What's going on in your garage? Part II

[lecroy]

Sounds like your making some good progress. Did you try and ride it at all yet?

By bang, you mean when the RPM is lower than stall and the air cylinder is not active and you put it in gear (like it would normally work)?

Where did you set the stall?

With the bigger bearing, I wonder if you couldn't tighten it down a little closer to stock.

[rosco15]

I was contemplating on tightening up the basket a bit. I have 2 other spacers. One was too tight, one is in there now, and the third is in between the two. I may put that one in and see where it's at.

I only idled it in the garage and then bliped the throttle a couple times when it was hot. Next time I start it I'm going to use the air cylinder and try and ride it.

I'm thinking the banging into gear is normal. I recall watching other slider bikes kind of jump when they are put into gear. With the normal clutch it would go into first real soft. Now it's like bam and you know it's in gear. The rear tire started spinning right away. I stopped it really easy with the rear brake.

I have the springs set at about .790thou. and 16g on the arms.

[lecroy]

Get some video of the maiden voyage!! we are looking forward to seeing it in action!

I wouldn't go any tighter than stock on the shim. Any idea on what air gap you have? Let me know the stall too once you get it out.

I would have to see what your talking about but from what I can tell the bikes all go in smooth. Also, it's used parts, so what kind of shape was the ridge where the plates sit in? I have seen baskets take such a pounding that they get dents from the plates. Then the plates don't float freely and it starts to hang up.

A couple of the bikes have line locks. The rev. limiter is set just to where the chain starts to dance to get them to react for a pro-tree.

Without the line lock, just set to where the bike does not pull. I have seen them get too agressive and watch the bike move in the lights, followed by a big RED.

[rosco15]

I'll shoot some video of it the next time I start it. The basket was pretty much new. Not a mark in it. I have the air gap around 55 thou. Where are they setting the 2-step at.

The weather went from 60 yesterday to an inch of snow today.

[lecroy]

I guess I should have wrote 2-step rather than rev. limiter. I'll send you an e-mail.

In the mean time..

Finished up the wiring and pulled her off the trailor to prep. Took some shots of the new, slightly modified tub from the other side.



This is the biggest problem. I called MT to get the scoop on growth. There is 1" on the edges is all (about what I had before). I am already running over the speed where the tire stops growing so it should be fine.

[RacingJake]

All I can say Mark is.............. WOW, GREAT, Nice, Most Excellent!!!!

[lecroy]

Thanks! Ryan was a big help with the tub.

I did a couple of flow tests with my extra little fuel jet. Looks like my 7 PSI Hobbs switch kicks in at about 4 PSI. Need to get a few different jets before heading to the track. Brought it on the 2-step with the new compressor and it went right to 7 PSI. You could smell the unburned fuel and see some nice black smoke for a change.

Track opens on the 7th (if its warm enough).

[lecroy]

I finally bit the bullet and bought an enclosed trailer. The down side is I can't load the bike by myself like I could with the little flat bed. It could tilt, this one can't. I almost need a ramp with a jack on it. With the diaper she only has about an inch under her belly so it's not at all like loading a street bike.

The new motor is still sitting in the same condition it was. I bought some fittings for it and shipped the old 1100 head off. Maybe in a few more weeks. My friends street bike engine is still waiting on the head as well..... Wife will shoot me soon with all these parts sitting around.

I have been spending time coloring with the 64 Crayola set. I tried some of that high tech software, but it was beyond me. This was another reason to get the bike inside. I had some crazy ideas for it, but in the end went back to my original idea. We are in the 24 hour window with it. I will post some shots soon.

[rosco15]

The track was supposed to open last weekend. We got about an inch of snow at the house. They said Cleveland and Chardon got almost a foot. Winter just doesn't want to give up.

Mark do you keep the bars on your bike when you trailer it. I can get my bike in and out by myself. I use a 9 or 10' board. I put it about a foot down the ramp door. I raise the end on the ground up with an extra section of 2"x10". When I first hit the board the bike goes up onto the wheelie bars. By the time the front tire goes into the trailer the back tire is hitting the ramp and keeps the middle of the bike high enough to clear the back edge of the trailer. Another guy at the track made a mini ramp out of metal that he welded together. He uses it to raise the ramp off the ground. cuts down on the angle at the back of the trailer. Works great when no one is around to lift the back of the bike up and get him in and out of the trailer. I wish I had a picture of it.

[lecroy]

I remove the bars. I don't have a big enough car to pull a trailer that big, or any place to keep it. I have a pretty long ramp, but I think it would take about 30' to clear the hump where the ramp meets the trailer. I was not kidding about the 1". It just meets the requirements.

If I could lift the rear to get the bike onto the ramp, then lower it I would be set.

I could put the bars on before and after loading, but I don't think I could get it on my own still without putting the trailer on a slant.

On my friends bikes we have to pick them up by the bars and carry them over the hump.

Man, what a day. I took the power saw to the new trailer and got most of the stuff mounted. Then covered the floor in the black and white checkered pattern. Also got the wood all painted white. Still have a little more work to do on it, like lights. This is going to be way nicer than my old utility trailer. I feel like a real racer now. LOL.

[lecroy]

Ok, here's the deal.

With Ryan's rowdy red engine and my white nitrous controller I had to change her look. I couldn't paint over the engine or Ryan would never know if I was running it or not LOL!


I dedicated her to my late father, who got me started in bikes. He was a WWII vet and was born in the Black Hills. So I was staring out thinking flag, Mt. Rushmore, Bald eagle. Then I thought we should put his dog tag in the paint along with some of his other WWII things. I was going to have them put the pictures down first then go over the whole thing with the flag so you would look through the paint to see the ghost images. Sort of like the last time I saw him with the flag over him. After talking with the air brush artist, we backed off on this idea and planned to put the images over the paint. I was thinking it was Easter anyway, so it was sort of like he would be out side the flag, resurrected as it were.

There was a few weeks of prep work. The tail light was removed and filled and the large hole in the side where the starter cover popped out was filled.
I also had to grind out several hair cracks in the jelco. You may remember I made a custom low profile starter cover for her just for this purpose of filling that hole.

Once the flag was layed down, I went home and thought long and hard about the images. I just did not want to distract from the flag. I talked to the air brush artist and he thought it would not be a problem. I had him put my father's dog tag and compass over the tail section. But the more everyone looked at it, we all came to the same conclusion, the other pictures would not be added. In my original crayon pictures I had "In God we Trust" in the nose of the bike. We ended up putting head lights in but the painter wanted to include it. So it went on the top of the helmet.

Then I was reminded that Suzuki pays for the logo on the bikes. But there was no way I was going over an American flag with any sort of logo. So that was left off as well along with Fisher's. I think everyone agreed this was the right thing to do.

Still need to be wet sanded and buffed. Maybe I will fit them this week yet.

I think my dad would have liked it...

[rapidray]

That paint job is about the most BITCHIN I have seen in a long time! Ray.

[rosco15]

That is awesome. One of the coolest paint jobs I've ever seen. Can't wait to see that on the bike.

Post some pics of the trailer when you can...

[lecroy]

I passed your generous comments onto the air brush guy. I need to get the trailer finished up before mounting the Dzus fasteners.

The trailer is just a little Haulmark thing. 5X8. Nothing fancy.

http://www.haulmark.com/php/products/submodel.view.php?sub_model_id=70119

[Busafied]

WOW- Lecroy,

TASTEFULLY DONE!! 8-)