So...... after the winters wait it was over to Mallory Park on Easter Monday.
I loaded the van and all the gear on Sunday afternoon. Miles was out for the afternoon and I couldn't be bothered to wait for him to get back - mistake! A little after I'd loaded everything my back started to be very painful, which steadily got worse as the day and evening went on. I actually fractured vertebrae a few years ago and my back is basically a bit of a mess and will never really be right again. There is a lot of damage and I do have restricted movement in it . The break was caused by a little 'incident' when I fell off the back of a 14 foot half pipe whilst skateboarding (!!!!!!)
So the pain I was now in was actually the worst it has been for many years. I dosed myself up with painkillers and hoped for the best.... and vainly hoped that the adrenalin would overcome.... alas not! Scrutineering was smooth, with no issues. It was great to see my old mate Roland Davis back helping out with the weighing equipment for the controversial new weight regs this year.
So - onto first practice..... my doubts about the clutch proved to be correct! I had experienced clutch problems on the test day and again when trying to do some dyno testing at Replay Scooters... and it just didn't 'feel' right somehow..... it managed to last a whole lap and a half before starting to slip and give up the ghost. So practice cut short ...... the bike was straight on its side being taken apart. Fortunatley I had good mate Johnny Gilbert to lend a hand, and Chalkie White soon appeared to help out too.
The top cork had managed to free itself and had spun out the top of the clutch bell..... which was a bit odd as this had never happened before! The corks had also partially broken up with plenty of cork floating around in the oil! They were comprehensively destroyed.
After much head scratching as to why this had happened Paul Baker from SRP Racetech helped out with the load of 6 new Surflex red plates, and with Chalkies help we did some pick and mixing of steels and with a little addition we had the top cork in its rightful place... and a test around the paddock followed by a little adjustment, fingers crossed showed it was good to go!
So.... first race...... a decent initial start of the line ..... well a little too decent thought the stewards who managed to dish me out yet another jump penalty!!!! The scooter with the new exhaust felt initially strong, but as the race progressed it was increasingly hard to move around as my back stiffened up.... but more importantly whilst the new exhaust gives grunt out of bends, the change in the engine characteristics became more noticeable.... and it was very apparent that I'd lost some straight line speed on the straights.
Race two was pretty awful and a real struggle to be honest, and I was pretty glad when it was over. But on the positive side I had two points finishes which was more than several others managed so I actually scored decent points despite all!
I was in bed within half hour of getting in and feeling and looking very grey!
Monday was a visit to my trusty osteopath for emergency treatment.... damaged facet joints in between the vertebrae .... ouch to the back...... ouch to the wallet.... it's likely to be 4 weeks worth of treatment to get it sorted....
As for the scooter...... well.... a dyno session at Replay made things clearer, and as I type this John Howe is remodelling the exhaust to allow the motor to rev and bring the power maximum higher up the rev range. The exhaust was a prototype after all so modification is to be expected, but Jahspeed are onto it!
Hopefully the back will be sorted out for the next race!
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Saturday, 3 April 2010
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Sunday, 21 March 2010
Mallory park BSSO Test Day
Well... here we go...... the first track action for 2010!
The weeks prior to the Mallory test had been really hectic one way or another. Unfortunately I had totally run out of time to do the intended new paint job.... but my good mate Dave Crampton's Gp6 was looking nice once it was all bolted together!
The big changes to the scooter for 2010 were all based around the new 2010 exhaust. John Howe at Jahspeed has done a brilliant job with this new prototype design for Group 4! It looks and sounds amazing. Initial dyno test shows 2 HP increase and more torque...... although achieved slightly at the expense of a wide power band as its a bit peakier now!
The new exhaust is built around the engine and runs real close to the back tyre and will nicely warm the rear tyre ready for left handers!! The engine now has direct air scoop for cooling (the aluminium cooling scoop was erm,... interesting to make!) In order to allow for the scoop cooling I have a new cylinder head - large!!!!!!
