![]() Something was overheating, BUT WHAT? Suzuki had Ram-Air heads on their 380 and 550 triples, after-market water-cooled heads were available but even the factory water pumpers were having a like problem so what was the point? The engine was consistently losing power as the race progressed. I was soon to observe that the RD would run pretty strong in 6th gear out of one corner, only to be reduced to 5th gear and finally 4th gear by the end of the race. My own experience with road racing was just beginning to develop. Some wise-ass would invariably make a comment like ‘It doesn’t matter how much they water them things, they ain’t gonna grow any faster. Out came the pressurized water sprayers to hose the cylinders, heads, and cases off. And when the bikes were brought back to the pre-staging area, a curious ritual would begin. Tony Nicosia would run the Kaws all the way down to the end on the back wheel, severely stressing the wheelie bars. Everest was a foothill and two-strokes only came in one, two or three cylinders, companies like Denco Engineering and Hot Bike Engineering were running Kawasaki triples regularly at Fremont Dragstrip. What’s important here is the fact that I would very much like to pass on the knowledge that I have accumulated during all those years and as Doug has more or less started the ball rolling with his articles on heat, I see no reason to break stride. Not wishing to spend $5000 to ”purchase’ trophies, I hung it up. What I mean by obsolete was that I had been relegated to finishing 7th with six FZR 400’s in front of me. By the time I left racing, it took Yamaha’s then-latest creation, the FZR 400, to make my fifteen-year-old RD-375 obsolete. I was just a wee pup of eighteen and had a lot to learn. They were fast at tracks like Sears Point, Riverside, and Ontario. When I started racing RD’s, the fast guys on the west coast were Alan and Dain Gingerelli, Dick Fuller, Scott Clough and Bob Tigert. I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read and this has compelled me to add my two cents based on my past racing experience with RD-350’s. In the past couple of issues, Doug has been doing a credible job of explaining heat, race fuel, and the likes. Bike Myths Ignition Timing Basic 2-stroke Tuning Art of Squishing More Power Torque and Horsepower Modification You Try Carburetor Hacks
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