| The bikes that are used for speedway
are not like any bike you will see on
the roads. They have acceleration on
par with a Formula One racing car but
have no brakes, rear suspension or gears.
Going into corners sideways at 120 kmph,
four riders abreast and only centimeters
apart. Speedway engines are 500 cc
single cylinder four valve, four stroke
with air cooling. Methanol is used
instead of petrol to enable them to
run at very high compression ratios.
Drive from the crankshaft is via a
countershaft and clutch (no gearbox),
and final drive ratios are determined
by the selection of engine and rear
wheel sprockets.
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