STEVE BURNS (01/05/59)

Manchester

Hello everyone,

Nick (SOC website constructor

and friend) has given me the opportunity

to memorialise my involvement with

Spondon and bikes over the years.

 

What follows is a pictorial timeline with

some brief bike descriptions.

It all started back in 1981 when after

owning a string of Suzuki's I decided to

turbocharge my GSX1100ET.

 

Having 170hp on tap with a standard

chassis did not equate to good handling,

hence my first contact with Spondon in 1983

with the Reynold's tube steel wrap around

chassis with De Carbon rear shock,

Spondon 2-pot calipers and all the GSX1100

turbo donor bits.

Unfortunately the Spondon was built and crashed in the space of two weeks,

Breaking my back and putting me in hospital for 5 months.

Bob and Stuart were very sympathetic and the frame was repaired by Dave.

(the steel frame braising Guru).

 

During 1984/85 the second

incarnation had Marzocci front

forks with mechanical anti dive,

Spondon discs and 4-pot

calipers.

The Spondon's

turbocharged engine

had a brief holiday

in a longer GSX1100E

chassis with Spondon

swingarm during my

drag racing exploits

of 1987/88.

During 1988 the 'Performance Bikes'

'Mission Improbable' project was built,

based on a GSXR1100H with a tuned

1260cc engine, Keihin flatslides and

Cobra exhaust.

The Spondon was fabricated out of double hollow 7020 aluminium tube,

used Whitepower forks, Ohlins shock and Marvic wheels with Spondon

4-pots and Harris Bodywork.

 

The third incarnation of the steel-framed Spondon

came in 1989, with a beefed up Spondon swingarm,

new EG engine, aluminium crafted bodywork, Marvic

wheels, Ohlins rear shock, drilled 320mm discs and

twin whitepower dampers to stop the tank slappers.

The steel-framed Spondon was once again wrecked during a wheelie demonstration at Aintree

Truckfest 1990. (If you look closely I still had time to wave to a friend in the crowd!) Eventually

it was rebuilt with the 1260 GSXR engine and retired! (currently residing in Cumbria).

 

The GSXR engine had a short life in what

some say was one of the first 'street-

fighters'. It survived during 1991 with

Marvic wheels, Forcella Italia forks and

Spondon swingarm extensions, before I

killed it later that year (there is definitely

a theme running through all this!).

 

was sick of getting requests to

build the steel framed bikes, when

he wanted to transfer his

manufacturing base to Aluminium.

But I recognised the muscle bike

styling of the round tube,

'The Monster' was born!

 

 

Being caught doing a burnout in

Amsterdam doesn't go down too

well with the local plod!

 

It's alright building these bikes,

but what do you do with them

when they're finished?

 

I was sick of crashing them, so I decided to let someone else have a go at that and enter the world of

bike racing murder in the most public of scenes, "World 24Hr Endurance Racing". My first attempt,

whish lasted from Spa 1993 until the Bol D'or 1995 was with the Yamaha YZF750SP:

Spondon Petroltank and banana style swingarm with quick release ends developed with Spondon and

used on most of the current IOM TT Superbikes. Fork bottoms quick release pivot type as per HRC.

 

Along the way I had fun with

making the odd one-off bike, in

this instance a butchered Yamaha

B-Wiz, chopped and turned into a

dinky pit bike.

 

The next World Endurance bike to get

the Spondon Burns treatment was the

Honda VTR in 1997. It was under the

direction from Honda Britain to develop

racing parts to convert the standard

roadbike into a racetrack performer

and campaign it at the Bol D'or 97.

 

The Spondon involvement lists:

Swingarm, subframe, fairing bracket

front radiator, footrest assembly

and fitment of swingarm support

brackets.

 

1999 and 2000 saw a return to

World Endurance racing with a

Yamaha, the R1

2001 with the Suzuki GSXR1000

in World Endurance and the

Macau GP

 

2002 with the Kawasaki ZX9-R

 

 

 

2004 with the Kawasaki ZX10-R

 

I am currently building a trick Honda CBR600RR for the 2004 Macau GP.

The future will bring many more projects as I am now employed as a lecturer

in 'Motorsport Engineering' at the University Of Central Lancashire.

Thankyou to Spondon for their help over the years and here's to the Future!

Good luck everyone!

 

Honda CBR600RR Turbo

Prepared by: BEng MotorSport Engineering Students @ UCLAN

Built to compete at: 2004 Macau Grand Prix (R.O.C.)

Motorcycle Make/Model: Honda CBR600RR (04)

Power to weight ratio: 1100 bhp/tonne

Engine Specifications:

Engine type 599cc Turbocharged / intercooled inline four
Bore and Stroke 67mm x 42.5mm
Comp Ratio 10:1 (JE pistons)
Valve train DOHC; Four valves per cylinder
Transmission Close ratio / six speed
Carburetion Eight injector / dual stage fuel injection (M800)
Ignition Motec M800
Turbocharger Garret GT17 Hybrid (1.0bar max boost)
Power Currently 180bhp @ 5.0psi
Max Power 205bhp @ 13000rpm (measured at rear wheel)

Chassis Specifications:

Front Suspension Telescopic fork (Ohlins internals)
Rear Suspension Pro link with Ohlins rear shock
Wheels Rear 5.5 x 17; Front 3.5 x 17 Dymag (carbon fibre)
Tyres Rear 180/55; Front 120/70 Dunlop Slicks
Wheelbase 1395mm
Rake / Trail 24.0º / 95mm
Dry weight 165kg
Fuel Capacity 23ltrs


Sponsors:

MotoMax Endurance Racing (Steve Burns 07767 370077)
Matlock Motorcycle Centre (Wayne Mitchell 01629 56666)
University of Central Lancashire (John Calderbank 01772 89201201)
UCLAN, Preston, PR1 2HE