Black Is the New Green
Race Watch
THE VIEW FROM THE INSIDE THE PADDOCK
HOWERTON MOTORSPORTS BRYAN SMITH RESTRICTORS
BLACK IS THE NEW GREEN
DIRT TRACK
A privateer Kawasaki team makes AMA Pro Flat Track a two-brand contest and then quits as winners
Allan Girdler
EVER SINCE Harley-Davidson's XR-750 became, the only dog in the AMA's Grand National fight,20 years at least, all involved parties have wished for more brands, more competition.
At the close of the 2013 season, done deal. But before anyone whoops and hollers, let the reader be warned: The ending to this story isn't completely happy.
That said, the good part starts with rules encouraging teams and tuners to begin with mass-produced twins, 500 to i,200cc, with regulations to make the performance as equal as rules can make it.
Compressing history here, the best alternative to the Harley XR has become the Kawasaki 650, as seen in the Versys and Ninja 650, with the best example of that engine being used by Howerton Motorsports, owned and operated by Ricky Howerton, a car guy in that his business, Howerton Products, is involved with Indy and stock cars.
Pause here for some history.
In 1998, after Honda withdrew from GNC sponsorship and only H-D offered racing engines, the AMA introduced rules for production V-twins, as seen from Honda, Suzuki, et al.
The limit was i,ooocc, and the idea was to have a class until the stock blocks, so to speak, overcame the pure racing 750s.
It didn't happen. The big tuned road engines simply didn't work, and it took several years before the officials realized what the smarter tuners knew, that taking little engines and making them bigger and better was the way to go.
Okay, back to black. One of the men Howerton admired was Skip Eaken, one of the tuners responsible for Honda's success.
He was at large when Honda quit winners. Howerton had long admired the Kawasaki 650 twin, and he fancied what we now call a street tracker—something fun to ride.
Howerton persuaded Eaken to experiment, and the results were so good he decided to build and sponsor a GNC team. Mind, we aren't talking grandpa's barn to put on a show. Howerton Products is equipped with machines and skill to make just about anything a race team needs. Starting point was 600 hours of computer modeling, working out where the components should go.
Most builders begin with the engine, Howerton says, but he thought the wheelbase came first, followed by the suspension, then the frame, and then you work out where the engine should go.
And what should hold it. GNC rules require singles to be modified motocrossers, but because the production twins are so big and bulky, the engine is the bike and frames are steel, buyer's choice.
By the 2013 season, the Kawasaki 650's potential was recognized; there were 11 examples at Springfield that year. But walk through the paddock and most of the chassis, using aftermarket like C&J or made at home, are based on the classic Featherbed frames: big backbone and twin loops around the engine, as seen on racing Nortons, Harley XRs and just about everything else.
But not on Howerton's bikes. His shop formed two rectangular boxes, so to speak, of steel sheet for backbone and abbreviated front downtube. The engine is stressed, a keystone frame. That could allow the engine to be lower, but better yet, it lets the engine be exactly where Howerton's calculations say it should be.
Suspension is back to convention, with a big fork and a single shock tucked close to the rear frame members—not much unusual there. There's a rear disc brake, no front brake, and 19-inch wire-spoke wheels wearing spec Goodyear semiknob tires.
Skip Eaken died in 2012, respected to the point that all the team's shirts have "Skip" embroidered on the collar. The 650 engine is pretty much the way he built it, with something like 90 hp, estimated here because Howerton only smiles at the question, but the other tuners use that ballpark figure.
Why is the Kawasaki engine so good? One factor could be that back in the Triumph/Yamaha days, theory was that the vertical twins were too smooth and the Harley's staggered firing order gave better traction.
The 650 Kawasaki has a 180-degree crankshaft and fires bang-bang, pause-pause, a different sort of stagger, but it could make a difference. The 650 is also light and compact, allowing for optimum location versus, for instance, the L-twin Ducati and its obtrusive front cylinder. And the stock EFI makes for easy tuning via laptop.
As for public numbers, nominal wheelbase is 54 to 55 inches, depending on gearing and suspension tuning. The race-ready weight is 313 pounds, as seen on the AMA Pro Racing scales, versus the required minimum of 310. (The bike could be lighter, but wins have been overruled by ounces, so any lighter would be risky.)
Another factor here must be Bryan Smith. He scored Kawasaki's first GNC win in 2010, riding for WernerSpringsteen Racing, then won a mile in 2011 on a Harley, and scored two mile victories and a string of top finishes in 2012 to take the twins title, which he retained in 2013.
Even so, there are lots of other good riders out there. Howerton gives Smith credit while Smith says he has the best machine and the best crew; okay, he's speaking in public, but he does sound sincere.
And then, between the last race and the awards banquet, Howerton announced that he was disbanding the team and leaving the series.
The natural question is why?
Not the money, Howerton says. He knew the sport would cost him and, anyway, most of the money came from Crosley Radio's advertising and promotions accounts.
Time was the problem. Keeping the bikes ready to win meant everyone on the team, Howerton included, worked 25/8. It got to be too much, during a period of life when his kids need more dad than trophies. He'll take the bikes home for the kids to ride, race, or inherit.
Oh, yeah, quips the reporter, you said this whole thing began with wishing for a street tracker. Ever built one?
"The bike we ran at Pomona? That was the streetbike."
