Two Faced double-engined Triumph engine start and 'blow-up' 6-6-96

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

P.S. in Sept 2012, 4 days before my 71st birthday, I managed a Top Speed run on the Hayabusa at 196.6mph at Elvington, Yorkshire UK. whilst in remission from cancer I had in 2010.

[@mikerieck306]

I am very glad I ran into this clip. I had seen it before but it was on a video tape owned by Pete's friend Sam Green. I had the opportunity to hang out with Pete in England a few years back while visiting Sam. Pete was working on Two Face when I first met him and the Hayabusa was taking shape. Pete is an absolute wizard with aluminum and had made a new tank and upper fairing from it....really great stuff. We all went to Elvington with a CR750 replica to do some speed runs. Unfortunately it pissed down rain the minute we got the bike out of the van. Pete is a very nice fella and an artist with aluminum......it was a pleasure to hand out with him.

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

Hi Mike. Thank you very much for the nice comments. It's always great to have recommendations from people I've met in the past and you 'rang a few bells' with your comments. I still see Sam occasionally although he is not in the best of health but it comes to us all I guess, eventually. Nice to hear from you and I hope you are well. Cheers for now, Pete.

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

at 142mph terminal speed at end of 1/4, but I did a 10.21 in 1968 on the Triumph! A bout of cancer in 2010 didn't help; currently in remission. I did a top speed run last year on the Hayabusa (on KZbin) of 196.6mph at Elvington, 4 days before my 71st birthday! Nice to hear from you anyway. Cheers.

[@grhaffdd]

The rollers take me back a few years, first time firing my single engined bike up. A mate bought round loads of steel, a few hours later we had my brothers Escort powering the rollers, a few minutes later one of his new[only time he has bought a new tyres] had a nice gash in the sidewall;-)

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

Hi grhaffdd, thanks for sharing my video. I had a similar experience when I was using start rollers and found that one of the grease-nipples, for greasing the bearings in the end blocks holding the rollers, gouged into the rear inside wall of the tyre of the van. So I eventually removed the grease nipples. Also I make sure the rollers are far enough inboard. A really daft thing I did with the rollers once, back in the seventies I think, was a person who volunteered to start my bike and he let us jack the rear of his car up and put the rollers under his car's back wheel, then laughed and told us it was a front wheel drive! They were a rarity then but I've always made sure since. Cheers for your comments. Pete.

[@clintonearlwalker]

Thanx for that. I'll look up the speed run vid sometime today I hope. I got a Honda SL 70 when I was a kid in the late 60's, rode the piss out of it for years. For me, motorcycles were revolutionized when Honda came out with the CB 750 four about 1974, my uncle has a 78, it still runs perfectly. Triuumphs were always great bikes also, my dad has always ridden them. You be careful doing speed runs on Hayabusa's, yikes!!

[@BigEsGarage]

You can see the rod poke in-n-out the case like a little shit breaking stuff. It's amazing the ambition racing creates, good job on the fix and making the race!

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

Hi BigEsGarage and thanks for your comments. Yes; it also creates a lot of expense too, but that's just par for the course. lol Cheers, Pete.

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

Hi, interesting to hear that. I only built the double-engined Triumph, firstly in 1964, cos there weren't any big Japanese engined bikes at that time. Then in '68 Two Faced was created with bigger engines. However, I am a person who always wants to progress and not live in the past, (I even listen to modern music) so I only run it occasionally now. I got the '99 Hayabusa second-hand (used) in 2006 and spent a couple of years modifying it, which is also on KZbin. I've managed a 10.37 s.s. 1/4

[@clintonearlwalker]

My dad has been riding Triumph Bonneville's since the 1960's. He currently has an 05 T100. I ride Goldwing GL 1500. I'd probably crap my pants just looking at a Hayabusa.

[@meower6303]

😂😂

[@nouvalari]

Wow this triggered a few memories! That noise!I help build a Twin engined 5T with a shorrocks blower, with a guy called Barry Townsend.Really nice guy,and it's first run was at Silverstone against of all bikes Hogslayer!It was all trial and error in those days,but i remember holding the bike in the rollers at Santa Pod,as it pewked methanol over my jeans! When it fired i did too! It was called "Camrat",as we both worked for Tarmac Roadstone at the time. Heady daysWonder if it still exsists? Thanks for the video.

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

Hi nouvalari and thanks for your comments. I'm pleased to hear that it triggered a few memories for you. Yes, I remember Hogslayer too and many of the older bikes. I'm trying to keep going for as long as I can. I'm using a Hayabusa at the moment and hoping to get my jet-vehicle finished before I get too knackered, I'm 77 in September! Cheers, Pete.

[@Ziesingracing]

Good looking sd1 in the background

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

@aidenziesing, yes, that was the car I had for a while, after my van had to be scrapped due to age. Thanks for watching, cheers, Pete.

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

I'm not just a British bike nut, the double is 44 years old now. I currently run a Hayabusa, when health permits!

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

Thanks for that xxxscimitarxxx and if you are interested in seeing the bike in action there is a video of it called Two Faced Pete Williams' sprint bikes, if you type that into KZbin. It was posted by a mate of mine b4 I had broadband. I'll try a link here if it will accept it. It won't accept it so I'll add it above under the video you watched. Cheers Pete.

[@roeng1368]

Were you using the triumph rr56 alloy rods or something more exotic like carrillo's ? either way , you did look like you wanted to be sick , and i don't blame you !

