"John Stein's new book on Motorcycle Drag Racing, a history, is the best ever on the subject, large and packed full of photos of these powerful machines covering the quarter mile. Vincents are well represented including my Rattler. And soon out of the U.K will be a new offering from that fine writer David Wright as well. This should be a winner too, his previous books were excellent.
There is a line early on in the Stein book that says in a few words what makes drag bikes such an enduring spectacle over many decades. I'll paraphrase- "part of the allure is vicarious, for these people it wasn't so much examining a motorcycle as it was imagining themselves racing it." The scene shows a crowd deep into themselves as they study a fast machine, no remarks, just totally absorbed, silently dreaming.
The raw naked bike all teeth and wicked promise, it's purpose clear. WINNING.
This deep respnse is absent in the crowd as they watch a fully enclosed machine, an all out streamliner. They can't see the rider or picture themselves in it's saddle. It's just a thing. Might even be radio controlled for all they know. But a naked bike is something else."
*************************************************
My thoughts on this is that Big Sid never saw a 450+mph streamliner appear over the horizon, streak by him, vanish...and then think, 'wow. somebody is inside that thing!' Would really like to hear your thoughts his thoughts.
Come on LSR guys.
Max
