tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69335234372404122832024-02-19T07:35:20.570+00:00Race ScooterRace Scooter Blog by Elliot Thurland.
Many thanks to KAS Racepaint, Ambivent, Draw4U and Replay Scootersneveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-79791972904502011982014-04-16T11:20:00.000+01:002014-06-23T21:45:08.245+01:002014 Round Two: AngleseyMy first visit to Anglesey - and what a track! I arrived in plenty of time and got the tent set up right next to the track. After helping unload the DKS vans, Steve (5), Mark (97) and I walked the track. It looked fantastic.<br />
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Prologue:<br />
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From the last meeting, I had had front issues - when we took it back to <a href="http://www.replayscooters.net/" target="_blank">Replay Scooters</a>, we noticed that the Nissin caliper only had one nut fitted - the other had fallen off on the workshop floor. I assumed that the vibrations had been caused by this but swapped out the front pads for non-sintered too - just to try to get more feel.<br />
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Anglesey:<br />
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Come the practice around this epic track and I felt okay - the vibrations were not solved but were only bad braking into the corkscrew section. I was mid pack as I would have expected with not a lot to do before the first race.<br />
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In race one there was an incident so the race was re-run. In that race, I had a great scrap with Mark Clipstone (44) but both of us and Mark Hullah(28) got stopped prematurely before we crossed the chequered flag.<br />
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In race two and three, it was much of the same, battling with Mark until the last lap where my engine felt like it had developed a misfire. I nursed the bike home and had a closer look at everything. I put a spacer beneath a section of the ignition and waited until morning to try out the fix.<br />
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Race four came and the bike started okay (with the exception of a backfire through the carb) but during the sigthing lap, the "misfire" was still there and it felt like a jumping gear I pulled in to save the motor.<br />
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For the final race, I still couldn't tell what was wrong so I checked the drain plug and that was when we saw a mass amount of metal shavings. With a solution found, we swapped out the gear selector for a new one and got ready for the final event.<br />
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Again, it was no better but this time, I stayed on for the first lap and miraculously, the issue disappeared. I finished the race in fourth place in class due to the high number of DNFs and DNSs.<br />
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Unfortunately, over the weekend, my camera broke so I will have to get a new one sorted over the year.<br />
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Epilogue:<br />
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The actual issue was a lose drive sprocket bolt - and the cause was the MB bolt - This was replaced for the next meeting at Cadwell Park.<br />
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Results:<br />
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Race 1 - 7th in class</div>
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Race 2 - 7th in class</div>
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Race 3 - 7th in class</div>
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Race 4 - DNS</div>
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Race 5 - 4th in class</div>
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Many thanks to the DKS team for the help and support over the weekend - especially getting me out for the last race. </div>
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Race Scooter: All events occurred April 2014neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-51683953189264980672014-04-03T19:03:00.000+01:002014-04-03T19:03:23.517+01:002014 Round One: CroftThe annual visit to Croft! Sporting new panelwork and a refreshed engine for the season Saturday morning could not come soon enough. Over the winter I secured a hospitality package from DKS meaning that there is much less to worry about for the meetings. Pictures and videos will be posted both here and YouTube over the coming weeks as I give the blog a complete refresh and update the information with some unpublished posts from 2013.<br />
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I thought that the weekend went well and much better than expected, despite a mechanical failure on race three. By the end of the weekend, I was up to the pace of the previous year and 5th place in class and much more confidence than at the start of the weekend.</div>
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Race 1 - 8th in class</div>
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Race 2 - 7th in class</div>
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Race 3 - DNS</div>
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Race 4 - 5th in class</div>
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Many thanks to the DKS team for the help and support over the weekend - especially getting me out for the last race. </div>
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Here is a teaser of the footage. More to be uploaded after editing. Watch this space.</div>
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Race Scooter: All events occurred March 2014neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.comCroft Circuit, Darlington, North Yorkshire DL2 2PL, UK54.4545349 -1.557325399999967954.4453039 -1.5774953999999679 54.4637659 -1.5371553999999679tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-24028875398390398722013-04-10T11:07:00.000+01:002014-03-27T09:28:14.945+00:002013 Round One: Croft Sunday<br />
In the morning, dad and I walked the track once to explain my lines and gears to him. We were joined for a second lap by Gary Biddle (58) and Rob Sumner (84) and watched Paul Green (49) cycle past us a number of times.<br />
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In race three, I was back on the same pace as the previous day but being mighty careful with my front brake now - the brembo replacement will be fitted by Mallory Park. I had a bit of a moment at the start of the race, accidentally starting with the automatics but realised my mistake in time, reversing back one row to my starting position. Unfortunately, there were a few others who made the mistake who got a time penalty instead but over the course of the race, I found my way to sixth in group four again.<br />
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In race four, I had a great battle with Bert Conneely (51) and Stewart McKenzie (96). It was a fantastic finish to the weekend as Stewart, Bert and I swapped places on the last two laps and there was a real tustle.<br />
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A list of objectives for us both has been drawn up for the next round - Mallory Park. Preparation is certainly an aim for the season and we are already dramatically improved over 2012's efforts.<br />
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neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-7031497164096840502013-04-09T22:38:00.000+01:002013-04-28T11:16:57.551+01:002013 Round One: Croft SaturdayAs previosuly mentioned, I have been busy with University since October 2012 so as a result, I was unable to aid my dad much in getting the bikes prepared for Croft. He was working to the last minute and all night on Thursday and had help from <a href="http://replayscooters.net/" target="_blank">Replay Scooters</a> on the Friday so understandably I arrived at Croft first and set up camp. Not before too long, he arrived and the camp was complete. We had a little chat but hit the hay very quickly.<br />
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As I mentioned in a previous post, I'd rather not bore you with my account of the racing so at this meeting I tried to record some footage. Despite working rather unsuccessfully, it confirmed to me that the video is not only a great way to show the events but also a good tool to remind myself of tracks.<br />
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I hadn't visited Croft before so in the practice session I followed Tony Rudd (54) the whole time to attempt to learn competitive times. I was respectably only three seconds of the fastest group four times for the session so had certainly entered the weekend with confidence. Dad (43) had retired the session with a broken gearbox which was a brand new DRT box.<br />
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<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/N_KWrqplTvk/0.jpg" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/N_KWrqplTvk?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/N_KWrqplTvk?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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The first race came and I was again following Tony Rudd (54) overtaking him but unable to keep infront on the straights and finished the race behind him in a respectable 5th place in group four.<br />
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The second race came and I was with Tony Rudd (54) and had been caught up by Robert Rees (27) and Damon Tunnicliffe (2) but a handful of the front brake going into the hairpin on the penultimate lap saw me hit the track and roll around in the conventional rag-doll style. It was a great shame to have fallen as I was battling for fourth place and felt I could have got it given the next lap. Unfortunately, dad (43) came off in the same race so we both would have to start from the rear of the group fours on Sunday's races. <br />
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I had some great racing over the day that ended with a self-diagnosed sprained wrist but I was very excited for the Sundays races. Hopefully over the season, we'll be seeing more of this:<br />
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<i>Photos: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lee-Hollick-Photography/124368747590843" target="_blank">Lee Hollick Photography </a></i><br />
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<i>Race Scooter: All events occurred 6th April 2013</i><br />
