Sir Eddy's engine (2015)

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acotrel said:
Is it permitted to use methanol as fuel in Commandos at Bonneville ? That might mitigate the heat build-up problem which robs power and stuffs engines. It is the main reason I use it when racing. Plus you get a mild supercharging effect.
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Yes, but then you have to run in the fuel classes, not the gas classes. Most of bike classes are divided into gas and fuel sub-classes, although some of the categories (Production, for example) only allow gas. Gas classes must use one of the approved fuels available at the track. Fuel classes can run almost anything except the really hazardous stuff like hydrazine. Fuel classes typically run a methanol and nitromethane mix, or either gas or methanol with nitrous oxide injection, but there are other possibilities. We ran race gas with nitrous oxide injection the last time we ran the Norton. We usually keep the mixture a little rich for extra cooling. If we have temperature issues in the future, we might switch from gas to methanol with the nitrous, but it's a lot more troublesome because of it's corrosive nature. And it is a strong neurotoxin, so you really do have to take some safety precautions in using it.

Ken
 
The health risk with methanol lies in the way in which it is oxidised in the body. You get formaldehyde and formic acid. However the only exposure you should get is when you change jets, the skin absorption is a minor problem. I would never use nitro in a Commando engine, methanol is enough. Years ago Dean Jesser ran nitro/methanol in his Triton. It was extremely competitive against the 500cc Manx Nortons, but it also spread its motor over the ground. Using methanol in two strokes is stupidity unless the races are very short - as on speedway. If you use it in a road racer which has drum brakes - when you start in a race, the crankcases are cold, so the motor is fast. As the race progresses the motor slows as the crankcases heat up, and at the same time the drum brake starts to fade.
What really amazes me is how good my 850 is on methanol, even with the relatively low comp. ratio. It is as though it was made for that fuel.
 
acotrel said:
The health risk with methanol lies in the way in which it is oxidised in the body. You get formaldehyde and formic acid. However the only exposure you should get is when you change jets, the skin absorption is a minor problem. I would never use nitro in a Commando engine, methanol is enough. Years ago Dean Jesser ran nitro/methanol in his Triton. It was extremely competitive against the 500cc Manx Nortons, but it also spread its motor over the ground. Using methanol in two strokes is stupidity unless the races are very short - as on speedway. If you use it in a road racer which has drum brakes - when you start in a race, the crankcases are cold, so the motor is fast. As the race progresses the motor slows as the crankcases heat up, and at the same time the drum brake starts to fade.
What really amazes me is how good my 850 is on methanol, even with the relatively low comp. ratio. It is as though it was made for that fuel.
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Sometimes I wonder how much methanol you've really been exposed to... :D
 
I have worked in places where the atmosphere is full of solvents. You have to be silly to go there in the first place. Formaldehyde is now a listed carcinogen, however cancer is a stochastic effect. It happens randomly in all animal populations. During WW2, some Australian aborigines got hot of some methanol torpedo fuel and poisoned themselves. The antidote is to keep them drunk on ethanol until the methanol is out of their system without being oxidised.
 
You probably have more to worry about with the effects of benzene in petrol, that you do about the oxidation products of methanol in your body. A friend of mine used to wash parts in 135 octane leaded avgas, He once showed me how safe it was by chucking a lighted cigarette into the tank. 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder ' ?
 
acotrel said:
Is it permitted to use methanol as fuel in Commandos at Bonneville ? That might mitigate the heat build-up problem which robs power and stuffs engines. It is the main reason I use it when racing. Plus you get a mild supercharging effect.
Click to expand...

Nope, maybe in the fuel class but not gas. We are all good.
 
Jim has been busy the past few months sorting out Sir Eddy's motor. He ran into multiple challenges from our pin melt down at the salt after setting two land speed records.
After many hours redesigning the damaged head, hand finishing the pistons, resleeving the cylinders, designing a new cam, measuring and figuring, measuring and fixing, measuring, fixing and cursing the final machining was complete and the last of the parts showed up and Jim started to assemble the motor. It was not a simple build and one off's never go as planned.

I was amazed Jim still had hair left when I saw him.

Sir Eddy's engine (2015)


Sir Eddy's engine (2015)


Sir Eddy's engine (2015)


Sir Eddy's engine (2015)


Sir Eddy's engine (2015)


Sir Eddy's engine (2015)


The Motor showed up on the 20th of July after searching the UPS depot all morning and refusing to leave without it.

Sir Eddy's engine (2015)


4:00 pm I took it out of the box and got busy, working until 1:00 AM....

Sir Eddy's engine (2015)


Sir Eddy's engine (2015)
 
Wow!

Can’t decide if that’s art or porn.

Maybe both!

Looking forward to the updates...
 
Looking Gooood....
Looking forward to the results as we all are..
 
On Sunday the 21st I finally finished putting the motor back in the bike after four tries forgetting that you have to have certain bolts in the motor before mounting and then the bottom mount on the transmission.
It has been three years since I took it out of the bike so I forgot a few things.
Back to my day job Monday and Tuesday and then headed to Eric's at Alternative Metals my awesome fab guy to build a new gas tank and put bungs in for the new WEGO III system and a couple other odds and ends to help with the tuning at Jim's on his dyno.
Sir Eddy's engine (2015)


Sir Eddy's engine (2015)


Mission accomplished, thank you Eric! Back to my garage to finish up assembly so we can take off Saturday for the 21 hour journey across 5 states to tune at Jim's!

Sir Eddy's engine (2015)
 
I just love the single minded focus a well built race bike has. Land speed bikes (well built ones at least) seem to take this to another level.
 
It would be cool to see a video of the session at Jim's.
 
I will have videos soon, just need to link them due to the size.
Attached is the start of the voyage loading the bike up in Oregon and heading to Pueblo only 21 hour drive 1350 miles.
Sir Eddy's engine (2015)


The road trip took us through 5 states, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado.
We made it safely and the Rocket is in position on the Dyno!
Sir Eddy's engine (2015)


Hang tight and I will get video's posted.
 
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