Black Racer the Story (so far)
1998 883 Harley Sportster
I first saw Black Racer in 1995 at Surry HD, Mark and I had gone there to sell a Buell Thunderbolt that Mark had imported from the States. We hadn't planned on bringing another Harley home, as we already had 10. Black Racer was made in 1991 and put on the race track, in the 883 Road Race Series. It had Olins shocks, 2 into 1 exhaust system, steering damper, rev counter, no side stand and it was black.
Mark and I used it as a run about for a year, we had gone to the South West Custom and Classic How. I was showing my newly built Sportster Low Rider called Mr Raider and also I'd just finished Mark's Pan-shovel chop called 'Hedgehog'.
Mark had ridden down on Black Racer and there it sat in the May sunshine and Mark said 'Do you know that bike just couldn't look any better' - Um really, well that's like a red rag to a bull 'Watch this'. Mark worked away in Moscow, and shortly after that very expensive comment, Mark departed for an 8 week tour of duty. Work began on Black Racer.
First job was to make a very large shopping list!!!! Zodiac MSD front end (wider than stock), twin disc billet brakes, Streetfighter style twin head lights, flat track bars, autometer rev counter, billet handle bar controls, pingel kill switch and fuel tap, aircraft fuel cap, Screaming Eagle flat track seat unit, supertrapp high level pipes, JMC swing arm with extended axle slots.
Well with that lot ordered and on it's way it was in the hands of Parcel Force or whoever - What could possibly go wrong?? Whilst on this subject, why do they always deliver (or try to) when you are out?
It was now time to strip the motor and check it out - Oh dear, Oh dear!!!! It really was not very well. There is another term for this (f***ed) but as this is a family show we'll just say it was worn out, but hey, it was used for Road Racing. So, an engine from another Sportster we had (a 1200) was removed and put in Black Racer's frame, and as and when the new parts arrived they were fitted. The Olins stayed but the rear sets didn't work with the high levels so new ones were needed. The cast wheels were powder coated black with new rubber. Reg plate was side mounted, it didn't clutter up the seat unit. Paint work was taken care of by my old mate Ty (of Pageant Paintwork), black and yellow, unlike my present bike Tilly III which is yellow and black.
The build was going well and the only parts to make a finish was the right hand foot rest assembly. It was hard to work out at first, the high levels being the problem. This is when Mark appeared back from Moscow and informed me that on Saturday morning Black Racer had to be in Aston Willa Leisure Centre at 8 o'clock. He had booked it into the Ink and Iron Custom Show. You are having a laugh - you're not - OK.
So at 4.30 am Saturday morning Black Racer in the back of the trusty or should that be rusty Transit, we set off for Birmingham - Black Racer was finished. Also on board was another bike or ours a 1200 Sportster called 'Rip Off' Rip Off had a rigid Cobra frame and GSX-R USD front end and rear wheel etc.
The show was a big success for us - out of 5 available trophies we won 3 of them. Plus the show changed my life forever!!! Wow did it. Supertwins had a stand manned by Mick Bubb and Andy Freer, good stand, Christmas tree, working start line, two drag bikes a TV with Drag racing videos, nice, and so much enthusiasm, advice, helpful it was just what I needed.
I had thought of drag racing the Thunderbolt Mark and I had chatted about and we were both up for it, but, how does one go about it. Supertwins to the rescue, it didn't take much for me to sign up to and become a Supertwins member and drag racer. This has changed my life and it's one of the best things I've ever done. Sadly as Black Racer was booked in at the South West Show we missed the season opener at Avon Park.
Black Racer and Rip Off go to Somerset
I had been going to the South West Custom and Classic for 9 years and in the last five I had become an exhibitor. After meeting up with Mr. Bubb and Mr. Freerer it was my last Somerset Show, well it clashes with racing!!. Black Racer got runner-up Café Racer trophy how besar is that. Even Blue wrote about it in Back Street Heroes. Blue fell for Black Racer in a big way, and has done ever since, it was love at first sight.
Not long after the show Blue came and did a feature on Black Racer, nice one, thanks Blue. Blue, who was working for AWOL at the time, followed our progress on Black Racer and wrote about her in AWOL (which was nice).
In the meantime back at the workshop Shopping list 2 was being constructed. S&S crank and Road assembly, Keith Black pistons, Jim's lifters and roller rockers, oil pump, clutch plates, primary drive chain, Andrews cams. As luck would have it, I already had a set of Branch heads I got off a fire damaged Sporty. Boz sorted the new crank for me and the heads, new valves and seats etc. He also vapour blasted the cases - they looked like new. I could now get the motor built. I must also at this point thank Boz for the Keith Black pistons which he donated to the project.
It was now time to go and have a run or two up a drag strip - just for the crack. It was a Mopar meeting with a 'run what ya brung' at Avon Park. First run, left lane - ET 13.742 at 99.048 - not bad, and what fun, the Buzz!! Second run, right lane ET 14.553 AT 92.948, Third run, left lane ET 13.280 at 100.260 and the fourth in the right lane into the 12s with an ET of 12.513 at 105.104 mph. I did 15 runs over the weekend and I was hooked, - there is no cure!! Black Racer had run well and we had no problems.
Meanwhile, back in the workshop, I rebuilt the race motor, did the engine swap and took Black Racer out on the road to run her in, and she did need it, every moving part in the engine had been replaced with new and improved parts. It was a lovely hot summer and it was a joy to rid about running in the motor. The only down side was the heat coming off the motor, oil tank and twin high level Supertrapps. On the open road it was fine, but in towns etc. hot or what!!. I also did a lot of oil changes, first one 50 miles, 2nd 100, 3rd 500, then 800 etc. well, as Boz once said 'you want the most life out of the motor and not the oil! It was around this point in time that Black Racer and myself became homeless
Further instalments to follow
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