Bairdco Racing Series Begins, March 17th in Riverside, CA!

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bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
6,537
264
63
living the dream in southern california
as far as numbers go, everyone can keep the same ones you've used in tucson, willow, grange, whatever. i'll post up a list soon.

i posted a link and some pics to a cheap ebay site for racing leathers:

http://motorbicycling.com/f13/cheap-motorcycle-racing-leathers-36288.html#post358584

i've got mine, and it's definitely better than knee and elbow pads. in fact, i remember in tucson, my knee pad kept hanging up on something on my bike, never looked down to check, but it was buggin' the heck outta me. won't have those problems anymore.

and y'all know i spent some time sliding on my forearm at willow, and donated some flesh to cover up that crack in the 2nd to last turn. if i go down again, it'll be some dead pakistan cow's flesh on the track, not mine...
 

liveforphysics

New Member
Apr 19, 2011
85
0
0
Santa Cruz CA
i'm still working out the details, rules, etc.

the first race, i just want it to be a fun event, where everyone can ride. there'll be basic classes, like 2 stroke stock, modified,slow 4 stroke, crazy 4 stroke, electric cruisers and electric time machines. and everything else will fit in there somewhere.

As a point of input for you, we brought 4 electric riders to the last event with us, including PaulD (undisputed champ of motorized bicycle racing), and my nutty death-bike and some reasonable setups as well.

We were made to race in some all-electric heats (which I was fortunate enough to win by a hair over PaulD due to luck). Any racing is fun, but I know none of us came out there to race electric vs electric, and I wouldn't have even made the drive if it was an electric vs electric event. For us, it's about gasoline bikes racing electric bikes. This is where 95% of the attraction is, and the whole reason we build things and make travel plans and go do this stuff.

I want to see you guys make the baddest gasoline bicycles you can possibly put together, on the verge of exploding the whole time, and we will bring the baddest electric bikes tweaked on the verge of bursting into a shower of plasma, and we rumble on the track together.

That's the attraction. I could care less about electrics racing electrics. It's hunting gasoline bikes that myself and the other serious electric guys come to do, and I hope you gasoline guys come to hunt us equally hard.

Just my $0.02 for a bit of input when you're designing classes.
 

ducedave

Member
Apr 17, 2011
370
4
18
Mentone Ca.
ya volt heads are fast God save us when the controllers and battery tec gets to be reliable just a matter of time no argument there but gas bikes are cheaper to build and have a quick refill time I guess the writings on the wall in a few years I'll build one for now I'm having fun with the 2 stroke I would like to see a steamer
 

scotto-

Custom 4-Stroke Bike Builder
Jun 3, 2010
6,505
24
38
Ridin' inSane Diego, CA.
As a point of input for you, we brought 4 electric riders to the last event with us, including PaulD (undisputed champ of motorized bicycle racing), and my nutty death-bike and some reasonable setups as well.

We were made to race in some all-electric heats (which I was fortunate enough to win by a hair over PaulD due to luck). Any racing is fun, but I know none of us came out there to race electric vs electric, and I wouldn't have even made the drive if it was an electric vs electric event. For us, it's about gasoline bikes racing electric bikes. This is where 95% of the attraction is, and the whole reason we build things and make travel plans and go do this stuff.

I want to see you guys make the baddest gasoline bicycles you can possibly put together, on the verge of exploding the whole time, and we will bring the baddest electric bikes tweaked on the verge of bursting into a shower of plasma, and we rumble on the track together.

That's the attraction. I could care less about electrics racing electrics. It's hunting gasoline bikes that myself and the other serious electric guys come to do, and I hope you gasoline guys come to hunt us equally hard.

Just my $0.02 for a bit of input when you're designing classes.
Your $0.02 is just that. The UNLIMITED class is where Gas should meet Electric head to head.

Do you think it's fair or even exciting for me to race my 212cc bike against a 50cc china girl?

