Always been a top fuel fanatic, had to post this. Check out the video in the story........This guy has run the second fastest Funnybike run at 6.47 and has now switched to Topfuel, most likely will get that bike into the 5's. Enjoy


Confessions of a Top Fuel Rookie
Tuesday, May 30, 2006 Confessions of a Top Fuel Rookie: The Beginning
By Korry Hogan

When the final AMA/Prostar race was over last season, I had made plans to slow down my life a tad... I had won back-to-back Funnybike championships, ran a few of the quickest and fastest Funnybike passes in history was named “Pro Rookie of the Year” and then “Pro Rider of the Year”. Looking back I had really accomplished a lot. I decided to move on and sold my bike to a fellow in Sweden at the conclusion of the World Finals in Gainesville, Florida.

Without the motorcycle that I was spending 7 days a week working on (not to mention truckloads of cash) what would I do with all my spare time? Golf? Too slow... Snowboard? Ended on my second time up with a concussion and bruised kidney... Chase girls? Now we are talking!!! Wait, that involves as much time and money...nevermind.

I really didn’t know what I was going to do until I got a call one day at 7 am from Tony Lang, the five-time Top Fuel Champion, asking if I might have any interest in riding a Top Fuel Motorcycle for the 2006 season. An emphatic and resounding “YES!” pretty much summed up my feelings on the situation and the wheels were set into motion.

- 2005 Funnybike Shots -

The bike in question belonged to Mike Dryden. Having never met Mike I had a few questions concerning the bike, crew and what he was looking for in a rider. My initial skepticism was laid to rest when I heard that John Alwine (former Crew Chief for Tony) would be doing the majority of the tuning (along with Mike). I was pretty sure that things would be in qualified hands.















Being that I have always kept in touch with my sponsors even when the season is over, all of them were pleasantly surprised to find out that I was making the jump to Top Fuel.

MTC Engineering is going to provide Blocks, Pistons and Clutch Components, Vanson Leathers is on-board to help with a new Suit and gloves, Sha-Sha Fine Shoes is providing the team with matching “Flamed Tribal Boots” (chicks dig ‘em), and my man Dave Schnitz at Schnitz Racing will help with some machining.

We have also added a few new sponsors this season as well: Web-Cam provided the team with new camshafts and Impact Racing provided us with their new Nitro Helmet which not only fits great but it has a respirator built into it that cuts down on the fume intake! Plus it looks friggin’ cool! Colorado Powersports for providing parts and World Wide Bearing for providing the fastest bearings on the planet!
















May 2006
As we fast-forward a few months, I have just finished my first passes on the Dryden/Hogan Top Fuel Motorcycle and let me tell you that nothing on two wheels can prepare someone for the hostility this motorcycle has for anyone standing near it!!!

My first introduction to this motorcycle with the motor running was an experience that I will never forget. The sheer size of the motorcycle is intimidating, let alone when all 4 cylinders are cracking and popping while the nitro methane is being forced in along with huge gulps of air through the supercharger. Now they wanted me to sit on it. Should I? Could I? Why would I?

Mike and John sort of gave my a 2 second rundown of what they wanted me to do- "Just pull the rear brake in, slowly bring the rpm up and let it seat the clutch a little..." that didn't sound too hard, boy was I wrong. As soon as I took a hold of the grip, something happened to my wrist, it didn't want to cooperate with my brain anymore. I kept telling it to roll the throttle and see what happened. When I finally mustered the courage, I actually started to giggle quietly to myself. This was like no motorcycle I had ever experienced and I have to say I think my Funnybike was a bad-ass piece. This was thousands of swarms of angry bees shaking the ground so violently that nothing else could be heard or seen...this demanded full attention from anyone in the vicinity. Pure and unquestioned mechanical authority. This was a Top Fuel Motorcycle. At idle.

Boy, I don’t think if they had said anything about “quick throttle response” it would have begun to suggest the reality. The thing is absolutely amazing! With the bike sitting up on stands, while we were putting heat into the motor, it became evidently clear that this wasn’t no stinkin’ Funnybike. I was dealing with something much more diabolical. As I took hold of the throttle with my right hand, Mike suggested that I just give the bike a quick “braaaappp” to see what I thought. I kept saying to myself: “Do it! Do it!” while that little voice in my head kept saying: “Are you sure?”

Now, keep in mind, this motorcycle is actually a rampaging, nitro-burning, supercharged 4 clyinder rocket ship...not exactly your run-of-the-mill motorcycle. This couldn’t have been more evident the second that my right wrist did the tango with the right grip! BRAAAAAAAA the motor came alive the instant that I moved my hand backward. The bike tried to jump off the work stands the instant that the clutch engaged. I was totally intimidated (and therefore completely hooked) by this motorcycle. Nothing I have ever felt can prepare you for the instant rush created by pure, unadulterated nitro-fed horsepower. It literally made my Funnybike feel like a stock Hayabusa at idle.

