When Pigs Fly
When pigs fly
TDC
Kevin Cameron
IT IS ONE OF THE FINER IRONIES OF OUR sport’s history that while it was Honda that consciously went after the Gold Credit Card set in the late ’80s, it is Harley-Davidson that won the prize.
The Harley-Davidson motorcycle is now one of the most sought-after of fashion accessories, which is why so many of that brand’s riders seen at Daytona in recent years are clad entirely in new designer clothing, with sharply-pressed creases. On the other hand, have you ever actually seen a Pacific Coast anywhere but in a showroom?
At an H-D dealer meeting not so long ago, one dealer wanted to know the company’s position on sport. He was told not to worry, for as long as Harleys remained the favored backdrops for big ad spreads in Vogue magazine, and while Sylvester Stallone and compatriots remained loyal to the marque, there was nothing to worry about.
It may be true that the essential nature of motorcycling is subtly changing, and that Harley will never again need to tap into the sporting enthusiasm of younger riders, those who enjoy spirited riding on highly capable machines. On the other hand, even the mightiest of battleships is built with watertight compartments, just in case. Even solidly established, longrunning fashions might need a backup system.
I am therefore pleased to see that, whether Harley-Davidson quite approves of it or not, sport has come tapping on its door. At this year’s Daytona U.S. TwinSports event, a full grid of 80 Sportster 883s was on hand. Long-time Harley racing tuner Don Tilley, builder of the illustrious BoTT racer “Lucifer’s Hammer,” had his own comments.
“Look around here,” he said. “There’s enough Harley dealers right here at the Speedway to have a dealer convention. Now, over the last 20 years (the Harley factory’s term of absence from roadracing), all those dealers would’ve been down at the Ocean Center, going to the show. But now, they’re right here, and working on their own bikes, too.”
It was true. A walk around the garage area revealed many 883 teams, a good number with big, professionally painted trucks and/or trailers. Enthusiasm was high, and numbers of Harley enthusiasts-easily distinguishable by their adherence to H-D dress codewere to be seen strolling the infield. Indeed, I must report that some of their number were actually seen openly enjoying the 250 race on Friday-even though it’s now 16 years since there was a 250 entered here under the traditional orange-and-black banner.
This is exactly what the 883 Sportster class-and now the 883 dirt-track class-was intended to do: reestablish a connection between racing and Harley dealers, enthusiasts and aftermarket firms. Such a connection, I believe, will benefit both racing and the Motor Company. Before H-D’s last national roadrace win back in 1972, Harley dealers and riders were among the strongest supporters of racing in this country.
Of course, racing classes, like children, have a way of growing up in surprising ways, and with unexpected results. Remember the Battle of the Twins, created originally as a refuge for old Triumphs, Vincents and Nortons left behind by technology? It evolved in a wholly unforeseen way, into an unlimited four-stroke GP class whose finest creation-the Britten V1100-was at least as quick as any modern Superbike.
For a time in the late 1960s and early 1970s, dealers of imported motorcycles behaved as Harley dealers had done, and supported racing, too. As general motorcycle sales fell, most of these dealers found other uses for their money. This has changed the nature of roadracing in the U.S., leaving it heavily dependent on factory participation. It’s grand to have the big teams in the sport, but it would be nice to see more vigor at grassroots level again.
Don Tilley described some of the problems in racing an 883. “Now, that oil pickup needs to be right in the middle, and on the bottom of the crankcase, but the way it is, it’s way over on the right, about half an inch up from the bottom. That oil collects down there, then all of a sudden it grabs hold of the crank,” he said.
As a result, a good many of the machines on the track smoke heavily on the overrun. I asked Tilley if racing might influence production, back at the factory. He acknowledged this was a desirable possibility, but cautioned, “Those engineers at the factory don’t like to hear any bad news from people like me.”
The fact is, people like Don Tilley are well respected in racing, and would not be more respected if they had engineering degrees. And I suspect that right now, the factory is getting calls and letters from these returned-to-racing dealers, asking when the new models will be improved to overcome these problems. That is leverage. Like it or not, the Motor Company will become aware that people again want to race its products. Officials of that company can’t help but feel some embarrassment at the track when they see that many of their machines are heavy smokers. Action is a possibility.
Might not stop there, either. Have you heard tell of the Harley model that some industry publications are calling the VR1000? For a number of years there have been rumors that Harley was building a Superbike-legal lOOOcc Twin racer. Recently those rumors have gained substance, and basic specifications have been bandied about. Dealers who enjoy racing the 883 class, and who like the interest it stirs up in their clientele, might want something a little stronger, mightn’t they? After all, why should riders on Japanese and Italian motorcycles have all the fun in Superbike racing?
You don’t suppose that the subject of some of those dealer calls and letters might be inquiry as to when they can order their VR racers, do you?
