Land Speed Record on 1931 Harley V

[Buzz Kanter]

What a blast we had at the Maxton Mile last weekend with Dale Walksler and the gang. We took a 1931 Harley V to Wheels Through Time to get it running after sitting unrun for 21 years.

We (Dale & Matt Walksler, Dave Fuziak, Bill Nugent, Jim Sims, Brian Heinlein (sp?) and I) started working on the bike around 10 am last Tuesday and had it running strong before lunch.

Then we took it to Maxton, NC for the ECTA land speed races and I set the class record at a bit over 73 mph. Dale then rode it in another class and set the record at 71 mph. On Sunday we pumped up the tires, lubed the chain, adjusted the carb and pulled out the seat post and increased our speeds.

Details and photos at www.caimag.com and we will run a series of articles about it in American Iron Magazine www.aimag.com in the spring.

What a blast - if you ever thought of trying a land speed record run on a vintage motorcycle, try Maxton!

[Chuck#1848]

Common.......don't tease us

Hey Buzz how about a couple pictures of the 31V

[Buzz Kanter]

Hey Buzz how about a couple pictures of the 31V

Not a problem - we have posted many photos of the bike at www.caimag.com and at www.aimag.com.

Here is a shot of the bike the day I bought it in a warehouse in New Jersey. It had sat there for 21 years.


And here is a photo of Dale riding it on the streets outside his museum. Note the correct muffler and 19 inch wheels.


And here is one of me at the Maxton Mile just before setting my 3rd land speed record with it.


Full and complete coverage of it in American Iron Magazine www.aimag.com starting with the April issue, on sale in March.

[Chuck#1848]

Thanks I needed that

Buzz

I see that you removed a couple things like the front and rear crash bars,seat helper springs and such just curious when you cleaned and shined the bike up the front fender are those the same side panels that came with it.
Looks like the top of the fender got a coat of black and the side panels survived with what appears to be the original green with striping?
Thanks again

[Buzz Kanter]

Buzz

I see that you removed a couple things like the front and rear crash bars,seat helper springs and such just curious when you cleaned and shined the bike up the front fender are those the same side panels that came with it.
Looks like the top of the fender got a coat of black and the side panels survived with what appears to be the original green with striping?
Thanks again

Good eyes! Yes, we removed a lot of parts before the race - front and rear crash bars, seat helper springs, 16 inch wheels, muffler swap and a different carb. We welded up the rear stand tab and replaced the rear brake.
We discovered original paint under the black overspray on the front fender and started picking away at the black. Probably will get off more black paint over time. The tanks show signs of bondo so we do not expect original paint there, and the rear fender is newer than 1931 so don't expect original paint there either.

[George Greer]

I recently returned from the US, where I had the opportunity to visit Dales neck of the woods, and visit his place in Maggie Valley,

But neither him nor Matt was there when I visited, but I got to see what Maggie Valley's going to be losing.

Nice spread, and I wish that I could have met Dale or Matt while there..

Buzz, great job on the flattie.

And a nice looking Stude back side showing there.

George

[Chris Haynes]

Buzz,
This may well be a record in its class. But it is nowhere near the Land Speed Record which is 763 MPH.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_speed_record

[Paquette]

Chris--Lighten--up!!! Let Buzz enjoy his "Day in the sun"---I think it is a wonderful adventure he has been on, although I would rather see him wearing breeches and a vintage H-D racing jersey vs those modern day leathers---Michael--6671

[rwm]

it looks like buzz had a fun time with great friends but what gives with the 73 mph ?was it the standing mile or just some record no one tried before? please dont get me wrong i would love to enjoy that weakend you had

[Chris Haynes]

it looks like buzz had a fun time with great friends but what gives with the 73 mph ?was it the standing mile or just some record no one tried before? please dont get me wrong i would love to enjoy that weakend you had

I had never heard that Buzz had a weakend. He looks pretty stout to me.

[Buzz Kanter]

Thanks to all (well, ALMOST all) for the support of this fun effort we had a couple of weeks ago.

Chris, once again you have shown you have all the facts but not the understanding. My record is in my class with the ECTA (East Coast Timing Assocation) which has nothing to do with the record you seem to be referring to in the open class.

I ran in the P/PV-1350/4 - Chris look it up and then tell me what class you were referring to with the 763 mph.

The 73 MPH was our first pass in the standing mile. I was able to then run 74 and finally 75 (my goal) on a bike built to go 60 to 65 mph when new 71 years ago.

As for my shiny new Vanson race leathers - I'd have preferred to be in more era-correct gera, but the ECTA rulebook would not have allowed it. So I got those wonderful zip-together 2-piece race leathers made for me at Vanson Leathers (the best!)

[Chris Haynes]

[QUOTE=Buzz Kanter;71890]Thanks to all (well, ALMOST all) for the support of this fun effort we had a couple of weeks ago.

Chris, once again you have shown you have all the facts but not the understanding. My record is in my class with the ECTA (East Coast Timing Assocation) which has nothing to do with the record you seem to be referring to in the open class.

Buzz,
I applaud your efforts and your record. I wish I had the opportunity to do the same thing. And believe me since you started this I am sure that there will be many out to try to break your record. But that is what racing is all about.
I was only replying to your claim of holding the Land Speed Record. The fact remains that there is only one Land Speed Record. Holding the record in a certain class is not holding the Land Speed Record. The Land Speed Record is held by the fastest vehicle on land. There are no class breakdowns for the Land Speed Record.

To quote Wikipidea, "The land speed record is the fastest speed achieved by any wheeled vehicle on land, as opposed to one on water or in the air or on rails. It is standardized as the speed over a course of fixed length, averaged over two runs in opposite directions. The current absolute (or unlimited) record holder is ThrustSSC, a twin turbofan jet-powered car which has achieved 763 mph (slightly under 1228 km/h) over one mile (1.6 km), breaking the sound barrier. There are also records for specific classes of vehicle, such as motorcycles (350.884 mph/564.69 km/h, currently held by Chris Carr), and steam-driven vehicles (Fred Marriott, 127.659 mph/205.45 km/h), but this list only includes the absolute speed records for wheeled vehicles on ground, without rails. Early records predate standardisation and are sometimes controversial."

[c.o.]

Ahh Buzz........ we know what you meant by your record....... Chris is very factual though ain't he????

[Steve Slocombe]

Dear Buzz, yes it's great fun blasting these old flatheads down the track. I took my 1930 VL in stock rebuilt condition including saddlebags up to 81 mph on a UK airfield the same day I got my '34 up to 103 mph. There's an article about it in an old AMCA mag. That six extra horsepower, all above 4000 rpm, from the Y-manifold and new cylinders on the TNT motor really helps. By the way, that's the 1935/6 style rear muffler on your bike, I guess a factory replacement when they stopped making the 1932/3 type with the perforated fishtail. But that original paint on the front mudguard is a great find...

[Ohio-Rider]

73mph in a standing mile sounds pretty exciting to me. You got me thinking now. Maybe that’s why I can’t ever win a race around here. We’ve only been going a ½ mile. I had a feeling that guy was cheating. LOL