Hello to all-put on your thinking caps.We are thinking of racing the 100 class in the Vintage Series.Question:How do the Super Rat and Berkshire compare for 50 year old guys to race a few times a year?How about parts,performance,power....? Any thoughts would be helpful and appreciated.Thank you,Greg
I picked a Berkie up a couple of years ago when AHRMA formed the 100cc class. The first race the Hodakas blew me away on the start. However, the Berkie would out perform in the corners. I put on a reed valve with a 28mm Mikuni and it helped out quite a bit on the starts. Although, I still get out motored by some of the tricker Hodakas.
Fun class to ride and easy bikes to ride for us over 50 year olds.
Chuck
72 125 Six Days
72 100 Berkshire
74 250 Hare Scrambles
72 Wassel
Thanks for the info...G
The Berkshire is the better bike if for no other reason than the chassis handles far better than the Hodaka, but Berkshires (or 100 Sachs cylinders for that matter) are hard to find. The Hodakas are a lot more available, and can make big (for a 100) power, but they are not as durable as the Sachs. If you set it up a Sachs 100 right, even without a reed valve, it will run with all but the trickest Hodakas in a straight line. My Berkshire was modified when I got it, very mild porting to match the transfers to the cases, a perfectly jetted 28mm Model 84 Bing, a "Cranke" style modified pipe and I put a PVL ignition on it. With those mods it will run with anything in the class, and most Classic 125s too.
Brian
Brian forgot to mention that he is just damn fast too!
Chuck
72 125 Six Days
72 100 Berkshire
74 250 Hare Scrambles
72 Wassel
Brian,
Ouch, That hurts. Are you suggesting my Berkie wasn't set up right? You're probably right, I'm not a very good mechanic. I think the 28mm Mikuni might be too big and may try a 26mm.
Even set up correctly, I couldn't begin to stay up with you.
Chuck
72 125 Six Days
72 100 Berkshire
74 250 Hare Scrambles
72 Wassel
No Chuck,
I am not saying anything negative about your setup. I bought my bike exactly as it is except for the PVL. Whomever the original owner was, which is who did all the modifications, knew what they were doing. My only "skill" was to recognize the obvious attention to small details and resist the urge to do my own tuning when the bike was already perfect. That is a very hard temptation for me to resist, I always think I can do it better, but in this case my smartest modification was to do nothing.
That being said, there is nothing special about any one of the mods on my bike, each one could easily be duplicated on any other bike, but the combination is the key to it all working together.
Brian
Chuck,
Your 28 Mikuni already is equal to a 26 or 27 Bing so I wouldn't change it out. Just do some tinkering with the timing and you should be right in there for the Hodies. The guys with the Hodakas are really doing a nice job, but they are highly modified.
Ron Carbaugh
Chuck, Tune it like Ron says but if that is still not enough, Cranke spec pipe, PVL and bump compression if you need more pop. But with any mod, there is a reliability price to pay. Of course if you were to drop down to 140# like Baby Brian, stock will do. -EP
Ernie P.
Chattanooga, TN
Greg
Look up Brian K's racing video's he just posted in the racing section. His birkie sounds unreal! I was wondering about the pipe as I was watching the Video's. If you sit there and watch the CC one, he is actually faster as the race goes on. You can tell he is jumping up over the rock ledges on the uphills. In the 125 race he flat a-- smokes everybody. Those Video's should put any question to rest on which is the better bike!
I've never heard a better sounding 100. Even Victor M's, out west doesn't sound as potent. Victor's no slouch either.
G
72 six-day
79 KTM MC80 250
Ernie, When you refer to bumping compression do you mean advancing the timing a bit.
I heard you and the kid have been riding modern bikes lately. Hope that's going well. I got sick the day before I was to leave for Barber so I wimped out and stayed home. It sounds like it was a good time for all and Christopher is getting rocket fast.
Chuck
72 125 Six Days
72 100 Berkshire
74 250 Hare Scrambles
72 Wassel
The basic bottom line is that most motorcycles with about the same performance package, perform about the same. I have seen HODAKAs with Honda 250 forks and of course, high performance rear shocks, custom exhaust pipes, 28 MIKUNI, et.al. the other modifications. Reed valves, trick boost ports, ceramic bearings, extended swingarms, et.al. and they do this work all to run with a stock Penton Berkshire... Joe
Thank you all so much for your wisdom!Now if anyone wants to point me to a 100cc I have a Penton 125 and 76 Husky 175 to sell or trade...I loved the video...Was that a HD GoPro camera? thanks for the input and it gives me a winter project now the Husky is done...Greg
Greg, You can turn your Sachs/Penton into the 100cc you want by replacing the piston, wristpin, bearing, and circlips, cylinder, head, and base and head gasket. What year is the Penton? It is an easy conversion, and your top end will be fresh and ready to race.
My Penton is a 1976- KTM motor...I should have bought an earlier one!I will be looking to swap or sell/buy for Sachs bike.Thanks, Greg
Chuck, By bumping the compression I mean raising it. 150-165 psi cranking pressure seems to work for us and still use 93 octane pump gas. Sorry you missed Barber. Hope you're feeling better. Any chance you'll make Combs? -EP
Ernie P.
Chattanooga, TN
Thanks Ernie. I would love to go to Combs but just too long of a drive and can't get away right now. Hope to make more of the ISDTs next year.
Chuck
72 125 Six Days
72 100 Berkshire
74 250 Hare Scrambles
72 Wassel
In the day, I had a DKW 100 and stock was not up to speed with the Hodaka or HD Baja (I raced desert). Uncle Donny milled .060 off the head, open the ports up, and built a new pipe for it. From that point on, I could run with the best of them. I do remember one race where I was side by side with a stock Berkshire when we hit a fire road. We both came down off the berm in first gear and gassed it thru the gears. By the end of the road (I was pegged the whole way) I was about 1/4 mile ahead. Bottom line is trick the Berkie out, throw away the bing for a 28mm (or even a small bodied 30mm)and go to town.
There is a guy here that has modified Hodaka.My Berkshire was stock at the time.I couldnt keep up.I just had some porting done with a pvl ignition and a custom pipe made up.Taking it out next week to a race.Anxious to see how it performs.