Quick Update

Got the alu parts back from the local machinist (a retired fella with a garage full of machines... the BEST guy to know in a situation like this... cash transactions, and a fraction of the price of a machine shop!).  I asked the round rod to be bored to 20mm for the axle, and then the plate opened up for an interference fit for the round rod.  Then I could take it home, and adjust the offset of the plate to suit the rear rotor.

It turned out the pieces fit so well that on the machinist's suggestion, I put the plate in the oven and the round rod in the freezer.  After 20 minutes, the rod slipped into the hole.  Wait another 5 and they weren't solid, but with a bit of pressure on the vice, they would move/slide back and forth.  The perfect scenario that would allow me to find the correct offset, and then have it welded in place.

I didn't take any pics, but there is an offset difference/variance between the stock ex wheels and the Carrozeria wheels.  Not enough to see with the large rear caliper (the pads likely adjust to suit), but it is noticeable with the wee AJP caliper.  Considering I need this caliper to work with both sets of wheels, the end result will likely mean some machining of the rotor mount face on the ex wheel.  Perhaps a fabrication tolerance, but it will make a difference... from my eyeball guess, about 1mm needs to be shaved off.  A wintertime project for sure.  While I might update this project, it won't be finished during this race season, as I will focus on other things, rather than running around getting things machined, especially something as big and complicated as a rear wheel!  Round 4 next weekend...

Rapid Prototyping

Well, it ain't autocad, or even one of those newfangled 3D printers... this is what passes for rapid prototyping in my world.

Step 1:  the idea...  fit an even smaller/lighter rear caliper to the racebike, hopefully shedding more weight off either end of the bike.  Considering I rarely use the rear brake, it makes sense.  Purchase an AJP caliper, and stare intently at photo.

Step 2:  make template out of cardboard.  Line up caliper mounting holes and (as best you can) determine location of axle hole.

Step 3:  do the same thing with wood.  Now you begin to really pay attention to the shape of the piece, the exact location of mounting holes, and where the axle will go.  Wood allows some test fitting, including the spacer sleeve that will be press-fit and welded into place once everything is set.  The key thing here is that the hub of the stock wheel is a different diameter than that of the Carrozeria wheels, so I did have to remove the wheel from the bike to double-check everything.
Step 4:  start on the aluminum piece.  It's 6061 3/8" alloy plate.  This is the same temper as the sleeve that will work as a spacer for the rear axle.  Drill holes, chamfer, cut to shape.  Grind, file, sand, and grind some more.

Step 5:  it's still pretty rough, but the shape is getting there.  The hole on the upper right will be tapped for an M8 bolt.  I think there are some nice alloy Ducati tie rods (originally for suspension linkages) that at 270mm will be the right length.  I'll need to get the round bar stock bored to a 20mm slip fit for the axle, and then machined down to the right width, based on the stock caliper bracket.  I've drilled a pilot hole where the rod will be pressed in for an interference fit. This will allow me to line up the caliper on the rotor, with the right spacer width, and then get cycleboys to tig-weld it secure, along with welding an alloy bracket to the swingarm for the other end of the tie-rod.  A bit of a hassle, but I am determined to have the coolest rear caliper EVER on an ex650...

Inspiration

Idle time allows me to scheme... for good, not for evil.  Some internet trolling allowed me to come across this bike, a tt racer from the UK (of course).

I'd like to think my R6 rad is nice and big, but this is at least double the size of that once again.  There's been some interesting subframe work at the back (as well as the front fairing stay), but it does run an evo minitwin exhaust as well.  The limited footage I've seen of the NW200 and IOM shows the KMR kawasakis have yet another manifestation of an exhaust system.  Half the frontrunners had a minitwin exhaust, the others had something that looked a little traditional...

This is my hero, Jeremy McWilliams at the Northwest this year.  Check out his exhaust... Ryan is no dummy, so this must have some sort of benefit from the previous design.  Hmmm, looks a lot like my homemade Muzzy/Scorpion system.

The last idea involves the rear caliper, trying to shed some more weight from the axles of the bike.  I was able to pick up one of these AJP calipers from a Sherco trials bike for cheap.  It weighs next to nothing! Just need to fabricate a spacer/hanger that will work with the ex650.  I've got a couple of options for mounting, but will play around with wood first.

If ifs and buts were candy and nuts...

... we'd all have a great race weekend.  In reality, it was a great race weekend, but had fate intervened as it should, and schedules followed as they were supposed to, I might have come up with my first win in awhile.

