Inside" Harle.,-Davldson~s···"····
Inner sanctum
PHOTOS BY BERT SHEPAR
-
By Bert Shepard
A few weeks ago, Team Honda's Jerry Griffith said that he
hoped that Harley-Davidson
would not drop out of racing if
-.
30
Honda started to beat them regularly.
WhiJevisiting Harley's racing department at the firm's manufacturing
plant in Milwaukee, I shared that
thought with the head of Harley's
racing effort, Clyde Denzer, who said,
"We are not dropping out. That's not
Harley-Davidson's way. We have been
in this situation before - Indian,
Henderson, the English with Triumph and BSA, and most recently
against Yamaha. But I do think Ted
Boody had it right when he spoke on
the amount of money Honda is spending." (Boody's memorable quote
which appeared in this publication
was delivered in the press box following the April 14 Sacramento Mile
which Honda's Ricky Graham won.
Boody said, "Honda hasn't spent any
more money than Harley has (on
their dirt track effort); they've just
spent it in a lot shorter period of
time.").
Denzer continued, "At the moment
there is no secret engine. We are looking at some new designs but that is
down the road.
"Things have changed with development. We were willing to accept a
win or loss to Tex Peel, but not to
Honda."
While I was free to wander about in
Harley's racing deaprtment as long
as I was without cameras, Denzer
accompanied me when I took the
photos you see here (except at the
Wisconsin State Fairgrounds).
Two things I was not allowed to
photograph nor even see were the
dyno room (When I asked to see, it
Denzer said, "There's nothing hooked
up, so why see it?" I couldn't change
his mind.) and the innards of one of
Grand National Champion Randy
Goss' engines which his tuner, Brent
Thompson, was assembling.
Secrecy still abounds within the
inner sanctum of Harley-Davidson's
racing department, but the veil was
partially pulled aside for my - and
now your - visit to both the Harley
racing department's shop and the
paved mile oval at Wisconsin State
Fairgrounds where Jay Springsteen's
talented tuner, Bill Werner, and the
man responsible for the race bikes of
Scott Parker, Al Stangler, test rode
their rider's XR 750s.
•
