I recently read an article sent out by the BMAC (British Motorcycle Association of Colorado) which was a reprint of a November 1956 issue of Motorcyclist magazine. It showed pictures of Allen's Triumph streamliner as well as others. One of the photos showed 16 year old Jess Thomas riding his T100 (500cc) Triumph to 128.91 mph for an AMA record. He was shown on what looked to be a stock open bike with no streamlining. It states that this was "AMA Class "C"... must be equipped with standard factory cataloged parts...Must use pump gasoline and have a compression ratio of not more than 9 to 1. ...The stroke must be standard and the bore not more than .040" over." Furthermore, the gasoline was tested, the C.R. was only 8.2 to 1, and the bore was not oversize.
The only thing that is not clear is whether it was a one-way run or a two-way. How did they do it? What happened to these old records?
I'm running a huge carb, 13 to 1 compression, modern gasoline (K110), and a very low bike and can't get that kind of speed (but I am close).