More on the Isle of Man project.

[rich46]

I continue to post to the Technical Topics because for me it has become more of an engineering adventure.  It seems to just belong here rather than what my Moto Guzzi did today.

 

So we are just back from Daytona.  We raced our Yamaha R-6 in the 200 as a means of getting track time.  That did not turn out as we'd had hoped as we were plagued with electrical gremlins throughout the weekend.  The cause of the problems remain to be found but that will be on the back burner as we get ready for Willow Springs in a mointh.  I'll hit the Forum with the R-6 fault as a FYI when we find the problem.

 

Now as to how the Moto Guzzi  (Gina) fared.  We had decided to run her at Dayton (vintage classes) because of the high speed that are necessary at this track.  The Mountain Course is really about very high speeds and having a motorbike that can both run fast and is stil stable  so we felt this was a great place to give Gina her first try.  We had planned to do a test day at north California's Thunderhill but getting on the Dyno with a new engine seemed to be the most imperative and we were running out of time.

 

Ed from Guzzi Power and Mark Salisburge from Wheelsmith spent the entire Sunday before we were heading out tunning the Guzzi Power built engine.  We left California with a list of tunning ideas and jetting changes about 11:00 PM Sunday night.  

 

The trip took about 60 hours and was with out a hitch.  We have began calling these cross country drives "Snaking Across America"  as we tend to live on Cokes, chips and Moon Pies.  With a Red Bull pr 5 hour energy drink thrown in.

 

We got Gina on course on Friday and quickly learned that we had done our homework (most of it anyway) pretty well.  Ed's engine pulled like a "tractor" and the bike handled well.  

 

Between successions I made a few changes to the chassis and we tried a jetting change.  We also contacted some local friends and set up a meeting to pick up more jet options the following day.

 

After our poor finish in the 200 (with the R-6) Gina gave us all a shot of good cheer as the timing tower clocked her at 148 MPH.  But, along with the happy speed  news we found a slight oil leak (misting mostly) on the frame and rear inner fender.

 

For fun we raced her next in Superbike Lite (allowed because we are a twin p/r carburetor bike) totally out classed by modern bikes and young tigers but fun all the same.  We finished a modest 12th.  The bike still showed a slight oiling problem.

 

Before the race where the Guzzi was to run with bikes that were more her peers we spent all our time trying to improve the engine venting and recovery to alleviate the oiling troubles.

 

In the final event of the weekend we would be racing against bikes that were more evenly matched with us (these bike were actually 2 classes above us at AHRMA races) such as Duc's and Honda's.  

 

Gina did us proud as she ran a strong second and even managed a few shots at first place.  On the last circuit  Wade began to notice oil on his boot and he slowed.  Giving us a fourth place when the dust settled.

 

Not counting the poor showing with the R-6 we were all quite pleased with the Guzzi's performance;  being that for this motorbike Daytona was more test than a race.  We think that we broke the 150 MPH mark and she was very stable at that speed.  Wade told us that he was quite comfortable passing slower bikes on the banking.  Doing this passing with the throttle wound open and tucked behind the bubble.  

 

I'll send some photos when I get the trailer unloaded and can get to them.  This way you can see Gina all dressed and ready for the dance rather than putting on her makeup as was all the last pictures showed.

 

Cheers to all

 

Rich

 

 

 

 

[Scud]

Sounds like a great adventure, though I am concerned about your health if that's what you are really eating...

 

It's a good write-up and I'm looking forward to the photos.

[czakky]

That sounds like ridiculous fun! Thanks for sharing, can’t wait to see the pics.

 

Yeah you gotta eat better though....

[LowRyter]

whooa  150?  That's moving it on the banks.

[Chuck]

I'm impressed. 

Not many can live on Coke, Moon pies, and Red Bull. In the olden days, it had to be RC.. Red Bull hadn't been invented yet.

Oh. Nice going at Daytona..

[rich46]

Mark,

You are quite right Red Bull is the new blessing for long distance motor racing transport. 

 

We also discovered that once south of the Mason-Dixon line the appropriate beverage choice was RC cola and boiled peanuts could be included as a dietary supplement.

 

Cheers 

[footgoose]

Thanks for the great write up Rich. Glad she did you proud.

[Pressureangle]

RC cola and Moon Pies.

[gstallons]

I second that . RC Cola & a Moon Pie or a small Coke with Lance peanuts .

[Scud]

Need pics of racing.  

