Originally posted by Herr Homar
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Free adopted a style used by other racers, such as Norman Teleford, of lying flat on the machine's seat,[4] thereby minimizing wind resistance and moving its center of gravity rearward.
To protect himself and allow comfort when in such a position, Free had developed special protective clothing. However, when his leathers tore from early runs at 147 mph (237 km/h), he discarded them and made a final attempt without a jacket, pants, gloves, boots, or helmet. Free lay flat on the motorcycle wearing only a bathing suit, a shower cap, and a pair of borrowed sneakers – inspired by his friend Ed Kretz. This resulted not only in the record, but also produced one of the most famous photographs in motorcycling history, the "bathing suit bike." The photo was taken from a car driven parallel to his run on the Bonneville Salt Flats.
To protect himself and allow comfort when in such a position, Free had developed special protective clothing. However, when his leathers tore from early runs at 147 mph (237 km/h), he discarded them and made a final attempt without a jacket, pants, gloves, boots, or helmet. Free lay flat on the motorcycle wearing only a bathing suit, a shower cap, and a pair of borrowed sneakers – inspired by his friend Ed Kretz. This resulted not only in the record, but also produced one of the most famous photographs in motorcycling history, the "bathing suit bike." The photo was taken from a car driven parallel to his run on the Bonneville Salt Flats.
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