Track Stories 08

[lecroy]

What a nice day we had here. The sun was out but not too hot.

I spent the day with the painter up at the shop. We were able to finish up the repairs on the flag bike. I feel much better now and vow never ever to run a drag bike without silicone on the master link again!!!

We made some good progress on the eagle bike as well. Pictures don't do it justice.

 

[lecroy]

We changed the look from my sketch and removed the stars from the flag. This is what it looks like. So far all the parts are made in the USA for this bike. My toaster died the other day. You think I could find any toasters made in the United States? So I get this China made POS and it won't lift the damm toast high enough to take it out. I reach down to grab the first ones and burned my fingers on the outside frame. Of course it has more computing power than we put a man on the moon with but can't lift the toast....

Oh yea, here are the feathers.

 

[RacingJake]

Looking good Mark

Took on a Buell Blast during T&T so I gave him a head start like 4 seconds. Light turned green but I just sat there (RT was 4.41) until he was close to the 330 mark then I let it rip. I thought he had me but I caught him at the line and beat him by .0261

We both got a kick out of it so next Friday he going to bring out his HD Low Rider and I'll run my Sportster. Should be alot of fun, forward controls matchup.

On the sad side the engine started making a funny sound so I pull the clutch cover and saw alot of brass/copper so it looks like the crank coming out. Makes two now, maybe I can make one good one out of both ??? Anyhow I'm sort of happy cause the 750 ratio was a PITA tuning wise so the 1166 build going back in with the 1100 ratio gearing

 

[lecroy]

Good to see your still with us Jake. I was starting to think something bad happened with the N2O. Too bad about the crank, but at least it's still together! I like the guys picks of the motor after running a helical gear. I think how many passes I ran with the helical gear and got away with it. Luck I guess, well that and slow short times...

330 foot lead? That is funny!!!! Way to hunt him down with that almost 30 year old bike!!

Finally I dusted off the flag bike and headed to the track tonight. I turned the boost down to 4PSI because I did not want to get bucked off if the ignition acted up. It shifted and ran pretty good other than a bog off the line and it looks like it spun a couple of times down track. Only ran a 9.9. So I added a little more to it and the bike could hardly make it down the track. Injecting way too much fuel. Dang, this is rare for me. Ran an 11 second pass. LOL.

The data logger shows it running along at 4PSI then it jumps to 120PSI!!! You know that aint right, so I look at the sensor and the terminal inside the sensor broke off. No way to fix it at the track and may need a new one. After inspecting everything else, I set the wastegate to where I last ran it, maybe 9 PSI. Bike ran pretty good. Cut a 0.009 or something and ran a low 9. Got to the end of the track and the tranny was locked up. Could not shift. Get back to the trailer and suck the data out of it. The output shaft speed dies about mid track. Look down and the ring sensor came loose and slid into the shift arm. I love working out stupid problems.

Fixed that and decided to put the bike into the 8's before going home. Track was poor. All my short times were about 0.010 off running 1.3s. It had been rained on twice already, the sun had been down for a few hours, dew had set in and the humidity was crap. No, problem, just add a half turn to the wastegate. Bike again ran pretty good. Went red by -.010 or so with the higher boost. Bike sounded good and ran in the 150s and high 8.

Then the rain hit hard. I get everything loaded and go to turn on the lights, no trailer lights. Sht, not like I live a mile down the road and its 11:30. Digging out the fuses and checking the connectors. Climb under the car and found my extension harness was so rusty that one pin was gone! Just a little nub left. Rain is coming in sheets and it's dripping under the car and going in my ear.....

I think I am back to where I was now with the setup and just need to fix the sensor and take it up on a race day when we have some traction and turn it up. At least the ignition seems to be working now.

 

[RacingJake]

Rain is good for dirt bike riding not drag racing

Found one of my problems

and I'm going to use these to poke a few holes in my MTC pistons. I've had it with MTC going back to Wiseco. One shot from the 500 should take care of them

 

[rapidray]

Rain is good for dirt bike riding not drag racing

Found one of my problems

and I'm going to use these to poke a few holes in my MTC pistons. I've had it with MTC going back to Wiseco. One shot from the 500 should take care of them

Jake, MTCs are junk, Wisecos are ANCHORS, & I can get you a deal on CUSTOM made CPs to whatever specs you want them! I guarantee you will be happy with them! Let me know or call me. Ray.

 

[RacingJake]

Thanks Ray I'll keep that in mind.

Going back with my 13-1 1166cc Wiseco's that I ran for years with no problems.

My "Anchors" are just alot better than my "Junks"

This leaves me with one backup crank now
If I blow my last two cranks I'll be putting a Bandit engine in my GS.

 

[rosco15]

Man this is making me nervous. There has been alot of guys breaking things at the track and it seems like alot of guys on the board having the same problems.

Mark that paint is something else. That painter has some talent. I'm going to need a repaint next year. I had the body leaned up in the trailer and the wind blew it over. Right onto the diamond plate. What are you going to do, but add some stickers.

I went to the Friday night qualifying at Norwalk. Water coming up from the track so they shut down at 3:30 and finally called it at 9:30. Beautiful blue sky sunny day. They did run the first round of bike qualifying before pulling the plug.

