SPANIARD DYNO
October 8, 2012
Note: old man in green is my old man. The guy sitting on the bike with a broken arm and doing the honours is Kelly (racing related injury) who I bought the bike from and who built up the engine.
I got the bike on the dyno on Saturday and ran her up to tune the new carb and exhaust in. The last time it was on the dyno it had a hideously loud but well functioning megaphone exhaust which has been swaped off for something a bit quieter to keep the peace. Whilst it was making almost as much power as it was with the megaphone (19.6 vs 20.4hp), the curve was on the piss. A few changes in pilot and main jets and resetting of the fuel floats filled in a large hole in the curve.
Unfortunately I didn’t have a new plug with me because it seemed that the current one was a bit poked. A tighten up of the gap found a bit more in the curve but we left a little disappointed in the result. Although it went off the dyno a huge amount better than it did when it rolled on, the illusive megaphone curve taunted me whilst trying to get to bed that night. I’ll get a new plug and consider having a go at moving the needle around but I’m really dreaming of how to quieten down the megaphone to an acceptable race level.
I painted the seat frame on Sunday which improved it’s looks drastically but with summer holidays coming closer and my wallet tightening further I don’t think I’ll paint it until next year… maybe. Racing is on this weekend and hopefully the rain stays away because I am beyond addicted and I need a hit of racing.
RACE MEETING #1
September 18, 2012
After torrential rain through the night I didn’t think this event was going to happen. Auckland’s weather surprised me again by clearing out and bringing the sun to dry up this notoriously slippery track. I went out with my old man who shot a few photos of me trying to get used to the bike, I really wish I could have made practice on Saturday.
The fastest lap time is in the 30 second mark with the top guys lapping consistent 31 and 32 seconds. The lap times the class I’ve started to race in are approximately 33 seconds to 34 seconds. I started the day out slow to get my bearings and ran a 37 for the first 10 lap sprint. The next was a best of a 35.6 then a 35.0. The last race session I put my best time down as a 34.0 which I was fairly happy with. The bike has plenty of power and I know when I get better I can start to hustle a bit. I need to find about 0.8 of a second per lap to be setting times up near the top of my grad but it’s the racing skill that counts and the ability to pass. Again, I’m frothing to get some experience under my belt with the rad guys who race every month.
Huge thanks to the guys who put this on whilst racing too, it’s hugely appreciated!
