Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

[bak189]

Talking about my good friend Sonny Angel......I have known Sonny from as far back as 1954 when I was roadracing with the AFM.  He is a outstanding roadracer.....racing Norton's and a very fast NSU......
Sonny was on of the first Americans to roadrace the Isle of Man, in addition he ran a fast Vincent at the annual Bonneville Salt  Flats.  Being that I am member of the AMA Hall of Fame selection committee I have put Sonny's name in for his induction into the Hall.....he certainly needs to be a member for all he has done over the year for racing and our sport.
.

[Queeziryder]

Talking about my good friend Sonny Angel......I have known Sonny from as far back as 1954 when I was roadracing with the AFM.  He is a outstanding roadracer.....racing Norton's and a very fast NSU......
Sonny was on of the first Americans to roadrace the Isle of Man, in addition he ran a fast Vincent at the annual Bonneville Salt  Flats.  Being that I am member of the AMA Hall of Fame selection committee I have put Sonny's name in for his induction into the Hall.....he certainly needs to be a member for all he has done over the year for racing and our sport.
.

Bob,
Having only known Sonny and Don for a few years, I couldn't agree more

Best regards
Neil

[k.h.]

Vol. 2 of American Racer, pg 67, there's a photo of Sonny Angel on the grid in Riverside, 1957, NSU with dustbin.  Some guy named Bob Bakker won the 125 class on an MV.

[Kansas Bad Man]

I've only known Sonny since 1959.  Bought my first Vincent motorcycle from him, a basket case.  I worked in Sonny's shop for a year and a half once, working on motorcycles and building much of his now existing shop.  I've worked on the NSU Supermax dustbin bike, also helped just a tad on the two Yamahas, twin two strokes that he raced at the Isle of Man.  During the time I worked at his shop he decided to run his Vincent one more time at Bonneville.  He had sold the Vincent and bought it back.  It was in street trim, however, before he sold the bike he took all the good stuff out of it.  13 to 1 pistons, MkII Lightning cams, and so on.  I turned the pieces and the bike back into his original Bonneville bike, and the bike, if I recall, turned the fastest time ever right off the trailer.  You'll have to ask Sonny.

As you probably know, Sonny Angel and Don Angel are brothers.  I'm proud to say that the fastest speeds that either have them have ever done on two wheels, have been on Vincent racers I've designed and built.  Sonny and Don have been in the Vincent streamliner pits everytime she's been on the salt, and Don is one of my riders.  I've been to El Mirage on 4 occasions with Sonny, running his and my Vincents.  We've been to Bonneville on two different occasions running the Vincents as well, his on alcohol, mine on gas. 

I spent over 10 years stationed in ships at San Diego Naval Bases.  When in port and not deployed, Patti and Chris played Scrabble, and Sonny and I played Chess after Mexican chow every single weekend.  It was one of those things--I guess you could call a ritual. 

Sonny, Chris, and Don have had several fund raisers at his shop for the Vincent streamliner.  Both Sonny and Don are in my "K Club".  Meaning they've each donated at least $1000 over the years to get the liner on the salt. 

So it goes without saying that if I had a vote in the matter, my vote would go to Sonny Angel for the Motorcycle Hall of Fame as well, a legend in his own time and a good friend of mine.

                                      Max 

[desotoman]

Max,

Is there anything any of us can do to help you get to the shootout? Or are you not interested in running that venue?

Tom G.

[bak189]

Thanks for the outstanding input on Sonny, ......Any and all of you can help the effort to get Sonny
into the Hall by going to the Halls Web-Site and writing them a note/letter indicating what Sonny means to our sport and that he should be a inductee..........that will certainly help my efforts.

It took many years to get Larry Coleman into the Hall.....but this year we were succesfull......it takes time.

[Kansas Bad Man]

Max,

Is there anything any of us can do to help you get to the shootout? Or are you not interested in running that venue?

Tom G.

