.... here's the reassembled rear wheel with a NOS 700 x 18 Firestone.... fresh from Art Arfons record attempts through Al Teague. OK, maybe not brand new but it still looks new. Should be good for 600...
Got an e-mail yesterday from Drew, who will be one of the tech officials for the upcoming Bub Meet. It seems that there may be an issue with the Firestone rear tire due to it's age, not it's condition, or it's capability. Drew gave me a heads up, saying that there are LSR tires available. It sounded to me that he was giving me time to make the change. This is of great concern in order for the Vincent streamliner to run the Bub Meet. This tire is capable of 400+mph speeds without any problem even though it's forty years old. My liner is an extremely small package. Any tire change would require extensive modifications, not only in the frame, but in the body. It is impossible for me to make these changes before the Bub Meet.
I know at age 72, I would never make the changes, but would just have to shelve the bike. That's a lot to ask after 22 years of working on this project, which I started in 1989. If the tire situation isn't resolved quickly, I'll be forced to pull my entry fee from the Bub Meet and attend the WOS. Last year at the Bub Meet and at the WOS there was no trouble with running the 40 yr. old Firestone. This year it's 41 years old and it seems to be a problem. What's going on?
BTW three years ago unofficially that tire went 275 mph. Last year we set the SCTA side car record at 191 mph. Fastest recorded speed last year was 205 mph with no problem whatsoever.
Max