Tag: DiamondDons2010

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Diamond_Don_PosterBoard_2010Disclaimer: I only attended on Saturday. Anything here about events on Friday or Sunday was collected from various sources – from other attendees who posted on the Cousin Weedy Yahoo! group or people I spoke to at the event. Please post corrections and additions in the comments. Thanks – twf :end:

Have a look at my flickr album for a few more photos. Here are a few amateurish video clips.

Weather: The weather was excellent on Friday and most of Saturday. It was partly cloudy and breezy – got hot for about an hour on Friday, and about an hour Saturday morning, but otherwise it was great. Saturday afternoon the rain began to come in. Slight drizzle started about 3:30 or so Sat. The drizzle didn’t go well with the black-clay track surface and made for some slick racing for the last two motos of the day.

969_0234Attendance: I don’t have official attendance stats, but the camping areas were pretty full — as full as I’ve seen them in the 4 times I’ve been there. It was good to see so many folks camping and having a good time. The infield and entry-road camping was completely packed. There were still some open areas way in the back, across the train track, but it was really full. Continue reading →

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Snortin-Norton-1This Cheney-framed 750 Norton twin received the Coolest Bike award at the 2010 Diamond Don’s Riverport National. The bike was hand-crafted by Bob McNamara of Dallas over 2 1/2 years. Everything on the bike that could be machined, was. Every bolt had a dished head for weight savings. That huge primary cover? It was machined from a solid block of aluminum and weighs only 2.2 lbs! That cover, by the way, hides a belt-driven primary setup to replace the original chain.

The wheels are vintage CZ hubs (magnesium) laced to shouldered Akront rims with custom-machined spacers and axles to get the alignment right.  The rear backing plate and chain guide are also custom-fab units. The in-line axle forks are off a ’70s-era Can-Am. Everything about this bike is as sano as I have ever seen.

Snortin-Norton-2The exhaust was custom-built by D & D Performance Exhaust of Fort Worth, TX. Like everything else on the bike, it’s a work of art. I believe this was Bob’s first race on the bike. He had a minor teething problem with the ignition after the first moto, but his crew worked on the bike in the pits and got him going for Moto 2, where he took 1st in class.

The bike looked like it was a blast to ride, and seemed to handle the rough Gran Prix-style course with ease. These big, booming 4-strokes from the ’60s just sound different than today’s 450F bikes — different and better. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s my memories of watching John Banks man-handle a big, booming CCM BSA around the Lake Whitney national track in the mid-’70s.

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All-original '72 Honda SL 70Check out this excellent ’72 Honda SL 70 my friend Ronnie Welch picked up at the 2010 Diamond Don’s Riverport National. This bike looks totally original — fenders, speedo, pegs, everything. Only one slight dent in the right side of the tank. Even the seat is in excellent condition! It’s amazing. And it runs. The best part? He paid a whopping $350 for the whole thing. I’ve seen seat pans alone go for nearly that much on ePay.