Billings, Montana – At the Bonneville Salt Flats Special Recreation Area in 2021, a man from Billings broke the land speed record for motorcycles.
He hasn’t visited in the last few years because of COVID and the weather.
He does, however, intend to return to Utah this summer and go there more quickly.
In the 2001-3000 cc class, Oren Harper achieved a record with a speed of 176.622 miles per hour.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Harper said. “The adrenaline is absolutely incredible.”
He claimed that a portion of the sensation is caused by the wind’s impact on his arms, which he compared to lifting 50-pound dumbbells.
“The pressure on my forearms is transferring into an increase in weight right in front of the rear wheel,” Harper described as he sat on his bike in his garage. “As I increase in speed, so does the pressure on my arms increase, which in turn increases the weight on the rear wheel, maintaining traction.”
Accidents do happen in this sport, which can be risky.
When it’s time to quit, Harper claimed he doesn’t make abrupt rapid movements, which is very important.
“It’s his terrifying,” Harper said. “It’s the scariest part of the run for me. I used my brakes once and it was awful. It terrified me.”
He so prefers to stop by coasting gradually.
Without using a computer to tune or modify his engine, Harper, who used to work on Harley Davidson motorcycles, completes all of the mechanical work on his motorcycle by hand.
Although he does not have the large budget that some of his rivals do, this increases the challenge and rewards.
“It doesn’t have to be elaborate,” Harper said. “Success doesn’t have to come in these massive fancy packages.”
He established his record with a 2025 cc engine and what he refers to as 91 octane pump gas at the lower end of the classification.
This summer, he’ll try to go faster – possibly over 190 miles per hour – by adding some nitro gasoline.
He rides with confidence and has avoided catastrophic collisions.
“I’m most certainly a God-fearing man,” said Harper. “Now I talked to him frequently. Yeah, yeah, definitely. Yeah, somebody’s watching us, you know.”
He takes measured risks, is cautious, sharp, and alert, and is constantly reminded to do so by the notes his two daughters leave for him on his bike.
“I’m single dad, they’re everything to me,” he said. “They are my world. The thoughts of them, their artwork, it all helps keep me grounded, keeps me on a safe approach.”
