The Norton v. WM20 bragfest ended in draw,
But is the Matchy G3L the fastest of all?

What of the Ariel, Triumph, or Harley Hawg,
Or is Zundapp, Bimmer, or Indian your call?

Jeff

email (option): jjbandoo@aol.com

A Matchless G3WO is faster then a G3L!!

And then the Triumphs and Ariel OHV's are not bad either.

But since you mention Indians, the Mod. 640 was very fast, and to this day this engine is used for land speed records at Bonneville!

Cheers,

Lex

email (option): welbike@welbike.net

I think old bikes are bit like modern ones.. a Yamaha might be a nano second faster from 0-60 than a Kawasaki but in reality there is nothing much to choose between various models in the same class..
Each of the WD bikes, either SV or OHV, had a slightly different way of going about doing much the same job. Out on the road the state of maintenance and tune and the abilities and 'enthusiasm' of the rider have a bigger effect than the small differences between the bikes in my opinion.
Going with the flow of the posting though the Velo and the BSA B30 are two that would be contenders as well..or you could just wheel out one of the 1939 Army ISDT teams M24 Goldies and end the discussion.. ...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Hmm, I left out the Velo. Which would be a better fit than my clumsy "Bimmer". This calls for a rewrite:

Or is Zundapp, Velo, or Indian your call?

email (option): jjbandoo@aol.com

And what about Gileras, FNs and Moto Guzzis?..this could get complicated.. ..The Indian may have power..but the handling?..I bet any of the better singles would give it a run for it's money. However, if it's just a question of performance,there is also another with more than most realize..the Harley UL...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

When pushed from the back
Of a high aircraft,
A Flying Flea
Could not be passed!


Vince

email (option): vinver@ns.sympatico.ca

I couldn't find any power output figures for the 640 Indian but I reckon the KS 600 Zundapp is the one..with 28BHP, an OHV engine and a weight of 430lbs...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

why is everybody obsessed with speed these bike were not very fast anyway in the 1930/40 everbody thought anything over 50mph was fantastic if you want speed buy a ducati 99 what ever and paint it green

email (option): roger.back@node6.com

Hmm, Roger? It was all in fun...

email (option): jjbandoo@aol.com

Taking a Triumph 3HW up to 65 miles and over is great fun, and takes a brave man.
We normally have a stint of seeing who keeps his throttle open the longest at the runway of Zutendaal airfield, each year in June. Indeed it is all about the same speed in the end, but old men, and this is going years back, when leon Liekens was still around, the Triumph 3HW was regarded as having just an edge over the girder-forked Matchless.

Rob

email (option): rvanmeel@wanadoo.nl

Hi Roger..As Jeff says, just a bit of fun...as long as there have been motorcycles riders have argued about who's is the fastest..back in the early 70's there were regular 'races' between two bikes to prove the point.Triumph V A10 etc. etc....We used to race along a stretch of road in Plymouth that had a roundabout at the far end...a standing start from the old railway bridge..up to the roundabout and back again..with everyone else spectating.
That road now has 3 speed cameras!
I guess if we all owned Rickshaws we'd still be arguing about it.. ...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Hi Rob..I know what you mean about the other side of 65mph..I wound my M20 up to 75mph along the Omaha beach road..(Ron recorded my speed from behind in his BMW car)..and it showed a disinct tendency to start 'wandering about' at that speed..You can only admire the record breakers of the 30s who reached speeds in excess of 160mph on unsuitable tyres and girder forks.. ....Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com