The Dragster Museum and Revisiting A Japanese Custom Bike Builder - May 2 (1)

Tuesday, May 2

I say my goodbyes to Kaj & Debbie, and set sail for today's first planned destination; The museum in Ponoma for dragsters, this very American sport of accelerating 1/4 mile (402 meters) in a straight line as fast as possible. The museum also has a few exhibits for cars that try to set new speed records on the salt flats. At 3,000 square feet (300 m2) it's a relatively small place, but covers its subject very well. My interest lies mainly with the motorcycles and the Top Fuel dragsters, the latter of which now have engines of 11,000+ bhp. For safety reasons the run in the top classes were lowered ten years ago, to 1,000 feet (305 meters). Which is done in less than 4 seconds and with a 'trap speed' of 335 mph (539 km/t).

Let that sink in for a moment: One moment you're standing still at the start line, and just a few seconds later you're driving at 539 kph, and have to use a parachute to slow down the car.

A pair of one- and twin engine Triumph dragsters, from a time before the Japanese brands became dominant.

Aside from actual cars and motorcycles, the museum includes a lot of related stuff, like this helmet with 'Billy the Kid' wearing the obligatory (for front engine dragsters) gas mask.

Very low, streamlined record car for the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Next stop is the workshop Chabott Engineering, owned and run by famous chopper builder Shinya Kimura, whom I met when riding around Japan 12 years ago. He recognizes me right away, and I note with some pleasure that his workshop is as cluttered as mine. His creations are still fantastic, and being as nice and helpful as when I met him first time around, he gives me some tools that I am missing. Aside from the custom bikes he has, and 1915 Indian Chief, advanced for its time because it has rear suspension. He is the only rider to have completed all five of the transcontinental Cannonball runs on the same bike.

Shinya Kimura and a 350 cc Aermacchi/Harley-Davidson with many of the usual touches from this world renowned chopper builder.

Then it's a quick visit to the nearby thrift store for a 10-dollar padded jacket, for when I get up in the mountains, and I'm on the Superslab again. (Does anyone ever call the freeways for 'superslabs' anymore?). Again I can entertain myself with the sights along the road, like a sci fi style train station, or det forest of road signs along the sides of the freeway announcing that speeding is enforced by airplane, Richard Nixon's presidential library, highways named after slain police officers and firefighters, lots of adopt-a-highway signs and even an adopt-a-wall sign for one of the noise barriers.

Picture of memorial highway sign, obviously lifted from the net, as I just noticed it while flying by.

I know this will be my last taste of LA's freeway system, as I wobble along on the rain grooves, while Peterbilts overtake me at 70 mph, rolls of steel on their long flatbed trailers. Tonight's destination is the town of Mojave, 190 miles from where I started, but more things will happen today, described in the next entry.