Dick Rios' Two-Timer
DICK RIOS’ TWO-TIMER
IN LESS THAN TEN SECONDS the Two-Timer accelerates to 155.17 mph, a mark which rider/builder Dick Rios claims as “the all-time mph (record) for a bike in the quarter mile.” Rios also claims his 9.74 seconds elapsed time, recorded on the Fontana (Calif.) dragway clocks as “the lowest E.T. ever turned by a bike in the quarter.” If anyone wishes to dispute these assertions, he can find Rios and TwoTimer at drag strips across the U.S. (and, hopefully, Europe) this summer on a coming exhibition tour. But whoever dares fling down whatever dragsters use for a gauntlet had better have his weapon well prepared, for without being overly stressed, Two-Timer lacks very little in the battle against the quarter mile. It consistently runs over 150 mph and Rios confidently predicts speeds in the ’60s before the year is out, perhaps on his tour.
Power is generated by two 1957 650cc Triumph engines. Crankshaft and cases are stock, with .070 ground off the flywheel rims for cam clearance. Connecting rods are standard, with the exception of bronze inserts installed by Froyd & Weller of Pasadena. Harman & Collins cams are used with standard cam followers and lightweight pushrods made by Wert’s Speed Shop of San Jose, Calif. Pistons are 11 Vi to one Triumph B range, set up at .008 clearance and .010 ring end gap.
Rios prefers to leave the cylinder barrels as standard as possible since they are more reliable that way, and he simply bores them out .010 at a time as they wear. If it begins to appear that the specifications are conservative, perhaps it should be mentioned that Two-Timer is a “fueler” designed to run reliably as well as quickly on up to 96% nitro, “which,” as Rios says, “is almost the whole can.”
Two-Timer’s heads are aluminum, with optional 1 5/8" intake valves, standard 1 Vi " exhaust valves, S&W valve springs with Webco alloy caps and keepers. Four remote float bowls feed four Amal 10TT9 carburetors with #7 slides coupled to a dual throttle. Standard magnetos deliver the spark.
Fitting the second engine in the 1950 frame required welding in 18Vi" sections of tubing. The engines are joined in the center by alloy plates and standard engine mounts are üsed front and rear. Takasago 5/16xVi chain couples the engines through an ingenious set of splined sprockets which allows Rios to change gear ratios simply by slipping off the rear engine drive sprocket without disturbing the chain.
A Harley-Davidson clutch with Barnett plates handles the torque. Because of the pressure involved, the familiar Harley clutch booster is retained. Only second and third gears of the old H-D 3-speed transmission are used. While the hand shift lever is still there, the lower “clutch” lever discernible on the left handlebar is rigged to trigger the gearchange mechanism so speed shifts can be thrown without removing a hand from the bars.
The front forks are 1951 Triumph, fitted with sidecar springs and topped with 90 weight gear oil. Between the fork legs, where more prosaic motorcycles mount a headlight, Rios has installed a 10 lb. block of lead to help keep the front end down. Triumph brakes are used, with special linings on the front.
Two-Timer’s oil tank once held three quarts of gasoline for a lawnmower, and the gas tank is an English item, purchased like most of the other parts from Harry Foster’s Los Angeles Triumph shop, the closest thing to a sponsor Rios ever had.
To blast the Two-Timer through the quarter mile Rios pushes back the hand shift about V^-inch to engage second gear, winds the engines to peak torque rpm and skillfully slips in the clutch to turn the Avon racing slick at maximum bite without breaking loose. Formerly the “trick” was to release the clutch like a hot iron. If the power was there the slick would “light up” or break traction and become itself a clutch against the asphalt. Rios’ new method, besides giving faster speeds, considerably extends the life expectancy of his tires.
Rios believes car dragster speeds (now well over 200 mph) can be equalled with “a motorcycle that still looks like a motorcycle.” Certainly the Two-Timer fits that description to a double T. •
