Going Racing

Certainly sounds like you’re having fun Ralph.

Please keep the updates coming and keep making us jealous !!

Fast Eddie said:

I dunno if there’s space inside your breather Ralph, but can’t you lock wire those bolts?

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There is no way to wire lock the inner fitting bolts on my Jim Comstock breather, I haven't loctited them either, but the didn't come loose!. Mine has leaked a bit too, paarticularly at Gedinne last year. In that case it is because the bolts on the outer section came loose and I tightened them....but they butt onto the crankcase and then don't actually squeeze the gasket as tight as they should...solution in that case is to shorten the bolts! But it didn't fall off! With my engine you can get at these (sort of but not as easily as you would like) simply because in the Rickman the motor is vertical!

Find a way to safety wire or otherwise positively secure the inner fitting bolts.

How about...

File a notch in the screw head and then, with the screws fully tightened, centre punch the alloy in the area of the notch. The raised alloy from being punched won’t alloy the screw to rotate.

And use thread lock!

Dances with Shrapnel said:

Find a way to safety wire or otherwise positively secure the inner fitting bolts.

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I will use Loctite, but I have some small nord-locks I am going to trial fit!

But as I said, one of the main issues on mine is that I haven't trimmed the end of the 4 external bolts to stop them hitting the cases. And continually nipping them up...actually made it worse. In my case it was only a small leak, but it needed attention between every race.

Or you can use a rear case mount reed breather that has two external through bolts into the case that you can easily safety wire.

Right, this is what I have come up with.

Made a catch tube from a bit of bent tube and then covered it in grease and pushed it up into the large drain in the bottom of the engine.



I then drilled and tapped 2 more holes in the cases, this is what my pipe caught.





I then machined the block so I could get lock wire between the bolt heads.



I have used the old gasket as I think that may have been part of the problem as it compressed, also It may be the reason there wasn't much evidence of Locktight on the bolts, the bolts were a good interference fit through the gasket and I think screwing the bolts through the tight fit gasket may have wiped all the Locktight off as they went in.

I used blue medium strength Locktight the first time round, it now has red high strength in there now.

Belt, braces and straight jacket solution.

Just need to give the cases a wash and blow out now just incase my greased pipe missed something.

SteveA said:

I will use Loctite, but I have some small nord-locks I am going to trial fit!

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Not seen those Nord-locks before, I like the look of them.

Looks like you’ve nailed that problem Ralph !

Fast Eddie said:

Looks like you’ve nailed that problem Ralph !

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Nails, why didn't I think of that.

Some pics of the inside of the engine, the pistons look like I would expect them to after 500ish miles at race revs and no air filter, this engine spends its life between 4500 to 7200 rpm. Some of the access roads at tracks both here and at Spa can be quite dusty. The cam and followers are un-worn so all in all very pleased with JS Motorsports products.

Lookin’ good in there Ralph

It is nice to receive a bit of inspiration from this forum. You have got me thinking I must have another ride. The most difficult thing as you get older, is to keep the urge going. I usually read the posts on this forum to keep myself abreast of the technology.

Hopefully, there is more inspiration on its way for you. Round 3 is at Lydden Hill this weekend and this is another track I have never been to.

Incidentally, I have a spare ticket for the weekend so if anyone wood like a day or 2 at the races, PM me and i will leave the ticket on the gate.

Well that was interesting, you could fit Lydden in your back pocket, but for it's diminutive size I found it hard to come to terms with.

The start finish straight is about a yard long and then there is a slight downhill left kink that leads you into a long climbing right hander, about half way round the climb, it suddenly flattens out and and then carries on downhill to a left hander that starts to climb again up to the hairpin, you then head downhill to the next right hander that is climbing and onto the start finish straight again.

For me, first time here, around 52 seconds, 46 seconds for the quicker lads.

Good for spectators though as you can see the whole track from just about anywhere. Plus the social is good as the BHR put a barbi on and three barrels of beer which got everybody out of their motorhomes and caravans and made it a good night. Plus the scooter crowd were on form with a Hawaiian party that went on into the night.

The bike ran fine and without to much drama, although the rear torque arm did try to pull the boss it was fastened to out of the frame, I shortened the arm and fastened it to a bracket on the rear of the frame that I think was there to hold the expansion chambers of its previous engine, glad I didn't cut them off as I was going to.

Got about 10 mins of practice Saturday morning and then out for the first race. Don't think I hit an apex in 10 laps and couldn't get into the Elbow with any consistancy and finished 12th.

The next race, I finished two places better in 10th and had to go straight back on the track for the next race which was the novice race and finished 2nd, looks like a 10 lap race is the way to practice for a 10 lap race.

