Post Listing Update: This streamliner did not get any interest at the asking bid of $13,887.
Bill Wirges is a legend in the Kawasaki aftermarket world, having made his name with hop up parts (especially exhausts) for Widowmakers and Kawi’s big 4-stroke superbikes. He also conquered Bonneville with a streamliner powered by two H2 750cc motors connected via a chain in an oil bath. Time has taken its toll and the bike is no longer running, but it’s available for sale and it deserves to be spruced up and at least put on display at a museum somewhere.
In its heyday, this bike topped 240 miles per hour. Back in the day, land speed racing was a bit more mainstream – Wirges even got coverage in Sports Illustrated in a 1975 article: “In 1973, after two frustrating seasons of falling over and blowing engines, Bill Wirges of Princton, Ill. got a Kawasaki-powered machine up to 241.927 and retired, leaving the game to [Don] Vesco.” For an idea of what Bill was selling back in the day, check out this vintage catalog over at 3cyl.com. Or check out page 2 of this period Motorcyclist story for more on Bill’s bike.
The seller will throw in over 40 8″x10″ black and white photos of Bill and the build that have never been shown before as well as over 5 hours of video footage from a film crew that documented Bill’s 1973 runs at Bonneville. There are also two framed record certifications like the one below:
So, what do you do? It’s going to cost a lot of money to fix this and then update it to current LSR safety requirements. Is it worth bringing it back, or should it just become a display piece? Either way, find this piece of history for sale in Andalusia, Illinois with an unmet opening bid of $13,887 or a BIN of $18,887