Hoofhearted

This is a pretty much a dead thread. But for giggles here's a short video from Bonneville last year. We're headed out next Thursday to see if 140 mph is a possibility. The sidecar ran a best of 132 mph on this run.

A quick note. We went to Bonneville and took home both the gas and fuel records. The name Weslake is now firmly entrenched in the Bonneville record books. The Weslake ran a fastest time of 125.715 mph (for those metrically inclined thats 202 kph). Heres a short video of the run.

The Weslake in the Norton still hold the 500cc pushrod gas record at El Mirage at 129.917 mph and the sidecar holds the 500cc pushrod gas record at 122.240 mph. Next year at El Mirage I hope to go after the fuel records there. I want to take the sidecar to Bonneville next year and go pound some sidecar records there. Gotta fly the Weslake flag!

An update. Not that anyone gives a fiddlers. At the July El Mirage meet the sidecar ran 178.5 K/m (111.590 mph) and for the Sept. meet it started to find its legs. 197 K/m (122.240 mph). There is about 15-20 mph left in it. Great engine!!!! [/img] [/img]

A quick update. The scrutineers at the May El Mirage meet didn't like my handlebar set up so it didn't pass. I made the changes for the June meet. It was undergeared, overjetted and the lakebed is in terrible condition. It ran 172.835 kph on its maiden run so I won't complain. Theres a lot more in it. Ya gotta love Weslakes! [/img] See Ya! [/img] Teardown for certification. [/img]

You guys must be a lot more macho than me!! There is no way I could "flick" the back wheel forward and get it to start! I use a 6 h.p. Briggs and Stratton with a 4:1 gear reduction to start the Wessie in the Norton and sometimes it even has a hard time. Better get the dumbells out and start doing curls. [email="

The sidecar finally fired up today. Not that anyone cares. I had been trying to figure out how to start it for a while now and came up with this. Its a starter with a built in gear reduction. Turns the Wessie over nicely. Out of curiosity how are Wessies started apart from bump starting? [/img] And its final incarnation minus the fairings. [/img]

I saw this on another forum over here. No details or information. I'm assuming its a DOHC Weslake. But the frame etc. I don't know. Anyone got any idea.? It looks well done and if it was in my garage I wouldn't be too unhappy. I'm also curious to know how it got the Rudge name on the tank. I know there was somebody n England bought the Rudge name and had a GP 50 or 80 racing as a Rudge. Could this be from the same person? [/img]

I found this photo so I thought I'd post it. I love the power the Wessie makes. Check the power pulses in the dirt being kicked up from the rear wheel. The time on this run was 129.917mph. [/img] Close up of the engine. [/img] Other side. [/img] P.S. Weslake 500. Anytime you are out this way or want to come out you are welcome to take the Norton for a rip up the lakebed. Found this for Oultonpark. Mondello Park around 1994. [/img]

El Mirage is a dry lake in the high desert of southern California. It is at an altitude of 2800 ft but has had air densities as high as 6500 ft. But usually the air density is around 45-4800 ft. The old Weslake has been running over 120 consistently for the past few years. I'm trying to get it over 130. Maybe this year. El Mirage doesn't have a drag racing attitude. The course is 1.3 miles in length. No elapsed time is recorded. Its purely a run for top speed. If you ever get a desire to run give me a shout. Come on over and you can take it for a run or two. The Antig Weslake is going into a sidecar I'm building for LSR. I stuck it in the Norton last year to see how it would run. It managed a 124 run so its not too bad either. This is the sidecar its in. Dave (owner of engine no.13) has a fair amoun of bits for the old Weslake. The last major rebuild involved a new(ish) crank and a new rod. Dave called David Perry who sent the "last long rod" he had. So I have the feeling that if anything happens this motor will become a decoration. And i don't think Dave would part with no. 13. He has some emotional attachments for it. [/img]

Many thanks for your replies. The rocker cover does have the W only. It is a three bolt inlet manifold. I have a straight and a slightly offset intake manifolds. The straight intake was at a steep angle and when running flat out for 2 1/4 miles would cause the float to drain and the engine would go flat. When I changed to the angled manifold, which has a shallower angle, things improved considerably. It is a "long rod" engine or so I've been told. The barrel has 5 fins. I have a later Weslake motor with a 4 bolt intake . On the rocker cover is cast AW so I'm assuming that is Antig Weslake. They are both terrific and bulletproof motors. The early one in the Norton has made 20 runs over 120 without any problems including three runs at Bonneville on a course of 2 1/4 miles in length. I ran out of gearing at about a mile and a half and it was a case of holding the throttle until the 2 1/4 mile mark. I have to admit I am amazed t their strength. The photos are of the same bike. When I put the fairing on I had to change to a hgh pipe as the low pipe wouldn't clear the fairing. I was more curious than anything as to the age of the motor. I have a friend in Northern California that has a Weslake that is engine no. 13. He uses it as a doorstop. It should be on a mount and on a coffee table.

I'm coming in on this very late. Sorry, I'm new to this forum. Only came across it a day or so ago. I have an old Weslake 500 pushrod motor in a 1960 featherbed frame. I don't know exactly what year it is and I'd love to find out. No. 2551E LPS. I was over in Ireland for a while and built it as a short circuit vintage racer. But the vintage powers that be over there sort of frowned on a four valver in vintage racer. What got up my nose was one saying to me that it was a nice bike. "Too bad its illegal for vintage racing." This was from a guy with a two week old Summerfield replica! I moved back home to California and wasn't sure what to do with it. So I took up land speed racing. I'm old, had done the road racing bit for years, and wanted to do something. I've been flogging it at El Mirage dry lake for the past eleven years and one trip to Bonneville salt flats. It holds its class record at both venues. The best run was at El Mirage which was 129.817. I run it on VP C12 race gas. 14:1 comp. and 35 deg. fixed advance. No problems. I saw a article on an Aussie racer that used a two valve ESO in a featherbed. The article claimed that he had developed a return for the total loss using crankcase pressure. I tried to do that but without success. I wound up making a fiberglass catch tank under the motor. Doing the LSR lark I have reduced the size of the tank over the years. It has proved to be an unbreakable engine. I bought a second motor, an Antig Weslake. Its in an LSR sidecar that I'm finishing up. I put it in the Norton and it cranked off a 125 run. Again, on gas. [/img] [/img] [/img]