The classic bad ass motorcycle racer thread

budman · Dec 2, 2017

Please share your favorite racer or one of the many greats. In action, historic, Action hero poster, in the pits... whatever.

Love to see what ya got.

Since I am starting it.....I will be the first to throw down.

EDIT --- Updating the OP with places you can find your favorites and also help me know who has been done

SFMCjohn · Dec 2, 2017

... I actually switched to Pepsi ... :laughing

youtu.be/3HXqZh5oTK0

Kevin Schwantz AMA HoF:
http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=268

‘82, ‘84 and ‘93 ... :ride

youtu.be/lQxKAFyUHYU

The 1993 Syracuse Mile with AMA HoF
announcer Dave Despain ...

Ricky Graham AMA HoF:
http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=6

Aware · Dec 2, 2017

Mike Hailwood

http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=187

veefereefer · Dec 2, 2017

Wayne Rainey David Aldana

Freddie Spencer

bikeama · Dec 3, 2017

Good friend Chris Carr. One of the few that did it all.

6c6b8b48a471331b316a2bc60293ed15--chris-delia-motorcycle-racers.jpg

SFMCjohn · Dec 3, 2017

Mr Hailwood at Daytona in 1971 (three AMA HoF’ers in pic) ...

The Trident Three Cylinder in th US:
http://www.triplesonline.com/racing/COMPETITION%20-%20The%20'70s%20and%20the%20three-cylinder%20Trident.htm

Mike Hailwood’s 1978 TTF1 winning Ducati:
https://www.motorcycleclassics.com/Mike-Hailwood-Ducati-Isle-Of-Man-TT-Steve-Wynne

Though it was a dream come true to win a TT, and especially with Mike Hailwood riding my bike, the pressure and responsibility were immense. I had many hundreds of letters before the race from Hailwood fans, many threatening to hold me personally responsible if Mike were to be killed or injured - honestly! Motor Cycle News printed a photo of the bike back to front without the bodywork on, which gave the mistaken impression the sump plug was wired up the wrong way, and this caused 40 or 50 people - not just two or three! - to write or phone telling me of the apparent error. The atmosphere throughout practice was electric, because Honda were going all out to retain their title ...

:laughing

Alan Cathcart about Mike Hailwood’s ‘78 TTF1 win:

June 3, 1978: Mike Hailwood returns to the TT after 11 years and wins. A week later, he takes the checkered flag at Mallory Park. “Mike the Bike” was back, and this is the bike he rode.

“Mike the Bike’s” fairy tale Isle of Man comeback, in which he rode to decisive victory at record speed over the factory Honda team in the Formula One TT aboard his Sports Motor Cycles Ducati 900 V-twin, 11 years after he last raced on the Island and seven since he’d ridden a bike of any kind in international competition, is rightly considered one of the most remarkable feats in the history of motorcycle racing.

arty

Freddie Spencer’s 1985 Champiomship double:
http://www.visordown.com/features/1985-championship-double-freddie-spencer

SFMCjohn · Dec 3, 2017

Mr Nixon’s 1976 KR750:
http://www.americanmotorcyclist.com/hof/Classic-Bikes/1976-kawasaki-kr750

... tuned/built by Erv Kanemoto

Mr Nixon’s AMA HoF:
http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=83

Mr Carr’s 2009 BUB Racing Streamliner Seven:
http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/2009/09/article/bub-racings-chris-carr-breaks-speed-record/

Shooting for 365 MPH on Two Wheels,
Dennis Manning feature in Wired Magazine, 9/22/09

Johndicezx9 · Dec 3, 2017

Mamola, one of the best to never win a world championship.

budman · Dec 3, 2017

Another epic bad ass that wore #9 and of course #1!

Jay Springsteen:hail one of the best AMA Grand National flat-track racers of all time earning the AMA Rookie of the Year Award in 1975. Springer won three consecutive AMA Grand National Championships starting in 1976. In 1982 he became the first rider to reach 30 wins in AMA Grand National competition. He compiled the longest racing career in AMA Grand National history, spanning from his 1975 rookie season to 2003. Springsteen was a factory rider with Harley-Davidson for much of his career and was perhaps the racer most closely associated with the American brand from the 1970s through the 2000s. In all he raced in a record 398 AMA nationals, winning a total of 43. He was still wicked fast at 57 showing the lads what keeping the gas on 20 feet past where the best were shutting off was like. Man I wish I was there to witness that. He did a match race at Sac that year with Chris Carr.

youtu.be/VH2EKL2Ts2I

Here is a look back at his '82 victory in Sac. just a little younger.

