Board Track Motorcycle Racing in the US

[Sombrero]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhRTOZV5yfY[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWA6aHkKbx4[/youtube]

"Pioneers of American Motorcycle Racing" by Daniel K. Statnekov

http://www.statnekov.com/motorcycles/chapters.html

More on Board Tracks - Old Racecourses

http://www.stockcarracing.com/featurest ... ewall.html

Either on 2 or on 4 wheels the board track era was really amazing !

Enjoy !

[flynfrog]

And terrifying. Most of the engines of the day were total loss oiling. So that board track would be covered in oil too.


There was a bike velodrome at the Great Saltair build at the end of the pier. Not quite a motorized board track but cool none the less.




http://confessionsofabikejunkie.blogspo ... story.html

[flynfrog]

A thread from one of my favorite other fourms

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/show ... p?t=118596

Great reading if you have the time

[flynfrog]

A Good way to waste a sunday morning.

http://flashbackfab.com/excelsior-project-paul-brodie/

man builds a replica board track racer from scratch including the engine.

He then goes on to modify the motor and build a road race bike from scratch and race his own motor. Stuff of dreams

[strad]

Many of the tracks, like the one in Tacoma were built by turning the 2x4s on edge so there were gaps between the boards,,,Added another element of danger to the game. I guess they did it for strength from articles I've read.

[flynfrog]

There was a track in Des Moines Iowa for a short time. The legend is some of the barns in the area are build from the lumber out of the track. I think to save costs later on they turned the boards the wrong way which made the tracks even more dangerous

[Tommy Cookers]

And terrifying. Most of the engines of the day were total loss oiling. So that board track would be covered in oil too.

some machines had extra ports drilled low down through the cylinders (this can be seen towards the end of the footage)
this was mainly to assist free exhausting (but slung a lot of oil)
I think this was dropped as greater valve overlaps were introduced
AFAIK the Bert Munro Indian is from these times
the motorcycle people learned the value of tuned length exhaust and induction systems (also 1 carb/cylinder)
because these tracks gave sustained flat-out running (likewise the UK Brooklands concrete oval 1909-1939)
both countries applied this knowlege to race cars, but the supercharger soon swamped these efforts
these supercharged Millers etc raced on board tracks (wasn't Sheepshead Bay the last and fastest ?)

[flynfrog]

Berts indian was a 1924 Indian scout.



Its funny you bring it up. I was out at the flats last weekend for a rocket launch. There is a little mexican restaurant right at the edge of the salt. On the wall was a signed picture of Bert. I was going to head out today for the start of speed week but to many other things coming up.

[bdr529]

Baltimore-Washington Speedway
Construction of the 1¼-mile track made entirely of 2x4 boards laid on edge, the track was 50 feet wide and banked on the turns at 45 degrees. Inaugural race 1925 used for cars, motorcycles and cycling races


If you got those 2x4's delivered in 12 foot lengths you'd need more then 165000 of them (excluding the pit area)
can you imagine calling the guy down at the sawmill with that order
on the bike side of the topic I have seen a few companies that build replica kits for the old board trackers
http://www.sportsmanflyer.com/

[Tommy Cookers]

Berts indian was a 1924 Indian scout.

FWIW I'd bet it was a purpose-built racer with 8 (overhead) valves (early in the film Bert makes that point ?)
it still might have been called a Scout
I'm thinking that road Indians were then side valve/flat head or maybe inlet-over-exhaust/'pocket valve'
up to those times (either side of WW1) Indian was dominant in top European races (with 4 ohvalve 500 cc singles)
I think the board tracks rules maybe later mandated road-based engines ? to be fair to the other manufacturers

great stuff, anyway !

[flynfrog]

looks like I misposted it was a 1920 at least thats how it started.

Looks like a custom head to me but admittedly I don't know much about this era of bike just posting things I find as my curiosity leads me.





This was the picture on the wall at the restaurant.

i'm not 100% sure the pictures match the down tube on the frame does not seem to match the later pictures. Then again Bert was always modifying things.


edit found the answer

Burt’s machine carried the engine number 5OR627 and has been identified as one of the earlier Scouts that Indian manufactured. It sported a 37cu.in. (60Occ) 42 degree V twin with a side valve head. A helical gear primary drive was contained in an oil-tight, cast alloy case and a 3 speed, hand change gearbox with foot clutch was fitted. A double down-tube cradle frame was used, rigid at the rear and a leaf-spring front end that provided the forks with nearly 2 inches of travel. Unusually for motorcycles of that era, a chain final drive was standard equipment on the Scout.

He first modified his precious Indian in 1926, using very crude home made tools. For example, his micrometer was a bicycle spoke and he cast his own pistons in tin cans. Within a short time, he had replaced the barrels, pistons, lubrication system, and flywheels with his own designs. He also designed and manufactured 4 cam overhead valve heads to replace the original 2 cam sidevalve design.

[flynfrog]

good read on Bert

http://www.dudeworld.com.au/ARTIBURTMUNRO.HTML