Old School Muscle Bike Drag "VDR1000" / JL Meccanica

A beautiful vintage dragster built by Janne Leiman of JL Meccanica

   VDR1000 

- "Lets start with the engine; it is made from two Kawasaki H1 engines joined to a common crankcase.
Rear cylinders are turned around to make unit more compact, and both cylinder banks have their
own crankshafts. So it is tandem engine like RG or RD500. Cranks have their orginal gears in right
hand ends, and between them locates new middle gear. Rear crank gear drives clutch, which came
from Bandit 1200.From there power is transferred via modified Kawa 5-speed gearbox. Primary
gear cover and bearing support are sand casted from a wooden model.
Cylinder ports are more or less stock, but heads are with heavily modified combustion chambers.
Fuel supply is handled by one and a half Weber IDF copies, the right side one have other throat
cutted down and throttle shaft shortened. Both units have accelerator pumps removed and power-jet
circuit constructed in that space.
Fuel mixture is ignited by system which consisted flywheel generator and pick-up mounted in left-
hand end of front crankshaft, Ignitech unit and three Hyundai double ended coils.
Exhaust expansion chambers are little (or more) experimental base 3-1 systems. I investigated quite
a lot snowmobiles, outboard motors and other three cylinder motors with common exhausts. Main
reason to use so unconventional system was lack of space where to tuck six seperate expansion
chambers.
Frame is more traditional, classic drag race frame from -60/-70s. It is made from 25cd4 tube, rigid
rear end and large diameter top tube serves also fuel tank. Front fork is also self made girder type
but with not so common oval tube mains. Shock builded from YSS and locally machined parts.
Rear frame also holds aluminium rear fender-seat combination.
Front wheel and brake use parts from Yamaha, Jawa, KTM, Hyosung, Suzuki and MZ.  Rear hub is
swedish Tolba speedway item, with self casted brake adapter for VN1500 disc and cush drive which
can take both Yamaha FZR and KTM sprockets. Rear brake consist of two Harley banana calipers
combined and LPR master cylinder.  Aftermarket rim and M&H Racemaster slick finish the job."
- Janne Leiman -

- JL Meccanica

- JL Meccanica