Jerry Hatfield
01-09-2009, 07:23 PM
Randy Johnson and partner Steve Adkins of the Dallas/Ft.Worth area, prepared a Norton 750 for the following class: Production Frame and Production Engine. With 50 weight oil, the bike clocked 113-plus. Randy remembered from the Rollie book, that Rollie derisively referred to such thick oil as "sorghum." So the guys went to a Wendover service station and bought 10W40 oil. For the next run, with the thinner oil, the bike clocked 121-plus. Although the sparkplug gap was reset, Randy and Steve feel this was inconsequential and that the 9 mph speed increase was due to the thinner oil. Word spread in the pits. Before day's end, all of the 10W40 oil in Wendover was sold out.