Trackmaster Titan

Trackmaster-framed Suzuki Titan 500s are rare beasts, perhaps only two or three were ever made. This is one shot 'in the day' at the San Jose Mile. We found another of the two-stroke twins, with its original racer and owner, at Springfield last year. See the bike and read the story in Sideburn 20. G

On It: Ricky Graham

San Jose half-mile on a 750 Yamaha. The Y letter denotes District 36, right? G

4 Years Old!

The Sideblog was 4 years old - yesterday! duh missed our own birthday. Championing zeroes and heroes past present and future. Thanks for riding with us. BPphoto by Dan Mahony taken at San Jose Mile 1974. Roger Crump #4, Gene Romero #3, Bob Sanders #5

Kwacker

In late 1974 or early 1975, Erv Kanemoto—who went on to tune for Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Gardner, and others—slid a 750cc Kawasaki H2 three-cylinder two-stroke engine into a Champion frame in an attempt to poke a finger in the eye of Harley-Davidson, whose XR750 was nearly unbeatable in AMA Class C dirt-track racing. Kanemoto built two bikes, one for Don Castro and another for Scott Brelsford.
In this photo he’s jetting the carbs on one of the bikes at the San Jose Mile in, I think, 1975—I wasn’t big on labeling photos back then. I was just beginning my career as a motojournalist, and was wandering the pits that day taking photos courtesy of a press pass arranged for me by Cycle Guide magazine, where I would find myself on staff 10 years later.
I’ve read that Erv’s effort spurred Kel Carruthers to have a Champion frame built to accommodate Yamaha’s TZ750...
Jerry Smith

Randy

Very

Rice starting to loose it! Then the carnage !

San Jose 1974.
Forwarded to by Wayne Karcich. Thanks.

Trackmaster TR500 at San Jose

Parallel twin, two-stroke Suzuki in a Trackmaster frame. Looks a bit lost in there, doesn't it. Wonder why the top tube has a filler cap on it. I bet it sounded like something else on a mile. Check out the dinner plate rear disc.
Anyone got any facts about this bike they'd like to share? You, Karcich, at the back. Stop chewing. Did you hear me?
The details in the back of a shot like this make it for me. Bell helmet bag, flowery deck chair, leathers thrown down, custom lid, piles of wheels. That big wooden box probably holds 2000 different jets to get that bugger fueling somewhere right.