Sunday was a leisurely start and I wasn't out until about dinner time, but when it was time to go out it was two races together again. I don't know what had happened to the track over night but it was very slippy for me, the rear was letting go around the long right hander as the track levelled out and then again round the hairpin, in fact round the hairpin it let go on the power, the next lap it let go on a closed throttle, I was getting annoyed, in the end I was going round the hairpin with the clutch in. 10th was the finish place.

Anyway straight back round to the start for the over 50s race and still struggling with the slick track but got a 6th. I am sure the second race went on for more than 10 laps, I was getting dizzy.

When I got back I checked the bike over for oil, low tire pressures and stowaways but there was nothing wrong.

The next race was the last of the weekend, the bike took a bit longer to warm up than normal and had a slight misfire which I figured would clear before we set off, unfortunately this was a theory I didn't get to test as I think I put the bike into 2nd gear for the start and it stalled on the line, you feel very vulnerable when the flag drops and you don't move, my hand went straight up and I waited for the crunch, which didn't happen, it was only the warm up lap but the club was very pushed for time and were very close to not being able to run the last race so I pushed it off the grid and watched from the sideline. With the track as slippy as I was finding it, I cannot say I was too bothered.

Anyway, although the finishing positions don't look too good, they do run a few classes together and in my class it turns out I was doing OK, in fact we left Lydden leading both the Woodlands oils and the Novice championships. It won't last long though as I will be missing the next round at Pembrey as I am going to the Beezumph and I cannot see me getting the lead back in the last two races of the year.

Looking at some of the pictures on Georgina's phone, it looks like I wasn't the only one without grip. In the last one last one numbers 59, 75 and 108 are the real quick lads and are just about to lap Scarlett (4) and myself, even they are not leaning too far, how they were 6 seconds a lap quicker than me I may never work out.

The bike is fettled and the van is full of fuel and ready to be loaded on Wednesday as we are off to Spa Francochamps to play for the weekend.

Nice report, looks like a pleasant weekend and less frantic rework!

Better than mine at Carole the same weekend anyway, where I retired both bikes, which is quite an achievement since I only ran in one class which had two 25 minute races!

I also sweated rather a lot in the heat! But at least I enjoyed the Friday test day and got the motor in my Rickman run in. And the locals were very friendly.

Carole is tricky too, I may learn it eventually but it was already a bit easier than the first time I rode there. Both are short and technical, but I like Lydden, Slipperyness is normally due to the chalk getting on the surface. Third time I ran there my best time on the Rickman was a 50.3. I was pleased with it, but when I looked at the times I was doing on my 500 single with 20 less horsepower I had done a 50.1, with much less effort.

It really is that kind of place. Even without a lot of horsepower a good entry into the elbow with power on really early has you pulling away from people going up to the hairpin. Since top speed isn't the issue you can get a better entry to the elbow on the lighter bike, where you aren't so worried about stopping it. Guys with more powerful bikes get frustrated there.

When you come back down the hill you have to place yourself far left as if you are trying to hit the paddock gates before you turn in.......

Looking good.

Ken

Nice one Ralph.

I used to really enjoy Lydden. I think it grows on you over time.

I’m curious, as I’m sure you are too, as to what the traction issues were on the day.

Enjoy Spa, and see you at Mallory!

Fast Eddie said:

Nice one Ralph.

I used to really enjoy Lydden. I think it grows on you over time.

I’m curious, as I’m sure you are too, as to what the traction issues were on the day.

Enjoy Spa, and see you at Mallory!

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Lydden is definitely an acquired taste. At first I wasn't sure about my second race meeting there 36 years after my first! But it grew on me and I am pleased BHR persist with it. It has the feel of the '70s still.

CRMC were frightened off by noise issues that were incorrectly reported and never really existed, but because certain members didn't like it they didn't stick with it. Members like then chairman of the CRMC who didn't like it much when my Fury ran around the outside of him at the elbow and disappeared up the hill....came over to me afterward and said my bike was quick he just saw a blur of yellow, then he told me how little power his Ducati Pantah made, he liked it even less when I told him that was 10 more than the Fury makes! (My PC lock screen is me riding round the outside of him at the right hander.....I had fun that weekend! Interupted only when I was chasing Bruno Perlinski and one of the carbs fell off the Rickman!)

Overnight rain or dew carries chalk from the ground down on to the track. It is a downhill slope onto the track both at the hairpin and the elbow.

Track dries and it is like talcum powder.

When I rode there in the drought summer of '76 it was pretty dry, but they had run rallycross there the previous week. Chalk everywhere. So before practice they had everyone in the paddock with a van running round to try and clear it.

Then they started practice with sidecars, followed by 125s and worked up to us at the end......it was still slippery....turning into the right hander before the start finish it slid every time and only completed the turn by running into the hard ruts in the chalk after the edge of the tarmac.......I was young! (There is concrete around that edge these days but I haven't been out wide to inspect it!)

Fun stuff, no spills, no blow-ups and all that...