Catching my breath from the sheer intimidation of this motorcycle sitting still, I quickly realized that all the folks who had said I was crazy for riding the Funnybike at 217 MPH were right! You really have to have something wrong with you to willingly put a freakin’ Land Missile between your legs and pull the trigger. I was the man for the job. I really couldn't wait!



Now, having a little better understanding of what I was up against, my biggest fear of riding wasn't going down the track at ridiculous speeds, it was doing the burnout. Having plenty of experience doing long, smoky burnouts with my Funnybike it became relatively easy over the years. First, pull the clutch in, put the bike into 3rd gear, clamp your fingers around the front brake handle, wing the motor to around 12 thousand RPM and dump the clutch and smoke the tire until your heart’s content. Simple enough (unless you haven't done it before).

So this is exactly what I have been doing for the past few years but it didn’t come close to preparing me for anything that is required for a Fuel Bike. No clutch handle, a centrifugal clutch, brakes both mounted to the handlebars, 14" rear tire and a bike that really doesn’t have any manners. Or patience. Or pity.



Sitting in the burnout box with the motor lit, Mike signaled for me to put in the shifter (high gear), John Alwine made a few last minute fuel adjustments and patted me on the leg letting me know that I was ready to rock and roll...Or, was I? I had to double check that I remembered to push the shifter into high and took a few deep breaths... ”Okay, remember not to give it too much throttle now, keep the RPM flat, don’t tag the limiter or the timers will start, 1/8th of a turn on the throttle and that should be enough.” I was as ready as I was going to be. I kept thinking “Larry McBride, I hope you know what you are talking about...”

The first thing that I can consciously remember was cracking the throttle like Larry had told me, “Just crack it a little bit to get it up on the tire and then back off the throttle so it doesn’t get too high in the revs, back off a little and enjoy the ride.” Sounds pretty simple, right? It really would be if I had 26 years of experience like Larry does, but this was my maiden voyage here. Did I really need to crack the throttle? What RPM do I keep it at? How far do I continue the burnout once it is rolling forward? And then, oh yeah, “enjoy” the ride. WHEW!!! And this was just the burnout.



Actually, for all of the nerve-racking hours I had spent practicing this moment in my head, it went relatively smooth. I snapped the throttle like Larry suggested and instantly could feel the back of the bike growing like Popeye all hopped up on spinach or Barry Bonds all hopped up on… whatever it is he is hopped up on. The 14" Mickey Thompson grew skinny in a hurry. Backing off the throttle wasn’t a problem either, being that my right wrist was pretty sure that was the direction it wanted to stay in anyway!

Click here to watch Korry Hogan on his new Top Fuel Bike

You will need Windows Media Player to view this file
What Larry had failed to mention to me was the fact that once these motorcycles are up “on the tire” they tend to get a little squirrelly. As soon as I started rolling forward the rear of the bike wanted to start going sideways and caused me to completely miss the starting line mark that I had noticed Jimmy Brantley had chosen for his run. I ended up smoking the tire to around the starting line and then clicking the throttle closed.

One Top Fuel Motorcycle still intact and my biggest fear about riding the beast was now a distant memory. It was now time to actually "ride" this thing.

We will save that little adventure for part 2

Korry would like to thank the following companies for their support: Colorado Powersports, MSD Ignitions, Rife's Custom Cycles, Beasley Fiberglass, Dave Alwine and Darren Brinkman, Tony and Gina Lang, John, Barb and Chris Alwine, Dave Alwine for the incredible paint, Todd Uhlman, Electrimotion, Hartman Machine Works, Raceworks Canada, Larry and Steve McBride, Chris Hand at Hand's Performance and Machine and Darrell Eakle.

If you would like to contact Korry for more information, you can email him at kolaho@hotmail.com

Funnybike Photos by Matt Polito, www.dragbikephotos.com
Top Fuel Photos by Tim Hailey, www.eatmyink.com
Video Clip Provided by Tim Breymaier, www.dragbikevideos.com

 

i love nitro drag racing...

 

very nice

 

At what point does a motorcycle stop being a motorcycle - those things just look like engines with a seat on top and a wheel in the front and back to me. : )

 

mo·tor·cy·cle Audio pronunciation of "motorcycle" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (mtr-skl)
n.

A two-wheeled motor vehicle resembling a heavy bicycle, sometimes having two saddles and a sidecar with a third wheel.

 

That is a cool video, but at the end wasn't he getting beat racing that other bike?

 

key words... "two wheels" "vehicle"

 

i wonder how many gallons per mile they get, prolly better then my old jeep.