As gearheads, we’re all a little weird. We see the world in a different way than the average person on the street. There’s a reason that the tears flow like water at the awards ceremony that closes out Drag Week, or why grown men become weeping puddles when awarded a simple red hat on the unforgiving salt of Bonneville. These are things that hold great meaning to us and in this video James Hoegh does a better job explaining the feelings and that meaning (unintentionally or not) better than most anyone we can remember. There is a genuine sincerity and reverence in his tone that can’t be faked and that speaks right to the core of what it is to go fast, to achieve things, and to push your own boundaries. To quote our pal Keith Turk, this is “magical” stuff.
Hoegh ran the bike you’ll see in the video to a terminal velocity of more than 172 MPH on the salt at the BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials which are sanctioned by the AMA this year. It set a record there as the fastest “big block” V-Twin American motorcycle ever. (We’re not sure if that means ever at the BUB speed trials or ever as in LSR racing…forgive our ignorance).
This is two and a half minutes very well spent!
Press play below and listen to James Hoegh speak the truth!
The video’s great
Glad the man had a successful time on the Salt
But the hyperbole about this being the fastest anything without a class designation as well as some third party documentation is just that for the moment . Hyperbole and maybe a bit of BS’ing as well
I agree with much what you’ve said here, Brian. Though obviously the primary impetus, Bonneville is much than speed only. Clearly there are many bikes that can travel faster than the Hellcat, but that’s not the whole point, is it. It’s how and why you get there. Speaking singularly, motorcycling is about the entire experience, and Bonneville permits a bike and rider to live up to their full potential, and to enjoy motorcycling and life in one of its purest forms. There are many reasons that I enjoy the big v-twin (though many think it dated), and Confederate bikes in particular, and non-faired bikes overall. At 1:05 in this short clip, you will appreciate what I’m talking about, ….the ‘heartbeat’, the soul, and confident attitude of these well thought out machines. If hyperbole was read into this video, there was none intended.
James
As best I can to clarify, this is a Land Speed Record as sanctioned, scrutinized, and recorded by the AMA, and governed by BUB, http://www.BUBspeedtrials.com. Classification is APF3000. In brief, maximum displacement 3000cc, naturally aspirated, pushrod, racing fuel, special construction, open, …. NOT permitted is “anything that has a perceptual purpose of directing, controlling, or limiting air flow around the motorcycle or/or rider, or is placed to reduce aerodynamic drag”, etc. etc. A record average speed of 172.2mph, top speed 176.374, does not come easy, particularly on salt (10-20% wheel spin est.), and with configuration as described. An entire team of brilliant minds and dedicated performance specialists at S&S and Confederate made this happen, and I applaud their success and passion. It was a genuine pleasure to pilot this amazing machine, and I hope that I’ve done it justice. It is indeed two and a half minutes very well spent. Thanks for your great post, Brian.