Chalky White at Replay has remachined the combustion chamber to a new 2010 shape, and also machined down the mag housing to a bare minimum..... no cooling fan now!
So............... following the initial run on a dyno it was time to get on track. Finishing Dave's Gp 6 had been very much a last minute affair with lots of midnight oil being burnt..... which meant we had to take it to Mallory having not even started it (more in a future update on the Group 6 bike)! So once we had got there.... I proceeded to get ready to go out....... whilst Dave proceeded to try to start his for the first time!
so............. first session....... felt great to be on track and the new exhaust sounded great! It was really cold so would be taking a while to get the tyre warmed up (Chris Geyton managed to bin his scooter at the second bend!) ............. scooter felt good..... but the new exhaust seemed to have changed some of the engine characteristics and although I had put in higher gearing than last year... it was not by enough as I was hitting 4th really early on the straight.
The first session was over all too soon............ as I pulled in Dave was still struggling to get the Gp 6 running as the clutch was permanently binding..... decision was made to strip it and see what was up!
The second session seemed to come around really quickly and we were back on track. The sun was out now and the track was getting warmer, so time to try a bit harder! End of the session again came all too soon and towards the end there was just a little clutch slip starting.......
So adjusted the clutch and then checked on Daves progress which had been good and the clutch problem seemed to have been sorted and it was firing into life!
The third session was just before lunch and the clutch slip was much more noticeable! As was the gearing issue now I was getting more used to the power delivery of the engine. I thought about stripping it to check the clutch and change the gearing but by now the sun had dipped behind the clouds and it was starting to get really cold......... so opted to just adjust the clutch again and hope for the best.
Dave had now made it out on track and was enjoying riding the Gp 6 although gear change was an issue and will need to be modified!
Next session..... I managed a couple of laps and then called it a day as the clutch had totally given up the ghost and there was virtually no drive at all!
So we spent an hour or so chatting and catching up with other riders and spectators, including Kieran Doherty - a world renowned photographer who is hoping to attend a few meetings this year to complete a photoessay on scooter racing. Check out http://www.kierandoherty.typepad.com/kdblog/ and www.kierandoherty.com for his work.
The clutch problems will obviously need sorting out, but the exhaust seems to work well ...... I guess some new experimentation with gearing will be needed so I am hoping to do a couple of tests or track days to iron this out during the year.
First race is back at Mallory Park on Easter Monday .... 5th April........ looking forward to it!
The weeks prior to the Mallory test had been really hectic one way or another. Unfortunately I had totally run out of time to do the intended new paint job.... but my good mate Dave Crampton's Gp6 was looking nice once it was all bolted together!
The big changes to the scooter for 2010 were all based around the new 2010 exhaust. John Howe at Jahspeed has done a brilliant job with this new prototype design for Group 4! It looks and sounds amazing. Initial dyno test shows 2 HP increase and more torque...... although achieved slightly at the expense of a wide power band as its a bit peakier now!
The new exhaust is built around the engine and runs real close to the back tyre and will nicely warm the rear tyre ready for left handers!! The engine now has direct air scoop for cooling (the aluminium cooling scoop was erm,... interesting to make!) In order to allow for the scoop cooling I have a new cylinder head - large!!!!!!
Chalky White at Replay has remachined the combustion chamber to a new 2010 shape, and also machined down the mag housing to a bare minimum..... no cooling fan now!
So............... following the initial run on a dyno it was time to get on track. Finishing Dave's Gp 6 had been very much a last minute affair with lots of midnight oil being burnt..... which meant we had to take it to Mallory having not even started it (more in a future update on the Group 6 bike)! So once we had got there.... I proceeded to get ready to go out....... whilst Dave proceeded to try to start his for the first time!
so............. first session....... felt great to be on track and the new exhaust sounded great! It was really cold so would be taking a while to get the tyre warmed up (Chris Geyton managed to bin his scooter at the second bend!) ............. scooter felt good..... but the new exhaust seemed to have changed some of the engine characteristics and although I had put in higher gearing than last year... it was not by enough as I was hitting 4th really early on the straight.
