Weslakes and Goddens
Index page: V-TWIN OBSESSION
Previous page: J.A.P. SPECIALS
Next page: V-TWINS IN FEATHERBEDS
Designed by Ron Valentine, working for Harry Weslake at the Weslake factory in Rye, Sussex, in the 1970s, designed the successful 500cc pushrod engine for speedway and grasstrack racing. A v-twin was developed using two 500 top ends on a v-twin crankcase.
http://www.weslake.co.uk/ Weslake still exists!
How to put a Weslake head on a BSA B50: http://www.b50.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1127 .... and various JAP racing engines converted to 4-valve with Weslake heads:
Here is the pushrod v-twin in a Wasp chassis, used for sidecar racing
Wesake v-twin ridden by Anja Braas and Diana Bouman at the Isle of Man Classic races 2009
Weslake Wasp reputedly once existing in the Brighton area (Sussex, UK).
BLACK ERNA: A Weslake longtrack machine: 'The machine was built in 1983 by German ace tuner Otto Lantenhammer for a customer in Australia. This Particular machine houses the 1000 cc V.Twin engine with OHV 4 Valves and was nicknamed the "Black Erna" Further details are 2 Cylinder, 1000 cc,120 Bhp and total weight 120 Kg. Acceleration (on tarmac) from 0 - 170 km/h in only 6 sec.
CYCLOPS: Mick Butler, after leaving the Pedgasus team, built and raced this Weslake-powered supercharged Weslake. "The Weslake engine bike ran 8.40 secs in the region of 165 mph".
OVERHEAD CAM WESLAKE V-TWIN
Brian Valentine (son of Ron) designed an overhead cam version of the V-twin...
An article about "a mechanical genius in Cleveland, Ohio named Merritt Zimmerman.who built a 244cc 45-degree V-twin engine with rotary valves" :
http://www.motohistory.net/news2009/news-oct09.html
Engineer and frame builder, Briz bought this engine online (the colour pic on the right - his one didn't have an engine sprocket)...and intends to make a world-speed-record.breaker of it, he is hoping to get it finished for the Bonneville salt Flats races in 2012. Sumo is also hoping to take his twin-engined Panther. Pics of original ad here: http://www.ukdrn.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=2239. Do you know where any more of these engines ended up? Please email me at gstray@btopenworld.com
Here is the ongoing build blog, with lots of pictures: http://www.landracing.com/forum/index.php/topic,8660.0.html
One of these engines was put into a Tony Foale chassis and is now in Australia:
More info on this bike: http://toogood.org/pages/motorcycles.htm
Here are some excerpts from the build blog:
See thumbnails collection of the Briz Weslake V-Twin project here: http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s189/brizccd/Weslake%20V%20twin/?src=wap#!cpZZ3QQtppZZ24
Project summarised at Briz'z website: http://www.customcycledevelopments.com/Bonneville_2012.html
Experimental disc-valve Weslake
GODDEN ENGINEERING
Don Godden was one of the top Long Track and Grass Track riders, starting his career in 1953. He tuned engines and eventually designed his own overhead cam engine
Road-racing:
Grasstrack sidecar racing:
Flattrack racing:
Drag racing:
Otto Bauer in Germany built his own dragbike using a Godden engine, and has acheived 8.32 -second quarter mile, at 169 mph
Otto Bauer has developed the Godden engine using a flowbench. His whole drag-racing kit is up for sale, including bike, spare engines, gearbox, trailer with toilet, flowbench etc. Details here: http://www.topgas.com/4sale.htm
http://www.goddenengineering.co.uk/ Godden might build you an engine, but tell them its for racing, not for the road, or they won't build it.
Godden engine for sale here: http://www.hound-motorcycle.com/s/4546_127381_moteur-godden-1000
Previous page:J.A.P. SPECIALS
Next page:V-TWINS IN FEATHERBEDS
Index page: V-TWIN OBSESSION