Take a ride with King Kenny

[chugga-bug]

A lap with K R on a proper race bike..You can almost smell the two stroke...:cool:
(make sure you've got the sound up)

[video=youtube;t4S7wmxpQIU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4S7wmxpQIU[/video]

[3dx]

Yep,agree with that one mate,, don't get me wrong-modern 4ST racers are very good but for a real heart stopper,
the acceleration on a hot 2st is insane !! - ,,,Among the bike I rode over the years I had a ,
Suzuki X5
Suzuki X7
Yahama 250LC- The bees knees !!
Yahama RD400
Kawasaki KH750 with Stan Stevens expansion pipes - only good in a straight line!

Good days indeed,,,,,,,,

[theglennster]

Missed a few shifts in there, the guy has still got it though. I assume its a TZ500 (or 750? )

[electricsceadu]

off to buy a bottle of 2 stroke to smell the fumes watching the video again

[Cagey]

The man's good yet. Nearly fell out of my seat leaning into the bends. Great stuff.

[Tim Procter]

Certainly enjoyed watching that Ian.

Thanks for posting.:)

[Captain Crash]

Oh My God i've got a little bit moist, god i love strokers!!!! Should bring back the 500GP's !!

I'd say it was a YzR 500

[ade999]

I'd be interested to see what they really are like compared to tadays modern Sports bike in the 1000cc class..! Im sure the corner speed would be wicked.. great find Ian

[johnsandywhite]

He isn't called King Kenny for nothing. A lot of the past and modern riders went to his schools in Spain and elsewhere. His schools teach them the American way of feet up power slides for top class throttle control.

[Captain Crash]

I'd love to go to Atlanta, Georgia and ride with my hero at his riding school, Kevin Schwantz, he apparently joins in with most classes when he's there, that would be a buzz to ride WITH him.

Late 80's - early 90's racing is where it was at for me, the likes of Schwantz, Rainey, Lawson, Gardiner, Doohan, Mamola etc, without doubt some of the closest and best racing of all time imo.

It's like rallying, the group B cars were as exciting as it comes for me, it wasn't the cars that were dangerous, it was the idiotic spectators trying to get too close to the action that were!

[johnsandywhite]

[QUOTE=Captain Crash;746776] Late 80's - early 90's racing is where it was at for me, the likes of Schwantz, Rainey, Lawson, Gardiner, Doohan, Mamola etc, without doubt some of the closest and best racing of all time imo. [/QUOTE]

I was racing Sidecars with my brother during some of that period:-

[IMG]http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m1/johnsandywhite/TomJohn.jpg[/IMG]

BTW. You forgot Sheene etc.

[Captain Crash]

Sheene was earlier, did get chance to see him at the '94 British GP when he rode on the back of Randy Mamola for a parade lap, organisers were panicking as he refused to wear leathers and rode around in his jeans!!!

There were so many other fantastic riders around that era, Rocket Ron Haslam, Rob Maclenea, Sito Pons, Jean Philipe Ruggia, KR Jr, Luca Cadalora, Loris Capirossi to name but a few, all used to give me hours of fun watching them.

One of my favourites was the late Norifume Abe, now he was a STAR, his riding style was just mental, laying darkies out of every corner speedway style, tragically killed in 2007 in a scooter crash, he would have definately been a future world champ.

[johnsandywhite]

Yes Sheene was earlier. But he WAS there in 1981 when we raced at Silverstone along with Roberts, Crosby, Grant, Ballingtron, Middleburg, Nieto, Mang etc. To name but a few. I did see Sheene on TV ride with Randy. Nori was also one of my many favourites.

[miniconverter]

Definitely not a TZ, bike is a YZR500 as previously suggested and looks like a OW60 which would be late 1981 or early 1982. Last square four rotary disc valve engine before they changed to V four with the OW61 in mid 1982.

I get to smell 2 stroke and avgas and listen to the sound in the summer when I sort the bike in the photo even had a quick ride on it this year but am a bit old and fat to ride it properly now.

Can't load image so here's a link to the photo

[URL]http://www.sport-pics.co.uk/2011_Season/crmc/1cadsun/18/1ccu5031.htm[/URL]