Wed, Dec 03 2008
|
|
Published October 10, 2008 06:22 pm - With assistance from Dave Myers, Arnie Frank and Robert Schroer, Stewart Rouse reworked a two-stroke Kawasaki KX 500 engine that in September set the land-speed record for a dirt bike at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Speed thrills: Joplin team’s work on engine helps set land-speed record w/video By Wally Kennedy wkennedy@joplinglobe.com When Stewart Rouse was growing up on a farm south of Joplin, his father could not figure out why his tractor was burning so much fuel. It was because Stewart was siphoning gasoline from the tractor for his dirt bike. “I was 10 years old, and Dad always wondered why his tractor got such bad gas mileage,” Stewart confessed. “When you grow up on a farm, riding a dirt bike through the mud, trees and hills with your friends is about the best fun you can have.” Fast forward about 30 years. Stewart, owner of Wall Street Automotive, 622 S. Wall Ave., is still tinkering with dirt bikes. But this time, it’s not about having fun. It’s about speed. With assistance from Dave Myers, Arnie Frank and Robert Schroer, Stewart reworked a two-stroke Kawasaki KX 500 engine that in September set the land-speed record for a dirt bike at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. But it was Stewart’s father, Charles Rouse, who came through for him in the clutch. An expert machinist, Charles designed a new fifth gear for the bike that added 26 mph to a bike that was already peaking at 100 mph. “The bike did not have enough overdrive. He designed a new fifth gear from a raw piece of steel. He figured out how to machine it,” said Stewart. “He came to me with a box full of them in six days. They worked perfect. “That, by the way, was quite a feat. That’s something only the people at the Kawasaki factory could do.” Hitting the mark 
![comment on this story](http://community.cnhi.com/eve/ubb.x?a=dl&f=55410432
&x_id=local_story_284182259.html&x_subject=<img+src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/extra.gif"+border=0>Speed+thrills:+Joplin+team’s+work+on+engine+helps+set+land-speed+record<font+color="#ff0000">+w/video</font>+&x_link=http://www.joplinglobe.com/weekend/local_story_284182259.html)
•
Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.
More from the Weekend section
Published pride: Area professors publish fiction, nonfiction works Anne Kettenbrink: Lasting memories Mike Pound: Packing style creates holiday tension Book review: Memoir an unmerciful mirror AP: Monks learn from chicken spat; accused of animal cruelty |
Print this story
E-mail this story
Post to del.icio.us
![Add a comment on this story](http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/zope/add_comment.php?section_id=weekend&story_id=local_story_284182259.html&headline=<img src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/extra.gif" border=0>Speed thrills: Joplin team’s work on engine helps set land-speed record<font color="#ff0000"> w/video</font> &portal_url=http://www.joplinglobe.com&portal=joplinglobe){kind=link}
 |
 |
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
 |
The Joplin Globe Publishing Company 117 East Fourth Street, Joplin, MO 64801 Using our site is your agreement to the terms and conditions. News: news@joplinglobe.com • (417)623-3480 Advertise with the Joplin Globe Copyright © 2006 The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO All rights reserved. |
Popular Business directory links - Joplin Apartments | Joplin Attorneys | Joplin Auto Dealers | Joplin Auto Parts | Joplin Auto Repair | Joplin Beauty Salons | Joplin Car Rental | Joplin Dentists | Joplin Doctors | Joplin Flowers | Joplin Hotels | Joplin Insurance | Joplin Loans | Joplin Mortgages | Joplin Movers | Joplin Pizza | Joplin Realtors | Joplin Restaurants | Joplin Storage | Joplin Tax Preparation | Joplin Travel | Joplin Featured | More...
|
|
Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. • CNHI Classified Advertising Network • CNHI News Service |