Saturday dawned clear, warm, and windy (as usual).  Rain was a possibility, but it never materialized.  I spent the first part of the day working with 2 trackday novice riders, showing them around the track and some of the ideal lines, turn in points, apexes, and of course how to safely enter and exit the track.  I also brought a 2nd cheap laptop I was able to purchase, and allowed the riders the opportunity to see video of their riding that day, rather than wait until I posted it on youtube.  I think this has potential, but my onboard camera seems intermittent at best, and not as much footage was gained as I would have liked.  By noon, both guys were riding at a safe and controlled pace, and so they didn't need me out there as well.  I switched over to the trackday advanced group, to get some practice at speed and re-learn the track after nearly a year.  It was really fun.  While I didn't participate on the Saturday race, I think this is the best bet in the long run.  Both of my crashes last year happened on Saturday, early in the race, and so either Irish superstition or common sense is perhaps the better choice.  I ended up getting quite a bit of track time, when all was said and done.  I turned a couple of 1:06s... not as fast as I would have liked, but not bad either.

The forecast for Sunday was biblical rain and thunderstorms mixed with cloudy periods.  The weather is always changing at Gimli, with the "lake effect" kicking in.  However, I brought my rain wheels and set out my tools ready to go for a quick change if need be.  Practice went well for me in the dodgy conditions.  I was 2nd fastest overall in the first session, and the fastest overall in the 2nd session.  Now a caveat... not a whole lot of riders came out, and it was spitting/raining during both sessions.  I did scramble and put my wets on for the 2nd session.  My "fastest" time was a glacial 1:20 in the rain, but if the weather stayed the same... but back to the title...

First, for the first time in awhile, the ambulance was nearly 40mins late for some reason.  Had it gotten here on time, the track would have still been quite wet for our first race.  Secondly, "someone" asked the referee to send some people out to dry the entry into turn 8.  I was quite surprised to see 3 of my class competitors heading out to turn 8 with brooms and a leaf blower at the end of the last practice session to try to dry the track... this after it was announced at the riders meeting that there would be "no delays if it rained".  I must admit I was a bit pissed and expressed my disappointment to the ref.  The reality is, the two top riders in the class were flying on Saturday, and the only way I was going to finish ahead of them would be in the rain.  Had things run on time, I'd be at an advantage.

When we finally gridded up (over an hour late), the track was damp but drying.  I searched out some puddles during the warmup lap and took my grid spot -- 6th, due to my lack of points in rounds 1 and 2.  The flag dropped and I entered turn 1 in fourth.  I got up to 2nd before the end of lap 1, and then led laps 2-7.  My advantage was the ability to not search out dry lines and ride where the track was still damp.  However a dry line was forming, and Glen blew by me on lap 8, ran 3 seconds a lap quicker on his dry tires, and took the win.  I ended up a solid 2nd place.  By the finish, my tires were feeling quite greasy, and the edges of my front rain tire were quite ragged.  They aren't destroyed, but there is a reason why you don't run rains in the dry.

I didn't swap back to slicks right away, hoping for some more rain, but it never materialized.  Over lunch, the dry tires went back on and we gridded up for the 2nd Thunder race of the day.  Back in 6th, I got a good start and barged my way into third, threading the needle off the start between 2 riders in front... it seemed tight to me but I likely had plenty of room.  I was able to stay with the leaders for the first few laps, but they eventually pulled away, particularly when they caught a lapper on the exit of turn 9, and I got held up in turn 1 by the same rider.  Considering the gap I had on 4th, it made no sense for a hard pass in still sketchy conditions, and I lost them.  I finished in 3rd.

Two podiums from 2 starts is a good way to begin the race season.  The lack of a proper fairing, while not a big deal on trackdays, reared its head during the races... to the point where a few old salts mentioned it to me, especially considering the ease at which Glen caught up and passed me on the front straight.  I do have a solution in mind, and hopefully can have it fitted before the next round, if not painted as well.

Building

Got some time this past weekend to do some more work on the engine.  By the time I was finished, the case halves were together, the oil pump installed, the transmission put in, as well as the oil pump chain and part of the clutch assembly.  I also got the oil pan on as well.

As any hotrodder knows, all the expensive bits are on the inside!  My beautiful polished, lightened, knife edged, balanced crank...  At least you can still see the rods poking up.  Stock, yes, but they've been peened and polished as well.  Soon they will disappear under the cylinder.  New cam chain in place as well.  Odd shape of bottom end necessitates some creative use of 2x4 bocks.

Round 1 (for me) comes up in a week -- the reality is, it is round 3 in the series... the trip to the 'states and a busy May at work put paid to the opening two races.  Being the type A personality I am, I've already started to assemble all the stuff I need to take to the races in the livingroom.  Bike, spares, and tools remain outside, although the tires are still in the basement...

