My Vision Story

[artbone]

Thanks to Brian and Lucky for their responses to my query about my carbs this week. Thanks to their knowledge, my '83 is now purring like a kitten. As soon as I get my brake parts, we'll be back on the road.

I bought this bike from a guy I worked with at the Owens Corning Fiberglas plant in Fairburn Georgia in '85. He bought it new and I've never figured out why he sold it with only 6K miles on it, but when he offered it to me for $2000 I jumped all over it. You see, I had some history with Visions. My friend and I were contesting the WERA Endurance Series in '83, riding an '83 Suzuki 550 GSES, supposedly the fastest bike in the class, but every time Team Good Times from Texas showed up with their Vision they beat us like stepchildren. I don't know what those guys did to that little bike (in what was supposed to be a "stock" class) but I remember being on the banking at Texas World Speedway, wide open, and it came by me with ten MPH to spare. Of course, they were much better riders than we were but still, wide open is wide open. That thing had some power. Team Good Times won the class that year and we finished third.

I rode the bike for several years, putting about 7K on it, then for some reason (too many bikes) it got parked in a corner of the shop and, of course, I didn't drain the carbs so the inevitable happened and it wouldn't run.

Around this same time, another friend asked if I would like to buy another Vision, an '82, which I picked up for $150. This bike had the same problems as the first bike so I put them in the same corner and there they sat for a few years.

I started going to the Isle of Man in 1989 and it became a yearly obsession. After a few years I got tired of renting bikes and decided to ship a bike over there to use every year. When I looked at what was in the shop, the '82 Vision looked like the perfect bike for something to use once a year. It had so many features that made it perfect. First, it was cheap. Second it had shaft drive. Third, it was easy to drain the carbs. Forth, it wasn't fast. I don't need a fast bike on the Isle of Man; I need a reliable bike on the Isle of Man. And fifth, did I mention it was cheap?

To make a lengthy story terse, the '82 wended its way to Merry Old, and has served me faithfully ever since. It's been all over the British Isles, France, Switzerland, and northern Italy with very few problems.
In '05 my wife and I decided to move to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and, as I was deciding which bikes to bring with me, I figured I would enjoy riding the little Vision down here so into the truck it went. Last month I decide to get it running again and today it came to life for the first time in at least fifteen year. I've still got to rebuild the brakes, install new fork seals, and put in new tapered roller head bearings and I'll be back on the road. I'm looking forward to it.

If any Visionaries make it down to Mexico, get in touch. This is one of the best places on earth to ride a motorcycle.

Art Bone

[Night Vision]

cool story.... is the 82 still in England then? do you still visit?

[artbone]

Yes, I'm going over in August for the Manx Gran Prix. The bike has never failed me until last year. I parked it in a new place and somehow the key got lost. I got over there and no key, no ride. It didn't matter that much as it rained every day.

I brought the ignition switch home with me and got keys made and will install it in Aug.

[funkamongus]

yeah,, good story,, I enjoyed it.. Need a place in tahoe to store something?!?!?!?! lol...

[YellowJacket!]

I actually think there is another ROV member in Mexico.  Isn't he an attorney?

David

[Rick G]

Yes , I believe your right , I don't remember his name tho.

[QBS]

Love the story.  Once met a Yamaha dealer from College Station TX that campaigned  Vs in the early '80s.  Think his first name was Joe.  He was out of racing by the time I met him in the late '80s - early '90s.  Told me he raced bone stock '82s and kicked 550 kawa butt.  Said his race prep consisted of having trusted employees put about 1500 daily driver street miles on the bikes and then it was straight to the track.  Said that at after race technical inspections the inspectors were always blown away because they could tell that the bikes had never been apart before.  Supposedly his team was quite successfull.

In '72, my wife and I extensivley toured western and southern Europe, two up, on a '66 Honda CB 450 while pulling a cargo trailer filled with camping gear.  We never made it to the Isle of Man.  My dream is to make that pilgrimage within the next three years.

Sounds like you have lived well.

[artbone]

Yes, that was Team Good Times. I don't know if those bikes were stock but, after all this time, I'll take his word for it. I think his name was Joe Fisher and his partner was Charles Brothers. They were both WERA experts and very good riders. They had some young, up and coming Texas riders that they partnered with on the long races. One you may have heard of. Kevin Schwantz rode for them several times. I met Kevin last year and we talked about his races for them. Now I can say I raced with Kevin Schwantz. Well, not really. We were on the track at the same time but, believe me, we weren't racing each other.

At the 24 Hours of Nelson Ledges it started to rain as we lined up for the start and Team Good Times lead the race for the first  six hours. Team Hammer and all the big superbikes were lining up to fall down and getting water in the engines from the open stacks and that little Vision just kept piling up the miles. I'll have to go back and look but I believe they finished in the top five.

On the "stock" question, when I first joined ROV Jeff Swann was running it and I remember talking to him about Titanium rods and other bits that were supposedly off the Good Times bikes. It's been so long ago that I don't remember the details but that's what I remember.

Actually, I think those guys just had the best possible combination for an endurance team. A bike that was about as fast as anything in the class and really reliable, and they rode it very well. Endurance racing is more about endurance than racing.

On the Isle of Man, think about the Manx GP the last week of August instead of the TT. It's much smaller but the VMOC has a wonderful meet every year with some neat old bike to look at and they have two classic classes on the racing schedule. It's much easier to get reservations for lodging and get into restaurants. Just a much more relaxed event all around. My '82 is now officially a "Vintage Bike" being over 25 years old so I think I'm going to join the VMOC next year and take part in their events.

