Team Go Dog, Go! Modified Partial Streamliners

[wobblywalrus]

This motor has always produces best power with leaner mixtures.  No signs of overheating during any of the many tear downs.  Usually A 5-gallon can of gas lasts a full year including dyno runs.  Can't complain.

The bike will be on exhibit from 10 till closing, at Cascade Moto Classics, 13705 Farmington Road, Beaverton, Oregon.  I will be there to answer any questions, etc.  At 9:00 that morning we have the Triumph breakfast nearby.  Details are at www.cascademoto.com

Now a few late night sessions are needed to put the dang thing together.
       

[wobblywalrus]

The engine is built to be a hot street motor that will run on regular grade gasoline, have low enough cranking pressure to fire up on cold mornings without a roller starter, be drivable in the city and on the open road, and to give good gas mileage.  Also, it will not wear itself out real quick.  The VE is 105%.  Probably with some tweaking to the carbs and advance curve, I can get it up to 108% or so.  This is the best I can do with these street motors based on past experience.  This motor is a raving success for what it is built to do.

The book "How to Build Horsepower" by Vizard, on Pages 27 and 28 describes my problem.  Reversion through the intake tract at wide open throttle and high rpm is causing the mixture to go rich.  These FCR flat slide carbs have main air jets and main fuel jets.  Use of a bigger main air jet could be a solution.  Unfortunately, the #200 jets I am using are the biggest available.  What I need are new emulsion tubes with more holes toward the tops or to add a hole or two to the ones I have.  This will lean out the mixture at high rpm WOT to compensate for the reversion.

My timing curves are proprietary and I need to know what they are.  I need to find the software to make them what I want them to be.  Fixed advance curves from 5,000 rpm to redline are what I need.  The ones I have might or might not do this.

Figuring out what I need to do to get 160 mph out of the bike was a project I did last winter.  Expected aero improvements, less restrictive mufflers, more air pressure in the tires, and a hotter cams should do the trick.  My gamble was to use the oxygenated fuel in place of the cams.  That did not work so a realistic goal is 150 mph.  That is 10 mph faster than I have been before.  A 38-tooth rear sprocket is on the bike.  The engine will rev to 7,500 rpm with 0 percent slip or to 7,660 rpm with 2 percent slip.  This fits in perfect with the horsepower curve shown a few posts previous.

The big three things for fuel selection, in my experience are sufficient octane to provide controlled combustion, enough caloric heat to make lots of energy for good power, and optimum burn speed.  The leaded gas I use is fairly light with a specific gravity of 0.729.  My guess is it is typical of lighter fuels and it is volatile and fast burning.  I do not know about the burn speed of the oxygenated gas I am using.  This winter my plan is to test an oxygenated gas with similar burn speed to the leaded gas that is working well now.

This picture is from yesterday and it is the 996 Honda Superhawk I was offered to use as an LSR bike  This was back when I first started and I declined.  The yellow devil scared me.  Dyno curves for one of these is in my notebook.  Now the Triumph produces more power and torque than the hawk.   

[tauruck]

Never owned a Honda.

That bike doesn't suit you.
If I never knew I'd say the black  Merc was your car and you owned the bike dealership.
Take no notice, I'm delirious with flu.

[wobblywalrus]

Mike, I work for the state highway department.  A stick shift four cylnder pickup, Bonnie the race bike, Clyde the street bike, two mangy dirt bikes, and a funky home made trailer comprise the entire rolling stock around here.  The Superhawk a good bike if you are built like an orangutan with short legs and real long arms.

[tauruck]

You've got it all Bo.
 I'd love having the stuff on that list but I must say that the mangy dirt bikes are my favourite.
I can ride those. The rest not so much.
The State Highway Dept?. Nothing wrong with that. If your day job gets the same attention as the bikes do I'd say that Oregon is in perfect shape.
This thread is the first I check out when I log on.

[wobblywalrus]

We are proud of our road system.  The generation before us did a good job and we try to follow their example.

The photo shoot in the brewery tasting room went OK.  They had a paid photographer to shoot photos for their Facebook site.  This is a new concept for me.  The bird on one shoulder tells me this social media is the modern way of doing things and I should be comfortable with all of the exposure.  The bird on the other shoulder says it is a distraction and nothing but trouble.  The photographer left and the place calmed down.  One of the brewers took our team picture for this year.  Rose and our youngest daughter, Gretchen, are in the photo.  The heading will be put on sometime this winter when I figure out how to print using Apple. 

