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 Post subject: Re: TT F1 Endurance replica
PostPosted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 7:23 am 
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Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2013 4:36 pm
Posts: 205
cool. i often wondered how it worked. there used to be someone selling offset steering head bearings too, but i don't recall who it was now. not sure how you'd line them up accurately tho. you might get caster instead.


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 Post subject: Re: TT F1 Endurance replica
PostPosted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 2:23 pm 
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Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2011 4:37 pm
Posts: 63
The expensive adjustable yoke sets have offset bushes (or shims) for both top and bottom so you need to remove the triple clamps from the bike and change it, however I was reading about an Italian manufacturer that makes yokes for supermoto and their design only has an adustable top yoke and the steering stem rotates in the bottom yoke.
You simply wind it in or out to get the effective offset.

Of course, when you brake and the forks shorten, the offset does become less as the fork is no longer parraleel to the headstock....but only by a mm or so....probably more on a supermoto bike though !!


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 Post subject: Re: TT F1 Endurance replica
PostPosted: Sun Mar 17, 2013 3:52 pm 
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Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2011 4:37 pm
Posts: 63
Well, the first round of the Thundersport Golden Era Superbike series was at Brands Hatch, 9th and 10th of March.
I didnt bother with the practice day as the weather wasnt looking good and as it turned out it was fairly wet on Friday, nevertheless there was a host of mods that I could have really done with testing but would have to suck it and see in Qualfying.
It was bloody cold and with a track that was half wet/ half dry all weekend it was kinda tricky. I went and bought some new Bridgestone wets and waited until we were out.
Big grid this year, 37 riders entered but i think only about 28 on track..some may have cried off or had problems with their bikes? SRADS, RSV1000's, ZX7R's, Ducati 955SPS, MV Augustas...it looks a trick grid this year with some nice bikes. My heart sinks a little, this season is going to be tough.

Qualifying - 9th
I rode around quite steady, it all felt OK but was pretty slippy at Druids (the hairpin). The bike didnt feel too bad and the 30mm offset and re-valved rear shock has transformed it..it really does feel like a 250GP bike but not really the conditions for a proper test.

1st race - DNS
As I came to the start to take up my position, the clutch came loose ! Turns out we hadnt been tightening the nut up enough all this time, luckily a Ducati team from the Powerbike class (they had a Panigale) who took a genuine interest in the bike, came along with a clutch holding tool and we did it correctly..along with Loctite !

2nd race - 8th
I had the idea of sticking slicks on....not the best idea Ive ever had, but the track was nearly dry and the Michelin supermoto slicks are like a wet compound slick anyway...could be my trump card......But I rode like a pussy willow, found it hard to judge how late to brake on the (ice looking) wet parts of the track and the rear spun up when the dry line disapeared. Was getting a bit more confident, but the bike was struggling on top end..something was wrong?
When I got back, we found the main jets had fallen out !! Oh well, jetted up one size and had tea for the night...darn its bloody cold.

Saturday...
Woke up out of my cosey sleeping bag to snow falling, just a light flurry though and it wasnt sticking...did I say it was cold, well I'll say it again, brrrrrrr !! A beans on toast breakfast with a nice up of tea (or three), warmed me up about 0.1 degree.

Warm Up
3rd quickest, bike felt good, was definateley quicker now.

1st race - 7th
A few races before our race a massive engine blow up put oil down, so they washed the track as there was so much oil down, but of course this put water down which wasnt going to evaporate anytime soon. At least it was no longer snowing, just a nice arctic wind to chill the body.
The hairpin was really slippy, even upright the back end would step out and a few lads came off. Not nice conditions to race in and a pretty lonely race as I was a second and half behind 6th place but was catching up the group in front.
Dad also commented I wasnt braking as late as I used to on the 600's, too smooth he said !

