On with the bellypan, trying to remember
where the Dzus fasteners go. The white jacks designed by Mike Geokan
hold the bike in the air and off the Goodyear Landspeed Record Tires. A
chain and a modified engine lift is used to lower the bike to the
ground. 1000 lbs.
Mike Geokan buttoning up the Bullett for
the benefit. Mike calls this his best head shot... 21 March 1967 he was
in the middle of a Tank Battle at Suoi Tre
that left over 700 ennemy soldiers dead. Mike still ducks when you try
to shoot him. Combat Vet, purple heart, two Bronze Stars for Valor.
Bullett Back On It's Feet
Back on the ground after setting a 200
mph record in 2011. Rain cancelled the 2014 and 2014 events. 2015 is
the year. The front tire was shaved after the Bullett's 2008 debut to
make it easier to ride. Nate Jones Cowboy Tire in Signal Hill
California shaves and balances all the Landspeed Record tires you see
at Bonneville...In this case to make the tire a more rounded profile.
Race canopy. "Flyin Bryan" on the left
side where the SCTA-BNI starter holds court on the start line at the
Bonneville Salt Flats. "Original Mike" on the right side. Reinforced
strip on the trailing edge of the canopy stiffens the structure for the
potential 270 mph wind pressure. If Bryan keeps his head down he won't
get peeled off the bike.
Bullett Back in Race Trailer
She probably is thinking it's another
300 mile ride to the Bonneville Salt Flats. Not this time. She'll get
to sit in the sun this Saturday and have pretty girls warm her seat.
She's a cruel mistress that does not like being fooled with nor handled
by other than her makers. Mike has her heart but Bryan holds the
throttle. Cold serious metal warming in the Benefit's sun surrounded by
admirers trying to figure out what is hiding beneath her gleaming skin.
Don't go there. Nothing is friendly inside there.
Famous Mike Geokan #226 Bonneville Record Holder
Bryan Stock restored (cleaned up) Mike Geokan's record holding #226 Blue Bike to take to the benefit.
"When you come to the fork in the road take it" Yogi Berra
Mike took Yogi's advice more than 40
years ago...building choppers, writing books about building choppers,
over 40 years in Brother Speed... Untold thousands of hours building
the #226 Blue Bike and the # 8228 Bullett..not to mention his dual
Linkert, progressive linkage, Orange Bike, restoring a 1976 Shovelead
for Dyan, building his Black and White Evil Twin FXR and untold
numbers of stretched Choppers. Riding all over the country for over 15
years in his 21" over Panhead Long Bike. No TV show.
Ranch Club Boise Idaho...Bullett Benefit
Mike Geokan and Bryan Stock (L/R center)
setting up the event for people to buy signed books and to sit on the
Bullett. Bullett the center of attention.
Fred Wiley, owner of Big Twin BMW,
founder of Brother Speed 46 years ago and 200mph Bonneville record
holder talks to Mike and gets seat time on the Bullett.
Two days before it was drizzling. By
Saturday it was blue skies and sunshine. Ed from the Burley Chapter of
Brother Speed is responsible for the blue sky. Hundreds of people
turned out for lots of beer, raffles, a bikini bike wash and a bike
show with prizes. Multiple vendors supporting the effort and no
cops...just a good time.
Big bike show with one category for
Brother Speed Bikes and a second for all others..Voted on by
everyone..just put your ticket in the cup on the bike you choose.
Elaborate waterjet cut stainless plaques were presented to the
winners and runner-ups. Lots of beer and drinks and music.
Walt Henning's Knuckle
Mike Geokan built this Knuckle with Walt
Henning, replacing the previous Pan motor. Walt insisted on a left side
exit for the front stainless pipe (Farm Boys welding) which still irks
Mike.
Gary (holding the chair) from The Burley
Chapter of Brother Speed had known Bo for along time...way before Bo
was wounded. A lifelong ambition to serve his country, to become a
Special Forces Soldier, and to eventually to prospect into Brother
Speed was altered in an instant. Gary, Bryan Stock of Bryan's Customs,
Diana Sterk and all of those who helped get Bo back on the road and
the road to recovery deserve our special thanks. Bo has further medical
procedures to endure.
The whole show stopped to thank and salute Bo. There were may vets in the crowd including the Combat Wounded Mike Geokan.