The first session was over all too soon............ as I pulled in Dave was still struggling to get the Gp 6 running as the clutch was permanently binding..... decision was made to strip it and see what was up!
The second session seemed to come around really quickly and we were back on track. The sun was out now and the track was getting warmer, so time to try a bit harder! End of the session again came all too soon and towards the end there was just a little clutch slip starting.......
So adjusted the clutch and then checked on Daves progress which had been good and the clutch problem seemed to have been sorted and it was firing into life!
The third session was just before lunch and the clutch slip was much more noticeable! As was the gearing issue now I was getting more used to the power delivery of the engine. I thought about stripping it to check the clutch and change the gearing but by now the sun had dipped behind the clouds and it was starting to get really cold......... so opted to just adjust the clutch again and hope for the best.
Dave had now made it out on track and was enjoying riding the Gp 6 although gear change was an issue and will need to be modified!
Next session..... I managed a couple of laps and then called it a day as the clutch had totally given up the ghost and there was virtually no drive at all!
So we spent an hour or so chatting and catching up with other riders and spectators, including Kieran Doherty - a world renowned photographer who is hoping to attend a few meetings this year to complete a photoessay on scooter racing. Check out http://www.kierandoherty.typepad.com/kdblog/ and www.kierandoherty.com for his work.
The clutch problems will obviously need sorting out, but the exhaust seems to work well ...... I guess some new experimentation with gearing will be needed so I am hoping to do a couple of tests or track days to iron this out during the year.
First race is back at Mallory Park on Easter Monday .... 5th April........ looking forward to it!
Sunday, 10 January 2010
Dragster Painted!
Well I started respraying Miles Dragster over Christmas.......... not exactly the best weather for spraying to say the least! It has been a struggle to get the paint to dry and harden, even with a paraffin stove, a calor gas heater and an oil filled radiator all on the go!
The dragster has been painted in the fancy Ford Frozen White colour...... a very 'bright' white! Some parts are painted in satin black as a contrast and its almost finished now and looking quite nice
The dragster has been painted in the fancy Ford Frozen White colour...... a very 'bright' white! Some parts are painted in satin black as a contrast and its almost finished now and looking quite nice
It took way too much paint to spray the scooter after I wasted quite a bit after initially using an incompatible hardener, and then managing to get a couple of runs on a panel, then in disgust as I stood back and cursed, I managed to knock a freshly painted panel onto the floor! Much swearing and cursing and rubdown and start again!
Now its more or less done I can get on with the race bike! Deadline looming....
Friday, 8 January 2010
ScootRs Quality
First off...... let me declare an 'interest'...... ScootRS are helping me out in 2010 with supply of an anti-dive kit, so there is an element of sponsorship to me for 2010......... however..... there is a debate raging across the forums over quality of ScootRs products vs some of their competitors! >> http://scooterotica.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=7313&start=20
ScootRs disc external disc brakes are the main 'benchmark' external disc in the BSSO race series, between myself and race team colleague Dave Crampton we have three ScootRS discs fitted to our race and road scooters and have always found them to be great quality. Although I have now upgraded the pads used to EBC HH race compound, even the standard pads gave pretty good braking performance last year- until I wore them out at least!
I have noticed recently that BGM products have also taken a bit of stick on web forums too...... and I'm kind of linking the two brands together here..... but ScootRS products may be manufactured in the far east, but in particular their disc brakes I have found to be of good quality, as are the absolutely superb BGM dampers..... yet there are people who question the quality simply because of the country of manufacture.
I really don't think you can do this as a sweeping generalisation. The UK can make some superb products and also some utter *&%$. The global world we live in nowadays means that products can be designed, sourced, and manufactured all over the world. The most important thing being the actual end quality / price - not simply the country of manufacture!