I also realize I never posted a pic of my other winter project, my Kawasaki ZX-RR MotoGP machine.  Another Tamiya model.  I think they are getting better as I go along... although I cheated a bit and bought an aftermarket detail kit, that uses metal parts for the suspension... tough to get the right paint color that matches a fork tube or the Ohlins remote resevoir on a rear shock...

(Not) Too Cool for School

During the course of this school year I was chatting with my grade 5/6 teachers about the Science curriculum.  I always had a desire to come in with the bike and try to connect some of the science outcomes with what I do, as well as inspire them to be lifelong learners.  After some initial talks, I went through the documents and saw a connection between the unit(s) on Simple Machines, as well as Forces.  I put together a presentation, made final arrangements, booked a spare classroom, and brought the bike in to show the kids.  I ended up doing 3 presentations to approximately 25 students each, so 75 or so kids hopefully saw a connection between a "pulley" and a throttle, and understood the forces at work keeping a motorcycle upright while in motion, but also cause it to tip over while stopped (among other things!)

 Giving it the berries!  While it looks I am about to give a "whoop whoop!", I was encouraging the student to give that pulley a twist!

Body position -- remember, on a bike, 1/3 to 1/2 of the weight of the machine (the rider) is dynamic... it can move around to help it stop, turn, and accelerate.

 I also lectured them a bit about safety gear.  Manitoba has made it mandatory for kids under 18 to wear bike helmets while riding bicycles.  Good!  I also talked about leathers, hence the photo of the cow in the sidecar on the powerpoint.

Due to time constraints I hadn't been able to properly clean the bike, so there were still dead Nebraskan bugs on the front of the machine.  Perhaps added an air of realism!
A big thanks goes out to Transcanada Motorsports and Vortex Racing.  Both donated items to me to give away at the presentation... kids who answered some questions at the end left with some swag!

All in all, a fun day and I think the kids got a kick out of it.

Mancation 2013

Doug, Wilson, and I decided to head down south to Motorsports Park Hastings in Nebraska in mid-May (Victoria Day long weekend) for a trackday/tune up.  A bit of a drive (13 hours) from Brandon, but we have developed a bit of a system over time.  Doug and I meet at 6am in Brandon, get to Killarney at 7, load everything up, and then head south when the border opens at 8am.  Each of us drives for a a 4-hour stint (works out to a tank of gas) and we arrive in decent time.  A good night's sleep and we are good to go for Saturday am.
MPH is a new track to me, as well as Doug, so we were to go out for a few orientation laps with the Trackaddix riders.  As usual, we missed the pit exit, the guys went out with another group, so Doug and I went out for 2 laps on our own, came into the hot chute as flagged, and then immediately went out with the A group when the track went green again.  Not ideal, but I muddled my way around the track and sorta learned the place.

Coming in after the first stint, I snapped a few pics of the impressive facility, as well as the fancy rigs that tend to show up at these trackdays.  Makes Gimli look like something out of the 1970s!

We were able to take Doug's awning, and needlessly dragged his 10hp genny down with us. MPH has tons of plug ins (even 220v!) independently fused.  The track owner came by the following morning and asked for a $10 donation for power.  Good deal!

For some reason, my bike seemed to get a lot of attention.  I know it isn't immediately apparent what it even is, but a guy on a limited edition KTM RC8 came to talk to me about it.  In turn, I drooled over his bike.  He threw me the keys and I carefully tootled around the paddock.  Unfortunately it did not cure me of my desire to own one someday...

The good news is, I got back to being used to riding at speed on a track fairly quickly.  I felt quite comfortable, considering the degree of changes I had made to the bike since I last rode it.  I made a few tweaks to the shock, but I was very happy with the forks.  No more bottoming, and still supple enough to do the job!  Thank you Racetech!!!  The bike ran cool (the oversize radiator doing its job), and ergonimically, things felt right.  Over the course of the day, though, I did feel stiff as MPH is a busy track with lots of turns!  A good workout for sure.

As for bragging rights, Doug threw down the gauntlet and turned some very impressive times on both days, making fools of a number of 600 riders.  Wilson and I were 4-5 seconds behind, with my lap times becoming static, while Wilson was improving in leaps and bounds as he got used to his new (to him) ex650.  We had some really fun dices during the two days.  His bike was marginally faster in a straight line (he always won the drag race out of the last turn), he was also fast through some of the sweepers, but I could gain ground on the double apex corners and left-right-left combinations.  

On Sunday, Wilson missed doing yardwork at home so he headed off track for some lawn maintenance...

Thankfully he kept it upright and didn't go down.  Furthermore, he continued to go faster and turned a lap time in the high 1:45s... and I couldn't break the 1:46 mark... so he got bragging rights by 0.3 of a second for the drive home.  At least he didn't rub it in (too much).

In revenge, I'll post a video of me dicing with him on track...