Did you see these other Classic features?
EUROPEAN TWINS
AMERICAN TWINS
Moto Guzzi wind tunnel. The beginning of the Dustbin fairing legend
03 (photo: Terry Stevenson)
rear of the machine, which led some riders to
complain about instability in some circumstances,
mainly on certain types of fast bends.
It is true that the FIM banned the dustbin
fairings at the end of the 1957 season. The
Japanese had yet to become involved in Grand
Prix racing, but during the four years that the
dustbin fairings were allowed, most of the major
European companies became involved in this
brave new experiment. Rumours concerning a
ban began to circulate early in the season, and
some of the factories started experimenting
with half-fairings and full fairings with the front
wheel exposed. There is much speculation about
the reason for the ban. There was some concern
about the machines in the smaller classes tending
to be sensitive to strong cross winds which could,
in extreme conditions, blow them off the track.
The major happening in September 1957 was that
Gilera, Mondial, and Moto Guzzi withdrew from
Grand Prix racing, and some believed that many
privateers who remained on the race tracks would
try to attach dustbin fairings to their machines,
and this could present an unnecessary hazard
on the tracks. During the 1957 season a series of
accidents turned the riders against full enclosure,
culminating in the death of MV Agusta rider
Roberto Colombo, at the Belgian Grand Prix.
The idea of streamlining was, of course, to reduce
wind resistance and drag, and to squeeze out more
top speed on the long straights on Grand Prix circuits.
There would have been little point in using dustbin
fairings on short circuits and in scratchers contests.
Perhaps one of the significant changes to begin
at this period in World Championship racing is that
more and more countries would start to construct
Sharing your passion
facebo
ok.com
/Caffein
eAndCla
ssics
KIWI RIDER 57