Project The Yamaha R4 (Glacially Slow Project)

Now that is definitely going to take all of the guesswork out of it, that was one of the excuses I used to dissuade myself from buying a set of FCR's, that and the stratospheric price, but as we all know, sometimes stratospheric prices are sly encouragement, they beckon us like sirens, promises of performance unleashed and expectations exceeded - but I wax too lyrical

Good score

 

Let's see how I go with re-racking the MC22 carbs first and @kiffta very generously gifted me a set which had been cleaned with all new seals because I broke the cable spool butterfly end attempting to free a stuck butterfly on the set which I purchased to monkey with

I've also got a set of ZXR250 carbs to play with but agree with @kiffsta that the MC22 carbs are far superior in all respects

 

OK, so I know this process gets used to reduce frictional losses throughout an engine - the racers tend to be thorough, they try everything, then ditch the hocum if it just add $$ with no demonstrable benefit. Fairly certain this process has taken hold.

Given that there have been incremental improvements throughout engines in reducing parasitic losses, specifically the sports bikes to remain competitive...
Does anyone know if steps such as these are being employed on contemporary engine components as part of the package of changes which see the overall improvements we've been witnessing through the years?

I remember the Dave Moss build, and he didn't attack the ports and go for huge valves, Mike Norman paid a significant amount of attention specifically to details such as this to reduce the parasitic losses

 

Where are they using the DLC coatings on the cams? On the lobes or the bearing surfaces?

Interesting development because we've got the Nikasil on cylinders reducing friction running against hypereutectic pistons which are inherently harder with the silicon content, which was what started me reading about the Hypereutectic cylinders - fairly certain Yamaha wouldn't have developed their version just for reduced cost if performance was going to take a hit as a result

 

OK so I answered my own question here: https://www.mcnews.com.au/2020-honda-cbr1000rr-fireblade-217-hp/

What is interesting is at one Drag Race meet, a full set of the Top Fuel pistons was out and on display and they were as black as these cams - I always ask the guys questions whenever they have a little time to spare to chat and I must say that many of them appreciate the interest when you can see the amount of work that goes into it - they're not playing secret squirrel

 

Yes it seems obvious at this point that incredibly hard surfaces against one another provide the best friction co-efficients and it reminds me of some reading that I did into the Jewels, (rubies) 'claims' behind traditional watch mechanisms which used lubrication free low friction surfaces for the various parts of the mechanism.

Interesting the SP model uses Titanium rods with the outer edges of the rod big end having a DLC coating

 

Ti doesn't run well against anything. It has to be coated to avoid galling. Someone must have offered Honda a good deal on the machinery involved in DLC coating, they're using it more now. Used to be only on HRC origin stuff, now on road engines.
The RC30 rods have an early anti-friction coating which apparently can't be renewed. Lucky the ones I had here were all mint.

Super-hard against super-hard can still throw up some incompatabilities. There are instances where one surface won't retain a lube film - but we shouldn't see them as the factories ought to know them/

I hadn't looked at this project before. Interesting. The needle roller on shaft situation is only a problem when oil changing has been neglected in my experience. I've seen a lot of big HP high load engines that are fine with this setup.

I had an FZR400 customer back in the day who had Jap contacts. Sourced a lot of racekit stuff. Cams, pistons, rods, c/r gears - and that manual. Use it only as a guide - not gospel.

FCR's. I have the jetting specs for 33's on a FZR600 if anyone needs them.

 

Crtsyal structure is part of it for sure, but thinking on more recent developments like Nikasil, SiN hybrid and full SiN bearings and the hypereutectic cylinders that Yamaha is using - those are especially clever because of the polish/etch process which rebates the aluminium and leaves silicon protruding, no hone marks and it's oleophilic to retain a film and the Diamond like Carbon coating must have the correct oil retention properties for it to be used in the places it's appearing.

Another instance is Teflon, apparently the electrical characteristic of the molecule AND the long chain is what gives it that great friction co-efficient. It just doesn't want to interact with surfaces coming into contact with it, so it differs from the above, also it's softness limits potential applications