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<br />neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-16613641455379688102013-03-26T22:14:00.000+00:002013-04-14T13:31:32.431+01:00Test Day 2013: Mallory ParkBefore I got to the test day, there were a few tasks to be completed. For a start, the entire engine was still stripped from Cadwell Park 2012 so we had our work cut out to reassemble and fix things along the way. Nothing had drastically been altered but we had changed the magneto gasketing for a custom made, stronger counterpart. I had managed to get away with only using one piston through 2012 so a new one was machined and used in assembly. Otherwise, no real changes - same gearbox and overall drive ratio, same top end and despite our best efforts, the same exhaust.<br />
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A DRT gearbox has been selected by using the criteria decided at the 2013 AGM but has yet to see manufacture and I am still messing around with exhaust pipes. I will just have to lean off the bike a bit more to alleviate the ground clearance issue. <br />
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I failed to start the bike at home on my own as the clutch is a real pig when it is cold and the rebuild didn't help. However, now that I could drive the Mazda Bongo, I took the bike over to <a href="http://replayscooters.net/" target="_blank">Replay Scooters</a> to be started and hopefully tested. However, it soon became clear that the six months I had experienced away from Lambrettas had resulted in me being very rusty - leading to some stupid mistakes.<br />
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At the dyno, the clutch was far too tight and a replacement cable was required so that was the first thing. The throttle cable had also found its way out of the housing leading to difficult starting and the carburettor not closing properly. A few more teething problems were found such as the HT lead routing but within an hour, we had tested the bike on power and despite reading lower than the start of 2012, it was consistent with what we had found towards the end of the season.<br />
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So we were both ready for the Mallory Park Test Day. And what a cold, cold day it turned out to be. Scruiteneering was passed with a not on loose forks and my numbers being too close together but we were both ready with plenty of time before the first session... which came and within a few laps, I felt surprisingly confident with the feel of the bike again.<br />
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I felt much stronger through Gerrard's and took people on the outside which was a confidence boost. I wasn't pushing too hard and braking for Edwina's was far off a fast pace - as was the racing line due to a well placed patch of oil. Up to Shaw's corner was good and I felt good though the whole section. Devil's elbow still saw me not on full pace but entering Gerrard's felt much more stable than it had last year with my rear suspension properly adjusted. I could feel a massive improvement over the previous year's <a href="http://racescooter.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/2012%20Test%3A%20Mallory%20Park" target="_blank">test day</a>.<br />
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No changes before the second session but on the last lap the bike developed an issue. I made it back to the pits and with a moment of deja vu realised that the ignition mount had let me down in a similar fashion to the previous year... and also in a similar way to <a href="http://racescooter.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/2012%20Round%205%3A%20Lydden%20Hill" target="_blank">Lydden Hill</a>. However, the bike had been tested and I was confident in the setup oncemore. New parts would be required but the engine had not let me down drastically and everything was repairable before Croft. <br />
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Dad had also had an issue with his bike, the plating had chipped on his newly tuned Mugello engine and forced him out in the same race as me. We both watched the rest of the day and were impressed with everyone's performance but most notably Mike Bonett - who looked fantastic despite not feeling well. It was also nice to see the <a href="http://www.dksraceteam.com/#" target="_blank">DKS</a> pair in formation reminiscent of spectating Chris Geyton and the recently passed Jon Uffindell in 2012. Jon will be a noticeably missed character in the paddock and never forgotten.<br />
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Onto the first round of the season at Croft will see us struggle with the Easter weekend and deliveries but we are entered and I am eagerly anticipating learning the new circuit. Good luck to everyone heading up there and we will see you there.<br />
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<i>Photos: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lee-Hollick-Photography/124368747590843" target="_blank">Lee Hollick Photography </a></i><br />
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<i>Race Scooter: All events occurred 21st March 2013</i>neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-11433452645677005602013-01-01T17:29:00.000+00:002013-04-13T16:55:09.910+01:00Race Scooter: Winter newsAfter Cadwell Park, there was a little recovery time before I booked a last minute cheap holiday and shot off to Fuerteventura - a nice end to the season. Straight after this, I went back to York University for my last year in education for the foreseeable future. My arm had just about healed by the time I was back in the UK - the bruising went a lovely shade of green whilst on holiday.<br />
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In the few days that I had between commitments, I managed to take the top end apart to inspect the damage. It transpired that the tightening of the mag housing had cause the bearing to explode so I lost all support on the flywheel side. I was very lucky that there wasn't more damage to the internals than what we found.<br />
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Onto the overall progression over the winter and we first arrive at the purchase of a hydraulic bench. Hopefully, we won't have to use this often but it should make life easier when bikes need to be worked on. We also plan to insure both of us on the Mazda Bongo, not only to alleviate dad from all the driving but to transport bikes for testing when dad is unavailable. Both of these changes should dramatically reduce the stress levels we experience lose to race meetings.<br />
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We also solved an issue that will have been contributing to my gears jumping and possibly the oil leak. The button head of the wishbone assembly was rubbing on the crankcase internals so moving this should dispatch that issue and hopefully provide a better seal for the oil.<br />
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In my work at university, I started to design my own exhaust as part of my final year project. I progressed to the point of three dimensional drawings - using my own simplified CAD system and I also produced sections for a straight pipe to be tested on Chalkie's dyno at <a href="http://replayscooters.net/" target="_blank">Replay Scooters</a>.<br />
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And the last real piece of news was that I won an award at the BSSO AGM. I received 'Best Newcomer' which was a really big surprise and a very proud moment. It currently stands on my windowsill for everyone to see.<br />
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So what is in store for 2013. Well not much I'm afraid. I have very little time away from my University commitments and will have to entrust a lot of work to my father, who already has his own work to do. Near the start of the season I plan to fit a Brembo radial master cylinder as the one I currently have fitted is for two discs so lacks any sort of feel.<br />
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My blogging process is also likely to change over the season in order for me to give quicker updates and not fall behind as happened near the end of 2012. I would aspire to get footage of every session of a weekend and give a summary of results and the inevitable problems. This way, I can concentrate on other updates which is the part of my story that everyone seems to prefer reading.<br />
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Good luck to everyone that will be involved in the BSSO 2013 championship and roll on March 21st.neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-35438360100059258412012-10-06T21:37:00.000+01:002013-04-12T17:27:21.882+01:002012 Round Seven: Cadwell Park SundayWe were halfway through our races of the weekend and the season was nearly over. Despite the weather looking cloudy, race three arrived and we were still safe to use our dry tyres - an aspect of machine setup that I have learnt to appreciate over the season. I got quicker again through the race matching my best lap time ever at Cadwell Park which was a real positive for the day. I had another great battle with Stewart McKenezie on his PX too.<br />
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When I arrived back to the camp, I inspected the bike and noticed the magneto housing gasketing had started to creep out. Some silicone and a tighten of the nuts satisfied my preparation for the fourth race - which turned out to be damp.<br />
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In my limited experience, I would have said that the weather conditions were no worse than Darley Moor so I decided to go out on my usual dry tyres again.<br />
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The sighting lap came and I was excited to have a wet race. Unfortunately, I didn't get much further than the corner you see in the picture. I got to Chris curve before the back wheel locked solid. I pushed it to the side of the track and watched the last races of the 2012 BSSO season.<br />
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Most notable was that James Campen (53) had won the group four championship outright so he wasn't near the front of the pack. Steve Conneely (99) also had an off at Chris curve chasing after his brother Bert (51). He came off a lot better than the bike. </div>
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Most notable on our long journey home was the fact that our Mazda Bongo roof wouldn't come down, forcing us to have a slow drive back. Annoyingly, the issue was solved the next day by simply pressing the unlock button. Won't make that mistake again!</div>
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Now is as good a time as any to conclude my 2012 season, which despite trials and tribulations, had most importantly brought me some fun. I have met and raced against some fantastic people and have developed myself as much as the bike. Thankyou to everyone for their help over the season. Roll on 2013!</div>
