The seductions of speed

Blog-visitors to Works Well who aren’t turned on by motorbikes are having a thin time just now I’m afraid. But Plutarch asked me to explain the visual appeal of the Honda Fireblade (see July 5 post).

Honda admit this Fireblade has very strong links with the bikes they race in MotoGP – the two-wheel equivalent of Formula One. The phrase “street-legal racer” is legitimate. So what are the clues?

First, this is clearly not a two-seater. The distance between the wheel centres (the wheelbase) is too short; this makes the bike more agile round corners. Secondly, note the exaggerated distance between the rear mudguard and the rear wheel to accommodate the springing action of the (horizontal) rear fork. Very much a racing bike feature.

Speed through corners is dictated by the angle to which the bike can be heeled over as the picture on the right shows. Because of this components must be drawn as close to the engine as possible. Especially true of the exhaust pipe which is routed almost entirely under the engine.

High speeds require powerful brakes with most braking effort coming from the front wheel. Note the huge front brake disc. And the grippy fat rear tyre.

Yet despite the tight purposeful contours of the Fireblade’s engine it is liquid-cooled. Oh, and it revs to 12,000 rpm.

Again, thanks to Honda for the pix.

Old bones need warm radiators

After six years in the USA, returning in 1972, we were ill-prepared for a Britain which still lacked central heating. Desperately poor we somehow scraped up the money to have it installed in our tiny house (“suitable for an urban peasant”).

Heating technology had progressed which was just as well. The heater in Pittsburgh resembled a phone box whereas the Kingston-upon-Thames unit was the size of two large suitcases. In Pittburgh the furnace roared on through the night and, given those winter temperatures, we wouldn’t have had it any other way. In Kingston a timer switched things off at 10.30 pm, encouraging an interest in thermal blankets.

The new furnace (actually now 10 years old) here in Hereford is smaller still and is tucked away in the garage. It heats the detached four-bedroom house with ease and has only put up one black so far when the feeder to the pilot light became blocked. It took the plumber some time to remedy this as I furiously enquired how much an electronically fired furnace would cost. Pilot lights seemed so passé. When all was well the plumber cautioned patience and the furnace has worked perfectly for the ensuing four years.