Do they race electric against gas in Supercross?

Are you afraid to be beaten by another electric?

The answers to these 3 questions should be: no, no, yes.

Gas bikes aren't trying to prove a point by trying to beat electrics. On the other hand....................electric bikes have blinders on ;)

Reeeeeaally? What evers! Howabout 30 lap race.....would you be interested?

dnut
 
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bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
6,537
264
63
living the dream in southern california
i understand what you're saying, luke. if anyone else has any input, i'm all ears.

i thought about classifying bikes by HP instead of engine size, but even that's confusing. my bike can beat a 5horse briggs, and a well built morini could give the big 4 strokes a good challenge.

one problem is that the electrics have a habit of exploding before the end of the day when the ultimate class was supposed to run.

i'm definitely down for an unlimited, challenge class. unlike trophy dash- style "ultimate" races, we could group all the extreme bikes together.

let me know what you guys think...
 

Thud

New Member
May 26, 2010
205
0
0
West Michigan
Luke doesn't speak for all us "sparkys"

I just want to race against the best competition I can find.

My e-bikes were built with the idea of competeing with the standard 50cc Morini's.

That said, if guys are stepping up & using built 200+cc motors W/cv trannys..I need to step up my builds to reach that level of performance....assuming the "Main event" is a showdown between all the days heat races or"class winners" if thats a better description.

Using Horsepower is the dumbest & most un-enforcable way to determine classes for the guys hung up on classes.

My 2nd class will focus on my 48cc china girl & chase Bairco around the track

I have a 6.5 preditor looking for a project....& if these "big" motors are going to be accepted & have a class...I may re-think the china girl.

Sadly, I prolly can't justify another trip west untill next October with the costs involved shipping equipment 2-ways.

I really don't care about rules...just tell me what they are & I'll follow em to the letter. This stuff is too much fun to get bogged down worrying i might get embarrased by a faster bike.
thats my $1.50
 

scotto-

Custom 4-Stroke Bike Builder
Jun 3, 2010
6,505
24
38
Ridin' inSane Diego, CA.
I still think classes divided by cc's with a HP cap in each class. Don't know how to classify the electics, wattage pehaps?

Stockers, modifieds, 2-Strokes, 4-Strokes, electrics, there are just so many varibles it's difficult to please everyone. If I race it will be on my 212cc beach cruiser and possibly the 160cc tandem. Will there be a tandem class?

Like Todd I built my 212cc to be able to compete with the Morini's and the fact I couldn't get the 99cc Pred in Cali at the time I was building my race bike. I truly don't see the need to go any bigger than I and others have with the big 4-stroke, they are of equal match for Morini's and much like a motorcycle with this much power. Run whatcha brung?

dnut
 
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Easy Rider

Santa Cruz Scooter Works
Jan 15, 2008
2,145
7
38
Nor*Cal
For me, all I care about is having fun and being able to hang with the big boys. Only thing that worries me is I know those big 4 strokers can produce a lot more HP but I'm cool with that! As for the races with the electrics, I'm cool with that too cos if I could beat one like Luke's in a le mans sytle race....then I'll be one happy camper because then traffic plays a role in the race. :)
 

anim8r

New Member
Jul 15, 2011
243
0
0
Michigan
Here's my 2 cents. It's probably a little more sociological than you're looking for, but it's what I thought after reading the thread:
Make half the day's races mixed/open, & split the remaining half of the day among separate gas races & electric races. I don't know enough about racing to comment on the rest of the classification (2-stroke, 4-stroke, HP, etc.)

Electric bikes are definitely gonna improve at a better rate than combustion ones. Eventually our gas bikes will let us down forever....let's not rush it. There's a little industry that's gaining some momentum right now in US garages, & if your races become as big as (I assume) we all hope they will, then people might see it as a rivalry. The apparent rivalry could cause everybody to have to suddenly shift modes. Everybody can afford to build a gas bike.... Not many people can afford to build a competitive electric. And if they can't compete, they'll probably abandon motorized bicycling altogether. Suppliers will respond the same way. It'll just be another hobby nobody can afford.

