Howerton’s Handy Work
Circa 1984
Indianapolis, the factory Honda dirt track team was based two buildings down
from Jack Howerton, Rick’s father's fabrication business, who was the to go guy
for fabricated parts on Indy cars, an absolute perfectionist who wouldn’t let
anything leave the shop without being to the nth-degree. Naturally, team Honda
was at the shop on a weekly basis getting parts built, and as a young kid, Rick
bugged anybody who’d listen. Gene Romero, was the Honda Dirt Track team
manager, Skip Eaken and Sparky Edmondson were the chief's on Bubba Shobert and
Ricky Graham's RS750 Grand National motorbikes and through his dad’s shop, Rick got to know them
well.
“I was 14 at
that time and Bubba and Ricky seemed like old men---funny how when you’re
younger everyone seems old---however, they were only 8 or so years older than I
was. As time passed they let me golf and
travel to the races with them in their motor-homes.”
Rick grew up
then spent the a few years at engineering school, raced sprint cars, and
eventually took over his father’s business. The business role changed from
general fabrication shop to specialized exhaust manufacturer. Form midgets,
Daytona prototypes, NHRA, Indy cars, NASCAR, to Formula One. The majority of which
are built from inconel (hi nickel alloy) that was developed for jet airplane
engine parts.
In 2010, Howerton
saw a picture of Bryan Smith racing
a Kawasaki tracker.
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| Cernicky testing a heavily modified Kawasaki 650 Ninja at Yapavia Downs in AZ, in 2010. |
He’d always liked the vertical-Twin engine configuration and wanted to use that for his "street tracker". Growing up around dirt track racing influences it had become a big passion in my life, and it never left, professed Rick Howerton; who would make sure to stay in contact with Sparky Anderson and Skip Eaken---who passed on in 2012---every couple of years, long after Honda’s dirt track program has been disbanded in 1988.
When the eBay Ninja engine arrived, Howerton got
Eaken to build him a race engine. Skip told Rick he felt that 650 Ninja had
great potential, even at the Grand National level to power a race bike and wanted
to put one together. Howerton hung up the phone thinking about how time
consuming one bike would be to build. A few days contemplation in Rick, told
his dad what he was up to and Sr. said “Build two and let Skip race one.”
Rick started
thinking about the chassis---time consuming? Very! A new motorcycle design, a modern day chassis
made with the best materials possible, packaged small, light, and nimble.
Perimeter frame hammered from heat treated sheet aluminum into box-tube swing-arm
to actuate a double-pull-rod-rocker-rear suspension system with the right geometry
with a hint of old-school look via pullback bars and the seat and side plates.
The next few weeks Howerton computer modeled a motorcycle, calling Skip time-and-time
again for
Fast forward to
April 2011; 500 hours of co
Push fast
forwarding again; they came back with backing from Crosley Radio a seasoned
machine and two-time GNC champion Bryan Smith .
A 2nd at the final in Pomona LA Fairplex 2nd gave them a 2nd over all
in the Expert Twins championship of 2013 behind Brad Baker.
 |
with the same engine |
Now Rick
Howerton gets his proven “street tracker” back that should make for a seriously
fun ride around town. And his kids get more of their dad's time.
