GS1100 dragbike update

[jareness]

Loaded, ready to go to S & K in the morning...

Latest work:
18" aluminum front wheel w/ Goodyear slick
air shifter 80% installed
replaced stock headlight w/ fiberglass shell

[jareness]

Bummer

Started the bike Saturday night...was getting ready to load up for Sunday. Bike hadn't been started in two weeks. Smoked like all hell, looked like the bike was on fire. Saw oil drops sprayed on the 3 and 4 headers. It's coming directly out of the #4 exhaust port. I started it up a few minutes later and it hardly smoked at all. Sounds super sharp...It must be one of the valve guides or seals, yes? If it was the compression ring would n't sound right, if the oil ring how would all that oil get on top of the piston after it gets hot? Either way, gotta take the head off now. I'm so bummed. Not much of the season is left, and haven't made a single pass. I guess this is how it goes in this game. I understand that, but as a rider and not a mechanic it's hard to take. Ok, I'm done whining.

J

[blowerbike]

hmmm
oil can run down a loose guide and sit there waiting to be started.
if it was an oil ring snagged it would not stop smoking.
i forget if you have a valve job or head work.
is the head fresh or just a stock head?
if a person drags a "mushed" valve stem through a guide that will scar it to where it has to be replaced.
i may have just went to the track and seen how it acted once warmed.

[jareness]

Hate to say it, but...

You're right Terry. I shoulda taken it to the track, especially since it didn't smoke much on the second start. But to be honest, I'm not as resilient as I used to be. I'll regroup, but it takes me longer to get off the canvas these days.
Thanks for posting. It helps.

[jareness]

Forgot to mention

Head was recently Stage 1 worked at S & K and all the valve seals were replaced, but Scott told me the valve guides that were in it were servicable, and they stayed in.

J

[blowerbike]

go beat on it..there's plenty of used parts floating around for these dinosaurs

[jareness]

Hell yeah

Haha, that's the spirit. I'll take that beatch out next weekend for sure.

[trippivot]

I like the guides to be loose. I like the ring gap to be loose. if it smokes at idle fine. when it revs up it will seal just fine!!!

looks like a good start.. now I hope you have a log book or some kind of spiral notebook to write everything down. it saves so much time when you are trying to remember what and where every little thing is tuned/ set at.

[jareness]

Smokin

Actually, that's what happened. The second time I started it it hardly smoked at all. I just over reacted when I saw the spray on the headers. I thought the game was up. But you guys got me calmed down, and unless it rains all next weekend I'll have some news by Sunday night. And thanks for the tip on keeping a log.

[jareness]

How it went today

Well, no track times to report because...

after me and my crew worked on it until ten last night I still had some minor issues to straighten out earlier today. We didn't get the whellie bars on it until almost 1:00 o' clock today. Lo and behold, the GS1000 (the bike the bars were set up for) and the 1100 dont have the same placement for the top shock stud. The 1100 stud is farther forward, which caused the bars to be about 12-14 inches off the ground. They'll have to be modified to get them to around three inches and adjustable from about 2 to 5 (sound right?). We just didn't have the time left to get it done and get to the track today. I took it out for a short test ride to check out the airshifter and it was the first time my wife has seen this bike going through the gears. When she saw what it can do she was so freaked out she teared up and said we had to sell it. She'll come around. Anyway, we'll have the bars set by next weekend and try again.

Tech issue: the carbs had a Stage III kit put in them with 130 Dynojet mains (supposedly equivalent to a 138 Mikuni), but the idle and pilot circuits are still at the stock settings. The bike will hardly run until it gets to 5 grand, at which time it absolutely rips. Anyone know how I can richen (I'm assuming it is running lean prior to the mains engaging) the idle and pilot circuits?

[madjack57754]

Isn't it time to buy your wife something nice? 28 years ago I used the argument that controled conditions at the track are a lot safer that on the street. I'm still racing and still have the same wife.

[jareness]

Good advice

Very good advice Madjack. She had the same reaction the first time she saw me play rugby, but in that case I didn't have any problem packing it in. At the (then) age of 43 I pretty much sucked at it anyway. Racing is different. Just can't make it go away, ya' know?

[jareness]

Finally

Got the bike to the track today. Had probs with the airshifter (and the operator of the airshifter, more on that later) and never made a full pass with WOT. Ran out of air (probably held the button too long), missed the button (once I tried to shift by pushing on the bolt that holds the clutch lever, see above) , spun the slick, and on the last pass of four the clutch started slipping. The good news is that when none of that happened the bike was a pure joy, just hitting the button and the bike feeling solid under me. It launched super sweet, just kicking back on the wheelie bars and staying pinned there until me or the airshifter missed a gear. On the last pass finally got into fourth and fifth gear, and even after missed shifts and the clutch slipping went through the traps at 112 mph. Gonna change the clutch plates and wire up the shift minder and rev limiter before I take it out again. If I never rode it again today made all the work worth it.

[rapidray]

That's cool Jareness! Wait till it REALLY comes together! You haven't even STARTED to have fun yet!!! Let me know if I can help in any way. Ray.

[Steve]

Tech issue: the carbs had a Stage III kit put in them with 130 Dynojet mains (supposedly equivalent to a 138 Mikuni), ...

I thought it was the other way around.

Isn't a 130 Mikuni the equivalent of a 138 DJ?