The dodgy old bike racing season begins

griff851

Well the next assault on classic racing is underway. Got the 450 up and away for the first round if the southern downs, which is a national. Set it out the door running clean and strong, but with more room for mods for more go later on.

To be honest the 450 looks like a bag of crap, so by the end of the season it will be blown up or going like stink. Had a worried phone call from the pilot, as when he got it home he fired it up, and filled the garage with smoke. The good old "she'll be right mate give some stick and bed the rings." He raced, it worked. He did complain about the $100 front drum and forks... 😄 Brett's an old A grader. He also realised it's time to use a rubber band to hold his glasses on. 😁
Can't really tell you what it revs to as $5 tacho was of no use. Might have to spend 10 bucks.

The 250 is nearly ready for it's season first appearance. Getting good at pulling it apart and back together. Takes an hour from mounted to holding a gear cluster in my paw. Takes about 2 hrs to have it back in the frame ready to turn taps.
It had a bit of bad karma with a JE piston. Piston kept rocking in the bore, with clearances right on the money, then less some after I coated it. Nasty short skirt top heavy thing.
Thanks to Nigel's amazing spare parts deliver, problemo shoulda go away.

Should get that running on Thursday, just got to go make a rear guard out of thin ally. Not sure if I'm going use the roller and shrinker, or the hammer and associated bits. I met a guy who has a gas axe, sand bag and various hammers, and a bench mounted anvil. Fun.

Marcoboxer

have you you got any pictures Griff? I love these old bike racing stories.

m

griff851

Its a story of many things and how to do it. This sections shows first race last year. Lots of smoke and a 36 Dellorto, recovered from some blokes bin, and made to work, all be it not that well. (it came from a bin).
I came in for some maintenance It went out with a bargain near new 36 dellorto which cost AU$179 and a new inlet manifold, real race muffler, a new header, high comp piston, some port work, with a new larger inlet valve and guides, swing arm pin and replacement accelerator cable and rear break spring, gear change lever re-bushed, and seat apolstery. It went out and did what it was supposed to doNot blow up. 😁

griff851

The 250 and the stuff i put down so the deco wouldn't get up the intake coming out of the shed.
What happens when a roller rod bearing shits it self. Teaching the front end a lesson in stability.
And pits last year at the Big Chill. Should have the same again this, but much faster stable machines.

griff851

What you see in the pits a lot, but this time at Lakeside. Oh the IOM contender from last year, wot I just happen to be able to fix for them, using bevel magic and fixing sticks. The guy in the pic has his own TV show about bikes. Eh! I won't hold that against him.
And looking down lakeside pit lane

griff851

And this took about 5 hours to beat into submission with 2 annealing sessions with the gas axe. Make from next size up from coke cans. Lighter than carbon at 100grams, but would get mangled as a front guard. I'm pretty happy with it. Doublers should stop vibration tearing it due to work hardening from vibration at the mount points. Another hour and it would be smoother than a smooth thing. But out if time, so time to make brackets and doublers and soild rivit it.

griff851

Finally the guard properly. Now the nasty decomposed granite at the pit area at Stanthorpe won't stick all over the rear of the engine.

MarkT

Griff- I hear that Pepsi cans are a bit easier to form and only need a single anneal.

Marcoboxer

No Redbull jokes on this one? Cool pics Griff.

Rgds

Mark

griff851

And racebike no 2 finished and off to the track next weekend for a running in session. Goes like stink Powe comes in at about 7500 and I've had it out to 10500 and its still pulling like a train. Got it set with an extra base gasket for running in. I'll remove it for max compression and we'll use avgas, that and a bit more advance an it should seriously hook.
The rider to it for its exceptance ride. Words cannot describe the sound that filled up our little end of the vally. He was 3km away and I could here the gear changes still. Funny to listen to him finding where the power was. He picked it up pretty quick.
I reckon its a horrible vibey nasty, but the rider who has ridden singles all his life says it felt smooth. I'll stick to bevel twins and my 851 me thinks. 😁

griff851

And then at the 11th hour, a new front WM2 and an Olandi drum.
Arr, she be named Lady of the Lake. No referance to a watery tart dispensing simitars.
Hope it doesnt self destruct in some unsuspecting way. I set the the rev limiter to 10500, so it should be ok.
Now I wait. Like an expectant father.

got2Lev8

That's pretty sweet Griff. Looks nice and simple (meaning minimalistic). Wrenching only or did you give it a go?

Robert

griff851

I'm just the spanner, I find no joy in riding it other than for extracting power from it. You have to be a special sort of nutter to want to ride one of these things fast.

griff851

Well, I got the lady of the lake back in the shed. Success. 90km of whipping around the track on the test and tune weekend, and not a fault. Oil had no sparkly bits, nor bits of metal sitting in the sump. Just a dark color, that you would expect. Suspension is almost perfect by looking at the tire wear. The rider spent the weekend at the back of the leading pack of 2 strokes chasing a TR 250 thats not normally in our class, and was getting very respectable lap times as he and the bike bonded for the first time. He was doing 42's, the 350's get 40's and the 450 was doing 39's last year. The 450 should do 37's this year and after some gearing changes and bringing it up to race tune, 39's don't seem out of the question.
All shaping up to be a good season, with a chance at a trophy and maybe a lap record.

griff851

We've hit the big time. My rider and the 350 are in Classic bike. Some feature on racing down under. Haven't seen it yet.
So who in for Sponsorship to get us over for the classic TT in a couple of years time? We'll show that 85 year old bloke what life is all about. Might even prep a bike up to give Nigel Lacey something to think about:-) OK that's a push.