Magazine road test of a 1972 Combat

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What it proves, of course, is that nearly nobody could actually turn that 12.6 1/4 mile listed in the brochures! :) However, the same is true of any 1/4 run that is factory-sponsored for advertising. They get an experienced drag racer (car or bike) to make the run. A 1/4 mile ET is all about the launch and that's where the experienced racer will blow the rest of us into the weeds - staging the vehicle properly as well as "jumping" the light is vital to obtain those low 1/4 mile ETs.
 
Does anyone have an old cycle magazine with info of on a 1972 Combat, I'm curious to see the 1/4 mile times. I searched on Ebay , but did not see any that had a Combat road test. Carl H
0 to 60mph 4.5 seconds!
 
Maybe not exactly what you're looking for, but hopefully provides an answer...






At first I found a 12.2 doubtful, But I dug out my time slips. From my first outing at New England drag strip 4/7/74. I was on my 1970 S running B stock class # 16 I have 4 time slips from that day. This is my first time drag racing . So

Race 1 = 13.74 @ 101 mph,, Race 2 =12.95 @ 101 mph,, Race 3= 13.04 @ 102,, Race 4 =12.69 @ 103.32 I did win a trophy and I was hooked. This is before the modern time slips that have all the new info on them like reaction times and different times of shorter distances. I believe the speeds back then were an average of 50' before the finish and 50" after the line. So it payed to keep on the gas after the finish line.

I know, you do not trip your ET light until you break the beam( at least now a days) so a racer with a slower ET can win , If they have a faster reaction time , I think that was the way back then. If you cut a good light, you can gain many tenths right off the bat.

It is interesting that the the bike that did a 12.2 was an Interstate , If It was set up like My MK2a, It had low Euro bars and the big gas tank, that put the weight of the rider over the rear wheel for better traction and the low bars made the bike more stream lined and probably had a 21 or 22 tooth sprocket?? that may have saved a shift into 4th if you ran it up to approx 8,000 rpms in third. There is something very special about those S models that makes they rocket ships. And a factory guy on a mission was the right pilot for the job and a 12.2 was as good as humanly possible, I tip my hat to him!
 
My dealer had a cutout page from a magazine (black & white) on his wall that showed a Commando doing 12.2. It had open headers as I recall. Dunno what year or model it was.
 
I'm sure many here will know of the John Baker & Dave Rawlings 850 Commando and their success in 'production' sprints.

This advert from 1974:

Magazine road test of a 1972 Combat

This has been handy for keeping my Japanese classic-owning mates in their place;)

Not sure how 'standard' the bike was but still good performances.

Andy
 
Yep - it would be interesting to see the trap speeds which more accurately show the "power" of the bike as opposed to the superior reaction time/etc of the rider. I'd expect the Kawasakis' trap speed to be a little higher than the Norton since they surely made more power.
 
I'm sure many here will know of the John Baker & Dave Rawlings 850 Commando and their success in 'production' sprints.

This advert from 1974:

View attachment 78766
This has been handy for keeping my Japanese classic-owning mates in their place;)

Not sure how 'standard' the bike was but still good performances.

Andy
Now that is a killer poster! to put it another way, A Giant Killer poster, "Superpluspower" Says it all to me.
 
Yep - it would be interesting to see the trap speeds which more accurately show the "power" of the bike as opposed to the superior reaction time/etc of the rider. I'd expect the Kawasakis' trap speed to be a little higher than the Norton since they surely made more power.
And had a 5 speed gearbox. It would be interesting to see how a Commando would perform with an extra gear and maybe smaller countershaft sprocket?
 
The Quaife 5 speed had a taller and weaker first gear, so not a great 1/4 mile gear box considering in the 70's no belt drive primary yet. With a 19T sprocket, I'd think a 4 speed would still be quicker. TC's Hogslayer had a 2 speed and tried a 3 speed and found no improvement. It's all about gearing to attain redline at the finish line.
 
At first I found a 12.2 doubtful, But I dug out my time slips. From my first outing at New England drag strip 4/7/74. I was on my 1970 S running B stock class # 16 I have 4 time slips from that day. This is my first time drag racing . So

Race 1 = 13.74 @ 101 mph,, Race 2 =12.95 @ 101 mph,, Race 3= 13.04 @ 102,, Race 4 =12.69 @ 103.32 I did win a trophy and I was hooked. This is before the modern time slips that have all the new info on them like reaction times and different times of shorter distances. I believe the speeds back then were an average of 50' before the finish and 50" after the line. So it payed to keep on the gas after the finish line.

I know, you do not trip your ET light until you break the beam( at least now a days) so a racer with a slower ET can win , If they have a faster reaction time , I think that was the way back then. If you cut a good light, you can gain many tenths right off the bat.

It is interesting that the the bike that did a 12.2 was an Interstate , If It was set up like My MK2a, It had low Euro bars and the big gas tank, that put the weight of the rider over the rear wheel for better traction and the low bars made the bike more stream lined and probably had a 21 or 22 tooth sprocket?? that may have saved a shift into 4th if you ran it up to approx 8,000 rpms in third. There is something very special about those S models that makes they rocket ships. And a factory guy on a mission was the right pilot for the job and a 12.2 was as good as humanly possible, I tip my hat to him!
If you really want to have fun Carl, check out Doug Foley's Prue Speed at NE Dragway. They travel all over the US.
Drive a dragster to 10 sec ET and 130mph after burn out. It's a fun day.
I've done it for the past 3 years.
 
I'm sure many here will know of the John Baker & Dave Rawlings 850 Commando and their success in 'production' sprints.

This advert from 1974:

View attachment 78766
This has been handy for keeping my Japanese classic-owning mates in their place;)

Not sure how 'standard' the bike was but still good performances.

Andy
Dave Rawlings bike was err, standard, but built from selective parts from the Andover norton factory, I do know, according to a MCN press article that he tried 10 camshafts before he found a good one, much the same on all the other's parts. . . . . . . .
 
In the early 1970s, my friend used to do pre-delivery on Kawasaki and Norton 750 bikes for a dealer. They use to take them to the Richmond Boulevard in Melbourne to test them. He told me the Norton Commandos were right up there with the H2 Kawasakis. That surprised me. I always thought Commandos were bullshit. When I built my Seeley 850, I only did it because it was a good bike to build. I never really believed in it, but I do now. The motor loves methanol - it is better than any Triumph 650 or 750 ever made. And I would not race an H2 Kawasaki. They don't handle right.
 
I would like to thank all who replied, I learned a lot and it made me do more research on 1/4 times and racing. A big plus was I dug out my old time slips and remember a lot of the details of what was going on, It's odd I remember so much about me bikes and very little about other things. Now I'll have to dig out old photos and see if I can post a few. Carl H
 
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