Way-Back Racing Machine - 1982

[Dallara]

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Come back with me now to a great year in racing here in the United States... A year laced with titanic struggles on ill-handling machines, and an era likely never to be repeated.

And let's have some fun while we're at it...

For instance, how many riders can you identify in this picture???

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/archive/1982sears/1/01.jpg



Up to 1,025 cc's in displacement, and production-based, these early 1980's US Superbike Championships saw Honda, Kawasaki, and Suzuki go at each other hammer and tongs... Honda threw mega-bucks and trick machinery, along with huge teams of riders (realtively), at the quest, while Kawasaki relied on only a couple of extremely talented riders and the tuning of Ron Muzzy... All while Suzuki survived on the wizardry of Yoshimura. Here's a great pic of two of the combatants...

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/archive/1982sears/1/09.jpg




And another interesting shot...

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/archive/1982sears/1/34leads.jpg



Here's one of the best who ever lived. Won Superbike titles. Won World Championships. Rode for Kawasaki, and for Honda, and and for Yamaha. Here he tries to win for the injured Eddie Lawson (who still won the title that year...), though on this day he would be left short due to his crashing on the last lap...

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/archive/1982sears/1/60action.jpg



Just look at the swingarm on this Suzuki Katana... Does anybody else remember the Suzuki Katana???

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/archive/1982sears/1/cooley.jpg




Now here's one for you trivia buffs... Who is this rider, and what is his claim to fame, and how did he get into Superbike racing??? (don't go a look, Collyer... that wouldn't be fair!)


http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/archive/1982sears/2/02.jpg



And who is this speedy gentleman??? He rode for one of the greatest builder/tuners of all time - though one tragically taken from us all too soon due to a helicopter crash.

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/archive/1982sears/2/31.jpg

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/archive/1982sears/2/harryaction.jpg



Some Honda pics, with an all too easy to identify rider...

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/archive/1982sears/2/43action.jpg

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/archive/1982sears/2/baldi.jpg



Try as they might, with all their money, riders, unobtanium pieces, gorgeous engineering, etc., Honda simply could not win a US Superbike crown from 1980 through 1983... Suzuki could, and Kawasaki dominated this era winning in 1981, '82, and even in 1983 when the new 750 cc machines were brought on-line... It would take Honda until 1984, after speading millions upon millions of dollars, to win a Superbike title.

And here's one of the reasons why! Well managed, well prepared, and well thought out game plans (on relatively small budgets) gave Kawasaki all those Superbike titles, and did much to cement Kawasaki's performance image in the minds of motorcyclists...

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/archive/1982sears/2/Rainey%20Sears%20Pt%201982.jpg




And we close with one of the saddest stories of all... Many will be able to identify this truly rapid gentleman. Poised for stardom and slated to go from a successful privateer to being a rider on one of the powerhouse teams, it would go all wrong for him not too long after this picture was taken.

The race is this picture should have been one of his most memorable, but turned out to be a nightmare - can anybody tell me why?

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/archive/1982sears/2/woo.jpg



Hope you enjoyed the little trip down memory lane... Back to when "Naked Bike" meant "Superbike", and these things ruled the street world.

Cheers!

Allan (Dallara)



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[Deans BMW]

Allan, remember Udo Geitle and Murlin Plumlee (SP) two very close friends of mine. Sad to say that Murlin is sucombing to cancer as this is being written. Both very involved in the Honda effort.

[Arby]

I'm guessing here, Bubba Shobert 43, Wes Cooley 34, Baldwin 88,
Steve Wise 38.

Suzuki Katana 1982 model 1000 cc, 83 model 1100cc.

Don't flame me too badly for bad guesses.

RB

[Rchop]

Interesting thread. It would be a lot more interesting if it had names instead of questions...I hate tests:doubt:

[Dallara]

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Wow, Arby...

You got the one I thought would be the hardest right off the bat - i.e. Stevie Wise # 38.

1982 was Wise's first year road racing for Honda, and he had a more than spectacular debut at Daytona that year... I'll leave the rest of the questions about him open for now to see if anybody tags and bags 'em.

You were also dead-on regarding # 34 - Wes Cooley. What a career he had in Superbikes, and it is said that it was Cooley's number that inspired Kevin Schwantz to take on # 34 for his own later.

Arby, you struggled a bit with your other guesses...

# 43 is, in fact, Mike Baldwin. # 88 was Honda's South American import, Roberto Pietri.

I won't give away the others just yet... that is # 60, # 31, or # 140.


Yes, Dean...

I remember Udo Geitl and Merlyn Plumlee quite well. I never really got to know Merlyn Plumlee at all, but his reputation was legendary, especially when it came to reliability.

Udo Geitl, on the other hand, I got to know fairly well... Mainly over the phone, back in the mid-1980's. He was still running Honda's road race effort then and he was instrumental in helping me get some bikes and parts back then from HRC. I met Udo through Keith Reeves, who I had known from his stint with the Honda MX efforts in the 1970's, before he moved up to being the head of HRC in the the early, early '80's.

Udo and Keith were wonderful to deal with, and I wouldn't have the 1986 Honda VFR-750-F I have (the first one HRC ever got for the 1986 US road race effort) if it were not for the two of them.

What a truly fantastic time it was back in the 1970's and 1980's... Truly one of motorcycle racing's Golden Era's! :eusa_clap:

Cheers!

Allan (Dallara)



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[Deans BMW]

Udo has been a friend since his Butler and Smith days. He built the first Butler and Smith R90S that Steve McLauthlin won the first AMA super bike race back in '76 at the Daytona Motor Speedway.

http://r1150r.smugmug.com/photos/59928293-L.jpg

Udo then went to Honda for 17 years, retired from Honda and he and Chris still are fast friends as we with Chris as our service mgr slowly took over the BMW racing program from B&S. Udo was Chris's right hand man in San Jose's Boxer Cup win at Daytona in '04, he also ran the pits when San Jose competed over seas in both the last Power Cup series and Boxer Cup series with Brian Pariott riding. He was also part of our pit crew when we won the Moto ST 8 hour at Daytona, no doubt Udo will be back at Daytona with us in March.

Will, George and Frank got to interface with Udo a lot.

My heart is broken over Murlin.

[Dallara]

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Dean said:




"My heart is broken over Murlin."



Did something happen to Plumlee, Dean??? I haven't seen anything...

Folks out there might be interested to know than Merlyn Plumlee was also incredibly instrumental in Nicky Hayden's career.

Thanks!

Allan (Dallara)



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[Deans BMW]

Merlyn is in a loosing battle with cancer.

When I lived in Colorado Springs for 6 years, he took care of all my bikes, he was the chief tech at the Yamaha shop there, soon after he went to work for Honda and you know the rest of the story. Talking about Merlyn brings a tear to Udo's eyes.

[Dallara]

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Wow, Dean...

I had no idea. Like I said, I never really knew Merlyn. I had met him in person, but only to shake hands and do small talk introductions. However, he was a legend within the Honda community. I remember there being an engine failure once on one of the Honda factory team bikes, and when I relayed that the response was "No way! Plumlee built that engine, and his engine's don't break! Ever!"

I had no idea about his illness, and I'm sorry for how it affects you. I do wish all the best for Merlyn. They are doing great things with cancer these days, and we can always hope.

Thanks for filling me in.

Allan (Dallara)




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[Toddk]

In order,

31 Harry Klinzmann
60 Wayne Rainey
140 Jon Woo, killed in Superbike tryouts when he hit the berm at Laguna Seca

Toddk