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<i>Photos: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lee-Hollick-Photography/124368747590843" target="_blank">Lee Hollick Photography </a></i></div>
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<i>Race Scooter: All events occurred 30th September 2012</i>neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-91561762995121031982012-10-05T21:30:00.000+01:002013-04-11T21:30:54.848+01:002012 Round Seven: Cadwell Park SaturdayIn retrospect I should have posted this blog post much closer to the time but in the interest of completeness, I have returned to finish the posts for 2012. Naturally with time we forget things and it has now been a whole six months since this race weekend.<br />
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And how eventful it was! What can I actually remember? The group four championship had been as close as ever and was going own to the wire. A three way battle too! James Campen (53), Chris Geyton (16) and Mike Bonett (98). The overall champion was also to be decided between Guy Topper (2) and Damon Tunnicliffe (91).<br />
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Due to my successful last race at <a href="http://racescooter.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/2012%20Round%206%3A%20Darley%20Moor" target="_blank">Darley Moor</a>, I started much further up the grid than before where I was still in my first three races. In race one, I got a great start taking two places before coppice and followed the front runners through charlies but once on the park straight, everyone pulled away. That was unfortunately the most action I had all race. After one lap, Bert Conneely (51) took me at park and by old hairpin, I was took out by Stewart McKenzie on his PX - he has been racing fantastically all season!<br />
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There were no hard feelings after the race and luckily there was no damage to myself and the bike had come off relatively unscathed. Still, the accident had ruined a brand new helmet so I was lucky that we had bought a spare lid.<br />
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Race two didn't go great to be honest as I just wanted a finish as that was the third successive race at Cadwell Park that I had not completed. In race two I managed a finish though, I went backwards through the grid but by the end of the race I had took a few people back and ended with fair lap-times again.<br />
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<i>Photos: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lee-Hollick-Photography/124368747590843" target="_blank">Lee Hollick Photography </a></i><br />
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<i>Race Scooter: All events occurred 29th September 2012</i><br />
neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-34099120436425491902012-09-24T22:34:00.000+01:002013-04-09T12:04:39.963+01:00Race Scooter: Final 2012 adjustmentsBetween Darley Moor and Cadwell Park there were a few things that needed to be sorted. For a start, the engine was stripped completely with the hope of solving the oil issue. The bike frame and bodywork was also given a well deserved polish after the rain at Darley Moor. I also used some liquid metal to improve a repair from earlier in its life.<br />
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In the process all parts were checked and cleaned. The crank had been rubbing on the magneto housing which as a result needed machining and the exhaust bracket required repair oncemore. The selector and spring were replaced as it had been jumping out of 2nd gear.<br />
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During the re-assembly a thicker gasket was used on the magneto housing and everything was meticulously put back together. I managed to fit the piston ring upside down (as the engine was upside down) but I noticed the mistake. However, it doesn't excuse me making the error twice!<br />
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neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-25524470341590025162012-08-15T22:37:00.000+01:002013-04-11T21:31:46.090+01:002012 Round Six: Darley Moor SundaySunday morning came far too quickly. It was cold and before long, the leathers were slid into to finish the mending of dads bike. Even with the previous nights preparation, the shimming still took a while and with both of us aiming to get out for the practice, we were really pushed to get out. Everything came together with minutes spare and we both got a bit of practice. For me this was great as for the first time all weekend there was just clear track and I could learn like I should have the preceding morning.<br />
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Aside from fuel and the usual consumables and checks, there wasn't much done before the first of Sundays races. I had yet another close battle with Gary Biddle (58) and dropped my lap times and despite a jumping 2nd gear out of Park Corner, I still managed to keep it going. I had a great race, however, it appeared that dad (43) was in for yet more poor luck with a conrod failure that destroyed everything but the cylinder head.<br />
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Unfortunately, the condition of the barrel was beyond track side repair and potentially beyond repair at all so dad was going to be missing the last race. I felt great after my last race and after speaking to Mike Bonnet (98) about my gear jumping, he advised I push the lever as it might be jumping down. However, the oil leak I had been chasing all weekend was still not solved so this would need looking into. <br />
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As the final race approached, everyone knew it was going to be a damp race. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had replaced my front tyre with a Duro and had got some real confidence in it again. I opted for a Sava MC31 Soft on the rear as it would heat up quicker and I kept the front with Duro. I had been told confidence was the only thing needed for the wet race and I pushed a bit on the warm up lap but didn't feel the bike slip or slide at all. <br />
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I had a usual manic start but by lap two I was lapping sub 1m30s which gave me a great chance to get up to a good place in group four. On the last three laps, I ended lapping 1m24s. To put this into perspective, this was faster than my fastest lap of the weekends first race. I very nearly passed Steve Conneely (99) but settled for 7th in group four which felt great for my first wet race. <br />
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This weekend went much better for me than the previous meeting and even for dad, there was the silver lining that he had ridden really well and deserved better than he had achieved. A massive thanks goes out to him for his advice and help and to those at Replay Scooters and JB Tuning who gave us some great racing and plenty of laughs.<br />
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<i>Photos: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lee-Hollick-Photography/124368747590843" target="_blank">Lee Hollick Photography </a></i><br />
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<i>Race Scooter: All events occurred 12th August 2012</i>neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-63319625268535996892012-08-14T22:35:00.000+01:002012-12-03T15:44:17.336+00:002012 Round Six: Darley Moor SaturdayAs mentioned in my last post, I had decided to partake in the Darley Moor race meeting. I think that mostly I thought back to the race at Lydden Hill where I had to spectate and that gave me the motivation to make sure I was out racing again.<br />
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We arrived on the Friday evening - well more correctly - afternoon. This was an achievement in itself as for the first time all season, we both felt prepared. So much so that after setting up our gazebo, getting scuiteneered and fully unpacking, we still had a few hours before it was dark. So, armed with some drink, we decided to walk the circuit twice. It was quite nice to see the track at low speed as you feel like you notice things more than in the frantic practice session.<br />
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However, unfortunately, my practice session on the Saturday morning did indeed become more frantic. My clutch was massively slipping as soon as I delivered any real power. I was passed numerous times but stuck out there for the entire session as the engine didn't give me too much trouble in the corners.<br />
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After the session, the issue was quickly identified, rectified and tested. I now felt much more comfortable for the first race.<br />
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Race one was great with the bike sorted and saw me having a phenomenal battle with Gary Biddle (58). The spectators also had a great view watching my dad, Mark Thurland (43) stall on the line and chase through to 5th in class!<br />
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Race two saw me get some more good racing tracking down Chris Redman (88) and Trevor Childs (32) and cutting my fast lap by two seconds. I really felt like both I and the bike had improved over Lydden Hill. Unfortunately, I witnessed my dads (43) failed finish on the last corner of the last lap where his gearbox jammed and flipped him off the bike. For both of us it seemed a bit like deja vu with me experiencing the last corner last lap scenario at Cadwell Park earlier in the year.<br />
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I felt right on course for Sunday to be honest, I had been chasing a slow oil leak all weekend and had rode around the issue. It had been a success for me and despite one DNF for dad (43) he had ridden well and deserved better than he had achieved.<br />
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We set to work sorting out his gearbox issue before going out with the lads from JB Tuning which made a really nice change. I think it would be fair to say that we were both in a better mental state than at Lydden Hill two weeks earlier.<br />
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<i>Photos: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lee-Hollick-Photography/124368747590843" target="_blank">Lee Hollick Photography </a></i><br />
