1st time entrant

[jim reed]

I plan on running at Bonneville for the first time this year. I plan on coming with no crew as I have been unable to anyone willing to commit 10 days to the effort. The bike I will be running is a Yamaha TZ-350G powered machine. It is started with a roller starter similar to those used in MOTOGP albeit homemade. I ran the machine with the ECTA back in the early 2000s. I used bump starting there as the paved surface made starting easy. I'm 20 years older with spinal injury issues so bump starting is no longer an option. Given the above I have several questions:

1) Is it realistic to come to Bonneville with no crew?
2) Are roller starters allowed at the starting line?
3) Should I qualify for a record I presume impound is at the opposite end of the course. Correct?
4) How can I get my starter to impound? If I could find someone to drive it am I allowed to use my tow vehicle for the purpose?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[manta22]

Jim, I've come to Bonneville with no crew and I found found help easily. One fellow even drove my pickup to tow me to the staging lane and then to pick me up after a run and tow me back to the pit. Lending a hand and even lending parts is a Bonneville tradition that sets it apart from other venues. Yell "Help" and people will be there to assist you!  -Neil

[TheBaron]

Starting rollers no problem as I use one. However, you will need a bit of help to clear the roller from the start line after you ride away.

Good luck and welcome!
 Robert "Smitty" Smith

[drc42]

Impound area is near the pits so after your initial run and if you qualify for a return run (speed is faster than existing record) you should be walking distance from your pit area.  No issue driving to the start area to pick up your rollers to move them either back to your pits or to the far end for a return run.  Only thing I don't recall (it is in the rulebook somewhere) is how soon you need to do your return run.  Might be a lot to do shuffling your starter from end to end.  I am sure someone can chime in here, might just be you need to do your return the same day with no specific time limit between runs?

I was there in 2019 and was solo myself.  Quite a few of us do that and everybody is really helpful.  Planning on being there this year again and likely will be solo.

[jim reed]

Thanks everyone for you replies. A great help.

[donpearsall]

Jim, in addition to what the others have said, there is also the displacement measurement that you will have to deal with if you qualify for a record.
The bore and stroke must be measured by hand. If the spark plug hole is in the middle of the cylinder, no problem. They have a probe that can go through the plug hole.

However if the plug hole is angled or off-center, then the head must come off so they can measure accurately. That is a royal pain, believe me. Make sure you bring enough tools and supplies to get the job done. No measurement = no record.

Since my bikes are overhead cam with angled plug holes, it takes hours to get the head off and there is no way I want to put it back together on the salt.

Don

[jim reed]

Fortunately my TZ 350 engine has plus located vertically in the center of the head. Thanks for the info.

[salt27]

Jim, I have no clue how the BMST does measurements but I do know that the SCTA requires the heads to be removed on 2-strokes regardless of sparkplug location. 

When I asked why, the inspector said that they had there bore caliper get hung up in the ports before.

Maybe contact the BMST.

  Don

[Doc B.]

I was there in 2019 and was solo myself.  Quite a few of us do that and everybody is really helpful.  Planning on being there this year again and likely will be solo.

Looking forward to seeing you out there. Hope to give you a little competition this year if you are still running 250 M-CF. I think I've sorted out the fueling issue that had the bike running on one cylinder in 2021. Fabbing some new fuel tanks this month.

[donpearsall]

Nice work! Where does the NO tank go?

Don

[Doc B.]

Thanks Don. An odd sized older 1.25 lb. NOS brand bottle just fits in that last open space, crosswise down in front of the side cover under the carbs. Not the best mounting angle but it seems to work just fine. This year I've added one of Drew Gatewood's really slick machined aluminum NOS valve protectors to comply with the rules.

[Paulin adelaide]

jim , if you have documentation of your standard bore sizes , something like a technical manual , it will be invaluable for impound when bore measuring .for comparison .

[drc42]

I was there in 2019 and was solo myself.  Quite a few of us do that and everybody is really helpful.  Planning on being there this year again and likely will be solo.

Looking forward to seeing you out there. Hope to give you a little competition this year if you are still running 250 M-CF. I think I've sorted out the fueling issue that had the bike running on one cylinder in 2021. Fabbing some new fuel tanks this month.

Yes, running 250 M-CF again.  Had plans on doing a bunch of upgrades but as it is will be rushing just to get the bike running again!  All I managed was to clean the carbon and some mild polishing in the head.  My "record" from 2019 was way too slow, has stood too long!  Hope you get your NOS working and smash it!  If not I hope to at least bump it up a couple MPH with a slightly better tuned bike.  I am 50cc under the 250 limit so not really expecting to be competitive.

[jim reed]

Thanks everyone for the very useful replies. Had the bike on the dyno last week for the first time. Bike would not rev past 8000 and water temp and egt all quickly went past their redlines. Trying to find the problem. The engine is completely new component wise including carbs and ign and all internals. Suspect the PVL ignition. Had to order a new dynamic tiiming light to check timing with engine running. On the North American Road Racing Two-Stroke web site several guys mentioned problems with PVL ignitions.