Leo Payne had a habit of naming his racing bikes – Quarter Horse, Drag Sport and the most popular of them all, the Turnip Eater. The name of the bike, which started life as a 1957 Harley-Davidson Sportster, was said to be a reference to the American-made machine eating up British-made brands on the drag strip. His bikes had the engraving of "In God We Trust" on the clutch covers. No one knew for sure if it was a show of religious faith or a humorous statement on what it was like to race one his intimidating fuel-burning racers.
"Turnip Eater," was also the first non-streamliner to go over 200 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1969. Payne was a master at building special carburetors to run a nitromethane and gas combination. Payne’s designs helped S&S Cycle launch a successful line of racing carburetors.
Leo Payne's Turnip Eater
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