![]() ![]() Jack would have liked that Kevin made the seat, primary cover, chain guard, and linkage out of lightweight aluminum, but not that Kevin installed a BSA drum brake in the rear wheel. Kevin cleaned out space in his home garage, used a magnifying glass to study three vintage photos of the complete bike in order to compile a parts list, and started a build that took four years to (almost) finish. While Kevin had never built or restored a motorcycle, he’d followed in Jack’s shadow and spent weekends underneath hot rods or his ’68 Pontiac Beaumont, and after 22 years of working at the same steel company, he flowered into a damn fine welder and fabricator. A year later, the guy called and admitted he didn’t have the time or skill to bring the bike back to its former glory, so Kevin scrounged up the cash to buy a bare frame, a couple of crusty wheels, and the forks his grandfather had drilled into. Kevin didn’t have the money to buy the drag bike, so all he could do was tell the new owner that it had sentimental value and that he’d appreciate a phone call if he ever decided to sell. He chewed on the idea for decades, but it was never the right time, and then Jack passed away in 2014 and his belongings were sold off with his estate. In the ‘80s, when little Kevin visited grandpa’s shop, he’d saddle himself on the forgotten frame, tuck behind its low handlebars, and make motorcycle noises until Jack yelled, “Get off that thing before you hurt yourself!” Kevin had no idea how the complete drag bike looked until he was a teenager when Jack shared with him a few black-and-white photos, which is when Kevin first had the idea to rebuild and restore his grandfather’s drag bike. 3–4, where everyone interested will have the opportunity to experience Silver Lightning’s record attempt and also the team’s incredible electric car, the TC-X.When dragsters became Jack’s fix for speed, he parted out the bike and shoved the gutted frame into a corner of the shop. There is now one last chance this year to improve the 201 meter time to a very realistic 4.3 time, as True Cousins is registered for Mosten MC’s drag racing event Rock’n Race Sept. ![]() In fact, during the 6.74 sec record run, Silver Lightning did a super 201 meter time of just 4.32 seconds, but due to NEDRA ( National Electric Drag Racing Association) rules, only ONE ET-record can be registered per day. In addition, True Cousins also broke the record for 201 meter distance (1/8-mile) (was 4.75 sec), so that it now sits at 4.48 seconds - and with an exit speed of an incredible 270 km/h (168 mph), which is also a world record for electric vehicles. Thus, the record of 6.86 seconds, which the cousins set at Santa Pod Raceway in England in 2020 ( video), was improved by 0.12 seconds, which is a pretty big improvement in top-level drag racing. But in the last race we got the error corrected and we ran a flawless run of 6.74 and with 311 km/h (193 mph) over the line.” ![]() Hans-Henrik says: “We had problems with the brake parachute triggering itself out 100 meters (330 feet) BEFORE the finish line and in the penultimate race we even set a record time of 6.82 seconds also with the parachute out. ![]() See the record race here (with English subs): Nielsen who has designed and built the motorcycle. It happened in last weekend’s event Drag Revival at Mantorp Park in Sweden with the 1,200 HP speed monster Silver Lightning, driven by Hans-Henrik Thomsen, while it is his cousin Glenn E. The two Danish cousins in team True Cousins have now improved their own world record from 2020 for electric vehicles over 402 m (quarter-mile), so it now reads 6.74 sec. I can’t even keep track of all the records they break, so I guess I will say no more and just leave you with this entertaining press release: Since then they have gotten that Silver Lightning under control. The last time I met with the cool True Cousins Hans-Henrik Thomsen and Glenn Ellegaard Nielsen, they beat the world record with their mad electric door slammer TC-X, but that day they had some trouble with their bike. ![]()
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