Topic: Foale 400/4

[Chris Tyler]

Hi
This Sohc lark is a little bit addictive!
To add to the Dave Kirby project I have now aquired a Tony Foale so that I can occasionally ride with my son in the
Classic Racing Motorcycle Clubs "Aircooled 500 class"
I have been told that the bike was raced at North Glouster club races & was a championship winner. I am not sure if it is a 400/460 or 498, which I have been told it was raced as. The owners was from Worcester area & the frame may have been orange or red.
Any info gratefully recieved.
all the best Chris

[Sam Green Racing]

Looks like you're starting a collection of F2 bikes how's the Kirby one doing?
If you want the ultimate F2, I know where the tripple TT winning (Alan Jackson) Bill Head/Dixon/Yosh bike is. Yours for £23.

Sam.

[Sam Green Racing]

K 

[Chris Tyler]

Hi Sam
Not intensional it was just the right hand gearchange made me think.
I run in the unlimited & the aircooled lads run with us. Its a good mix. It means I will not race often with the 4 but it gives me a chance to ride with my son (hopefully on the Kirby). I hope to do a foreign jaunt Spa etc somewhere they like post classics or perhaps Thruxton or Oulton with the ZX400's ie circuits the Classic club dont get to race at.
The Kirby
At the moment standard 400/4 engine in. Boyer ignition. Rear wheel tank seat fitted. I am short of a set of carbs & rubbers (I have not tried hard enough) I have a Road M pipe. Just got to decide if I am going to strip Robs 500/4 Frank Stafford framed bike that  David paraded & take back my tz front end. Other options are build up the XS yam hub & discs although these are heavy or try a friends 35mm Suzuki forks as I have a t500 alloy rim front wheel.
all the best Chris

[iomtt9]

Chris, when i've dug all the snow away from the workshop i will look through my 400/4 bits.
I think i have some carbs and inlet stubs, will let you know asap .
Col

[iomtt9]

Chris, still got the conrods. !!!!
Col

[Chris Tyler]

Hi Col

Thanks for the offer. Just been clearing the van for work & its taken an hour to get my hands back.
Just ice here now. trecherous!
All the best Chris

[Kevin]

Hey Col,
You have some con rods your looking to sell?
I just ordered two sets from Robson Rods, but I'm looking for another.......
Let me know,
Kevin

[gene03079]

Drop Tony a line, he can fill you in on the bike. http://www.tonyfoale.com/

Tony was one of the riders on our endurance race team this past summer. After racing with him I can tell you he could ride most any bike to a championship. The guy is fast.

[bear]

Chris, when I've dug all the snow away from the workshop i will look through my 400/4 bits.
I think i have some cabs and inlet stubs, will let you know asap .
Col

Look on the bright side Col.
You will be sunning yourself in the pits at PI in a matter of weeks.
I,m looking for a bit of ballast.
An experienced TT passenger would fit the bill nicely, what do you think?

Cheers,
Brian

[Chris Tyler]

Hi
Thanks Gene
I have pulled the bike out to look at details so that I can contact Tony. Nice to hear he still gets out on track. I always new he was fast.
all the best Chris

[Sam Green Racing]

Chris, when I've dug all the snow away from the workshop i will look through my 400/4 bits.
I think i have some cabs and inlet stubs, will let you know asap .
Col

Look on the bright side Col.
You will be sunning yourself in the pits at PI in a matter of weeks.
I,m looking for a bit of ballast.
An experienced TT passenger would fit the bill nicely, what do you think?

Cheers,
Brian

Thought you had retired Brian   ya can't keep a good man down.

Have a good one mate.

Sam.

[bear]

Chris, when I've dug all the snow away from the workshop i will look through my 400/4 bits.
I think i have some cabs and inlet stubs, will let you know asap .
Col

Look on the bright side Col.
You will be sunning yourself in the pits at PI in a matter of weeks.
I,m looking for a bit of ballast.
An experienced TT passenger would fit the bill nicely, what do you think?

Cheers,
Brian

Thought you had retired Brian   ya can't keep a good man down.

Have a good one mate.

Sam.

Yep funny that Sam I did to.
Pat and I where asked to help out at a sidecar school about a month ago.
Three blokes from our club and to my suprise, my young fella signed up.
He's never shown a lot of intrest before.
The up shot is Steven has been bitten on the bum by the chair bug, so here we go again.
At 17 years of age and 60kg ringing wet I'm not about to put him on the chair at PI for his first Meeting.
Thought Col might enjoy the trip around PI from a different perspective and relive his youth at the same time.
The other good news is that Pat has dodged a bullet and does not require surgery at this stage.
He is hopeful that he will be fit enough to do the OZ Titles in Tasmania in November.

