AMA Flat Track: From a Dream, to the Desktop to the Dirt-The Eaken Racing/Luke Gough & Rick Howerton-Built Kawasaki Twins Series Machine, Part 2

Luke Gough's #62 Digger/Dick Ford/KK Cycle/Eaken Racing/Sakaida Trucking/Howerton-sponsored Kawasaki 650R-based mount sits ready to make it's debut at the Springfield Mile I round of the 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship Series on May 29.  Team members are pretty laid back discussing the machine with fellow racers during the rain delayed event over the Memorial Day Weekend.  After testing the machine earlier in the month at the Circleville, OH. half-mile, the bike was ready for it's first true racing test.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

During the street tracker's build, the seat, tail section and rear suspension details can be enjoyed.  Photo courtesy of Rick Howerton/Howerton Products.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rolling chassis for the street tracker sits outside the Howerton facility in Indy.  Photo courtesy of Rick Howerton/Howerton Products.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three sets of exhausts sit ready to roll out the door to one of Howerton Products customers just less than 10 miles west of the shop.  John Force Racing in Brownsburg will no doubt be happy with these finished pieces.

Underneath the tarp is one of Rick's pride and joys-a former Team Honda bike ridden at one time by none other than.......
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

.....former National #3 Ricky Graham to a win at the Houston Astrodome TT event in the mid '80s.  The bike is a Honda RS600, which Rick hopes to completely restore sometime in the future.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One of the frequent visitors to the westside Indy shop is former motocross champion Roger DeCoster, who was in town last spring for the AMA Supercross event at the Lucas Oil Stadium.  Here he checks out the race version of Rick's Eaken Racing/Howerton Kawasaki.  Photo courtesy of Rick Howerton/Howerton Products.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The left side of the street tracker sits on stands in the shop awaiting the return of the front end.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One of the signs in the shop shows some of the handiwork that Howerton Products can put together for you.  Their list of clients and series in which they supply parts for is diversified.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This was one of the exhaust manifolds that Rick and his team were working on when I visited the shop on Gasoline Alley in Indy.  This sweet unit is for one of the new IndyCar motors for the 2012 season.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Looking down the Kawasaki 650R's exhaust pipes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

During my visit to the shop, the front forks for the street tracker had been sent out for revalving.  Rick got his first motor off of eBay for about $1K (and probably one of the least expensive items purchased for the bike at that!)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The completed street tracker sits outside the Howerton Products race shop along Gasoline Alley on the westside of Indy.  Rick mentioned that him and the team discussed riding the tracker version over to Springfield for it's May 2011 debut and removing the lights and front brake and going racing, just like a lot of the Class C flat trackers would do back in the old days.  Photo courtesy of Rick Howerton/Howerton Products.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Builder Rick Howerton, team owner and legendary AMA Grand National Championship tuner Skip Eaken, and 5-Time Australian Flat Track Champ and AMA Grand National Championship Series #62 Luke Gough pose for a shot before the bike heads out for it's first test in spring 2010.  Alongside sits the rolling chassis for the street tracker version.  Photo courtesy of Rick Howerton/Howerton Products.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We'll have more on the Eaken Racing/Luke Gough and Rick Howerton-built Eaken Racing Kawasaki 650R, so check back to see what else is coming up!

Merry Christmas to everyone the world over from Stu's Shots!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------