On a side not I noticed the pro stock guys are very secretive about their stuff. I went by steve Johnsons pit. They had the bike out with no body work. So I took a picture of it with the video camera. Right away 2 crew guys came out and covered the bike up. One asked me if I took a picture or got a picture something like that. I told him yes I did that I was interested in the differences between steves bike and my own. He chatted with me real friendly and nothing more was said about the picture. When I looked around I noticed that all the other pro stock bikes were in trailers or buried in the pits where you couldn't really get a good look at them. Most of them had covers on them also. Seems to me in years past they weren't so secretive.

Our points race rained out Saturday. Feels like we've rained out more races than we've run.

 

[RacingJake]

I filed a slot on bothsides were the oil returns back down to the crank area if your using a stock head. The 750 head doesn't drain at the rear. So I'm going to tap the drains that I had to plug on the exhaust side and run a tube to the back side to provide more return oil back to the crank/rod area just like a stock head would.

 

[RacingJake]

You can see where it was wearing on the small end #3 rod.
The big end of rod still spins on the crank and you can't tell that the bearing is hurt but you can see what looks like a roller pin is loose in there.
Me thinks the wrist pin broke first causing excess side load on the bigend cause the bearing to fail??

I need to call around and see if a welded crank can be torn back apart ???

Here what it should look like #2 rod

 

[lecroy]

I did a little mockup on the junker bike and think that I will need to go down one more size on the rear tire. The 29 is about 1.5" from the tail. I want to fit the tub and have at least that much left. The other problem is that it sits a little high even with normal pressure and me sitting on it. Going to put a 28" Goodyear on and see how things look.


Man, what a weekend. I got my azz handed to me again, both days. After killing the tree Friday night, I took the GS to try it in street again. First time run, runs a 12.24 / 108MPH with a 0.002. I am thinking year baby. The clutch is near perfect. Test two, the bike jumps into the air. This was how it was all weekend. I went out first round on Sat when I caught up to the guy and let him get back around me. Too much throttle blipping.... Today, I couldn't keep the front end down. Plan to see how low I can go with it and still drive the thing.

We did pretty good with the other two bikes. Both got a payout. I think this is the first time for a bike to make it into the quarters. Brutal. Went out today went car put a 0.0000 (yes that's right) on the one bike and the other broke out....

I have had no problems with MTC's parts or workmanship in their shop with the new owners. I rechecked all their work and everything has been top notch. I am not using their pins, but have used their toolsteel upgrades without problems. I like the ones APE made for me and I doubt you could ever break one. The only problems I have seen have been my own. When I take the pins out like that it has always been from lack of fuel, pushing the heat line too far. The pressures go to who knows what, and I suspect it flexs the pins and pushs the oil out and they gull. Maybe a nitrous problem.

I never had problems with the Wiseco pistons but those thin little pins are not so good. Would have stayed with them if they still made pistons for my bike. We never did run the aluminum to see if the MTC and Wiseco were different.

Yes, a welded crank can be repaired. It is a question of the press fit. John will write on them when they have been put together for the last time.

 

[lecroy]

Some video of the flag bike from last Friday. You gotta love putting so much fuel in a motor that it won't run.

http://videos.streetfire.net/video/....htm?ref=215d7176-9d18-4505-9750-994b010250f6

Made some progress on the junker bike.

Borrowed a 28" Goodyear and stuffed it under there. Looks like a much better fit and a little less weight. It will have about 2" of clearance worst case. I have about an inch on the flag bike but its a smaller tire. This also slams the bike on the ground where it belongs. Looks like it will still pass inspection.

The Beasley tub fit real good on this chassis. Just a couple of cuts. Not like the one on my flag bike that I had to shave all over. I need to make some new pans for it and a battery box of sorts. I wish I could reduce the size and weight of the battery from the flag bike. I am using two 545s in it.

I ended up with Jerry Lownsberry's pipe. Couldn't pass it up. It has a little rust but the price was right and mechanically, it's very sound.

Now I need a turbo. I have a spare RaJay that is fresh but these things are so hard to find now, it's worse than hunting for GS parts. So I want to go with a nice cheap, easy to find Garrett. Not those fancy ball bearing water cooled jobs. Just a simple plain bearing and carbon seal. Something that I can run in the 6's with. LOL.

 

[RacingJake]

Guess what this is ??

Guess what this is ??

You get one guess ?????

 

[RacingJake]

Got the bike ready for some more T&T this Friday and the Gamblers race too. Purse is over 1500 bucks so it's time to break out the mean machine even got my dial in time already.

 

[RacingJake]

This might help

 

[michael mathews]

Just thought you guys migh appreciate this,but half way through our points season I am in the top 10 at Houston raceway park and San Antonio raceway.Running the s/p car class at both tracks.Been a really good year.Those car guys will wear you out

 

[rapidray]

Good job Michael! Ray.

 

[Guest]

Homemade top end oiler?

 

[RacingJake]

Homemade top end oiler?

Close ......... think the other direction ??

 

[rosco15]

Oil return from that gsxr head to the crank. What do I win.

Keep it up michael some day I would like to run a car and see what I could do.

We have our independence eve race tomorrow. 60% chance of rain, but who's watching the weather. I better get out and put my slider back together. Took it apart to check things out. Changed the oil while I was working on it. Then it's a beer, hottub, and dreams of racing.