After reading all he could on two-stroke tuning, it was time to abandon the ‘bum dyno’ and get serious. 12 years later James is getting big results from two and four-stroke engines.
Mix a mad-keen interest in motorcycles, a questioning mind unafraid to challenge conventional wisdoms and solid engineering skills with the humility to accept that however much you learn there is always more to know, and you have the key attributes to becoming a sought-after specialist.
Go back 12 years and James Harper of Krazy Katt was a contract engineer and a Yamaha TZR250 3XV owner. He had spent years studying books and magazine articles on two-strokes and their performance tuning, testing some of the theory on his own bike. But James was fated to take things a step further. With destiny calling, James bought his own dyno in 2005, a Dyna Pro S125, built a workshop to house it in and got to work on the business of extracting the most from two-strokes. “I’d gone as far as I could with the ‘bum dyno’ and knew if I wanted to get serious and maybe start making some money out of motorcyles, I had to get a proper dyno,” he says.
Esta historia es de la edición November 2017 de Practical Sportsbikes.
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Esta historia es de la edición November 2017 de Practical Sportsbikes.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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Gold Rush
A stock 2014 CB11 is, let’s face it, a fairly dull device. But chuck some engine tweaks and a cosmetic makeover at it and all that changes.
Tony Scott - A Life In Engines
One of the greatest engine tuners of any generation, Tony Scott’s work is synonymous with Honda’s RC30. But Tony won TTs with every manufacturer, in a career spanning some of the greatest names and greatest bikes of the modern era.
Origin Of The Species
In the 17 years between Suzuki’s GS1000S in 1979, via Yamaha’s 1989 FZR1000R EXUP, to Honda’s 1996 CBR900RR-T ’Blade, the face of big-bore sportsbikes changed beyond recognition. PS celebrates this huge evolution.
Fettled Kettle
Tony Edwards, it’s fair to say, is obsessed with Harris Magnums. He’d never seen a Kettle engined Magnum 2, so he set about building one. Two years (and thirty four grand later) here it is.
Lester Harris
Hertfordshire’s most famous sons are now involved in developing new Royal Enfields, yet they’re still right in the thick of old school tubework and their stainless steel paddock stands are still the industry standard.
Shafted By The Weather Gods
The H1F’s crank was a sorry rusted mess. Now it is a thing of great beauty and strength.
Special Build Of the Year
Enter your stunning home-built special in to our Venhill Special Build of the Year competition and you could win our £1000 cash prize.
Dukes And Hazards
The Isle Of Man is an unforgiving place for any machinery, not least big twins from Bologna. Despite meticulous prep, a small stone did forJames Hillier’s Classic TT.
Greek Tragedy (With A Happy Ending)
It arrived from Athens, a hound with a bag of nails in its jaws. After untold amounts of pain, suffering and expense, Tony Barrow’s RG finally emerged, as the pristine square four he always craved.
Droop Snoot Beaut
It ‘only’ took Mike Newman four years to get his Bandit/’busa/ZX-9/10 hybrid into exactly the shape he wanted. Now it’s precisely the machine he had in his head all that time ago.
