Top Fuel

Competition Motorcycles in Boise Idaho is building a new Top Fuel Motorcycle and has invited you along for the ride...Bring a shovel with you because these things swallow money faster that you can push it out the door with your bare hands! Carl Pelletier has been building ultra clean record holding bikes for a long long time and this one is bound to be something special. Pull up your Aeron chair, grab a hot cup of coffee and follow the the path to the Christmas Tree. As Bette Davis said..."Hang on, it's going to be a bumpy ride!".

Chromemoly tubes to harness 700hp worth of Nitometane. Hand-fitted 4130 tubes...tack, weld, tack, weld for weeks! The steering neck is one of the last pieces to go on to insure things are perfectly aligned. When you plan on going over 200mph in six seconds it helps if the front tire is aligned with the planets.

The late John Holmes and Goodyear had something in common...14". The hand formed aluminum bodywork tilts for servicing and provides surface area for those hard to find big buck sponsors. The hoop keeps the hero rider away from Mr. Goodyear, although with one second sixty foot times Carl will be doing his damndest to compress a few vertebraes of Mr X. Streamlining and downforce are important considerations at 200mph. As the bodywork nears completion we will be posting more pictures.

Stock Harley cases and even most "performance cases" simply will not cut it in Top Fuel. You can go with Jim McClure's Overkill motor or in this case aPRP motor . This is a purpose built Top Fuel deal, designed to deal out 700+ horsepower and live to tell about it. If you know what a new Honda Accord costs then you have some idea what the following pieces are going to set you back. When you take all the small pieces and put them together you get one tall son of a bitch V-Twin with four cam "straight as you can get" pushrod geometry. Put on your ear protectors, this one's going to bark!

Stay tuned for more pictures as the bike is assembled. We will be posting more info on the gory details of Top Fuel Racing....Data Acquisition. Ignition Systems, Nitromethane, Braking Systems and all the trick pieces you need to make the show. Competition Motorcycles and Carl Pelletier are going to bare it all for you to see. It might occur to you that someone with this level of expertise could make your FLT or Softail go fast...And you'd be right! Give Carl a call (208) 373-1222 for all your engine building needs and if you want a Top Fuel bike built he'll be more than happy to talk to you. You can reach Carl by E-Mail 24/7.

1st Race Firebird International Raceway 6-7 April 2002: 1/4 mile: 7.829 @ 176.56...made it to final round of qualifying. Race won by Doug Vancil 6.821 @ 198.09. Gotta start somewhere. Best pass on new bike was 7.36 @ 176mph. Qualified 13/26. 60 foot times were 1.19. Rider Jack Romine did an excellent job all weekend and the chassis went straight. One pass was a bit out of shape but Jack "saved " it.

Painted in white for its initial shakedown the bike is scheduled for a paint job between races two and three. Give Carl a call 208 373 1222 to see what sponsorship opportunities are available. Be at the races with Carl and a thoroughly professional crew to represent your interests...if you don't spend the money the Government is going to take it to build new offices.

2nd Race Roswell New Mexico: 1/8 mile due to track conditions. Qualified 10/16. Times were 4.83, 4.80, 4.79, 4.73 in the 150 to 155mph range. Fuel pump shook itself apart and was replaced. Some warpage of clutch plates with lots of slip. In the finals the bike was Runner up to the winner. Not a bad start for the second race.

Picture above are the massive PRP Cylinders with the Nitromethane nozzles directly in the cylinder head. Nitro carries its own oxygen so we are delivering mostly liquid to the combustion chamber, too much and you hydraulic things and go "kaboom"! So far, no kabooms. Clean professional construction and a good crew: Carl and Lesa Pelletier, Larry Luman and Jack Romine (rider/pilot).

Running a Top Fuel bike is like leaning to ride a bicycle for six seconds and then waiting another month to get another six second attempt. With several more races in the history books the bike has run a best of 196 mph in the 7.0 range...just knocking on the sixes and 200mph. The fuel system has been leaned out on the big end and the clutch has had more pressure added as the data acquisition showed too much slip. The added clutch caused the bike to get out of shape once screwing up a run and in the last race, in September, the sprague in the transmission broke allowing the engine to spin too high. The excessive revs caused an overabundance of nitro and damaged a rod and the two heads. The heads were sent back to PRP to be inspected and repaired. The bike has stayed in the points and has shown it can be competitive.