I guess my suggestion is to not present gas bikes & electric bikes as rivals. And make T-shirts. And have an event somewhere in the Midwest/Great Lakes region....like Detroit, where everybody's a motorhead, minibikes are street legal, & we're just down the road from the largest Lithium-Ion battery plant in North America....
 

ducedave

Member
Apr 17, 2011
370
4
18
Mentone Ca.
Here's my 2 cents. It's probably a little more sociological than you're looking for, but it's what I thought after reading the thread:
Make half the day's races mixed/open, & split the remaining half of the day among separate gas races & electric races. I don't know enough about racing to comment on the rest of the classification (2-stroke, 4-stroke, HP, etc.)

Electric bikes are definitely gonna improve at a better rate than combustion ones. Eventually our gas bikes will let us down forever....let's not rush it. There's a little industry that's gaining some momentum right now in US garages, & if your races become as big as (I assume) we all hope they will, then people might see it as a rivalry. The apparent rivalry could cause everybody to have to suddenly shift modes. Everybody can afford to build a gas bike.... Not many people can afford to build a competitive electric. And if they can't compete, they'll probably abandon motorized bicycling altogether. Suppliers will respond the same way. It'll just be another hobby nobody can afford.

I guess my suggestion is to not present gas bikes & electric bikes as rivals. And make T-shirts. And have an event somewhere in the Midwest/Great Lakes region....like Detroit, where everybody's a motorhead, minibikes are street legal, & we're just down the road from the largest Lithium-Ion battery plant in North America....
O Dude, we're just kidding around it's a love fest in the pits and on the track. This is just our idea of pre-race fun and games.
dance1dance1dance1
And yes this is how I really dance
 

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
6,537
264
63
living the dream in southern california
here's my idea for classes.

run the slower electrics, stock 2 strokes, smaller 4 strokes, and anyone who brings a friction drive, and every bike with an average top speed of 30mph together first. this will probably be the biggest class, divided up into 20 riders per heat.

the modded 2 strokes, faster electrics, and modded 4 strokes with an average top speed of 40-45.

then the big 4's, the fastest electrics, morini's, and other bikes that can hang with speeds over 45.

what do you guys think?
 

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
6,537
264
63
living the dream in southern california
another thing everyone needs to remember is the unlimited class is the minority here. the chinese 2stroke is the biggest draw.

some of us build race- specific bikes, where anything goes, but we're just a small part of it. the cheap 2 strokes and the guys using their daily riders are the bread and butter when it comes to renting a track. without them, i couldn't afford to do this at all.
 

buck0

New Member
Apr 24, 2011
376
0
0
Orange County, Ca
here's my idea for classes.

run the slower electrics, stock 2 strokes, smaller 4 strokes, and anyone who brings a friction drive, and every bike with an average top speed of 30mph together first. this will probably be the biggest class, divided up into 20 riders per heat.

the modded 2 strokes, faster electrics, and modded 4 strokes with an average top speed of 40-45.

then the big 4's, the fastest electrics, morini's, and other bikes that can hang with speeds over 45.

what do you guys think?
I like this idea.
 

Blake84

New Member
Jul 15, 2011
136
1
0
39
miracle mile los angeles
I know nothing about these bikes I'm just excited to meet people and go in the "begginers" race whatever that is...and to see all the cool bikes. This will be my first time riding and im sure I'll get addicted and start trying to build a faster bike over time :). Look forward to meeting everyone and hanging out
 

Easy Rider

Santa Cruz Scooter Works
Jan 15, 2008
2,145
7
38
Nor*Cal
Bairdco,
Are you going to show us the track lay out before the races so we can gear our bikes accordingly?
Also, my Morini was only topping off at 41mph. Does that put me in the middle class?