An under-appreciated icon in the motorcycle world, Tony Foale has literally written the book on “Motorcycle Handling and Chassis Design.” Tony was an Australian engineer who moved to England to pursue his passion of racing motorcycles. Like Rickman and Dunstall, Foale got into the business of building custom frames. Unlike most of his competitors, he focused on electronic and mathematical models to determine what he thought the best chassis could be for racing bikes. He was quite successful for motorcycles and sidecars, and eventually went on to write a couple of books and several magazine articles.
A while back, I featured a Honda CB750 that utilized a Foale frame. I was stunned when Tony himself recently commented on it, so I took the opportunity to ask him some questions and share some of his impressive story with you all.
How did you get started with motorcycles – how did you learn, and what was your first bike?
As a kid my ambition was to race cars. Fangio, Moss, Hawthorn et al were my heroes.
Fangio in the classic Maserati 250F. Photo from http://finemodelcars.com/blog/?attachment_id=790
For economic reasons, when I was old enough for a road licence I got an old bike. I never knew what make it was but it had a Villiers engine with hand shift on the right side of the tank. There were several British manufacturers who built bikes like that with a Villiers power plant. It was so powerful that I only had to push it up steep hills. It handled the straights and downhills under its own power. I stuffed the front tyre with straw because I had no money to replace the missing inner tube. I do not recall the actual decision to go racing on 2 instead of 4 wheels.
What bikes do you currently own?
My own QL, an SV650, Honda XR400R, Yamaha IT200, Aermacchi 350 race bike.
Tony’s SV650 endurance racer
Assume for a moment that money is no object, and importation laws aren’t a problem. What’s the next bike you’d buy, and what would you do with it?
That’s an easy one. 1956/7 MotoGuzzi 350/500 single cylinder race bike. I’d race it.
What’s the most memorable motorcycle trip you’ve ever taken?
The QL’s maiden voyage to the Milan show in winter 1984 See my web site for story of the trip.
Do you listen to music while riding? If no, why not? If yes, what are some of your favorite tunes when you’re on your bike?
CERTAINLY NOT! The question should be WHY, not why not?
What’s your favorite piece of gear?
Helmet, of course.
As someone who understands how motorcycles work as well as anyone else, do you find that this affects your enjoyment of them? Are you able to clear your mind and ride a motorcycle without thinking of all the ways to improve it?
Only bad motorcycles spoil my enjoyment. I am usually thinking about how can I improve my riding.
What production bike was furthest ahead of the game in terms of chassis dynamics when it was first released – like the “funny front ends” of the Yamaha GTS1000 or Bimota Tesi?
Norton Featherbed, without a doubt. Until the dual beams became popular it was featherbed clones which dominated the market.
Editor’s Note: If you want to learn more about the Featherbed, check out this wonderful explanation from The Vintagent.
Picture from http://www.pashnit.com/forum/showthread.php?17590-Cafe-racer-norton-featherbed-frames-2600
You have $25,000 to spend on anything in the world of motorcycles – 1 new bikes, several old bikes, track days, a trip, further developing your software, you name it. How do you spend it?
Travel and entry fees to as many races as possible.
What do you expect from the future of motorcycling, good or bad?
FUN, with a capital F.
Tony, still kicking ass and taking names at 70.
Unless otherwise noted, all pictures from Tony Foale.