the Big Package: the story
The Big Package was a race bike project for a "Big and
Tall" rider named Ted. 
He wanted to go flattrack racing and he needed a
bike that was up (as in Way up), to the task. Ted
is a large man and would require a bit of HP to be competitive in the
wacky world of flattrack racing. A typical 600cc bike wasn't gonna cut
it!
I started with a standard Mule streettracker chassis and then purchased a crashed Buell X-1 to get a motor. A special shock was ordered from Penske, with a Ford F-150 coil spring. Not really, but it's a stiff one to be sure! Robust footpegs were designed and installed for the comfort of a tall rider. The WP forks came from a 1995 Buell Thunderbolt and a custom 2 into 1 exhaust was built for additional leg clearance.
He wanted to go flattrack racing and he needed a
bike that was up (as in Way up), to the task. Ted
is a large man and would require a bit of HP to be competitive in the
wacky world of flattrack racing. A typical 600cc bike wasn't gonna cut
it!
I started with a standard Mule streettracker chassis and then purchased a crashed Buell X-1 to get a motor. A special shock was ordered from Penske, with a Ford F-150 coil spring. Not really, but it's a stiff one to be sure! Robust footpegs were designed and installed for the comfort of a tall rider. The WP forks came from a 1995 Buell Thunderbolt and a custom 2 into 1 exhaust was built for additional leg clearance.
Well,
The last step was a custom paint job by Uptown Cycle Design and an American flag airbrushed on the tail section by Dennis Wells.The effort was fully funded by Linda's Checkbook Racing. Linda is Ted's wife and is always in the pits helping out Ted at the races. A first class outfit.
I remember at one race, where Ted ran out of talent heading down the straight-away only to end up plowing head-on into the wall!!
He landed in a huge heap, but walked away uninjured. However, there was a giant splinter of wood, off of the top of the plywood fence that stuck right through his new leathers and into his chest. He said "Ouch" and pulled the splinter out to the uncontrollable cheers of the crowd!
At the next race, Linda(his crew-chief), hung a 4'X 8' banner on the fence at the end of the straight-away.
The banner said, "Turn Left Ted!"
He landed in a huge heap, but walked away uninjured. However, there was a giant splinter of wood, off of the top of the plywood fence that stuck right through his new leathers and into his chest. He said "Ouch" and pulled the splinter out to the uncontrollable cheers of the crowd! At the next race, Linda(his crew-chief), hung a 4'X 8' banner on the fence at the end of the straight-away.
The banner said, "Turn Left Ted!"