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

Hi ro eng. I wasn't physically sick but I was 'dead-sick' to say the least. I had a meeting at North Weald in a week's time. However, I did get it re-built and did two blistering tyre-smoking runs at North Weald in 1996. (they are on my channel). No I use standard Triumph con-rods but I have also used Morgo con-rods but they aren't available any more. I try to stick to stock stuff, it's easier and cheaper to get. Don't run the bike as often now but hopefully either later this year or definitely next. I am so busy at the moment even though I am 72 now! There is some footage of Two Faced on my mate's channel, here is the link:- Two Faced- Pete Williams' sprint bikes

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

+ro eng Luckily (luckily?!) I wasn't using any special rods, thank goodness. I was using Triumph con-rods. I have used Morgo rods but they don't make them anymore. I should have stopped and investigated the misfire. It turned out to be a faulty plug. I replaced them, re-built the engine and ran it at North Weald a week later. This is the hazard of using nitromethane fuel, if it kicks back, that's the result. It wouldn't have happened just on petrol (gas) but then on petrol, it would never perform as it did. Cheers again Pete.

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

+gmax theone Yeah I was a bit dead sick BUT I am used to it as it has blown several engines over the years, using high doses of nitromethane, especially if you get a mis-fire and the engines don't pick up speed enough and kick-back as a result, then it goes bang! That's why I called the bike Two Faced, and of course, cos it has two engines. Don't run it often now, running a Hayabusa, mainly on top speed events and building a jet vehicle (three-wheeler). Cheers Pete.

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

Standard con rods, although I have used Morgo rods in other engines but they don't make them anymore!

[@soldtobediers]

Behind every beautiful thing there's been some kind of pain.

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

Hi Sold to be Diers. Thanks for your comment. Very true too. Thanks for watching. Cheers, Pete.

[@ats-3693]

Nothing is truer than those wise words.

[@trickymicky0007]

heartbreaking,most of my early british bikes ended with a bang,plenty of ally welding,why was it called two faced?,it was always a challenge getting two triumph crankcases that actually matched without oil leaking,great clip,

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

Thanks trickymicky0007 for watching and for your comments. I ran this bike on nitromethane fuel and as you can see it doesn't always go right especially with a misfiring plug that suddenly fired and blew the piston and rod out the bottom. This bike was 3rd quickest in UK back in 1968, did s.start 1/4 mile in 10.21 seconds, but it was temperamental as you can see, sometimes playing up, sometimes running well, and having 2 engines that's why I called it Two Faced. Cheers, Pete.

[@trickymicky0007]

a 10.21 quarter is truly impressive:-)

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

Thanks trickymicky0007 and that was in 1968. Thanks for watching, cheers, Pete.

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

Engine test and blow-up of my Two Faced double-engined Triumph back in June 1996 just prior to North Weald sprint/drag event. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIHXqpuZnNhrg6c

[@tc19948]

So glad you got the bike rebuilt! Do you still own it?

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

Hi Tony thanks for your comment. It was my own fault really, it was on nitro and misfiring and I should have shut down but persisted and then when it finally fired, engines weren't revving high enough, it kicked back and blew. Yes I did rebuild it and ran it at North Weald ten days later. I do still own it but I haven't run it for a while. It was on display at Dragstalgia at the Pod 3 weeks ago. It will be on display at East Kirkby sprint on 11th September. I hope to run it next year. I'm running a Hayabusa now and also building a jet. Cheers for now. Pete.

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

Yes I still have the bike but don't run it very often, I've had it on display a couple of times, one at Santa Pod in UK in July.

[@magnetstoo]

Looks like "nitro-oil".........you get too much nitro leaked into the oil and thats the color it turns.

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

Hi magnetstoo, thanks for your comment. Yes you are right, the oil does turn yellow but that wasn't the cause of the blow up. My oil has always turned yellow since I first built the bike in 1968. I drain it after every run. There was a misfiring plug and then it suddenly fired and kicked back coz the engines weren't revving sufficiently due to the misfire. It buckled the conrod and threw it out. It has happened a few times over the years. Cheers.

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

My thoughts are that this new comments system is rubbish and done by an idiot with no commonsense. There is now no correlation between viewers comments and my replies. Everything is all over the place. If it ain't broke don't try to fix it!

[@clintonearlwalker]

I have to say, I prefer Hondas and gasoline.

[@screener545]

Your problem was a horrible tune... What were you doing? Don't tune that thing like a pathetic weak harley, make the ignition timing propper!

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

That blow-up was due to one cylinder not firing properly due to an old plug. Then it lit and back-fired, that's what can happen to a nitro-motor when it is not revving sufficiently. The bike ran perfectly a week later on the same ignition timing. Bike was third quickest in Europe, do you know anything at all about running on nitromethane? I doubt it.

[@screener545]

Pete Williams never heard of nitromethane so no

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

So if you've never heard of nitromethane, I suggest you don't offer advice on how to set ignition timing. Google nitromethane and learn something.

[@screener545]

Pete Williams lol ok my bad

[@dennisschell5543]

Limey engine builder...NOT!!!

[@doubleenginedtriumph]

Well, Limey engine builder or not, the bike was amongst the three quickest bikes in Europe in its day (1968). Don't make assumptions when you're not in possession of the facts. Any engine can blow up and it was nothing to do with the engine build, it was due to the 95% nitromethane fuel ( I assume you know what that is!) it was running on and misfired due to a faulty plug, so there Yank! I was out on it a week later doing runs after a lay-off of 18 years! Cheers.

[@ats-3693]

Show us your builds and wins then buddy

[@eweunkettles8207]

typical yank /septic tank full of shit !