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beebo5150 · 12-09-2008, 12:12 PM

Triumph land speed records back in the 50's lots of pics
Blackie Bernal-1950's Motorcycle Speed Record Holder |

TomSmith · 01-22-2009, 03:11 PM

I rode the bike a few days before and got a bad headshake at about 150mph that sent me to the hospital and a long recovery. The reason was insufficient weight (causing about 17mph wheelspin). The bike was repaired a day or two after my accident and Blackie took over. His additional weight (I weighed 124 pounds) made it more stable. We didn't know much in 1952. I ran one way at 147.78 while backing off on the throttle to keep the rpm down. Blackie ran 148.08 one way, but I don't know which motor he ran. We had poor ignition and lost a magneto almost every run. Gary Richards, a friend of mine, broke the record in 1959 if I remember the year right. Gary's record still stands as an AMA record.

12-09-2008, 12:12 PM	#1
beebo5150 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 1	Triumph land speed Record Triumph land speed records back in the 50's lots of pics Blackie Bernal-1950's Motorcycle Speed Record Holder \|

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01-22-2009, 03:11 PM	#2
TomSmith Founding Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Rancho Palos Verdes, CA Posts: 266	I rode the bike a few days before and got a bad headshake at about 150mph that sent me to the hospital and a long recovery. The reason was insufficient weight (causing about 17mph wheelspin). The bike was repaired a day or two after my accident and Blackie took over. His additional weight (I weighed 124 pounds) made it more stable. We didn't know much in 1952. I ran one way at 147.78 while backing off on the throttle to keep the rpm down. Blackie ran 148.08 one way, but I don't know which motor he ran. We had poor ignition and lost a magneto almost every run. Gary Richards, a friend of mine, broke the record in 1959 if I remember the year right. Gary's record still stands as an AMA record.