I applaud the changes for 2014, especially the change in APS to agree with SCTA and others. And I really like the cap on the "Classic" bike year at 1981. I think this will get more people interested in building a nice Classic bike knowing that later (after 1981) water coolers will never be allowed. Let's see, Suzuki Katana 750cc dual overhead cam, 4 valves per cylinder, 82 hp comes to mind! I wonder how big that motor is physically?
As for the distinction between Modified and Special Build, I think they are just making things a lot more difficult than they need be. I would say just let any bike run that meets the safety specs. If somebody wants to run a supercharged Hayabusa in "A", let 'em go. The only person that will not be happy is the guy who held the "soft" record before, and that's just an additional challenge. Unlimited in design should be unlimited.
I am disappointed that there are some records that were set in 2013 (at least 3) that there was no class for, but their records were allowed to stand. I'm talking about Production class bikes that ran in "Fuel" class or in "Production Blown" class with "non OEM superchargers", as these are specifically prohibited by my interpretation. I wrote for clarification of these rules (not specifically pointing out the offenders) in the hopes that they would be rectified. Maybe I'm interpreting the rules wrong, and if somebody can straighten me out, I would appreciate it.
Tom