The BeachCruiser

Hey,

  I have a lifelong friend named Ken Merena who attempted to break the world record in an open cockpit motorcycle. Ken’s ride is a super charged Hyabusa.The bike made by Suzuki is acknowledged to be the fasted stock motorcycle in the world. This motorcycle was much more than stock.

  Ken lives in Draper, Utah and has been gearing up for the attempt for a long time. There is no syndicate behind the effort so, the expense must be born by Ken and the people who can and do support the effort.It takes big bucks to break records. Ask the folks who go out to Bonneville every year attempting to do just that. Ken’s attempt was unique as he was attempting the feat on a stretch of highway which presents a myriad of unique problems.

  Well, after having to go through the process of getting permission to shut down the highway and getting the permits to make the run Ken had run into some weather and some mechanical problems.He finally got to make the attempt on Saturday.He tried a number of runs but, it didn’t happen. His front wheel lifted up on two runs at around 205 miles per hour. The track is not without some bumps and Ken thought he could navigate through them. He couldn’t.The front tire of your bike lifting at 205 m.p.h is a religious experience.If you go down, you will likely meet your maker.It was brutally hot and Kenny’s engine finally gave out.He survived because it wasn’t a catastrophic breakdown where the gears lock and going down is inevitable.The blown engine obviously shut Ken down for awhile.

  Kenny is committed to setting this land speed record which is 265 m.ph. He says he will look for another place with a smoother track for the next try. Those who know him know he isn’t about to quit. As long as he has a motorcycle, a crew, a kickass mechanic and people who stand with him he will go for it.He is 60 yrs. old which makes his effort even more amazing. I am personally hoping he gets it done before he is eligable for Social Security. The most important thing to me is that he stays out of harms way.You got to admire someone who goes for it in life no matter what the task. Kenny is one of those guys.

  We’ll post the article written in the Salt Lake City Paper tomorrow.

                                                                                     Beach