When I bought the 1150 I started going back to the dealer to buy my " hop up" stuff. I knew the owner of the dealership and they gave me fair prices. I was looking into the Dyna coils, and he told me about one of his customers that just bought a pair. He told me the kid was coming in later that day and he would see if he had a problem with him giving me his phone no. So I could ask about how he liked the coils.
I got Derrik's phone no and called him up. We hit it off great, he had already done a 1229 kit on his 1150 and I had done the carb kit header, and electric shifter. He was in the process of ordering a 1260 kit and cams, And I had ordered but not received my nitrous set up and the Dyna coils.
We got together about a week later and rode all day. He bragged about no one ever beating him so I said 'lets go up to Research parkway and make some passes" Research Parkway was an industrial complex that every Fri, sat night was the host to all the local drag racers back then. We lined up and Made our first pass with his girlfriend starting us off. Now remember his bike was 1229 cc mine was still stock at 1134 cc. I nailed him out of the whole and by the finish line he had only closed the distance to about a full bike. He was anxious to get another shot, this time I beat him out of the whole but not enough . He drove around me in fourth and the score was tied. For the tie breaker I got out first again and thought I would hold him off all the way but he passed me just before the finish line.
We BS'd for a while after that and he admitted that if I had his motor I would have one all three races.
About two months go buy he and he goes even bigger and faster with a 1260 kit cams and carbs. my bike was much improved too, I had installed the nitrous and hid it rather well.. We got together again and went back to Research Parkway this time Once again his girlfriend starts us and this time We get off the line together , He pulls away in second and third and I spray the NOS thinking ill catch right up. I must have not purged it well, because it coughed and fell flat and he just walked away. Now I wanted the rematch! so we lined up again . This time I purged the nitrous during the burnout till it was snapping from 4000 rpm to 7000 each time I hit the Horn button. I finished the burnout,we lined up an off we went. I got out first and still had a small lead when I went from second to third. Once in third I sprayed the nitrous and holy crap! the thing took off like a rocket and I won by so much that he wanted no part of a third race.
We stayed friends and talked on the phone alot but didn't ride together that much for the next couple of months. One day I get a call from Derrik and he tells me about a gang of bikers in Bridgeport that do a ton of racing for big bucks, He was there the week before and won $500 and wanted to go back that Fri night. I agreed to go but told him I was not going to race under those circumstances. We get there and there is about 20 Afro-American gentlemen with Ninjas, Gsxrs, etc. Derrik works out a deal with one guy on a obviously built ninja, extended swing arm ,air shifter bla bla bla. they run and Derrik wins 500 dollars. Next up is the "rematch" and they run again but Derrik loses and loses $500 dollars ( but it was sooooo close), Then Derrik falls for the "Double or nothing" scam and loses a grand!
Derrik was really upset because he fell for the whole sandbagging thing and wanted to get even so he comes up with this plan to rematch them using me and my bike. We switched all the blue and white body work on my 1150E bike, with his black and red 1150E. We swapped my Corbin seat for his stock seat. We both had the same V&H header so it looked really convincing. Now the problem was how to get them to let me ride.
The following fri night we head back to Bridgeport Derrik riding my body work,and me riding his ( which was really mine.) Derrik is wearing this fake cast on his clutch hand. He tells the guy with the ninja, that he broke it an can barely get the clutch in, and no way can he race. They start talking crap about them beating him any how and its a good thing he cant race. Derrik says "How about I let the old fart race" I was ten years older than Derrik but come on! I was only 33! I was bald however. They agree but only for $500, not the grand Derrik lost the weekend before.and what he has hoped for. I drive away turn into a parking lot quickly open the bottle and start heating the tire an purging the nitrous. I drive back to the starting line and one of their guys starts us off, The Ninja gets out along side me and when I start to pull away without hitting the nitrous I know he is sandbagging again. Remember my motor is only 1134 cc I had not done my 1229cc kit yet. Now if he could beat Derrik with the 1260 kit cams etc why was my 1134 cc bike pulling away? I was tempted to spray it and guarantee the victory, but I thought he was going to let me win to get me to fall for the big bucks "double or nothing" later. Sure enough I win by about two feet. Now I know the fix is in. I tell Derrik to let them know I am afraid of getting busted and the next race is my last no matter what. Derrik says that since he tuned his bike up and its " running better" he would like a shot to win back what he lost last weekend ( $1000 dollars)They agree, (cause they were sandbagging and though they had it "in the bag") Derrik puts up a grand and all of their guys start pitching in till our $1000 is met. No comes the question of who holds the money? We don't trust them, we don't know them, and the already have sandbagged us once. They agree to let Derrick's girl fiend hold the money but only in the presence of two of their girlfriends. This was probably the best we would get so we went for it.
I did the burnout we lined up and off we went, My start was very good and although he had the swing arm, and a bigger tire we were pretty close when I went for second gear. In second he opened it up and started to pull away I shifted into third early and sprayed the nitrous at the bottom of third instead of the top of third like I normaly did. I quickly made up some distance and was alongside him when I shifted to fourth. To make it look good I sprayed all of fourth pulled away and when I switched to fifth I stopped spraying. ( I could see him mirror and new I was ahead a good amount) he was catching fast but did not catch up till way after the finish line.
Now came the real scary part Collecting the money, I was sure there would be trouble because we just scammed them right back, But like I said earlier in the post it was a buch of afro-American gentlemen, and gentlemen they were. They handed the money right over, we all shook hands and we told them we had to go. The were all laughing and stuff and nobody seemed upset at all. I got 300 dollars for donating my bike and riding skill to the night. I would have got much more if I agreed to one more race but the nitrous can be finicky and I did not know how much was left in the bottle,( plus I really was afraid of getting busted) It was not full when we started. We called it a night and stopped had a nice late breakfast/supper the a few beers to celebrate, all on Derrik of course ...................skip
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