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<i>Race Scooter: All events occurred 11th August 2012</i><br />neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-90997936404428929432012-08-09T22:31:00.000+01:002012-11-23T21:56:19.121+00:00Race Scooter: Time constraintsAfter the onslaught for me that was Lydden Hill, I had a few days rest to decide what I wanted to do about the next race - Darley Moor. After hearing from Chalkie of <a href="http://www.replayscooters.net/" target="_blank">Replay Scooters</a> that there was a little adjustment to be done in the ignition, I adjusted to the new supplied figure. Timing was way off and not only did the figure have a massive change, so did the noise of the bike - sounding truly sweet again. What a boost to my mentality to figure out there was a simple problem that explained a few of my issues over the weekend. Ho hum we live and learn.<br />
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I also made other changes on the bike, returning to a Duro front tyre which is softer than the Sava I had used at Snetterton and Lydden Hill. I also replaced my clutch circlip which greatly improved my clutch action. Gearing went back to Cadwell's gearing and I replaced my selector and spring for good measure too. And to top off all this preparation, an Elliot box of spares was put together to prevent the "Doh, we left it at home" syndrome.<br />
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Most notably, taking advice, I doubled up on cable trunions where before I had not thought necessary... The only thing I didn't manage was a dyno test but given it had had one less than two weeks beforehand and checks had been done, it wasn't the end of the world.<br />
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<i>Race Scooter: All events occurred up to 9th August 2012</i>neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-56463031870904101052012-08-02T22:32:00.000+01:002012-12-03T15:43:31.764+00:002012 Round Five: Lydden Hill SundayOn the Sunday morning, I was itching to try the ignition out as I needed to know if I had set it correctly, however, those of you familiar with the Lydden Hill weekend will know that no engines are allowed to start before the local church service finishes. The charity cycle race was also on this weekend so the morning went quite quickly after spectating this event. Annoyingly, there was no practice for scooters on the Sunday which meant there was no track testing of the ignition set-up either - just the paddock to sensibly ride around.<br />
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Rather amusingly during the weekend, Gary Biddle (58) had advertised for a passenger on his "tandan" which looked like it offered good fun. That was until a tyre was blown up to 120psi. Needless to say one loud explosion later the machine became less of a good offer. In the Thurland camp, luckily the ignition did work but similarly to Saturday, it felt lower on power. The clutch had a problem beyond simple adjustment and second gear jumps became quite frequent.<br />
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Onto race 3 and after making a poor start with the issues, I noticed very quickly that my dad (43) had broken down up the hill on the first lap. In the rest of the race, my front end felt terrible again into the the left-hander and people were just easily pulling away from me. My laps got a little better again but one point that I can look back on in hindsight was the fact that even keeping the engine on the boil, I still had to change down on the first corner and up the hill I barely snatched at 3rd gear.<br />
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At the end of the race, inspecting dads issue identified a fairly serious piston failure - it snapped at the pin luckily though, there didn't seem to be as much damage as debris so there were a few positives. All there was left was the 4th race. I replaced my shock with 43's unused BGM and gave a check all over as usual.<br />
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In the fourth race I posted my fastest time but yet again, didn't complete a race. On the last lap, one of my gear cable trunions came off meaning I couldn't change down. I pulled over and was duly collected after the race.<br />
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Overall, I actually like the circuit but came away quite disheartened. Starting issues, riding issues and bike issues all had to be considered bad preparation and I was adamant I would not compete at Darley Moor due to my poor performance and opt for a track day instead - to allow myself to improve. I had completed only one race and dad had only managed two. If there wasn't such a good crowd of people there it would have been even worse for us both. In this light, for the whole weekend, I'd like to extend my personal thanks to everyone from the BSSO. <br />
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<i>Photos: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lee-Hollick-Photography/124368747590843" target="_blank">Lee Hollick Photography </a></i><br />
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<i>Race Scooter: All events occurred 29th July 2012</i>neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-63689865175151157682012-08-01T22:29:00.000+01:002012-12-03T15:43:31.766+00:002012 Round Five: Lydden Hill SaturdayDue to the preparation for Lydden Hill taking much longer than expected, when we traveled down on the Friday, which was the night of the Olympic opening ceremony for London 2012, we met a fair few queues over the route. For the first time all season, we had arrived in the dark so there was no chance of getting the newly acquired gazebo up. However, we managed to unload and went for a few drinks in the "clubhouse".<br />
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In the morning we still had a few things to sort out including swapping over rear hubs in addition to the usual scruiteneering and signing on. Despite having the week before to sort out everything, I somehow managed to leave our signing on cards at home. Luckily I remembered our ACU Licences and identity chains. After causing a more frantic morning than expected, the practice came around very quickly.<br />
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The first thing I noticed with the bike was what seemed like a lack of power and under heavy braking into the only left corner, the front end was really shaking. The lack of power was really noticable up the hill and as such I didn't really have a "fast lap" or a "good lap" in all honesty. I pulled in a lap or two early and in all honesty, I was disappointed. A lot of hours had been put in along the way and it all felt wasted.<br />
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A pep talk from my Dad (43), Chalkie, Steve (99) and Roy saw my suspension have a change in setting but to be honest I think all of us thought that the issues were down to me but one good race could change all of that - which everyone knew. Unfortunately, Saturday turned out to not be that day.<br />
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In our first race, I was dropped very quickly and was lapping slowly by comparison to everyone else. And to top it all off, the race was restarted halfway through to a race incident only to be cancelled due to another race incident. The race was to be re-run at the end of the program, given time.<br />
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On the restart, Dads bike (43) had a cush drive failure. It turned out that the front sprocket castle washer had broken causing the spring to be held simply with the engine casing. A donation kit from Gary Biddle (58) saw Dad fixed for the second race.<br />
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Race two came along but again I had issues, very early on in the race the bike just stopped. Watching the rest of the race from the hairpin was inspiring seeing John Uffindell (41) get knees and floorboards down every single time. After the race I rolled my bike back to inspect the issue - which was quickly and easily identified as the brand new ignition I had fitted. It had shaken loose and it turned out that both rotor and stator were ruined. <br />
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It was a fairly catastrophic failure and caused me to sit out the race rerun that was at the end of the day. I watched the race from the standing area and took a few pictures which was a small consolation to missing the race. This was the first race I had missed to to complete engine failure and I really wanted to be out there.<br />
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In the evening, I managed to fit a spare ignition but ran out of light and time to test it. This was a great shame as on the Sunday morning, no engines would be allowed to start due to a local church service. Needless to say, we made the best of the evening and had a pleasant time hanging out with the JB crew and even had a few short games of cricket too. I really hoped that the Sunday would change my race attitude and bring me some luck. I wasn't going to have the best chance starting from the back of the grid though.<br />
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<i>Photos: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lee-Hollick-Photography/124368747590843" target="_blank">Lee Hollick Photography </a></i><br />
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<i>Race Scooter: All events occurred 28th July 2012</i>neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-37263457536732650992012-07-27T10:16:00.000+01:002012-11-02T16:28:19.677+00:00Race Scooter: Tinkering FrenzyThere was a bit of a break between round four Snetterton and round five Lydden Hill which gave a great opportunity to make some changes to my "easing me in gently" setup. There was also repairs to be made alongside critical modifications.<br />
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At Cadwell Park and Snetterton, Mark Thurland (43), my dad had been running an experimental ignition. At Snetterton, a non static timing unit was added and transformed his bike. As I was using a Vespa modified ignition, which can see reliability issues, we felt the upgrade was worthwhile and it should be easy to set-up. Unfortunately, this was not the case and I'll explain why later.<br />
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Another area that required changing for Lydden Hill was the gearing. As it is such a short twisty circuit, we adjusted my front sprocket accordingly. However, we also changed my gearbox from a straight LI150 box to a custom close ratio box comprising SX200 1st and 2nd and LI150 3rd and 4th. Although the 3rd to 4th gear jump is as big as the LI150 box, the 1st to 4th is less which should result in better acceleration with the disadvantage of getting off the line.<br />
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This did however, mean I had my first shimming nightmare. With multiple shims and endplates to choose from, we hoped that I would find the task simple but it wasn't and took much longer than I'd wanted. A new thick cir-clip was added on the clutch assembly to hold the top plate down and a new "ergonomic" lever was added too.