We have posted a movie of Competition Motorcycle's first season showing everthing from the maiden pass in white to a final painted chassis on a 6.95 @ 196 mph pass at Las Vegas. Jack Romine guided the bike to a respectable 9th overall in the Nation with numerous wins in eliminations. Call Carl Pelletier (208) 373-1222 for your sponsorship opportunities for the 2003 season. With Harley Davidson putting their weight behind the AHDRA series your business has more reason than ever to be associated with a first class effort that is drawing worldwide attention.

Carl Pelletier fabbed up a stepped header into a two-way four inch collector for the 175 inch PRP motor. Don't ask us to build you one because we sent the tooling to Carl. If you want a monster do-it-yourself stepped header 2-1 give Carl a call at (208) 373-1222. Improved throughput and higher acceleration is the goal. Carl also has invented an improved clutch that will be tested at the next AHDRA meet in Washington.

Pro Drag Exhaust

Give Carl a call if you need a Pro Drag exhaust made up. These pipes scavenge and pump the volume.

With Steve Heidner piloting the Competition Motorcycles Fueler the bike qualified with a 7.125 @ 194.96 and made it through two rounds. In the first round the bike ran a 7.068 @ 194.59 for the win. In the second round Steve lined up with Ron Houniet and was defeated by Ron's 6.679 @ 206.13. Carl and Competition Motorcycles have made a lot of progress and with Steve settled in and the bike running straight the next race will be in Las Vegas for the JIMS Nationals October 17-19. You only have six to seven seconds to learn your craft spaced by months of thinking about it.

Last event of the season with Steve Heidner in his second event against all the big guns. It will be five long months till the 2004 season and Competition Motorcycles' crew of Carl, Lesa, Steve and Rob had a new clutch and a new fuel system in place after the 195mph runs at Woodburn. When you change a lot of things at once you can get lost in a hurry. Rob and Steve were confident that six second 200 mph runs were in the cards.

In a thirty-two bike field, Competition Motorcycles' Steve Heidner qualified 8th. In the first round Steve defeated Jack Romine, the 9th qualifier. This put the top qualifier, Vance and Hines Doug Vancil, against the Competition Motorcycles entry in round two. Rob sets the tire pressure and Carl charges the pneumatic system with nitrogen.

In the second round Steve defeated Vance and Hines sponsored Doug Vancil. Third round: the Competition Motorcycles entry was defeated by Mark Cox and the Bojangles bike. In the photo to the right the track crew is cleaning and dragging the track after a competitor oiled things down just off the line...racing always has a lot of waiting.

In all, five passes were made, every one in the six second range with a best of 6.78 and a top speed of 202mph. Sixty foot times were in the 1.12 range. Better clutch management and a revised fuel system resulted in a very successful outing which was the last race of the season. Next stop will be the 2004 AHDRA season and maybe a few other events.

After the first AHDRA Western round at Phoenix where the bike qualified in the middle of the field but got eliminated when an ignition kill malfunctioned shutting the bike off in the burn out, the team moved on to Las Vegas after being invited by the NHRA. No win in Vegas but the bike ran a 207mph pleasing the crowd of 30,000.

At the next round in Bakerfield at Famoso Raceway the bike qualified 4th out of a 12 bike field and marched though the eliminations to take its first overall win. Steve Heidner had to defeat O'Neil, Doug Vancil (Vance and Hines) and J. Timmons (Salt Lake HD dealer). Carl and Lesa Pelletier on right. Steve Heidner with his hands on the trophy and crew chief Rob in orange cap to right of Steve.

The bike was consistent in conditions that were HOT! HOT! HOT! in the agricultural belt of California in Bakerfield at Famoso Raceway. Track altitude corrected for temperature and humidity was about 3000 feet. Carl, Lesa, Steve, and crew chief Rob notched up their first overall win in AHDRA competition.

Sacrifice and dedication do sometimes pay off...Glory is fleeting and it's a long way home..but when you're floating on victory you don't have to go home with your tail tucked between your legs. Head high and full of pride.

The last AHDRA meet of 2004 is at Las Vegas. Twenty six nitro-burning fueled showed up and Competition Motorcycles qualified 5th but got eliminated in the first round when the tire spun off the line. Watch the movies and see what it takes to run a Top Fuel bike.

When the pits are full of $350,000.00 16 wheelers and $500,000.00 motorhomes towing specially built race trailers with lots of spare $30,000.00 motors and the prize money, even if you win, won't pay the gas bill, you know that there is another form of madness that rivals Geroge Bush's fiscal talents afoot in the heartland.