2nd race - DNF
Got my head in gear for this, there was a dry line (ish) round the hairpin, the rest of the track wasnt too bad but still really cold. Wets for everyone and even then they werent heating up. Was in 5th and got up to 3rd by lap 3, caught the leaders quite easily and was surprised as my bike was only about a bike lenght slower than the SRAD and Aprilia RSV of the 1st and 2nd lads down the straight. This could be it, an air-cooled 2 valver on the podium at least !
Then, as I was along the start finish straight..blurrrrrgggh, then it chimed in again. What the hell was that? Its cured itself now, carry on lad, carry on ! Caught them up again, and a flash thought in my head said 'John, you havent had a shave, your gonna look scruffy on TV, what am I going to say..' strange thoughts.
As I accelerated down the start finish straight that lap, planning my outbraking manouvre going into Paddock the bike died again....yes, the novice mistake of running out of fuel !!

I put my hand up and pulled out...Ive been brought down following a rider of exactly that before so safety first.
2 litres left in the tank, so it was surging to the rear and not reaching the tap at the front..a design flaw i'm afraid.

Pic of braking into the hairpin, stop being wide eyed and go for it lad, you wuss !
Image

We are thinking of adding a second tap now, or just make sure theres enough in next time Dingus !
Donnington Park next, Easter weekend...hopefully it will be dry and sunny and we can find out for sure just how well the bike goes.

Dad has also started to get the bits together for his build now, his will be a 750 version though...I keep telling him to do a full fat 944 one but as he will be in the Classic Club, he isnt too bothered.


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 Post subject: Re: TT F1 Endurance replica
PostPosted: Sun Mar 17, 2013 5:06 pm 
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Joined: Sun Aug 08, 2010 8:03 pm
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I was having a crappy day today, but I love your bike and adventures! Keep them coming. Congratulations to you and your Dad for such an inspiring build. Now back to that damn bike! Lou


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 Post subject: Re: TT F1 Endurance replica
PostPosted: Sun Mar 17, 2013 7:55 pm 
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Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2010 10:54 pm
Posts: 534
Location: Brisbane
You Do have a way with words, and motorcycles, keep the stories coming please.
Good luck next round!
Graeme


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 Post subject: Re: TT F1 Endurance replica
PostPosted: Mon Mar 18, 2013 5:53 am 
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Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2010 1:29 pm
Posts: 337
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Now then John,

Put some safety foam in your tank , have a shave and you'll be right.

The blue stuff from :
http://www.alloyracingfabrications.com/


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 Post subject: Re: TT F1 Endurance replica
PostPosted: Sun Mar 31, 2013 11:23 am 
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Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2010 8:57 am
Posts: 45
Location: Germany
Congrats John your TT-Build made it into Fast Bikes Magazine:
Image

_________________
Up go the revs, out go the lights


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 Post subject: Re: TT F1 Endurance replica
PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 5:40 pm 
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Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2011 4:37 pm
Posts: 63
Thanks Horst ! I didnt know about the Fastbikes picture until Monday at Donnington Park, when the FB journo (who races with us on a ZX7R) asked me if I had seen it. He was talking to us at Brands and asked if he could take a pic, but I thought nowt of it..kinda cool to make a magazine though !

Well, Donnington Park was round 2 on Easter weekend and I'm afraid to say it is another tale of woe...
Remember the fuel starvation and running out of fuel? Well scrub all that, its something else !

It was another cold weekend with temps in the negative for the mornings, damn that Atlantic heating up slightly...the Yanks are getting more storms and hurricanes cos the air is pulling the heat from the ocean, the Gulf Stream has wandered off and Europe is getting the cold East winds from Russia because of it. Thank God for overfuelled Ducatis doing their bit to get those extra carbons in the atmosphere...
Because it was so cold I stuck in the Michelin supermoto super soft tyres, quite a few riders had inters on.

Sunday Qualifying - DNQ
Lasted half a lap before it died again so came straight into the pits and to the van. It sounded awful, very pop pop poppy so we checked the fuel supply, carbs - all OK. Moved to the valve clearances, all OK except the front inlet was a bit bigger than expected..hmm, bent valve? So we whipped the head off but it was all OK and the valve seat was fine. Not that then. Checked the electrics and no broken wires or anything, but we snipped off the quickshifter wires as they had burnt out last year and we thought something could be affecting the pick ups.
Started it back up and was waiting to try it on the dyno-van, but it oiled up on me whilst ticking over and blipping the throttle. So we jetted down from 270 to 250 and it felt a whole lot better but why would it suddenly want less fuel? Perhaps the ignition has gone corrupt, but we didnt have a laptop and the strone was accidentally left at home. The dyno-van wanted £20 per run, but the bike didnt feel too bad so I decided to just go for it and suck it and see.

