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/1484151
R acer Terry Vance had plenty of experience on ultra-fast drag racing motorcycles, he was coming off several seasons of racing a twin- engine Honda that dominated the Top Gas class. But nothing pre- pared him for the rush of sensory overload when he first twisted the throttle on the super-charged, nitromethane-burning Suzuki Top Fuel machine that his racing partner Byron Hines built. Although Vance went on to score victories, championships and records, including the first motorcycle to crack the 200-mph barrier and run in the sixes, riding the massive super-charged V&H Suzuki wasn't a walk in the park. He now admits, despite his suc- cess and the tremendous fan atten- tion it brought, the famous wedge- shaped drag bike intimidated him every time he threw a leg over it. Ultimately Vance & Hines sold their famous Top Fuel to another drag-racing legend, Larry McBride. The reasons were not only Vance never feeling comfortable as a rider on the machine, but because their company was growing so fast that they no longer had the time to devote to what was perhaps the most time-consuming and expen- sive motorcycle the company ever built. But while it lasted, the Vance & Hines Suzuki Top Fuel bike was one of the true wonders in all of drag racing and an experience Vance says he will never forget. If you've seen the documentary about the extensive tests the Air Force accomplished before test pilot Chuck Yeager finally broke the sound barrier, you get an idea of the methodic testing Vance and Hines went through before even entering their Suzuki Top Fuel ma- chine into competition. The idea of the top fueler began pre-Vance & Hines when Terry and Byron were working for Russ Collins and his RC Engineering company. "We had a double engine Top Gas bike that won 22 out of 23 races over the span of two years," Vance recalls. "We sort of demoralized the competition in the class. We really didn't like the fact that we were doing all that winning and not getting any exposure. With the Fuel bikes, all they had to do was show up and it was a big deal. So, we decided to build a Top Fuel bike." In 1977, Hines began build- ing the Top Fuel machine. It was initially going to be powered by a Kawasaki KZ900 engine, but then Suzuki stepped in with sponsor- ship, so Bryon went forward with the build using a Suzuki GS1000- based engine. By late in the year, Vance took his first runs on the bike and found it almost com- pletely unrideable. Since he had so much experience on mega- powerful drag racers, including the Top Gas twin-engine Honda, CN III ARCHIVES P108 BY LARRY LAWRENCE VANCE & HINES SUZUKI'S LEGENDARY TOP FUEL BEAST Terry Vance on the super- charged, nitromethane-burning Suzuki Top Fuel machine that his racing partner Byron Hines built. PHOTO: NHRA