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A repair that turned into a modification was my exhaust. As the bracket had fell off, a new bracket and mount were devised that held the exhaust in much less shear, which is probably why the exhaust damage occurred in the first place. <br />
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The last thing - and what should have been the first thing done - was the engine mounts. I had really liked the feel of the Indian engine mounts compared to the feel of the Italian ones as the bike felt much more stable in the corners. As I could not source any Indian ones, I had to create my own hybrids using some new <a href="http://www.afrayspeed.co.uk/index.php?page=catalogue_details&catID=1223&listing=catalogue&attributeID=" target="_blank">AF Rayspeed Mounts</a> and a modification of my own design to stiffen them up a bit.<br />
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After this, I just needed the bike to have a dyno session. This was to be combined with Steve Conneely (99), as we were both being set up with the same new ignition. Due to issues ranging from gear selection and choke problems to the ignitions being dialled in wrong, three days of work later saw us setting off for Lydden Hill having spent much more time than we all would have liked to. Hopefully our work would see us getting some positive results. Watch this space.<br />
<br />neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-75570950967943141862012-06-19T22:06:00.000+01:002012-12-03T15:43:04.745+00:002012 Round Four: Snetterton SundayWe woke on Sunday to a somewhat less windy paddock. After a quick discussion, we decided that if I was going to be capable of performing better than <a href="http://racescooter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/2012-round-four-snetterton-saturday.html" target="_blank">yesterday</a>, going out for the practice session would be a good idea. Following my dads successful performances the previous day, I decided to follow him. It was really the first time I had took parts of the track at speed - and it was surprising how much faster the bike felt. I also strangely felt safer at speed.<br />
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Coming back in from the session I had a much better look on my face than the previous day. Such a contrast! Dad and I checked the bikes over again and got ready for race 4 - which came around very quickly.<br />
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Hearing a call, we casually got on our helmets and gloves and bumped ourselves in the direction of the holding bay. However, there was no-one there.We were waved onto the track where the sighting lap grid had already been formed and by the time I was on the track the starting grid had left. I did my best to catch the rest of the grid up throughout the lap but immediately noticed the lack of numbers - it seemed dad and I were not the only two caught out by the call.<br />
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Aside from the stressful beginning to the race, I did much better than the previous day taking nearly 10 seconds off my fastest lap! In addition to this, I came home with a class 5th which was great considering the calamity of the previous three races. The practice session certainly seemed to have helped.<br />
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Coming in from the track to find many of the other racers disappointed to have not made the grid was a real shame as for once we had 5 races over the weekend. Quite a few front runners had not only missed out on the race but on valuable points too. However, it wasn't long before the camaraderie of the paddock made everyone cheerful again. <br />
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With one race left, we prepared ourselves for the last event. Dad was going well so nothing was changed and mine seemed to be going well but in all honesty, I think I was limiting its potential. Hopefully, I would get back into the swing of things by the next weekend.<br />
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Race 5 came and was problem free again until the last lap. I had no other group four riders close to me despite chasing Buddy Davis and Chris Redman down. Unfortunately, down the straight, the bike started misfiring so I went safe and slowed down. It was a real shame as I had felt it was going to be a fast lap. The warm down lap was terrifying as I knew something was wrong but didn't want the engine to blow.<br />
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I made it back in one piece and found that the funny noise I had was the carburetor hanging off - held on by the fuel connecting rod. And the culprit of this was not the Aprilia "trumpet" getting caught on the panel as I had suspected. It was in fact the exhaust bracket and mounting point failing. This had vibrated and hit the carb knocking it off. With engine mounts and exhaust fix on the list for the next race I certainly was going to have it all to do again. I'd be mad to try anything else.<br />
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In conclusion to the weekend, it was a really great event, there were highs and lows (that's scooter racing apparently) and I felt I had got some confidence back after that painful crash at Cadwell Park. As usual thankyous go to people who helped me over the weekend and preceding days. Chalkie and Ciro at <a href="http://www.replayscooters.net/" target="_blank">Replay</a> were their usual helpful selves. Notably Phil Bevis deserves thanks for helping me over the weekend and seeing me have a much more positive Sunday. A big thankyou and congratulations to my dad who got 5 amazing finishes and proved to himself he still has something (and proving to me that you can race with a really bad front end).<br />
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<i>Photos: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lee-Hollick-Photography/124368747590843" target="_blank">Lee Hollick Photography </a></i><br />
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<i>Race Scooter: All events occurred 17th June 2012</i>neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-91328088520499960852012-06-19T14:19:00.000+01:002012-12-03T15:43:04.747+00:002012 Round Four: Snetterton SaturdayWith the Friday booked off work following the successful Cadwell procedure, we packed up the Mazda Bongo and we set off for Snetterton in plenty of time. The journey for us was very simple consisting of only three roads so before we knew it, we arrived safe and with the sun still shining. The first task was to put up the newly acquired awning for the bongo which would house the bikes in case of the bad weather predicted. Unfortunately, the wind was very strong and it wasn't long before we gave up.<br />
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However, the evening wasn't wasted as we got the Scooters scruiteneered and checked to avoid the morning queues. We did miss the sound test though which would be a job for the morning - as would the helmet, leathers and boots check. After unpacking and being slightly more organised than usual, we did a few bits and bobs before Saturdays rush and then headed to the clubhouse nice and early for a drink before we got settled in the Bongo sleeper.<br />
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Due to the sleeping experiences of Cadwell Park earlier in the year, we didn't make the same mistake of leaving the duvet at home and on the Saturday morning, it was pleasant to wake up in comfort. However, after preparing ourselves and being checked over, we had to get the bikes sound tested. This was the first time I had the chance to test my rev counter. It was a better model than the old KOSO one I used with a backlit display. Unfortunately, the rev sensor wire was not compatible so had to be switched the previous day but the new one read the revs much more accurately and seemed a lot less random.<br />
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The temperature sensor also worked well and gave me some great readings after the sound test. Luckily, I passed - and it was the first one the bike had done since Cadwell Park was declared a wet meeting. We had a short while before the riders meeting and after signing on, we fuelled them up and got ready for the practice.<br />
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Practice felt... well... awful. At speed the front wheel felt like it was square and to make matters worse, cornering was absolutely horrible. The bike didn't feel planted as it had done at Mallory and Cadwell and I had lost a bit of confidence too. In terms of the circuit, the only bits I enjoyed were accelerating when the bike was stood up. I felt the rear slide a number of times which seemed confusing as the suspension had not been altered at all.<br />
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When I came in from practice, I showed my dad the bike. Aside from having a lot of vibration, he could not find anything wrong with a little paddock ride. With a suspected twisted crank we approached Paul Baker with the SRP lads to get a second opinion. It wasn't long before he pointed out that one of the engine mounts was shot. Good news and bad news really, engine was okay but wasn't being supported properly.<br />
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Unfortunately, no one had any engine mount extractors to borrow and not many people had any spare mounts as its not normally a thing that go... Needless to say we would take spares and kit from this day forward. However, I decided to race with the mounts as they were and see how I got on. Some points was better than none and missing a race. Plus it would be valuable track experience if the mounts were fixed.<br />
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All of that theory was blown away on lap one though with me pushing hard and the back kicking out whilst leaning. Needless to say the first race, for me, was not fun. I couldn't push the bike to anywhere near its capability and it was possibly the worst thing to be doing whilst trying to regain my confidence. My lap times were slow and I was getting no real experience of the speeds I could do when the bike was fixed. To top it all off, with no vibrations being absorbed by the mounts, my arse paid a price.<br />
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In race two, after hunting still for kit to replace my mounts (and failing), I pulled in at the end of the sighting lap. I couldn't have fun or feel safe with the bike as it was as the situation felt like it had got progressively worse. I watched the race which was a great by all accounts but I wish I could have been in the mix. Upon inspection, both engine mounts had failed, I didn't think I'd make it for race three. And I certainly didn't feel like busting a gut to get out.<br />
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However, thanks to my dad, I was persuaded to try and found a donor set of mounts in Phil Bevis' spare bits bike. With a little heat, we extracted both sets and put the standard series 3 ones in my frame. The ones I was using were the Indian solid all the way through type which could now only be used as paperweights.<br />
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Race three came and the bike felt completely transformed. My lap times were still slow but I felt so much better than before. I didn't have much of a race with anyone but I certainly felt I was well set up for the Sunday.<br />
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To top the day off, when I went for a shower, I saw Damon Tunnicliffe who said how much better my bike looked in a straight line. He mentioned that even in practice, he had noticed my bike driving more to one side and could see that I was spooked.<br />
