At 08:28 25/04/01, you wrote:
>OK. I build UFOs... Umm.... That is.... I build things that supposedly
>should not be. Weird stuff. Since realizing my dream of actually owning one
>of the weirdest production bikes ever made, I have a new idea. I am going to
>build a "race" GTS.
It's been done - Steve Linsdell at Flitwick motorcycles in England built a YZF750R
engined bike for the TT races. Did pretty well. I posted this to another list:
>Steve Linsdell was the driving force behind the GTS Racer. Steve runs a very busy
>Yamaha main dealership who have quite a good website:
>http://www.flitwickmotorcycles.co.uk/ Steve and Flitwick still compete at the TT but
>they've ditched the GTS in favour of R7s now. Last year they took the GTS in case
>the then-new R7s were "wobbly" but it seems they're not, and they're faster. They
>took the GTS about as far as it could go, with lighter brakes, wheels, and an FZR750R
>engine, as stated, as well as throwing away the ridiculously heavy
>bodywork/subframe/footpeg mounts etc. Steve felt the front suspension had
>significant advantages, but as I've said before, just having better front suspension
>doesn't make a racing bike into a winner. You also need the power, the rider, the
>backup, the luck, the tyres, etc.
>In 1996 the Flitwick GTS1000 was 3mins and 31secs behind Phil McCallen on the Honda
>RC45 after 226.38 miles. That equates to an average speed of 112.8 mph compared to
>the winner's 116.2 mph. The GTS1000 weighted around 190 kg, the Honda around 150 kg.
>
>Now, I can't really judge, so I would ask the racers on this list if they think that
>other things being equal, the Honda (which probably also had a few more bhp) would
>still have managed the 3.4 mph advantage if it had been given 40 kg of ballast?
>
>It was also not possible to reduce the GTS1000 wheelbase to normal race bike
>proportions, it remained at 1495mm, or the trail to less than 100mm. The rider's
>comments included "on the really fast bits it's bloody hard work to make it steer.
>But it's so good over the bumps, so stable, so composed and comfortable" - he is a TT
>and road race veteran with a excellent record. Note that it was part of the design
>brief to retain the shape/look of the GTS1000, hence the tank-like appearance.
>
>>They've done a newer version with very little GTS left, so it is a
>>lot lighter.
>
>Yes, and the "ACU Formula One" TT is no more, so now they have to race against
>(lighter) Supersport 600s and (even lighter) GP two-strokes. I have not seen the
>post-96 version -
