Whats in my shed.

johnm

johnm

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Being prepared for IOM Manx this August. Should be part of a NZ team.
 

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robs ss said:
Very impressive John.
Best of luck! 👍👍
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Thanks. The bike belongs to a NZ guy but only came from the UK last year. Has competed several times in Manx before with 100 mph laps.

The motor was built by Fred Warmsley and is good but the covers had been removed by someone else and replaced with heavy layers of RTV. Which should never be used in that kind of service. I had to do lots of stripping and cleaning. Also checking the valve timing, ignition and general preparation of the bike. Found several issues. Rear chain scraping along oil tank, tappet cleance well out, ignition timing out( we will have to check that on dyno) oil pipes starting to split etc.

Bit of a forensic study really as we knew almost nothing about the bike.

The engine is a replica and is all metric threads, much of the rest of the bike has AF fittings but the frame is bsf (correction cycle thread) so I needed whitworth spanners. So the tool kit needs three types of spanners and your always looking for the right one.

Got it all back together and started it this morning. Now it heads down to Christchurch for a new faring to be made.
 
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johnm said:
Thanks. The bike belongs to a NZ guy but only came from the UK last year. Has competed several times in Manx before with 100 mph laps.

The motor was built by Fred Warmsley and is good but the covers had been removed by someone else and replaced with heavy layers of RTV. Which should never be used in that kind of service. I had to do lots of stripping and cleaning. Also checking the valve timing, ignition and general preparation of the bike. Found several issues. Rear chain scraping along oil tank, tappet cleance well out, ignition timing out( we will have to check that on dyno) oil pipes starting to split etc.

Bit of a forensic study really as we knew almost nothing about the bike.

The engine is a replica and is all metric threads, much of the rest of the bike has AF fittings but the frame is bsf so I needed whitworth spanners. So the tool kit needs three types of spanners and your always looking for the right one.

Got it all back together and started it this morning. Now it heads down to Christchurch for a new faring to be made.
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Sounds like a challenge - of the nice kind!!
 
johnm said:
Thanks. The bike belongs to a NZ guy but only came from the UK last year. Has competed several times in Manx before with 100 mph laps.

The motor was built by Fred Warmsley and is good but the covers had been removed by someone else and replaced with heavy layers of RTV. Which should never be used in that kind of service. I had to do lots of stripping and cleaning. Also checking the valve timing, ignition and general preparation of the bike. Found several issues. Rear chain scraping along oil tank, tappet cleance well out, ignition timing out( we will have to check that on dyno) oil pipes starting to split etc.

Bit of a forensic study really as we knew almost nothing about the bike.

The engine is a replica and is all metric threads, much of the rest of the bike has AF fittings but the frame is bsf so I needed whitworth spanners. So the tool kit needs three types of spanners and your always looking for the right one.

Got it all back together and started it this morning. Now it heads down to Christchurch for a new faring to be made.
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Sounds like it should be well sorted by the time you’re done.

Good luck on the Island !

Are you going as part of the crew ??
 
Fast Eddie said:
Sounds like it should be well sorted by the time you’re done.

Good look on the Island !

Are you going as part of the crew ??
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Yes. The guys I'm going with are taking 3 bikes. I'm looking after the 7R.

It's damn expensive coming from NZ. Booked my tickets today. Fortunately I don't have to pay for bike transport. I'll stay with my son in London apart from the Island time.
 
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Race engines often experience warping of the crankcases due to stress and heat. I have several sets of G80CS cases which exhibit this. They are impossible to make oil tight without using an RTV (Silicone) based sealant. For as new engine cases, which have a perfect splitting joint, a solvent-based sealant works.

- Knut
 
cliffa said:
Hi John, are you there now?

I’m arriving tomorrow night, so would love to catch up.
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Hi. Yes we are here. The 7 R did a first practice lap today at 94 mph. Bike is running well.

We are in the pits with the NZ Team. Top row closest to the trees. Weather is not looking the best for the rest of the week unfortunately.

Please call by.

John
 
johnm said:
Hi. Yes we are here. The 7 R did a first practice lap today at 94 mph. Bike is running well.

We are in the pits with the NZ Team. Top row closest to the trees. Weather is not looking the best for the rest of the week unfortunately.

Please call by.

John
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That’s a very respectable lap. Yep, the weather forecast is not looking great unfortunately, but things can change quickly on a little island. 🤞🤞🤞
 
Standing start practice lap and the very first time the rider had sat on the bike. He was unable to come out to Jurby so the first metre was riden off down the track. Bike looked perfect when it came in. Gearing maybe a touch high but we will wait until he has dome one more lap. Six speed box anyway. Race no is #5.

The two Velos are having a few more issues. One got a flat tyre after half a lap and the other one had a tech inspection issue. Also tyre related. They cannot be more than three years old and the 500 Velo has an unusual size on the front which Avon havnt made for 5 years. The tyre is new and unused but the tech guys rejected it. Off course we are getting all the NZ Burt Munro comments. 🤣🤣🤣

It's not easy coming here from the other side of the world. You have to learn all the new rules which do change year to year. This year they have GPS on the bikes as well as transponders. Plus rear lights. These bikes weren't made for wires everywhere and look like the national grid on a bad day.
 

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OK. So the weather is very poor.

All bikes are ready to go but practice has been cancelled Monday Tuesday and Wednesday.

So far only the 7 R has completed a lap.
 
johnm said:
OK. So the weather is very poor.

All bikes are ready to go but practice has been cancelled Monday Tuesday and Wednesday.

So far only the 7 R has completed a lap.
Click to expand...
I took this picture last night at the assembly area. 15 minutes later practice was cancelled as a storm blew in. It's pretty frustrating.

Whats in my shed.
 
Unfortunately things did not go well in practice today. The 7 R came to a halt on a practice lap. And the sump is full of bronze metal possibly big end. The engine is a short stroke with plane bearings. So the bike is retired.

The 350 Velo is mostly happy and managed a couple of laps in the low 90s.

The 500 Velo is pumping too much oil into the breather bottle but managed a 94 mph lap.

So back in the shed tonight.
 
Nice chatting to you today John. As mentioned here's a couple of pics of the 500 Velo taken yesterday at St.Ninians crossroads at the top of Bray Hill.

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It's a real shame about the weather.
 
Thanks. The boys are still trying to sort something for tomorrow.
 
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