Monoweld Sprint

Technical Details

Year Built : 1969 Engine : 250 cc OHV Transmission : 5 Speed Electrics : Bendix-Scintilla half-speed magneto with points Notable Features : Purchased from Greg Sassaman March 1981 during Daytona Speed Week, Greg was an AMA Novice Division champion in 1974 and the Monoweld racer was used as his back-up machine, After changing hands the cycle was raced in many amateur events, Other motors were built and used but currently fitted is a 1969 250 cc CR track motor, Regardless the engine mounted one constant never altered is the custom intake manifold and Mikuni VM 36 mm carb, That the manifold's length and internal shape corresponds with parameters found in the flow bench manual by Superflow is not surprising, " HD " coding on the Mikuni reveals its XR-750 heritage and if provenance counts for anything " there it is ", Original bodywork was a traditional fiberglass tank & TT style seat painted black with orange stripes, Eventually the fuel tank began to leak so an aluminum XR tank by Jack Hageman was fitted along with a new TT seat manufactured by Danny Ericksons, Hi-flow Pingel petcocks were the natural choice, Giving a nod to Bart Markel who helped develop the Monoweld frame the new paint is all black. The Monoweld racer has seen action in Texas at Boyd Raceway, Ross Downs in Colleyville, the old Houston Speedway dirt oval, Reunion Arena in Dallas, Tarrant County Coliseum in Fort Worth, and numerous races at Devil's Bowl Speedway in Mesquite. In the 1980's while running against modern two-stroke machines Sprints were always down on power and weighed-in much heavier than any contemporary track bike. However, racing with the right conditions of cushioned dirt and hot temperatures on a long banked-oval half-mile track like the Devil's Bowl would negate the heavy four-stroke's disadvantages if the rider could stay on the throttle. An inaugural HOG Rally event at the Bowl saw everything suddenly come together on the high groove and in-the-bag until a last lap bump jolted the shifter out of gear. Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory applies and leaves a bad taste for a long time. But at any level that's racing and it's always the little things that eat you up. A few years later Johnny Isaacs started the VDTRA strictly for racing vintage bikes and once again a first-time event was held at the Devil's Bowl. The field was only nine or so riders but the Monoweld Sprint was one of the nine.

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