Its interesting to note that Apple products proudly display 'designed in California' on their packaging..... but where are they predominantly made?... ermm..... well your sparkling new Ipod or Iphone is finest quality product of China!
Sometime people like ScootRS get bad press over the odd product that is a 'cheap copy' ..... they have a wide range of products of varying prices and qualities........ but you pay your money and make your choice..... but with regard to things like brakes....... you have to make a careful choice!
ScootRs disc external disc brakes are the main 'benchmark' external disc in the BSSO race series, between myself and race team colleague Dave Crampton we have three ScootRS discs fitted to our race and road scooters and have always found them to be great quality. Although I have now upgraded the pads used to EBC HH race compound, even the standard pads gave pretty good braking performance last year- until I wore them out at least!
I have noticed recently that BGM products have also taken a bit of stick on web forums too...... and I'm kind of linking the two brands together here..... but ScootRS products may be manufactured in the far east, but in particular their disc brakes I have found to be of good quality, as are the absolutely superb BGM dampers..... yet there are people who question the quality simply because of the country of manufacture.
I really don't think you can do this as a sweeping generalisation. The UK can make some superb products and also some utter *&%$. The global world we live in nowadays means that products can be designed, sourced, and manufactured all over the world. The most important thing being the actual end quality / price - not simply the country of manufacture!
Its interesting to note that Apple products proudly display 'designed in California' on their packaging..... but where are they predominantly made?... ermm..... well your sparkling new Ipod or Iphone is finest quality product of China!
Sometime people like ScootRS get bad press over the odd product that is a 'cheap copy' ..... they have a wide range of products of varying prices and qualities........ but you pay your money and make your choice..... but with regard to things like brakes....... you have to make a careful choice!
Its pretty easy to see from the pictures on the scootRS 'censored' advert that there can be big differences in the castings of different brands. But I guess its just difficult to make that point without showing pictures of different products!
Tuesday, 29 December 2009
Winter 2009/2010 Rebuild
I thought I'd post progress over the next few weeks on the winter rebuild of the Group 4 race bike. Progress may be sporadic as I have two other projects on the go as well! But there is a definite deadline with the race bike so that will focus the mind!
Today I went down to the workshop at Replay Scooters - it was very handy to have use of the hydraulic lift in Chalky's workshop!
On the bench - mag housing removed
The old mag housing will be machined down to an absolute minimum for 2010 as engine will be upgraded to scoop cooling
mid transmission removal! Race engine cases are never together long enough to get dirty!
Gearbox and clutch out!
A hydraulic bench makes it soooooo easy to work on the scooter!
So...... progress is started for 2010 race season. Main upgrade planned is to convert the engine to scoop cooling. This will involve a new exhaust system (££££'s!) and machining down the mag housing to remove all but essential material. The cooling fans will be removed from the fan and a new - much larger cylinder head will dissipate heat away. Final piece of that jigsaw will be a cooling scoop underneath the barrel to help channel cool air over the head and barrel.
A few other modifications will me made inside the rear frame section aimed at helping with cooling......
More progress as it happens!
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Cadwell Park - September
Cadwell Park was the traditional last weekend of the year!
As always....... a great weekend..... 6 months till we get back on track at Mallory Park in 2010!
What on earth will we do with ourselves?
Heres some pictures from Cadwell. Many Thanks to Richard Addison!
As always....... a great weekend..... 6 months till we get back on track at Mallory Park in 2010!
What on earth will we do with ourselves?
Heres some pictures from Cadwell. Many Thanks to Richard Addison!
Engine Tuner Chalkie White is planning on starting his grandson in racing!?
Exiting the circuit - race over!
Up the mountain... keep weight forward!
Top of Cadwell Mountain!
Up the mountain..... taken from trackside
Along the straight...... in front of John Howe again!
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