Sorry for the hijack Chris.

Cheers,
Brian

[Chris Tyler]

Brian
if you are at a race meeting the siecars are the must see race.
Merry Christmas Chris

[Chris Tyler]

Hi Chris,

Yes I remember this bike, I'm still trying to remember the rider's name as we both raced the 400 Honda's with NGMCC at the time around early 80's. As far as I can recall the frame was originally designed for a 750. The rider won many riders on this bike although It was a different colour back then (I think Orange/Red frame). Over the years the Class went from 450 fourstrokes to 500 fourtstrokes and I think to 550cc fourstrokes, when the 600 CBR's came the class then went to 600cc.

I don't have many photos from back then but I do have the photographer's name somewhere, if you like I'll get his name for you and perhaps he'll have some photos whereby it may be easier to locate the rider and have some photos of the bike from it's history back then.

Also I have a feeling that the engine was taken out to 498cc at some point. The rider came from Worcester area. That's about all I can recall at the moment.

Good luck and if you do find the previous rider I'd like to contact him also.

Cheers Pete

[simon#42]

it might be worth giving dennis trollope a ring , back then the north glos club was very very small only racing at a couple of RAF stations and castle coombe [ its only in the last six or seven years that the club has grown ] dennis has always sponsored races and riders at the club and if he doesn't know the bike he will almost certainly know someone who does . alternatively if you race with the classic club try to contact bob price on their forum , that old carrot cruncher was winning championships with them back then and may remember .

[Chris Tyler]

Hi
Thanks Simon
I will ask for Bob to contact me. Also thanks for the info about the NG early days. Always found Denis to be a spectacular sponsor, I will give him a call.
Just found a patch of red paint on the tank. It was under the rear mounting strap point & was missed when the tank was stripped back to alloy, so it looks like the tank was red.
Thanks once again Chris

[Chris Tyler]

Hi all

I had this reply from Tony Foale so I thought I would share.

Chris,


Yes it is one that I built.  We made very few 400s, it was a scaled down version of what we did for the 750/900s.  We did a lot of the bigger bikes.  At a guess I'd say that we only did 3 of the 400s but my memory is really bad and with other models, such as the Suzy 750, I keep finding out that I made more than I recall.  Also I only remember doing the 400s as road bikes, whereas with the 750/900s some were racing and some were road.
Whether we numbered one depended on the original client.  Some would stamp on the same chassis number as on their original Honda frame and for others we would stamp on our own number which in this case would be something like TF H xxxxxxx.  If we put on the number then it would be on the head stock.  The tank could be original but if you send more pix from different angles I could tell better.  However the seat is difinitely not the original.

BTW I have just returned to Spain after living in the USA for nearly 3 years.  I did as much classic racing as I could fit in, which was enormous fun.  I was the 2009 national grand champion in the 500cc class on a 350cc, I lost that title this year because of a duff battery.  However, I did manage to get 2nd place in 3  USCRA championships - 350, 500 and singles.  There are some pix of the bike preparation in the Aermacchi folders at http://picasaweb.google.com/tonyfoale

Last week a container with my bike stuff and a bunch of machine tools arrived from the states and so now I have to prepare a workshop here and see what fun I can have in the Spanish races.  I've also been promised borrowed bikes for some of the big races back in the US so it looks like being a busy year coming.  If you ever feel like putting another rider on the bike then you have my email address :<)

[turboguzzi]

hei chris

thanks for the link to tony's album, some really interesting stuff in there,

nice also to know that the guy can still take his creations to the limit.

TG

[Chris Tyler]

Hurra!
A bit of history!!!

Thanks to Pete Griff. I have spoken to a previous owner. I wont name him until I have spoken to him again. But Phil informs me that he brought the bike (minus engine) from a gent from Malvern
(name not remembered at this time) It won the North Glouster 500cc four stroke class!! Bored out using 125 pistons.
More info coming soon!!

Now for a couple of intresting points?

1) The exhaust was made by Dave Kirby!!!!! Love it as my Dave Kirby project has a road Micron fitted!!

2) Phil raced it with North Glouster in the battle of the twins, sound of thunder, class with a




Norton Commando engine fitted


all the best Chris