[gstallons]

Sorry to get off topic

[luhbo]

while you're breeding over the pics (and let us hang out) you might want to change the title to "Gina the racing moto" if you want it to be somewhat Italian. Doesn't sound half that smooth, however it translates to bike, not car.

[rich46]

Luhbo,

 

Not sure of what you speak but will refer to Gina as a Motorbike in the future.  I have a friend here in the states that is always busting me on my Italian gender errors so I'll be a tad more careful.

 

Cheers

[Lucky Phil]

I continue to post to the Technical Topics because for me it has become more of an engineering adventure.  It seems to just belong here rather than what my Moto Guzzi did today.

 

So we are just back from Daytona.  We raced our Yamaha R-6 in the 200 as a means of getting track time.  That did not turn out as we'd had hoped as we were plagued with electrical gremlins throughout the weekend.  The cause of the problems remain to be found but that will be on the back burner as we get ready for Willow Springs in a mointh.  I'll hit the Forum with the R-6 fault as a FYI when we find the problem.

 

Now as to how the Moto Guzzi  (Gina) fared.  We had decided to run her at Dayton (vintage classes) because of the high speed that are necessary at this track.  The Mountain Course is really about very high speeds and having a motorbike that can both run fast and is stil stable  so we felt this was a great place to give Gina her first try.  We had planned to do a test day at north California's Thunderhill but getting on the Dyno with a new engine seemed to be the most imperative and we were running out of time.

 

Ed from Guzzi Power and Mark Salisburge from Wheelsmith spent the entire Sunday before we were heading out tunning the Guzzi Power built engine.  We left California with a list of tunning ideas and jetting changes about 11:00 PM Sunday night.  

 

The trip took about 60 hours and was with out a hitch.  We have began calling these cross country drives "Snaking Across America"  as we tend to live on Cokes, chips and Moon Pies.  With a Red Bull pr 5 hour energy drink thrown in.

 

We got Gina on course on Friday and quickly learned that we had done our homework (most of it anyway) pretty well.  Ed's engine pulled like a "tractor" and the bike handled well.  

 

Between successions I made a few changes to the chassis and we tried a jetting change.  We also contacted some local friends and set up a meeting to pick up more jet options the following day.

 

After our poor finish in the 200 (with the R-6) Gina gave us all a shot of good cheer as the timing tower clocked her at 148 MPH.  But, along with the happy speed  news we found a slight oil leak (misting mostly) on the frame and rear inner fender.

 

For fun we raced her next in Superbike Lite (allowed because we are a twin p/r carburetor bike) totally out classed by modern bikes and young tigers but fun all the same.  We finished a modest 12th.  The bike still showed a slight oiling problem.

 

Before the race where the Guzzi was to run with bikes that were more her peers we spent all our time trying to improve the engine venting and recovery to alleviate the oiling troubles.

 

In the final event of the weekend we would be racing against bikes that were more evenly matched with us (these bike were actually 2 classes above us at AHRMA races) such as Duc's and Honda's.  

 

Gina did us proud as she ran a strong second and even managed a few shots at first place.  On the last circuit  Wade began to notice oil on his boot and he slowed.  Giving us a fourth place when the dust settled.

 

Not counting the poor showing with the R-6 we were all quite pleased with the Guzzi's performance;  being that for this motorbike Daytona was more test than a race.  We think that we broke the 150 MPH mark and she was very stable at that speed.  Wade told us that he was quite comfortable passing slower bikes on the banking.  Doing this passing with the throttle wound open and tucked behind the bubble.  

 

I'll send some photos when I get the trailer unloaded and can get to them.  This way you can see Gina all dressed and ready for the dance rather than putting on her makeup as was all the last pictures showed.

 

Cheers to all

 

Rich

I've not actually been to Dayton but I have seen a lot of it on TV and I've had friends that have been there as tuners. I have been a mechanic/pitcrew at the IOM a few times though and I dont see Daytona as a great yardstick to the IOM although its probably the best that can be done in the circumstances. Just dont put too much emphasis on the Daytona banking being some sort of shakedown for the IOM or you will be in for a shock.

The IOM is totally unique in its demands on the machinery both in set-up and endurance. Sulby straight for example is 3 miles WOT but what kills the engine is the bumps and the loading/unloading of the engine as the tyre breaks traction skipping off the bumps.

You get issues at the IOM that you have never had in years of racing at short circuits. Might be worth checking that the oil on boot issue you had at Daytona wasnt related to crankcase breathing not coping with the continuious hight speed because at the IOM it will be a lot worse if that is the case.

 

Ciao