[YellowJacket!]

Yes , I believe your right , I don't remember his name tho.

trialattorney?

David

[Rick G]

One of my ambitions was to attend the Manx Grand Prix or the TT. Its not going to happen but I still dream about it.


YJ, it could have been trialattorney I don't remember'

[QBS]

Joe Fisher was the name.  He was very cagey about technicle specifics, except to say that he ran box stock.  Then, later in the conversation, he made some remarks about a couple of ultra secret 750cc V engines that Yamaha Corp. lent him.  The deal supposedly was extremely clandestine, the ultimate in unobtanium.  Vnary Jeff Swan created a 750 via stroker crank and big bore.  I have no doubt that Yamaha explored a 750 version.  Would reallly really like to know why they never pursued it further, if not with a driveshaft, then why not a chain?  The V engine is just one hell of a motor.

[don_vanecek]

Yes, too bad Yamaha didn't make a bigger version of the Vision in 2 cylinder form, They did of course double the engine and then called it a V-Max or Venture-a motor that is still around today. Well I don't really know how much of those motors are the same at all but if you put my V next to my VJMC buddys 85 Venture, the top ends are sure look identical!

[artbone]

Joe Fisher was the name.  He was very cagey about technicle specifics, except to say that he ran box stock.  Then, later in the conversation, he made some remarks about a couple of ultra secret 750cc V engines that Yamaha Corp. lent him.  The deal supposedly was extremely clandestine, the ultimate in unobtanium.  Vnary Jeff Swan created a 750 via stroker crank and big bore.  I have no doubt that Yamaha explored a 750 version.  Would reallly really like to know why they never pursued it further, if not with a driveshaft, then why not a chain?  The V engine is just one hell of a motor.

Well, like I said, I remember being on the banking at Texas world, flat out, tucked into the paint, and that Vision coming by with MPH to spare. The Suzuki GS was supposed to have about 10MPH on the Vision. I'm just sayin . . .

[Rick G]

I've had a few riders tell me how much faster a GPZ 550 is, than my Vision. A few even took me up on a side by side comparison , I had no trouble dispatching them , to second place.

[supervision]

 Hey artbone, nice to meet you! Fun to here of your club racing.  I teamed with another rider to do the Ontario Six Hour, in 1979. We rode my 500 Honda four. It was fun, we didn't do to well, as our front tire lost air, and I had to come in for a tube.  We teamed up on the other guy's bike, an RD350, for a four hour race at Sear's Point.  That 24 hours sounds fun! let's run your Vision!  ON the carb cleaning, did you take apart the low speed needle, or just leave it intack? I have a set of those carbs, my needle is buggered, some day I might run those to go faster, than these other guy's

[artbone]

  ON the carb cleaning, did you take apart the low speed needle, or just leave it intack? I have a set of those carbs, my needle is buggered, some day I might run those to go faster, than these other guy's

I left them all together and it runs fine, even without synchronizing. As soon as I can dig out my gauges I'll get it spot on.

Yes, the endurance racing was a lot of fun. It was something I had always wanted to do and, even though I put serious warps in several credit cards, and took years to pay them off, I wouldn't trade the experience for twice the amount of money. Before I started racing, a friend told me, "Art, you'll learn more about a motorcycle and what makes it work in thirty minutes on a race track than you will in thirty years on the road. And, if you're lucky, you'll learn a lot about yourself."

He was right on both counts.

Art

[akvision]

The same applies to sailboat racing, except your not going at breakneck speeds, but it still has its dangers.

[supervision]

 I went racing, with one thing, in-mind. Don't bust your ass! I always started on the back row, for saftey, at sprint races at Sear's Point.  I would have a blast, just pickin-off who I could pass, and got up as far as 5th. I raced a class, called 600, Super Street, I was the only one not running slicks.  Did about 10 or 12 races, total.. At the time, the cost, wasn't too bad, only acouple hundred per weekend. We would camp at the track, lots of fun.

[Rick G]

I raced a generation or two older than you. I rode AFM in the late sixties /early seventies. I started out on a 50cc (believe it or not)  Testi Telstar ,( Testi, its a ball !!) with a Minerelli P4 SS engine. It would run 70 + even with me on it. Also rode a Mondial  , with a Derby cylinder grafted on to it. (looked like a mini Bultaco engine. Beautiful bike , the paint was superb , on the long, road racer like tank.
Graduated to a Suzuki T20  (X6) , 250 cc. Loved it!!
Made a come back and road a Suzuki X5 200 cc twin , in 6 hour endurance races at Willow springs. The Co- rider lost his composure entering turn 9 and busted his collar bone, Bike was mildly scrambled, so I rode to the hospital with him.
These were all run and bump , le Mons style starts. The practice came in handy, when my starter clutch failed on a ride.

[artbone]

Yeah, camping at the track and going out to eat after the races were really the best part of the experience. Everyone was so helpful. If you had a problem and need help, everyone pitched in and tried to get you back on track. Even the guys in the same class that you were racing against would loan you parts and give advice. After the race, someone would fire up the grill and have a barbecue or everyone would head to the nearest town for a great meal. After a day of risking life and limb, there's nothing like good friends with common interests, a few drinks, and a great meal.

I remember racing at Robling Road in Savannah and going out to eat at a place called Despositos, under a bridge in Thunderbolt, next to the docks where the shrimp boats parked. One of many great hole in the walls I've eaten in over the years.