At the end of the 2004 season the 2005 season begins and so, in the Dante's Inferno of Top Fuel Racing, we strip the evil mistress and pay pennance to the R&R Gods who deliver their blessings via winged foot UPS Drivers. Tributes like $625.00 and $230.00 main bearings are just the start. $700.00 for new cams, $500.00 for new rods, $275.00 rear tire, $160.00 new front tire, $400.00 new pistons, $300.00 per belt per 12 passes, $1,000.00 data acquisition software upgrade, $120.00 new rear wheel bearings...and 48 hours shop time at a cost of $65.00 per hour.

If you don't take the bike to ground zero Lady Luck will simply move over to the team to your left.

All this while Santa is on his way and the Elves are doing the dirty work. Santa gets the glory and a pretty red suit. The elves get new shop aprons and an "atta boy" when Santa returns.

Competition Motorcycles Top Fuel bike going down the Phoenix strip on a 6.76 second, 208 mph qualifying pass. Steve Heidner gets blown off the bike. Watch the pass in real time and in slow motion and see a spectacular get off as Steve qualifies 5th at 6.76 seconds at over 208 mph and then crashes.

Watch the movie in real time and in slow motion and see Steve being blown off the bike. Watch in slow motion his left had being blown down before the wind pivoted him off the bike around his right hand. Watch the puff of white smoke as Steve hits the pavement and his white leathers do their job.

We did not detect any insulating foam hitting the bike so Steve survived the re-entry. Two skin grafts from burns that occured in his wild slide (leathers did not wear away!) and two wrist operations and Steve is walking around and back home thanks to his excellent doctors. Advanced Design Leathers protected Steve. Some rehab for the injuries but no rehab scheduled for the Nitro addiction.

Steve is now a charter member of the "200 mph Without a Bike" fraternity. One of the few living members of this elite club.

Front tire got peeled off of the rim and pretty much everything got bent. She goes to ground zero and a lot of stuff will be replaced. As you can see the bike slid on the 2-1 header. The front end took a direct hit. Things inside the frame pretty much survived intact.

Stone lodged in the primary drive. The engine won't be turned but will be disassembled. Clutch, transmission and engine were protected by the frame. Carl knows these motors inside and out and is about to get reacqainted with the new cams that he used on this last 208 mph pass.

The steering stem did not separate but the frame will need to be placed in a frame jig and have the bent sections replaced. When things bend and the welds hold, the welds are correct. You don't paint top fuel frames so you can check for cracks. The frames are also air reservoirs for 200 psi of air to operate the transmission. 100% chrome moly tubing. 800 horsepower.

The frame is now scheduled to be reborn at Puppet's shop in New York. The frame was shipped out 3 May 05. You can't keep a fueler down!

If you are contemplating a run for the glory, best make one phone call (208) 373 1222 and save yourself about two years of trial and error. Competition Motorcycles has experience in everything from 160 inch Pro Stock motors, Nitro Burning Pro Dragsters, and Pro Street gas bikes to Nitro Burning Top Fuelers. Best do it right the first time as it's a slippery slope to the top and it's a lot more fun to put others "on the trailer" and to keep racing instead of looking at a pile of broken dreams. Give Carl a call before you decide to run with the big dogs...make sure you have some bite before you start barking. To get your Nitro Harley T Shirt (above) give Carl a call...$20.00 plus shipping.

RB Racing is glad to help Competition Motorcycles in their racing. Give Carl a call for your high performance needs, to discuss your race project or just get a T-Shirt... (208) 373-1222. If you'd just like to get involved and help the effort and not race yourself there are always sponsorship oppotunities.

Update 2006. Play the Odds...Here We Go Again

Top Fuel 2

To keep things going a second frame was ordered from a different supplier but it was not acceptable for Top Fuel so down one class into Pro Fuel and working within the rules another smaller 150 cu.in. PRP Motor and new rear wheel & 13" tire was purchased. After the replacement Top Fuel frame shows up the old 175 cu.in. PRP motor will be re-fit into it with new body work and all the necessary parts. Nitro bikes are a small world. Nitro sits in drums keeping the concrete floor from floating away.

We've posted a new chronology to include four slide shows of Carl's new Pro Fuel Bike.. If you are running Pro Fuel or Pro Dragster and need expertise in keeping your 6 and 7 second motors in one piece, Carl is the guy to build your engines. It's like lighting a match in a room full of explosives to see where the door is. Better know what you are doing.