Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1471275
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 25 JUNE 21, 2022 P133 Parrish remained a close friend, and had plenty more to do with the firm, including when they developed a chassis for the FZ750 engine, backed by Yamaha importers Mitsui, for British Superbikes. Harris also worked closely with Suzuki, designing and developing a bike for the factory World Superbike team, and run- ning the team for its early years. The high point in racing was manufacturing the grand prix chassis and running the Shell- backed Harris 500 GP team from 1992 to 1996. Steve was always the public face of the firm. At the same time Harris Per- formance worked in the back- ground with many firms in the industry, while to most motorcy- clists they were best known for the Harris Magnum. This was built in large numbers ("prob- ably more than 1000," accord- ing to Bayford) and through five iterations through the 1980s and 1990s. Specialist racing engineering was rife in the Hertfordshire/ Essex border area, for karts and cars as well as bikes, and after serving his apprenticeship Steve worked in the field before the firm was first established, in an old mushroom farm in Roydon. Lester Harris recalls: "There were three of us with different abilities that complemented each other. Steve was the insti- gator, and in many ways the driv- ing force. He was gregarious, always looked at the big picture, and felt that anything was pos- sible. "At the time, motorcycle tech- nology was quite basic. There were a lot of good engines, but chassis design wasn't so good. "The Magnum established the firm. We had built an endurance racing chassis for Mike Trimby and Andy Goldsmith, and Steve said, 'It's almost a road bike—it has lights, and electrics.' "The first version in 1980 wasn't very good looking, and in 1982 we got Target Design to do some more stylish bodywork for the Magnum 2." At first it was designed around a Kawasaki Z1 engine, but over the next two decades, versions were made with Honda and even Laverda engines. "The Suzuki GSX1100 was the most numerous," said Lester. Steve was an inspirational engineer, in an era when inde- pendent chassis makers—among them Nico Bakker, Tony Foale and Colin Seeley—were able to improve on the output of the factories. "For Steve, if it looked right, it was right—and it usually was," said Bayford. The firm was sold to Royal Enfield, a long-standing client, in 2015, and the Harris brothers retired. After a long illness, Steve succumbed to Parkinson's dis- ease on June 15. He is survived by his wife, high school sweet- heart Gillian, and two children, James and Katie. CN "Steve was the instigator, and in many ways the driving force. He was gregarious, always looked at the big picture, and felt that anything was possible." -Lester Harris HARRIS PERFORMANCE LANDMARKS 1972: Converting Yamaha TX250/350 chassis to monoshock 1980: Harris Magnum Kawasaki endurance racer modified for the road 1980: Chassis for Barry Sheene GP Yamaha 1984: Chassis for Barry Sheene GP Suzuki 1992: Harris-Yamaha 500cc GP bikes 1996: Suzuki World Superbike team design and management 2003: WCM MotoGP chassis