[Dave] Today we've got a race bike here which a lot of people may know, or may not have seen before, but
it's something very special. This Joe, I'm right in saying is the very first F1 race bike, rotary.
[Joe] It is actually the very first F1 that ever left the factory. We had an agreement with Philippe
Larue, the then boss of Norton, about him supplying us with a bike to race in the German
Battle of Twins Championship. And so he was tied to this word, and even before the actual production
bikes rolled off the line we got this as a kit of parts. And it was then raced in that season
in German Battle of Twins Championship. The bike was when we got it basically a production bike,
and since then it has acquired a lot of bits that are common with the later factory race bikes.
[Dave] So if we can, can we walk around the bike and you can point out various things on this that
would obviously interest people, and where this differs from a normal bike. Because the power
being very similar to like a two-stroke, it's just instant isn't it. [Joe] Yes. As soon as
you open the throttle the front wheel goes in the air and everything happens at the same time.
Frankly this thing is too fast for my abilities. [Dave] So do we run a five-speed or six-speed gearbox on here?
[Joe] This now has a six-speed gearbox of an OW01 Yamaha. In production they
had the five-speed standard Yamaha gearbox. But obviously for racing they put in the racing
spec six-speeder, which has the advantage of a higher first gear. With a road gearbox
you can't do very much on the race course with first gear and partly not even with second gear.
[Dave] So, because I believe it's similar to a two-stroke, but you have no engine braking. [Joe] You have very
little engine braking. I think you have perhaps a little bit more than in a two-stroke, but not a lot
more. Certainly nothing compared to a four-stroke. It's a very different sort of riding to say the
classic Norton riding where you try to keep a regular speed, and you try to go into the
corners fast and out of the corners fast. You go into the corners, brake like crazy,
and then go out of the corners like a devil with this thing. [Dave] Can we just walk around it and anything
you can pick out that you'd like to explain. So like the swing arm is a standard type of swing arm.
[Joe] No, the swinging arm is again a special that was made in Germany. It's shorter than the original
swinging arm because the race courses this thing was run off, was normally more twisty than most
English race courses. We also have in our stores a TT swinging arm which is a lot longer because
obviously in the TT you're riding far faster averages. The gearbox was converted to
right-hand gear change for me. When it was still active it was obviously left-hand gear change.
The front forks that you see in it, it didn't come with. The front forks are actually ex-prototype P56.
In 1992 Norton showed a prototype racer, production racer, of the rotary which was never produced, and
I bought that prototype and that's where these forks come from because they are
wide power racing forks. [Dave] Looking at, we have on the front we have twin radiators.
[Joe] Twin radiators which was normal because you wanted to get the heat out of the
motorcycle as quickly as possible, and keep the heat away from the engine which is like a glowing...
[Dave] It runs really hot doesn't it. [Joe] Yeah, it's like a really hot thing.
The exhaust temperatures are supposedly above a thousand celsius, so when you go along on a
rotary at night, especially on the early ones which had like the exhausts under the engine,
you see as you saw a red shine under you at night because the stainless exhausts were glowing.
[Dave] Also on the overrun it would probably spit out flames as well. [Joe] Oh yes, yeah, yeah. [Dave] Why has the seat got
such venting at the back? Is this something to do with keeping the bike planted or cooling in
another way? [Joe] Well basically the rider preferred the seat high up. But the seat is basically
the racing seat of the racing rotaries. And the petrol tank is obviously a racing tank.
[Dave] But it's quite a piece of kit, and we're going to see you ride this as well in a
moment. What would be different on this as it's an outright race bike, against what would have been a
production bike? [Joe] Well there's inside the engine we have twin plug trochoids which
actually are from the aero engine. We have different porting, like on a racing two-stroke
where you do the porting different to production engines. We got high compression rotors in it.
And the exhaust is another big difference, because that is the ejector exhaust.
So that all together brings a lot more power than you have in the standard production engine.
[Dave] Just going to say to you, I remember when I was quite a lot younger, how well this did in the Isle of
Man. And people like Trevor Nation, Steve Spray, and there are a few other riders I believe, but
this did so well. And there was various races over here like Mallory Park, and you saw these bikes
and JPS colours scratching around the circuit. I mean it was unreal really, they're so quick.
And it's just that sound, you know, and it's like yeah, people remember these and they go...
[Joe] People always remind me when they see the bike they say, I remember
this on a German race course, the sound. They are always talking about the sound.
Rev counter doesn't say a thing.