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Today wasn't so much a good day but a learning curve. It reminded me that this had first started to happen at Cadwell (race 4) and gave me a little confidence back. My dad suffered a rear puncture on the warm down lap so we will have to think about a better solution in the near future for our rear tyre options. Today saw me use the Sava MC31 Soft on the front for the first time. I can't really say I had a chance to notice it but it was certainly harder than the Duro GP6000 I had been using.<br />
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As usual, thanks to everyone who helped and gave me encouragement throughout the day. It was really appreciated. Thanks and well done also to my dad who definitely showed he still has talent.<br />
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<i>Photos: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lee-Hollick-Photography/124368747590843" target="_blank">Lee Hollick Photography</a></i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lee-Hollick-Photography/124368747590843" target="_blank"> </a><br />
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<i>Race Scooter: All events occurred 16th June 2012 </i>neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-15837229172275029112012-06-09T14:15:00.000+01:002012-08-20T17:34:12.272+01:00Race Scooter: Cadwell Park AftermathAs I was watching the rest of the race at Cadwell Park, I had a mixture of adrenalin and fear still pumping through my body. I could move my shoulder but my arm was quite floppy. I ended up holding it just assuming I had bruised it badly. Despite insisting that it was only a bruise, the track ambulance was called to take me for a check-up. We got there quite quickly and it wasn't long before I was diagnosed with a dislocated shoulder.<br />
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My arms were stripped of the leathers and I was laid down on a bed to be seen to. After being cut out of my t-shirt, I was treated to some gas and air to make me relax. After a while I started smiling and was deemed ready but as soon as my arm was touched, the pain came back. I breathed on the gas and air as it was pulled back and after a satisfying (for me at least) crack, it was re-located. However, the visit wasn't over there. I was to be sent to the local hospital for procedural x-rays, just to make sure I hadn't broken anything.<br />
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After sometime in the A+E department, I was given the all clear but told to have a follow up as soon as possible with a local hospital. My medication for the recovery consisted of paracetamol and ibruprofen. Despite being given an upgraded sling at the follow-up, my arm still ached for the next week and after yet more x-rays, I was told that rest for 2-3 weeks was the suggested rehabilitation. 2-3 weeks after that was for low impact sports. By my calculations, if everything went to plan, 4 weeks after the initial injury, I would be able to ride Snetterton.<br />
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My physical recovery went fairly well after the crash to be honest but after the off, I have to admit that mentally, I would require something to kick-start me back to the pace I had achieved at Cadwell. <br />
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Having something to aim for, with very limited time being able to use my arm, I set about the repair of the bike. As the bike had flipped and landed on the headset top and rear seat, luckily that was where most of the damage was.<br />
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The panels were actually able to be polished and were fairly scratch free - I think there was more damage from where my boots were rubbing on them. The floorboards, left-hand-side legshields and exhaust took the largest hit and were bent back into shape accordingly. The rev-counter screen had also felt the full force of the crash and had to be written off.<br />
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After a lot of bending and hammering though, the Race Scooter was in much better shape than before and I had given all the nuts and bolts a full check. As per usual, the top end was stripped and inspected for wear - which was again encouragingly good. The chaincase side was also took off in order to inspect the clutch, which too was in pretty good condition.<br />
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Other than the addition of the carb "trumpet" and a slightly larger hole, nothing was changed for Snetterton.neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-54572873227394978282012-05-31T13:35:00.000+01:002012-12-03T15:42:16.343+00:002012 Round Three: Cadwell Park SundayOn the Sunday, waking up was much better due to the warmer duvet we had recieved. However, it was still really chilly at Cadwell Park and we both put our leathers on to warm up. Luckily, the weather was at least dry which presented us with much less stress than the previous morning.<br />
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Despite being called to the holding bay for the practice session, we had to wait around for ages which caused some stress just sat there with the engine slowly heating up. We had both decided to do the practice as we didn't know the track fully and any experience was better than none.<br />
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I took the first lap very slowly waiting for everything to get properly warmed up but it didn't take long to find the confidence from the previous day and start to go for it. I felt good as I started to catch people - even though it was only a practice session. By the end of the practice I was buzzing. I felt so much more comfortable that the previous morning and my Dad(43) too came in with a big grin on his face.<br />
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Nothing seemed to have gone wrong in the practice session and other than a top-up with fuel, we were ready for the first of Sunday's races. On the previous day, the racing had been good and even though I still had to start from the back of the grid, my Dad(43) had moved up further due to the good performance on Saturday - which was encouraging for him.<br />
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The sighting lap was again fairly uneventful trying to get as much warmed up as I could but when the lights went out, I went for it. It was a fantastic feeling to try to keep up with people around me but quite early on I realised that people weren't pulling away. For the most part, I had a lonely race until the fourth lap. The first few runners of the automatics had passed me and following one of them for a lap had me catching up with a group lead by Tony Rudd(8) who was closely followed by Gary Biddle(58) and my Dad(43).<br />
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To my disbelief, I quickly overtook them all taking Tony Rudd(8) at Mansfield on the penultimate lap. I didn't know it but I was up to 5th in group four. I carefully got my head down and with full concentration, started to pull away from the pack. The adrenaline in my body was fantastic and I was literally having the best race of my life.<br />
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As I entered the complex coming into the final stages, the back started to weave. Going round the hairpin wasn't too bad but on the very last corner, the sliding rear wheel became too much for me to control and I had to straighten her up - on wet grass... No surprises that man and machine went down almost immediately. Annoyingly the last corner of the last lap though. However, luckily there was very limited damage to the bike and none to me. The main issue on the bike was the cause of the problem - a puncture.<br />
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After waiting to be collected by the recovery van, I took the bike back and after replacing the innertube I was set for the next race. I felt sad at the prospect of losing out on a good finish due to such an unlucky event but I held my head high and really tried to not let it affect the last race.<br />
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I felt that I had come through the pack from the start and made real improvements in every race. I liked charlies and I now didn't mind the mountain either which was massively important to me.<br />
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However, my bad luck was not over for the day. On the last race, everyone seemed to be so much quicker than the first race. And I believe it was only the second lap when I entered Mansfield too fast and fell off. This time though, I was hurt.<br />
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To fill you in on how I fell off is to admit that I was an fool. Literally a stupid fool. I was pushing too hard and grounded the exhaust a bit too much. This lost me the front and I fell. As it happened I landed on the left elbow with such impact that it forced my shoulder out of its socket. To make matters worse I rolled... and rolled. The steward said 5 times but I think that was a bit of an exaggeration.<br />
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However, I was not the only thing that was flipping over and over - so was my beloved race scooter. When the tyres gripped again with me off, the whole bike got air and landed on the headset and back of the seat. Sitting behind the tyres to watch the end of the race, I enjoyed the spectacle telling my friendly saviours that I was fine and it just felt a bit bruised.<br />
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The Aftermath is a story for another day though. Needless to say I had a great weekend - Saturday was cracking, Sunday was dislocating.<br />
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As usual there are some thankyous. First and foremost to Chalkie of <a href="http://www.replayscooters.net/" target="_blank">Replay Scooters</a> for building what has been a fantastic motor. To my family and friends for coming to spectate and to Lee Hollick for providing me with these excellent photos for the Blog. To visit Lee's facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lee-Hollick-Photography/124368747590843" target="_blank">click here</a>.<br />
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<i>Race Scooter: All events occurred 20th May 2012</i>neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-21105914210168671422012-05-22T09:59:00.000+01:002012-12-03T15:42:16.341+00:002012 Round Three: Cadwell Park SaturdayI'm guessing the story really starts on the Friday evening where, as I pointed out at the time to my Dad, we arrived earlier than I had ever remembered. In all the years as a young boy we had either arrived late evening or early morning. The aim was to have a stress-free journey and it really worked. We got there just after 7pm and had missed the sound testing but scruiteneering was still taking place. <br />
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After unloading, getting the Scooters checked over and having the leathers and helmets looked at, we had done most of the things that usually stress up the Saturday morning. Fixing up the Gazebo in record time even gave us a shelter for the bikes - even if it was only temporary. One gust of wind was all it took to ruin two of the joints rendering the cover the only useable item. Need to invest in a slightly more robust solution for the next race.<br />
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Despite turning up in shorts due to the "good weather", it didn't take long to change and wasn't long before we changed and had a beer or two to keep us warm for our maiden sleep in the Bongo's roof sleeper. However as we found out that night, it was freezing without a substantial blanket. Another thing that needs adding to the list.<br />
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Waking up on the Saturday to the morning arrivers, we freshened up and got into the leathers as the weather had certainly not improved overnight. Infact it was declared a wet race and the noise testing was cancelled. However the practice session jumped up on us quickly and it wasn't long after frantically changing tyres that we were off around the circuit.<br />
