ducati racer.

[Hannibal Smith]

If you google "Speedy Gonzales 250" (Guy Webster collection) you can see some work.

This bike was done through a middleman, and was a nightmare.

It looks modified since I did work (coils mounted different etc.), but that was part of the nightmare on that bike. I told the "middleman" that the motor mounts were not period correct, but he insisted. Vintage tech tossed that bike in seconds from what I heard..........................aaarrgh! Not my fault, pissed me off.

That motor is running so loose it would scare you. I am talking like .010 slop everywhere if my memory serves me right, that cat rattles until it gets really hot. 

[754]

I got a set of Astralites that few guys are buggin me for that I want to keep. Short of spending huge bux, I till think they are pretty light for an 80s wheel..

 Ducs eh, a budy has some Mark3 and Desmo singles at present. I had a couple Mach 1's.

 Sold a pretty complete one minus rearsets & with cracked head for 175.00...