Howard Less' race bikes live again

Article in today's MCN: they've unearthed the Honda and Yamaha race
bikes campaigned by the late lamented Howard Lees in the 1980s. Shit, I
remember watching those.

MCN claims the air-cooled Honda was a sleeved down CB1100R, but I'm 99%
certain they're wrong[1] and it was actually a hyper-modified CB900F[2].
I've got the relevant issues of Bike here, anyway.

[1] Wouldn't be the first time.
[2] Which is what the CB1100R was itself, in many ways.

 

So MCN did get it wrong. Idle bunch of cunts. All they had to do was
check.

Isn't it? I remember when Dave Chisman died. He was on a scooter, or
something small.

Mez Mellor: that was nasty.

And Howard himself - ISTR he was in a Pitts as a passenger. The engine
failed immediately after take-off and it went in. Tandem seating, with
the passenger in front. The pilot lived, but he didn't. Very bad.

And Kenny Irons: I remember at a Bol he was frantically shagging the
wife of one of the pit crew in between stints....

 

I remember Kenny Irons winning the 6hr at Snett in 86 , I was in the pits ,
marshalling , he gave me the champagne bottle , still had a little bit in it
, nice chap.

shaun

 

"the wages of sin are death" To quote my old boss.
Glad he never caught me toking in the lab's thermal test cage during lunch
breaks then...

JB

 

Not a good move for rider longevity, iwt.