Big thank-you to forum members Frekeyguy, twostroke, and mxs for helping with a last-minute engine swap in my FZR400 on Thursday evening.
I set out for Grand Bend on Thursday morning hoping to get some practice laps (after it stopped raining) and also to see Louise Martinheira (not on GTAM) do her Racer5 course (and of course, see the rest of the SOAR crowd). It dried out, I signed up for the afternoon, first session went OK, second session felt MUCH better, until ... shifting into 5th gear on the straightaway, there was a big BANG and the engine bounced off the rev limiter ... no drive, and I couldn't change gears, and the chain was still there (but unusually loose). Uh oh. Coasted to a stop and came in on the recovery truck. I knew the bike was really broken. I also knew that I had a stock engine with a fresh rebuild (done about 4 years ago) that has never run, sitting in the shop at home.
So I took the bike home, got there around 7:30, the above-mentioned helpers arrived, and by 2:30 AM Friday morning, I had a running bike that would shift gears. I also had a job to do on Friday morning so I did that, and set off for the track again afterwards.
Saturday practice ... break-in period. All seemed well but I had to take it a little easy on the fresh engine in the qualifier. A decent number of vintage bikes showed up ... most of them big. 6th in the vintage qualifier after losing a position due to a lapped rider on the last lap.
Sunday morning ... wet, but with a forecast saying it would dry up. I didn't ride. Straight out in the Sunday final. Did not get a good start, largely because the clutch on this engine feels different from the other one. Ended up 4th. It's quite apparent that this engine does not have the same jam that the other one did. Close, but not quite there. Close enough that I don't think it would have made any difference to the finishing order. But I've got some work to do in the few weeks until round three.
* * *
So this means my bike has had a complete makeover ... I did just about everything except the engine last winter, and now I've done the engine (even if its bone-stock condition is a step back in some ways - but at least I can still ride it). More folks to thank for this past winter's bike makeover.
Tony Blue - Bluestreak Racing - brake lever and chain guards, new handlebars, Braketech brake rotors, stiffer spring for the shock.
Larry at PDQ Motorcycle Developments in the UK, representing Dymag High Performance Wheels.
Dave at RIPP Racing - Bridgestone slicks (P.S. I'll need a new set next round).
Brad Clarke - Compulsion Racing - suspension set-up help
Trevor Daley - OneSpeed Chop Shop - swingarm spools so that I can use a normal rear stand, finish work on brake caliper relocation brackets
Armour Bodies via the VRRA - for a new set of bodywork to replace what I had before, which had been crashed on and fixed too many times
TJ a.k.a. carboncat on this forum - Reflections Auto Refinishing - for new paint to slow me down
* * *
Despite the malfunctions ... this weekend was a lot of fun. Plenty of good racing out there. Lots and lots of GTAM members had good results including a couple of number one finishes.
I set out for Grand Bend on Thursday morning hoping to get some practice laps (after it stopped raining) and also to see Louise Martinheira (not on GTAM) do her Racer5 course (and of course, see the rest of the SOAR crowd). It dried out, I signed up for the afternoon, first session went OK, second session felt MUCH better, until ... shifting into 5th gear on the straightaway, there was a big BANG and the engine bounced off the rev limiter ... no drive, and I couldn't change gears, and the chain was still there (but unusually loose). Uh oh. Coasted to a stop and came in on the recovery truck. I knew the bike was really broken. I also knew that I had a stock engine with a fresh rebuild (done about 4 years ago) that has never run, sitting in the shop at home.
So I took the bike home, got there around 7:30, the above-mentioned helpers arrived, and by 2:30 AM Friday morning, I had a running bike that would shift gears. I also had a job to do on Friday morning so I did that, and set off for the track again afterwards.
Saturday practice ... break-in period. All seemed well but I had to take it a little easy on the fresh engine in the qualifier. A decent number of vintage bikes showed up ... most of them big. 6th in the vintage qualifier after losing a position due to a lapped rider on the last lap.
Sunday morning ... wet, but with a forecast saying it would dry up. I didn't ride. Straight out in the Sunday final. Did not get a good start, largely because the clutch on this engine feels different from the other one. Ended up 4th. It's quite apparent that this engine does not have the same jam that the other one did. Close, but not quite there. Close enough that I don't think it would have made any difference to the finishing order. But I've got some work to do in the few weeks until round three.
* * *
So this means my bike has had a complete makeover ... I did just about everything except the engine last winter, and now I've done the engine (even if its bone-stock condition is a step back in some ways - but at least I can still ride it). More folks to thank for this past winter's bike makeover.
Tony Blue - Bluestreak Racing - brake lever and chain guards, new handlebars, Braketech brake rotors, stiffer spring for the shock.
Larry at PDQ Motorcycle Developments in the UK, representing Dymag High Performance Wheels.
Dave at RIPP Racing - Bridgestone slicks (P.S. I'll need a new set next round).
Brad Clarke - Compulsion Racing - suspension set-up help
Trevor Daley - OneSpeed Chop Shop - swingarm spools so that I can use a normal rear stand, finish work on brake caliper relocation brackets
Armour Bodies via the VRRA - for a new set of bodywork to replace what I had before, which had been crashed on and fixed too many times
TJ a.k.a. carboncat on this forum - Reflections Auto Refinishing - for new paint to slow me down
* * *
Despite the malfunctions ... this weekend was a lot of fun. Plenty of good racing out there. Lots and lots of GTAM members had good results including a couple of number one finishes.