Sunday Race 1 - 11th
Had to start from dead last and 37th, and I have to say making it was kinda scrappy until I got clear of the mid pack. The bike had lost a bit of speed, but was still OK driving out of corners but it was hard going and not helped by the fact that it was cold and I didnt want to bin it on the cold track temps. Passing backmarkers was interesting because I would come past them out of the corners and they would pass me back down the straights, the quicker bikes were just mullering me which made it hard to get clean overtakes.
The bike was running wide off throttle slightly too, so after the race we went two clicks off the compression on the front to help it get more weight over the front tyre.

Sunday Race 2 - 10th
Pretty much the same as race 1, hard work. Still running wide, but if I went down less a gear it was fine as it loaded the front up, but that meant it was revving too much. A couple of lads went down at Hollywood, just before Schwantz Curve in front of me (the riders wer OK)...one was an SP2 and the other an ex-Honda Britain RC45 - you could see the pound notes flying off it as it tumbled, as well as bits of carbon and other factory bits..ouch !
Back at the van, to try and sort the handling I went up on compression on the rear, to maintain some rear height to put weight on the front as I didnt want to make the front dive more under braking by taking more front compression off.

Monday Warm up - 1st
Not a victory, everyone was slower than their race time except me. Bike felt better handling wise and I could carry slightly more speed at Old Hall and Coppice. It was still bloody cold and when the wind hit my neck it was like I had overdosed on some Extra Strong mints, it was pretty fresh !

Monday Race 1 - 9th
Started from 10th as the grid goes off your laptimes from the days previous. Got up to 7th but because I was taking sweeping lines I got mugged. Bike was still (annoyingly) running wide and was getting frustrating as it was the only way I could make up the speed deficite by running more corner speed, but I couldnt do it where it mattered.
So after the race, time for a radical change to see if it did anything. We jacked the back end up 5mm, went three clicks off the rear rebound and took 5mm off the front preload. No harm in trying it and we wouldnt learn anything if we didnt.

Monday Race 2 - 8th
Got a great start and was up to 7th with the leader only a couple of seconds in front. I still had no speed but could close down Craner Curve as I was only rolling off on the left flick. the bike was holding its line much better but was now pattering on the front at Old Hairpin, that would be the forks bottoming because of the reduced preload then. A podium felt like it was certainly do-able until I went straight on at the chicane as I missed my braking point, doh ! My braking point was the first of two snow drifts on the grass at the side of the track, I think I got the wrong one or carried more momentum out of Coppice that time? I knew as soon as I braked it was going South, but I was just going to flick it in and see what happened but sanity prevailed. I turned round and re-joined but like all good MotoGP stars say ' I had lost my rythme' so I finished 8th.

So, what now?
This week will be trying to find out exactly what has gone wrong, so out with the laptop, strobe and maybe the scope to find out what, if anything has gone wayward. I knew it was running weak as the plugs were very light brown, but a 270 would have killed it...maybe it has retarded somehow? Seems strange how it suddenly went at Brands (when I thought it was fuel starvation) to running fine then not. The next round is Snetterton which is the fastest track on the calender so even if its running perfectly I am going to have my work cut out. I have also now realized the seat needs moving back as I am too big for the bike and am cramped, another 20mm should do it I suppose as well as moving the legs back an inch.

I wish I was rich, it would be so much easier !!

Keeping ex-factory Hondas honest - this is actually a pearl of a bike and has a lot of history to it, its also wicked fast.
Image


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 Post subject: Re: TT F1 Endurance replica
PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 7:06 pm 
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Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2011 4:29 am
Posts: 275
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A great thread John - always entertaining to read. Keep at it mate I'm sure you'll get there.
Clinton


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 Post subject: Re: TT F1 Endurance replica
PostPosted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 5:12 am 
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Joined: Sun Jan 22, 2012 12:33 pm
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Great post love it, where next ? Keep it up.


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