measuring bore in impound

[hawkwind]

How is this done? bore gauges or head removal ?  I have an inline 4 with center spark plug holes  but motor is in a special construction frame so space is at a premium. how does the bore guage work ? what type of access is needed for it to work?....removing the head is out of the question as it would require an engine removal and many hours of work to do . Before I trek over from Australia if you use bore gauges  what brand /type so I can check if its possible to use them on my bike.
Also how pedantic are they with maximum bore size: I have taken my engine to the maxium limit for its class ,if it were say 2 or 3 cc over would it be required to go into the next class up?
cheers
Gary 

[donpearsall]

The techs in impound are great to work with and will try to accomodate you. Most center sparkplug engines (like Hayabusa) can be measured with their bore measuring tool. However when I brought my Kawasaki ZX-10 in for measuring, there was not a straight shot for the tool to get into the hole. Taking the head off there on the salt was just not an option as it would take all day even if we had all the tools. So I took an angle grinder and ground the frame down enough so there was enough room.

If you don't want to take the head off, you must provide straight line clearance up from the top of the spark plug holes - all four.

Good Luck,
Don

[Stainless1]

Gary, the answer is yes... For center spark, they have tools to measure bore and stroke without pulling the head.  Of course you need access to the area above the spark plug holes for the tool.  Both organizations SCTA and Bub use them (SCTA does the measuring at USFRA events).
If you bring your own tool, as long as you can demonstrate accuracy I'm sure they would use it.  That is how they came to use the tool they are using now.
The tool is very accurate... every time I have had a bike motor measured it comes out within a cc, +/-.  Most bike motors are typically within 2ccs  of class limit, and they seem to measure just fine.  
If you are 1352 in the 1350 class it will depend... In special construction you are allowed a clean up over bore of .020 or about a half mm larger than stock bore for the motor... if you already are 3mm over stock, you will not be allowed any extra ccs for clean up overbore.  The extra cc allowance can only come from the .020 over stock bore.  That means a new busa motor at 1352 moves to 1650 class...
So be aware, the limit is the limit, if you are over, you will have to reregister in that class $$ and start over.
This is my experience, the way I read the current rules... when in doubt, contact the scta bike chair for the final say.

Don beat me to most of it....

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Speaking as one who had a stock displacement of 1352 ('09 Kawasaki ZX14) -- yup, that puts you in the 1650 cc class -- with a butter knife against the machete-wielding big bikes.  Good thing we were in production -- it didn't hurt as much.

[Stainless1]

Jon, that would have been the perfect time to bore and stroke that motor to 16anythingunder50... don't have to stick to stock bore and stroke, just has to be in the same class as stock size. 
Then you could take your big gun to the knife fight... 

[Seldom Seen Slim]

You damn betcha, sir.  It's now a 1532 cc engine.  Still -- it wasn't enough to get the record.  Jack Broomall's newer ZX14 made even more hp than does ours, and now he's got the record.  Ah, but Nancy held it for a while.  That's good enough for her -- and everyone, for that matter.  They don't give those records out and then cancel the class so that nobody can ever break the record, do they?

[Stainless1]

No, but they will change the rules and make it easy for the next guy to go faster... or they will change the rules and make it harder for you to go faster.... depends on your point of view... 

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Well, say what you might -- Jack's bike made more power than ours and he  was able to get more of it to the ground.  That's how you set records in this game, right?

[hawkwind]

Just checked.... cylinders 1,2 and 4 I have a straight shot down the plug holes, #3 is under the main backbone frame rail  I can get a shot  but at an angle of aprox 15 deg from vertical ?  no way im altering the main rail or cutting holes in it. does that cut the mustard ?

[saltwheels262]

pretty sure that all cylinders are measured.

I helped swing a ZX 6 motor forward and down from a rear stud at a bub meet.
this was in the modified or production class. 2 people. couple of hours.

if it was easy, anyone could do it.



" it's not as easy as it looks. "
                                        ~ franey  9/07

[maj]

So should i reserve a space in the container Gary ?  looks like 6 so far

Try Drew directly if he does not answer here
you need 8-10 " above the plug in a straight line for the bore tool to work
i removed the extended ram air sections from within the frame on the 750 and Busa just to be sure it was easy access

[Stainless1]

What event are you planning?  The SCTA rarely measures every cylinder, usually they pick 1 and multiply.  The AMA requires every cylinder to be measured if I remember correctly
The FIM measures 1 and multiplies.
This is the way it was as I remember it, rule changes in the last couple of years could alter the AMA and FIM, I don't keep up on those very well. 
I would check with the orgs you plan to run.

[ol38y]

In 2010 at Bubs they only measured 1 cyl. on a V-twin. They came up about 25cc's short also.  I've had the same engine measured twice by SCTA and they only measured 1 cyl. as well. From my experience 3 outta 4 should be plenty.

[salt27]

They measured both of my cylinders and being a 2-stroke I had to pull the head.

 Don

Oops, I just noticed this is a Bub thread and I was at Speedweek.

[JimL]

You can make your own tools for the inspectors.  When they only fit your bore and stroke, you dont need as much room as the universal checker tool.