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There wasn't much positive for me in the practice session. Having never ridden a Lambretta prior to this year, not surprisingly I was also new to the wet conditions. It didn't help that it was a new track to me too. Even having watched <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mqMRmgokTs" target="_blank">Stuart Day follow Charlie Edmunds on YouTube</a> hadn't helped me much. It was all a lot to take in for 15 minutes and I was possibly the most nervous about it as I had ever been on the bike.<br />
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As some supporters turned up for me with my 21st birthday surprises though, my worried thoughts certainly became less so and as the track dried and my dry tyre was put back on, I certainly became a little more confident. I described the wait for the first race as me "digesting" the track. There were cakes too (as a few of you will know) and this too cheered me up.<br />
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The first race came and after the sighting lap, I felt really good. However, I still surprised myself passing a fair few people and finishing 8th in class. One bonus though was that due to clutch problems, I overtook my Dad (43) quite early on giving me a lot more confidence than I had before the race. I was also duelling with Rob Sumner (84) for part of the race which again felt really good. My fastest lap was in the 2:19:00 bracket.<br />
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When we got back, Dads clutch was fixed and we waited for the next race. This time though we were both a bit more ready than before. Over the four laps that we had, I slowly gained places and caught up with a faster group. The autos made the race that little bit more interesting as we all compressed together on the last lap. I saw my Dad overtake Gary Biddle (58) at Mansfield and in the closing seconds, it was tight!<br />
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Due to some very strange antics at the hairpin, the order didn't significantly change but I was very close to Gary as we crossed the line. Dad amazingly finished 5th in class and I achieved the highest finish I had yet with a 7th in class. Things certainly seemed to be improving with my times reducing to 2:14:00 and my chicken strips had also been significantly reduced.<br />
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After more cake, a birthday meal out and a great day, we had a well deserved sleep in the bongo - this time was warmer with a duvet. Thanks literally to eveyone that came to watch, supported or generally made my 21st birthday a day to remember.<br />
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Watch this Space for <a href="http://racescooter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/2012-round-three-cadwell-park-sunday.html" target="_blank">2012 Round Three: Cadwell Park Sunday</a><br />
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<i>Race Scooter: All events occurred 19th May 2012</i>neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-73596579483423096152012-05-13T21:39:00.000+01:002012-05-15T13:33:33.582+01:00Race Scooter: Finishing touchesWith the majority of items on my list neatly ticked off from last weekend, I very much hit the ground running into my last two preparation days. However, to make a change from the normal, almost everything to do was cosmetic. I find these last steps so rewarding and to treat myself for the <a href="http://racescooter.blogspot.co.uk/p/race-scooter-v11.html" target="_blank">Version 1.1</a> upgrade, I borrowed a much better camera than I have become accustomed to using. Luckily, I got a few nice snaps to share on the blog and here is one of them as a little teaser.<br />
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As usual, during the week, I did a couple of odds and sods whilst I wasn't with the race scooter. Firstly, I hand cut my numbers to fit on the side-panels. I got the hang of it in the end but I can certainly see why vinyl cutters were invented. Lastly, I received a batch of "inkjet printable vinyl". This allowed me to form small stickers for application. It was perfect for the labelling on the bike and the logos on the rear panel give it a professional look.<br />
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Although there has been so many small 5 minute jobs done this weekend, I don't think that I'll be able to say them any better than the photos show. So louvres attached, floorboards modified and rubbers finished, I began having some fun with the camera.<br />
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In other business, after looking at the ignition timing again, I adjusted it slightly and retimed it. The only thing outstanding is a Carburettor manifold and I'm waiting for it to arrive in the post. The exhaust has been on and off a few times so it was re-siliconed and I probably managed to knock off a few decibels - which is good with Cadwell Park as the next meeting as they have a strict noise limit.<br />
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As is the usual for my blog posts, a list of thanks. Firstly to Will, my housemate, who cautiously lent me his camera. Next has to be to the neighbours who stood the bike being started a number of times over the weekend. And as usual, thanks to the family for support. Looking forward to Cadwell Park next weekend and celebrating my 21st Birthday in the way I want to - on the race track. <br />
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<i>Race Scooter: All events occurred 12th May 2012 to 13th May 2012</i>neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-978549037468099732012-05-09T20:37:00.003+01:002012-05-09T20:37:42.963+01:00Race Scooter: Checks and Upgrades<div style="text-align: center;">
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Entering the bank holiday, I had a few objectives for the race machine. Firstly, I wanted to check the engine over. This split nicely into two parts; checking the chaincase and checking the top end. Secondly, I wanted to fit the new bodywork that <a href="http://www.kasracepaint.co.uk/" target="_blank">KAS Racepaint</a> had provided me with. With just over two days, I would have to be efficient and focused to achieve the aims but hopefully, it would put me in a great position for Cadwell Park, having confidence in the bike.<br />
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After a discussion with my Dad ordering my priorities, we decided that the top end should be looked at and be potentially dealt with first. This involved getting the bike over out "pit" and carefully stripping part by part. Almost immediately I came across an issue; the cylinder head would not come off the studs. I had never tried this as when I was provided with the engine, it was assembled and was simply put straight into the chassis. After the offending fins were reshaped, the issue was solved.<br />
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The innards of the top-end looked fine to me but as I had got this far, thought it best to take the parts over to <a href="http://www.replayscooters.net/" target="_blank">Replay Scooters</a> and get the expert opinion. One thing which I had measured was the ring gap. Not surprisingly, the ring had worn: Not by too much but enough to recommend a change for a weekend meeting. Otherwise, the piston, cylinder and head looked in good condition so after a clean, the parts were reunited with fresh sealant and the nuts torqued up.<br />
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On a side note, my Dads bike was ready for testing this weekend after the events of Mallory Park. It started on the engine starter but not so well on the dyno rollers. After a bit of machining on the cylinder head, starting became easier but we had trouble on the dyno; the bike kept on jumping out of gear. Hopefully a different gearbox, cursor combination will solve that.<br />
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Back to my race scooter and I decided the next thing to do, as the evening was coming, was to move to a clean environment and replace the bodywork. This was a fun task and was surprisingly quick due to me having sourced all the nuts and bolts for the first iteration. It didn't take long to get my rattle can work off and the new sleeker legshields in place. It wasn't that much longer before the rest was attached too.<br />
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On the Sunday morning, I took the scooter outside and admired the fine work by <a href="http://www.kasracepaint.co.uk/" target="_blank">KAS Racepaint</a>. After cutting and applying the safety walk and other odds and sods (including some polishing), we were ready to get on with the next task. I think anyone would be forgiven for standing back and admiring the scooter for a while though.<br />
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As I stated at the beginning, I also wanted to check inside the chaincasing. Hopefully this would be a quick check up on the condition of everything in there. After being layed on the side, the cover was removed and I inspected all of the visible parts. The chain was still in really good condition as was the tensioner, oil and sprockets. In fact, even the clutch had shown only a little sign of wear (on the bottom plate) and this was further confirmed with the magnet having picked up next to no swarf.<br />
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The chaincase cover was re-attached and the gaskets greased and we have the bike 99% ready for Cadwell Park on the 19th May. I feel a lot more comfortable with having checked out the inner parts of the race scooter. I also feel a lot more confident of being able to perform the same tasks at a trackside now. I'm really looking forward to Cadwell Park and already feeling great with my machine. <br />
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Thanks as usual to the never ending source of advice in my Dad and to Chalkie of <a href="http://www.replayscooters.net/" target="_blank">Replay Scooters </a>for constantly providing the answers to my questions. KAS Racepaint should also get a big thumbs up this post as I have finally got a bike that is entirely painted by KAS - and it looks fantastic!<br />
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<i>Race Scooter: All events occurred 5th May 2012 to 7th May 2012</i>neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-21705722050210189012012-04-20T09:57:00.001+01:002012-12-03T15:41:43.310+00:002012 Round Two: Mallory Park<div class="MsoNormal">
Where do we start? First of all, due to my uncontainable
excitement, I will tell you that things went well. Right, now that’s off my
chest I will let you exactly what happened...</div>
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Packing late on Saturday and leaving early seemed to be a successful
formula for my previous experience at Mallory, so we decided to apply the same
logic for our first outing. This time gave us a few extra problems though as we
were now transporting two Race Scooters meaning things were a little tight.<br />
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Issues during the week with Dads Race Scooter had put things
a behind. Unfortunately, these issues would ultimately come back. Either
way, we arrived in plenty of time for scooter and clothing checks and passed as
expected. As soon as noise was permitted both bikes were started up and sounded
lovely on what was a very chilly Sunday morning.<br />
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Waiting around for the first practice gave us the time to do
a more thorough check of the machines and address any issues. This included
mixing and adding fuel to the tanks, the AV-GAS was fresh as I had had the
wonderfully complicated experience of purchase on the previous day.<br />
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Upon the practice session being announced, with only two of us, starting the bikes was a bit of a chore
but mine was started successfully. I waited around to watch Dad start his. Unfortunately,
it didn’t even fire. I still waited in the hope that I could help him somehow.
