Racing again (at last)

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Ralph

Congrats on surviving your first race weekend of the year and the clip on failure. Perhaps you should go out and buy a lottery ticket. We also just had our first roadrace of the year here in the Seattle area and it was strange having nice warm weather as opposed to the usual season beginnings being freezing cold and wobbling around on cold wet tires. For me it was quite satisfying as the bike mostly ran well and I turned the same lap times as my best the previous year. It normally takes me about half a season to get back to where I was the year before. I did have a problem with the bike cutting out momentarily in just one of the corners but recovering and handling the rest just fine. It did it a number of times and my current theory is that the fuel tank vent valve was acting up. Nothing like as dramatic as your clip on failure though.

I had a right hand clip on failure quite a few years ago up at the track in Mission BC Canada. The clip-ons were the multiadjustable Telefix variety and the handlebar part is held to the clamp part just by a single bolt. (In the aircraft industry this is known a Jesus bolt) This bolt broke just as I was braking for a corner but luckily there was straight runoff available and I didn’t fall off. It certainly is a weird feeling and it took my brain a little while to process what exactly had just happened A friend went off and got me a grade 8 equivalent allen bolt from a local nut and bolt store and I was going again quite quickly. Not for long though. In the general screwing around with fixing the handlebars I had allowed the front brake hose (SS) to get close to the front tire. After a couple of laps of the next race the rubber tire edge had worn through the stainless steel braided hose and I was heading into a corner with no front brakes. Luckily again I had runoff room and it wasn’t an especially fast part of the track. (perhaps a drum brake would have been a safer option for me :))

Despite the foregoing I do like the Telefix clipons, mainly for their adjustability, since I have a load of stuff going on in front of the headstock and fairing cutouts and mounts to clear. Mine are now 30 years old, have been crashed about 5 times and survived. A couple of times the bar itself was bent but I was able to simply replace it with a sawn off length of an ordinary handlebar.
 
Seeley, was your cutting out corner after the straight and / or a long period of WOT?

If so, it could be low flow height and / or inadequate fuel flow. I‘ve had that before. Took some working out!
 
The weather was kind to us as well, the week leading up to the meeting was miserable right up to Friday night, then on Saturday we woke up to a warm and sunny day which was repeated on Sunday, back home on Monday we woke to the rain again, you couldn't make it up.

My clip on was a Telefix type, not single bolt but I think a bad design. When I fitted them I didn't like them, they just didn't sit right in my mind for strength how the tube was joined to the clamp, I should have gone with my gut feeling and not fitted them, although my mates were taking the piss by saying it was my gut that caused the problem, diet starts tomorrow. :)

Racing again (at last)
 
The competition, thats me coming out at the back on 123. this was a practice session.

 
storm42 said:
The competition, thats me coming out at the back on 123. this was a practice session.

Click to expand...


Bloody hell Ralph, that's scary!! From the photo it looks as if the actual clip-on tube broke?
Was there any sign of a prior crack or anything? Vibration from the sewing-machine like engine perhaps?

On the other hand, you coped with what must have been a slightly stressful situation. I doff my hat to you sir :-)
 
SteveBorland said:
Bloody hell Ralph, that's scary!! From the photo it looks as if the actual clip-on tube broke?
Was there any sign of a prior crack or anything? Vibration from the sewing-machine like engine perhaps?

On the other hand, you coped with what must have been a slightly stressful situation. I doff my hat to you sir :)
Click to expand...

Hi Steve,

Sewing machine like engine:D It wasn't the tube but what the tube fits over that broke, the tube is held onto the spigot with what looks like a brass pin, the alloy that broke looks to be quite course grained almost cast, it is about 16mm diameter.

I won't be using that design again.

Racing again (at last)
 
Not adjustable, but probably hard to break. Magura

Racing again (at last)


Good thing you weren't dragging a knee puck at 95mph in a left hander when that happened. Would have been really hard to save.
 
storm42 said:
Hi Steve,

Sewing machine like engine:D It wasn't the tube but what the tube fits over that broke, the tube is held onto the spigot with what looks like a brass pin, the alloy that broke looks to be quite course grained almost cast, it is about 16mm diameter.

I won't be using that design again.

View attachment 17617
Click to expand...
Perhaps you should talk to the suppler of the clip-on. Be interesting to hear what that have to say
 
Schwany said:
Not adjustable, but probably hard to break. Magura

Racing again (at last)


Good thing you weren't dragging a knee puck at 95mph in a left hander when that happened. Would have been really hard to save.
Click to expand...

Yes they look good, I have ordered some from SES that SteveA recommended.

Dragging a puck o_O I don't do that, they cost money you know. ;)
 
SteveBorland said:
Perhaps you should talk to the suppler of the clip-on. Be interesting to hear what that have to say
Click to expand...

My first thought but I cannot remember where I got them from or if they are copies of the Telefix. Chalk one up to experience.
 
storm42 said:
Yes they look good, I have ordered some from SES that SteveA recommended.

Dragging a puck o_O I don't do that, they cost money you know. ;)
Click to expand...
I was kidding of course about knee dragging. It would have scared the hell out of me. Glad you made it. Nothing hurts more or longer than hitting that hard stuff under he tires. With the exception of hitting cars on the road and living through it.
 
I once owned some adjustable h/bars of off a Laverda Jota, which were held by one Allen bolt on each ajuster. One snapped off when the bike was dropped.
Re clip ons, the type by Dinstall was pretty strond, because as any tube frame maker knows, the small tubes were overlong and scalloped to fit the sanction tube, i don't know if it was SIF Bronze welded as there was too much chrome on top
 
Video for race 1 and 2. In 1 at 1:33 is where the bar broke and the little slip road at the bottom is where i ended up. In No.2 you can hear the clutch slipping. By race 10 the club realised they were not going to get through the card and the races were shortened to 4 laps, which meant I didn't get lapped :) In race one, I was lapped by 6 riders who were,
John Dieterman 1078 Ducati
Ant Hart XR69 Suzuki
Phil Atkinson 1198 Ducati
Richard Molnar 1198 Ducati
Chris Firmin 1064 Moto Guzzi
Malc Sampson VFR Honda
Fast riders on fast bikes.
Al, you may notice that the GSXR Suzuki I was following for most of the race didn't seem to be struggling with the corners and Ant Hart certainly wasn't on his Suzuki.



 
The clip-ons I use were made by Rod Tingate who used to work for Colin Seeley. The bar is bronze welded across the tube which clamps onto the fork staunchion. If I drop the bike during a race, it usually slides on the end of a clip-on and a footrest, so my aluminium fuel tank does not get written-off. Having a clip-on break while riding the bike, is just not on. Go and see somebody who makes frames and get yourself a decent pair.
Peter Williams was an excellent road racer until his seat and tank assembly came off the bike while he was racing. It is all about risk minimisation and attention to detail.
And I of all people, should not say that - because I am the worst. - I bum around in a daze.
 
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