Jay became a factory HD rider at just 19 and the historical rider landed in the AMA HoF

In 1995, he scored his first National win in 10 years with an emotional performance at the Pomona Half Mile. From 1995 to 2003, Springer never finished outside the top-10 in the AMA Grand National Championship standings. He won nationals again in 1999 and 2000, the latter his first victory at the prestigious Springfield (Illinois) Mile. In his final full season of racing in '03, Springsteen scored two podium finishes.

budman · Dec 3, 2017

Steady Eddie

I will throw down one more. Eddie Lawson

One of the most smooth and capable Grand Prix racers ever.
A personal fav because I tried to model my own race craft after his.

He was a Daytona 200 winner on a Yamaha Superbike
Lawson/ Schwantz/ Merkel on the podium
Full race:

youtu.be/Nvv6ftNw_SM

With 9 years of racing the wicked 500 GP two strokes he had to be steady to stay healthy!

Here is some classic racing between Eddie and Wayne Garner in '88

youtu.be/DtNTRXJXn6w

Eddie Lawson will go down in history as one the greatest motorcycle road racers of all time. Lawson won the 500cc World Championship four times during the 1980s. When he retired from GP racing in the early 1990s, he ranked third on the all-time 500cc Grand Prix wins list with 31 victories.

In addition to his international accomplishments, Lawson was equally successful on the domestic front. The Californian won the AMA Superbike Series twice (1981 and 1982) and the AMA 250 Grand Prix Series in 1980 and 1981. When inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999, Lawson was the only rider to ever win the AMA Superbike and 250GP titles during his career. Lawson also won the Daytona 200, the first time during the prime of his racing career in 1986, then again in 1993 when he returned to the event after retiring from full-time motorcycle racing.

Lawson winning the French Grand Prix after Gardner on the last lap.
Barry Sheene doing color on the broadcast :thumbup

youtu.be/GcCprPNZF_0

Johndicezx9 · Dec 3, 2017

I asked Rainey about this picture, a friend has an autographed copy.

He said the photographer was a friend and just wanted to give him a "special" picture.

Johndicezx9 · Dec 3, 2017

Scott Russell at Daytona was always pretty bad ass...

SFMCjohn · Dec 3, 2017

Whenever there’s a discussion about who is America’s best road racer of all time, Cal Rayborn’s name inevitably is mentioned. Rayborn won 11 AMA nationals during his relatively short seven-year professional racing career. Ten of those victories came on road racing courses, making him easily the top American road racer of his era. Rayborn’s fame spread to Europe in 1972 when he rode a Harley-Davidson XR750 in the popular Transatlantic Match Races and won three of the six races to tie as top scorer in the series. Rayborn’s performance proved once and for all that Americans could road race. His performance was a precursor of the era of America’s dominance in world championship road racing of the late-1970s and 1980s. Rayborn raced with Harley-Davidson his entire career.

Mr Rayborn’s AMA HoF:
http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=76

Mr Rayborn and Denis Manning‘s streamliner in 1970 ... Mr Manning
was 24 years old in 1970 ... he went on to found BUB Ent.
and set land speed records with Chris Carr ... :thumbup

SFMCjohn · Dec 3, 2017

Johndicezx9 said:
I asked Rainey about this picture, a friend has an autographed copy.

He said the photographer was a friend and just wanted to give him a "special" picture.

... BARF salute! :laughing:thumbup

Johndicezx9 · Dec 3, 2017

Carl Fogarty, while a prick, was pretty bad ass on that 916...

85518d1298851275-best-ducati-pic-ever-anyone-have-hq-foggy-finger.jpg

budman · Dec 3, 2017

Some really good stuff.

So many bad asses to go. :cool

Rainey was an amazing racer. He combined talents from many before him and those that raced with him. He stands tall in my Top 3 American OGs of all time.

Johndicezx9 · Dec 3, 2017

Mick Doohan, given crashes, injuries, and recoveries, was pretty bad ass....

I always loved the Rothmans scheme on bikes and cars....

7797fd374199eea1ece0f1d3c66e0943--laguna-kevin-oleary.jpg

Johndicezx9 · Dec 3, 2017

The Duhamels, father/son bad ass...

Johndicezx9 · Dec 3, 2017

Troy Bayliss was pretty bad ass...

SFMCjohn · Dec 3, 2017

Johndicezx9 said:
Scott Russell at Daytona was always pretty bad ass...

... heard this pic is Scott Russell
jumping over his race bike to pick
it up and go on to win the race ...? :dunno

... I got to stand near Miguel Duhamel for half an hour
as we all waited to register for the old Father’s Day
AMA National at Bryer Motorsport Park ...
he kept everyone laughing ... always a big
fan after that ... :ride
(my clapped out EX500 fit in the Circle Bell lightweight twins
support class where I got my a## kicked by Ducati F1Bs ...
not that those F1B guys wouldn’t have
kicked my fanny on EX500s, too ... :laughing)

Foggy always had the best bad-a## race face ...

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