Eventually though, he instructed me to leave and I guiltily left.<br />
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The practice session was, well, interesting. The last time I
had been to Mallory, I had been a complete novice, not even any road experience
under my belt. Even the number of machines felt massively different. I had
never experienced close to a full grid of riders and it was a little
intimidating. As advised, I took the session easy and felt comfortable with the
bike again very quickly. After what felt like a couple of minutes the session
was over and I returned to the pits. I didn’t have the practice on my mind
though.<br />
<br />
When I returned to my Dad, he was looking at the plug he was
using and promptly changed it for another. This time though, I was capable of
pushing him. The bike fired and started but you could tell that something was
wrong. On turning off the choke the bike stalled and backfired. On the second
try, the same symptoms were persistent. Game over. Our likely diagnosis was
ignition but due to “splayed” crank.<br />
<br />
So, the mantle had been handed over to me for the day. We
cave the bike another check over before the first race and then waited. And
waited! Frustratingly at the time, we didn’t even manage to get out before
lunch. This meant that by the time we got to the first race, the weather had
somewhat changed. Not torrential rain like I had been warned about but it certainly
was spitting, windy and cold.<br />
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Lining up on the grid also became a challenge. I had never
before started competitively. I knew what to do but had had no practice. To add
to the distractions, James Lancaster of <a href="http://www.dksteamreplay.co.uk/" target="_blank">DKS</a> had issues on the line almost
directly in front of me. Any racer can tell you that you completely lose track of time and laps when racing. It didn't seem long before the race finished. I was lucky to have a race long battle with Rob Sumner (who had gearbox issues). By the last lap, I was infront of Rob and was catching up with John Woods. I posted my fastest lap time on my final lap (lap 5) 1min20secs.<br />
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For a first session, I think it went okay coming 8th in Group Four. After this fun, the bike was further checked over and quite a few issues were solved - all cable related. Other than this though, everything was kept identical. The second race took ages to come around but luckily the weather improved over this time. Again though I don't seem to remember much. However, I was more confident after race one and had a better start (still leaves a lot to be desired though). My main battle this race was with John Woods, who had engine issues, this time though who I followed and overtook on the last lap. This race, I got the full six laps and had my fastest lap again on the last lap: 1min16secs.<br />
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Another 8th in Group Four certainly made me consistent but it put a massive smile on my face too. One that I am secretly wearing as I write this post. In terms of the next race, I have a few things to do but I won't drastically be changing the engine for a while. After all I'm still learning and from what I've heard Cadwell Park is not the most forgiving circuit.<br />
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Thanks to my Mum and Dad for being there and helping. Steve of <a href="http://www.ambivent.co.uk/" target="_blank">Ambivent</a> for being my photographer and bringing Mum. Daz for giving me a great opportunity and Chalkie for all-round good advice and generosity. Looking forward to Cadwell - there will certainly be some posts before then though. <br />
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<i>Race Scooter: All events occurred 15th April 2012</i></div>neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-28774136325968829632012-04-11T09:37:00.002+01:002012-04-16T11:39:25.277+01:00Race Scooter: Ready for my first race?So the first thing that some of you readers will have noticed is that I wasn't at Round One: Croft; the bike was ready though. For those of you not in the know, it turns out that I was in Spain. I could say it was for business but I'd be lying. It was a "Sports Tour" put together by people from my University so I guess it doesn't take a great mind to figure out what I was there for; drink (and sport apparently).<br />
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On the Saturday when I was travelling down though, I was really gutted to not be at Croft. I've heard that it was really good racing to watch so understandably, I was sad that I wasn't part of it. Mallory is round the corner now though and I hope that will give me my fix until Cadwell, on my 21st Birthday.<br />
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One thing that is different compared to the usual Race Scooter Blog posts is that I don't have any pictures for you. As I had mended the stator last time, and checked that it worked, I now only had to get to Mallory. However, I thought it would be a good idea to start the bike the weekend before Mallory to hear and look for any problems.<br />
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Unfortunatley, there were a few minor ones. The rev counter, which I had really got used to on the practice session, was reading incorrectly and at high revs, something seemed a little odd. Remaining calm, I stepped back and looked at the situation again.<br />
<br />
In the manic minutes at Mallory Park when my stator was not working properly, we replaced the spark plug to eradicate that from the list of potential issues. It seemed we had left one in that wasn't best suited to racing. Oh and it was a half-height plug too - oops. Replacing this for the one I got from <a href="http://www.replayscooters.net/" target="_blank">Replay Scooters</a> fixed everything. Rev counter is now working and the sound is back to how it should be.<br />
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<i>Race Scooter: All events occured 8th April 2012</i>neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933523437240412283.post-38756123550680346152012-03-29T00:00:00.000+01:002012-03-29T20:54:44.443+01:00Race Scooter: On the mend<div class="MsoNormal">
To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t looking forward to working
on the bike. Previous experience has taught me you can never be completely
certain of the repercussions of one broken part on many others. One such experience was at
Cadwell Park in 2011. My Dad’s inner clutch basket disintegrated at the brazing and
caused the springs to shoot all over the engine, mashing up in the gearbox...
on the starting line.</div>
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This left me thinking I wouldn’t feel completely satisfied
until I had fixed the issue and had also made sure that it couldn’t happen again.
As you could see from the damage, a little elbow grease was required. As it
happened, repairing the issue in this instance is also the solution. Using
some coarse and then fine grinding paste, the two affected parts were mated to solve the issue.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDuTZ59UDUGs-11_1jgAAh2zTGwwiKNWGNyuwj6W665vNUFpXeXYs7hwFs2ey-MysXqHzQ0aWFLCMPpQNDkRVfPUkFR_hyphenhyphenvcswBz0mhy5NvUhGY1au-UiQSHEdcL-d-MEhTyJ52EJWxoc/s1600/79_17_00.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDuTZ59UDUGs-11_1jgAAh2zTGwwiKNWGNyuwj6W665vNUFpXeXYs7hwFs2ey-MysXqHzQ0aWFLCMPpQNDkRVfPUkFR_hyphenhyphenvcswBz0mhy5NvUhGY1au-UiQSHEdcL-d-MEhTyJ52EJWxoc/s400/79_17_00.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjITI_6hZTipgCVmv96WWq1EUYoEEoycGsuy7M6OzkOanig0Ngyq8tesgLj3kAA3rpAgNDoeFVSyV9tzDKe8eh3HGfDQp33PGauJa-DdFiRltnoMfklY4pRFsG42G7zs2Wb147U-swY6jY/s1600/79_17_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjITI_6hZTipgCVmv96WWq1EUYoEEoycGsuy7M6OzkOanig0Ngyq8tesgLj3kAA3rpAgNDoeFVSyV9tzDKe8eh3HGfDQp33PGauJa-DdFiRltnoMfklY4pRFsG42G7zs2Wb147U-swY6jY/s400/79_17_01.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Part of the initial problem anyway was that the parts had
not matched correctly allowing the keyway and nut to be under more strain than intended. Matching the two parts resulted in the tapers having much more surface area in
contact with each other, allowing a better fit under the correct torque, hopefully eradicating the issue. After, performing
this work, which took quite a while, the bike was assembled and then tested.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUCZQ1UCwWyz23izrVa8MENJ5nlw9jRcOOlYXmtwkFPopuEjEnIdpiUIMrqpi7bqzDHXhD4e9DQLMAuP_vjczFuIabCZA2lgq4bg0lJaDmxra8Vk9ZW9k94g-bls4Wr9qWQKHZHiVW_Y0/s1600/79_17_02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUCZQ1UCwWyz23izrVa8MENJ5nlw9jRcOOlYXmtwkFPopuEjEnIdpiUIMrqpi7bqzDHXhD4e9DQLMAuP_vjczFuIabCZA2lgq4bg0lJaDmxra8Vk9ZW9k94g-bls4Wr9qWQKHZHiVW_Y0/s400/79_17_02.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The good news was that the fix had worked and I felt
comfortable that it would stay fixed. As such, quite to my disbelief, I appear
to be ready for Mallory Park already. (I am missing Croft due to a holiday to Spain). The
not-so-good news is that there are a few things that I would like to do before
that meeting, all small things but they all add up and I have a limited
amount of time. A spare stator is on the cards for the next meeting but plans
for beyond are up in the air. Mind you, if past experience is anything to go by, there will still be plenty of things to blog about.</div>
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<i>Race Scooter: All events occurred 25th March 2012</i></div>neveronline79http://www.blogger.com/profile/08359790518344613589noreply@blogger.com0