Army Vet and double amputee Bo was
presented his new ride by builders Bryan and Nick Stock. Go to the
Bullet Facebook page to see Bo riding his new bike:
46 Years of Brother Speed...Enough Time for Grandkids.
Focused on the floating mountain..On Long Course and headed for a 230
mph record. We've got sunglasses, a tank of race gas, and racing
sandals..We're good to go.
Bands and Beer
Two bands and lots of good music.. The
event was a big success to support the Bonneville Bullett Race Team.
You sure can't do this shit alone...And if you do it's not near as much
fun.
Timing the Bullett
After the Benefit, when we recovered
from way too much beer and one bottle of wine, we decided to check the
Bullett's timing and do some tuning. The Bullett has a way, way,
radical 139 Cubic Inch Evo-based engine with all sorts of stuff like
water-cooled barrels, a radiator, and water pump...as well as a
custom 32-2 crank paddle flywheel. Well, you can't see the
timing inspection hole as it's buried beneath the aluminum skin and the
radiator and who knows what all plumbing and wiring...So we made a test
stand to run with the Bullett's Cosworth Pectel SQ6M simulator. Spin
the crank up and run the simulator and check the TDC, 20 degree and 35
degree timing marks with the Pectel Caltool software.
We use an OEM Harley Variable Reluctance
sensor (two wire) to send a crank sine wave signal to the Pectel SQ6M.
On our simulator we are setup with a square wave 32-2 signal which
mimmicks a Hall Effect sensor. We simply tell the SQ6M in Caltool
software to read the VR sensor. When not using the physical wheel we
tell the SQ6M it's a Hall Effect Sensor. Very flexible engine
controller.
Snap-On digital timing light to
strobe the timing marks. After we verified the timing was as programmed
we started the Bullett up and verified there were no oil, fuel or water
leaks and that oil pressure, fuel pressure etc. were all as planned.
Next up dyno testing. That wine does linger a bit. More beer is
scheduled post dyno testing.
Front Wheel Speed Sensor
60 Tooth Hall Effect Gear Tooth Sensor to measure the Bullett's front
wheel speed in Hz. One turn of the wheel is 60 square wave
pulses. We also read the rear wheel speed by looking at the Bullett's
4th Gear transmission sensor, also a Hall Effect sensor.
By the time the rear wheel turns once and working back through the rear
sprocket to the jackshaft to the transmission mainshaft there are 49
square wave pulses. We need to know the engine rpm, the speed of the Bullett (front
wheel) and the relative front and rear wheel speeds for traction
control and to tell the Pectel SQ6M which gear we are in. These are all
factored into programming boost by gear and for torque or traction
control.
.
Closed Loop Boost Lambda
Each of the four SQ6M fuel maps,
each with a 25 x 25 matrix, or 625 sites on each map, can be controlled
by the two L2H2 NTK/NGK Lambda Sensors. Here, in this map, Lambda
control at peak rpm/boost region (upper right) is set at .85 Lambda
(12.5:1 AFR). Running on race gas these maps are not the same as street
maps running on pump gas. We can switch maps back and forth depending
on the fuel used. The Bullett runs ERC Race Gas at Bonneville.
Mike's "Long Bike"... One That Did Not Make It To The 2015 Benefit
Left at the shop while the Benefit was in full swing, with her new
engine ready, is Mike Geokan's famous "Long Bike".. a 21" over Panhead
that Mike took out 21 fence posts with one day many years ago and ended
up sitting in the shop after Mike escaped the hospital by having his
Brothers wrap him up in a mattress and carried him home. No operations,
no cutting, and no fused spine for the crushed vertebrae... Laying in
his bed lacing up the wheels at home.
Come home from Viet Nam with two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart after
being in some heavy shit...What to do? Build a 21 over Panhead and get
lost running around the country. No Easy Rider, no film crew..Just Mike
his Pan, not much money and a 45 ACP should the shit hit the fan. Ride
till you're about out of money and have to decide if you buy food or
gas. The Long Bike always made it home.
Years went by and Mike would never sell the Pan, no matter what the
offer..He rode her for 15 years everywhere. There are 50 separate
pieces in the frame dating from only Mike knows when. The engine is now
rebuilt from the ground up and the bike is being resurrected with more
details than you can imagine..like the heavy wall stainless "Snakehead"
exhausts that Mike fabricated and, Dual Linkerts with a
progressive linkage.
Things come and go but the Long Bike stays.
