Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/727617
73 www.thunderpress.net THUNDER PRESS nOctober 2016n ticated fuel delivery and electronics. The bonus of lightweight and cheap replacement parts made the whole notion irresistible and a winner. Mr. Werner, we owe you one… royally! Dirty deeds—done dirt cheap Well, relatively. No form of racing is anything resembling a bargain. All the same, the rebirth of the so-called "Harley and Indian Wars" after a hiatus of 60-some years is big news. Mostly, because the introduction of all these new and affordable race bikes means a lot of would-be racers can and will enter the sport that otherwise might not have. New hardware and new blood cannot hurt. Now all that's needed is proper coverage on network television. I'm of the opinion that fl at track racing should be at least on par with NASCAR as a spectator sport, but that requires a level of promotion and dosh that haven't been seen in dirt track ever. Since, for the fi rst time in decades, AMA fl at track will be mas- sively diverse, maybe now's the time? A quick visit to the AMA website will tell you that the two American makers are not alone. Aside from the Kwacker, there are several brands that have engines to play dirty with, if they so choose. The fact is, as H-D has proven, time and time again, that it takes commitment to go with the hard- ware. As often as not, commitment has made Harley the big winner over time… not superior hardware. Parity is the other thing that makes for great racing. The proverbial "level playing fi eld" is what I believe we are about to see in 2017. It will not be a season of the over-dog coming out of nowhere to (literally) rule the "roost." All the new hardware will need shakedown time. Failures and fi xes will be the hallmark, but, damn, it will be fun to watch. The Green Meanies could triumph as a result of working with warmed-up street motors for a couple of seasons, as a head start. Harley might have a true and proper replacement for the XR, if they can sort and soar with its replacement, the XG750R. Then there's the Indian FTR750… the only one of the bunch that's designed from scratch to be a race-only engine. Which of these turns out to be the right philosophy, execution and focus is all that remains to be seen. But look closely! Because see it we will—next year. A sight for sore eyes. (Streaming on Fanschoice.tv by the way!) Harley has chosen to use the Street 750 engine as the bedrock for their own new race engine and factory dirt track efforts going forward. Make no mistake, this isn't the exact same engine as in the street bike, but it's close enough to keep costs down, reliability up and offer massive potential. Realizing that potential to the point of domination is the diffi cult task ahead… but looking at history and the XR750… sure seems doable. (Gotta love the one side black—other side orange paint scheme too. Reminds you of the VR1000, doesn't it?) Then there's the "game changer" news… Indian is back in it to win it! They just might too! This purpose-built (Swiss Auto engineered) fl at track engine is all over the internet. So for details… I strongly recommend you "surf" it out. For me, the ace up the sleeve on this engine is the external fl ywheel, but the design abounds in nice details and thoughtful engi- neering everywhere. The thinking, regarding chassis development, is pretty good too, as this photo shows. Check this space in 2018 to see how it turns out! See your plate on the cover of THUNDER PRESS Send a photo of your personalized license plate and you just might see it appear on the cover of our March 2017 issue. Send digital Photos to: tpressplates@thunderpress.net