The Vincent streamliner is a bit unusual.  Most, perhaps 95% of the fast cars and bikes, and I'd almost bet 100% of the bikes and cars that show up at the Mike Cook Shootout, have major sponsors, or their owners have very deep pockets.  I suspect the crews of the fast cars and bikes that show up at the Mike Cook Shootout are centrally located near the home of the car or bike.  Logistic problems for getting the crew at the event is probably minimal for them.  In the case of the Vincent streamliner, there is only one crew member who resides in Wichita, Kansas where the liner is located.  The rest of the crew come from Germany, England, and Canada, and in the U.S. from states east coast to west coast.  Planning a venue for the Vincent streamliner is a MAJOR undertaking.  So to answer your question, it would cost additional money for airfares, gas, motels, etc. and of course the $5000 entry fee, which I don't have.

To answer the second part of your question, I feel highly honored that I've been invited to the Shootout, and if things were financially and logistically different I'd be there for sure, as more than likely there will be 12 miles of track at the Cook Shootout. 

                                        Max

[SPARKY]

Max, I know you wouldn't want to short your long standing crew---

but I bet you might be suprised at being able to find some others that know their way to and around the salt and would help support you (in more ways than one) in any attempt at a "COOK effort"

[Stainless1]

Back to goal #1.. go fast through the traps at least twice... once each direction

Did I mention earlier that cutting this chain is not an easy process... lots of side plates...

Here is where the next one goes, what you see it the clearance checking chunk.... on the transmission sprocket

Looks like we are going to need one more tooth on the cross-shaft side.  Too much slack in the chain and Max needs a little better ratio than these.  That sprocket may be in hand when you read this...

[Stainless1]

Here is the chain, ready for one more tooth and the tensioner

The Tranny sprocket just got back from the welder (obviously not a trained professional).  It is basically a clutch drive center welded to a sprocket that Max bored out on the lathe.  Welds a little like Subaru... don't ask how I know... used stainless rod and it worked well.

[little max]

  What a great job your doing Dad.to see the lump coming back together again stronger and even better than before,Wow good post Stainless and I`m very proud of you Dad and as for Sonny he`s got my vote.

[Stainless1]

Little Max, your dad does good work, and I heard from someone (not related to you) that the apple has fallen close to the tree... your Norton is very nice, did you win !st place?

Back to work,
One of the hazards of putting chains between fixed points is getting  as much slack out as possible before you put in a tensioner.  Here is what we have, the previous showed the chain too short to take our a link, so Max added a tooth, still plenty of slack.

then a little clearance in the cover...

And make a pattern for the tensioner

[Stainless1]

While Max worked on the hard stuff, I was allowed to do a little of the easy stuff... 

Finished the seat belt install.  Removed the seat back, then R&R'd the shoulder belts, bolted in the 7 point belts. 

They do look a lot better than the ones we made on the salt... and everything is back in place and ready to put a rider in and adjust.

Word on the street is that John and Lenny are hitting the road soon to come help Max get set up to dyno.  The purpose of that will be to run in the chains a little, make sure the motors are still running and then try to make a 30 second pull.

[Stainless1]

OK, lets take a step back for a second... Look back a few pics at the chain and slack.  I showed you the rear tranny sprocket but not the front sprocket...
here are some before and after shots.

First we need to look at the clutch cross-shaft sprocket.  Max had to grind through the tooth hardening to get to the softer material so he could cut it down to make the sprocket for the new chain

Here it is, the sprocket pressed on to the hub

And on the other side you can see the remnants of the old Hi-Vo teeth, now being used as the stop.  All ready to send to the welder.

[Stainless1]

Dropped in and caught Max working again... making the tensioner for the right side primary. 

checking case clearance

The chunk of round will be the "button" sometime today.... that is the piece the tensioner bolt will push on.   Hopefully the pictures are low enough resolution that you can't see the ugly welding....  that piece got Mig'd but it shouldn't fall apart.


There is still plenty of assembly to do after the parts get made.  Luckily John and Lenny will make it in sometime today and that should help a lot.