[tauruck]

Nice photo Bo.

I agree with that bird on your shoulder.

How come you only have an option to "Like" on Facebook?.

You're looking trim and ready.

[wobblywalrus]

Mike, I am ready to go.  The bike is fresh and running good and I am as good as I have ever been.

Years ago I built a long bike rack for the trailer.  The Bonneville was too big to fit on the rails made for the dirt bikes.  It was a moment of suboptimal thinking when I chose American Standard steel channel for the rail and loading ramp.  That stuff is strong and megaheavy.  The first picture shows those steel parts. 

The trailer spring that broke last year is a sign. I need to pare weight from the trailer or its load.  This new rail and loading ramp do that.  They are made from 6061 alloy with T-6 temper.  The channel rolled to Aluminum Association cross-section.  They are much lighter.   

[salt27]

Bo,It was nice talking to you and having a look at your bike at the brewery.

Thanks, Don

[tauruck]

I always learn something from you Bo.

I got a nice ramp from a friend and you could load a Heritage softail or any other heavy bike with it.

I'm selling all the bike stuff including my Bobber rolling chassis but the ramp will stay.

[wobblywalrus]

Don, thanks for the landracing.com stickers.  They are on the bike.

Mike, sorry to hear about you selling all of your bike stuff.  It will clear up some room in the garage so there is a benefit.

Standard operating procedure is to look at the water near the boat ramp before we go out onto the lake.  This is done if it looks like the trailer hubs will be submerged or heavily splashed.  The rubber cover, called a bearing buddy bra, is pulled off of the trailer hub.  Enough boat trailer wheel bearing grease is squirted into the hub, through the grease fitting, to preload the spring.  This creates positive pressure in the hub.  Then, down into the drink I drive.  No wheel bearing problems occur when I do this.

Last year a trailer spring broke and the bearing buddy came off on one side.  It was replaced with the standard pressed steel cap found on most hubs.  There was no positive pressure inside that hub when the wheel was submerged near the boat ramp.  Salt water got inside the hub from the oil seal side and it trashed the inside bearing.  I was lucky.  I got home and made three round trips to Portland and back with that bad bearing.  Now there is a bearing buddy on that side, too.

[wobblywalrus]

The goal this year is to go just over 150 mph.  The black band to the right in the picture is the engine rpm between 0 and 2 percent wheel slip for 150 mph with a 38 tooth rear sprocket.  The black band to the left is for a 36 tooth sprocket.  Note how the horsepower is the same for all practical purposes.  The 38 tooth chainwheel gives the engine about 5% more leverage on the track.  It is good for a few mph.

Usually I never run my engines real hard unless I am trying to set or up a record.  The plan is to run the 36 tooth sprocket at first to see if 150 mph can be exceeded.  It is easier on the engine to turn lower rpm.  Another run will be made with the 38 if I need a few more mph.

[wobblywalrus]

Rose and Gretchen left on the southbound train for a week to visit relatives.  The thrash begins.  Perhaps this in not the right word.  It implies brain stem logic and spasmodic and reactionary action.  In this case everything is totally calm and cerebral.

These bikes from the factory have a wide gap between the back of the countershaft cover and the leading edge of the chain guard.  It was even wider after the swing arm was extended.  About 8 inches of unshielded chain.  A chain guard was made to cover the gap.

The loading ramps are made out of 6061 T-6 aluminum.  There was enough left over to make the chain guard.  This is a moderately high strength aluminum alloy and temper.  It compares favorably to mild steel in some respects.

The pictures show the chain guard.  It is hard to figure out what it is from looking at the photos.  It was even more confusing to design and build. 

[manta22]

6061-T6 is the highest strength aluminum alloy that is commercially available. It has a good combination of properties.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[wobblywalrus]

Neil, you are right.  We could get the stronger tempers of 2024 here until a few years ago.  Now it is hard to find.

Last week I dropped my 1/2 inch torque wrench and broke it.  Both the 3/8 and 1/2 inch ones I had since I was a professional mechanic over 30 years ago.  The graduations on the rotating sleeve were painted on and mostly worn off.  It was time to replace both wrenches.

This was discussed with my middle son.  He told me the marines use Armstrong torque wrenches that are made in the USA and I can find the same ones at Home Depot.  He is right.  I bought two and the price is reasonable.  The graduations are stamped into the metal on both the rotating sleeve and the body.  The marks will not wear off.