Rode down to Goulburn for a track day at wakefield park. Long haul there and back, left at 5am. It was damn cold before the sun rose and then heated up quickly. Managed to get Dunlop Alpha 14's in stock and fitted yesterday after work. They have superceded the Alpha 13, but I can't find them on the Dunlop site. In any case, they perform great and work better with more heat in them. I dialled them in to 26 PSI hot (without tyre warmers) and had my best session of the day, really got into the groove and figured out the lines. My leathers were in storage so I borrowed a set, just happened to be a brand new dainese 2 piece in about my size... I got both knees down but forgot there was no left knee slider... oops... First couple of sessions and the very last one were a bit meh, just learning the lines to take and getting some heat into the tyres at first, and then trying not to die of dehydration later. Packed up and went home at about 2:30pm with two sessions left. The ZXR didn't blow up and the aftermarket ignition does actually have a rev limit. But it does have slightly loose steering head bearings, and I will need new rear caliper slide pins plus a disc. I could get used to this track riding thing
Half ya luck prentice ... I spent the day in the stinking heat with my head up a Land Cruisers arse ... just for a change
Been saying that for years ..... no trees , no poles , no cars , no roundabouts , no intersections , no speed limit if only there was a track within reasonable distance
The story is that the local motoring fraternity here has been trying for years without success .... this would have been at least weekend worthy but theres no plans for bikes https://www.2fiftycc.com/index.php?threads/circuit-italia-nsw.9100/ http://supersprintnsw.com/news/circuit-italia-update/
And this one at Nowra is gone too. http://www.southcoastregister.com.au/story/4553783/yerriyong-motorsports-plan-abandoned/ Good news is that the local Oakburn Park committee have been granted their DA approval for drag strip and circuit but have now found a 'road block' with council over the tarring of the entry road from the highway.
Not just councils, regulations and whingers making things difficult and expensive. So they want them further away from people, meaning everyone has to travel further... Warwick isn't too far from you, right? It's nearly 10hours from me, 7 hours to Lakeside, the closest full track.
It's a shame the Gumtree scammers don't get to see my reply... In other news, I got the red across running, blew smoke for a bit, but cleared up. The rear brake wasn't moving, so stomped the pedal freed it. A bit. The piston didn't return, so stomped the pedal a few more times and it was working to bleed through. But this morning it was stuck, or at least not releasing, loosen the nipple and the brakes release. Guess I'm pulling the master cylinder apart tomorrow... No-shows on selling it, too.
Hey 2Fiddy Crew, A Happy New Year to One and All! Been away from the 2fiftycc fun for a bit (read: FAR) too long. Bought another '89 FZR 250 R 3LN (not running) so that I could combine parts with my earlier 3LN purchase. Now have a dilemma - sort of a good one. Both bikes weren't running - but with some elbow grease, swearing and rewiring, I have them both starting and running. Not well, I should add. Latest FZR seems to be running on three cylinders only - lumpy and one cold/cool exhaust outlet - though sounds and runs/rides OKish when warmed up (I have documentation/invoice to show she has had her carbies re-jetted, cleaned and balanced, and a few other 'issues' attended to). Cost the previous owner more than I paid for the bike! And she has brand new tyres - to boot, haha. Chucked in new plugs, and the HT lead/coil seems to be fine. Will need to get into her guts to see what's going on - unless someone out there in 2fiddy land has a 'quick sort method' I am unaware of or something fundamental I am overlooking (coz my brain is mush dealing with work and a very sick father)! Was the previous owner's daily ride but sat for a bit when he bought an alternative. I've flushed fuel, radiator, fixed the broken choke, fixed broken clutch activator, fixed this and that and so on. Keep pluggin' (when work and life permit). Here she is before collection. Managed to track down a few additional parts for the TZR in the last 6-8 months. Best score was a second-hand steering damper from the UK - Gecko Motorcycles (top bloke too). In perfect working order, operation smooth, perfect length, and seals intact - but bright blue and a bit grotty - arrived in no time. Not blue any more and clean as a whistle! Careful painting and masking. Also grabbed some 'ragged' alloy paddock-stand spools and 'half' a toe guard (was free). I cleaned that up and made a bracket to fit to the swing-arm. Lovely. While I was at it, I made up an aluminium instrument-cluster cover. Then had a test piece pro-cut. Fits beautifully over the foam original and just adds a touch of neatness/and balls - in my opinion. As the cover is the same on the FZRs, now I know it fits well, I'll get some more cut. (Anyone out there in 2fiddy or FZR/TZR land who wants one, I can get a few cut and work out a good unit price plus postage. I paid $30 for mine - but had to go through initial setup and material thickness tests. Not sure how much each - probably $20-$25 plus Postage? I'll make it as cheap as I can for all you 2fiftycc ladies and gents. If interested, drop me a line and I'll work something out for you.) Here's a couple of piccies of the latest work, which included a lot of time applying the tail decals: So, all the prettiness aside, it came time for her 'maiden' on-road test. I'd had her running a few times on and off over the past couple of years, so thought it was time. After fixing a small fuel issue (leaking line), a couple of kicks (well, 20 or so) and she fired up. She had been running very rich on lower cylinder (previous owner had a 'problem' with ignition/running/powervalves and plugs showed it but a fair bit of residual crap still begged to be 'cleaned' out) - so blue and black smoke and that irresistible 2-stroke smell filled the neighbourhood. Then ensued a ride - holy crap. Shiny old(er) tyres and her power-band an interesting and slippery mix. A couple of kms - and still all seemed well. Till I stopped her and she would not start again whilst warm. Fuel? HT Lead? Coil? Battery? Nope - dead plug? A few more days of pulling parts off and putting them back, some mixture adjusting, new plug/s and testing of leads/coils and I was hopeful of another blast of blue smoke. 43 degrees C and I'm trying to kick-start the little devil. Mixture still not quite right - pull and clean the plug (a few times) - and another 30 kicks! Away she goes. Another quick blat on her round the block - woohoo. Have been away a bit and haven't fired her up since - so maybe this weekend I'll see if she responds. Fingers crossed. Otherwise, next part of the project is to clean and respray an OEM 3XV Headlight Cowling (bought from Greece for a song) back to original colours - to match the original fairings I have. Want the option to be able to show it off as it would have been, at some point. And then to the FZRs. All the time trying to find additional hours to actually ride the bikes that are on the road! Oh, and finding room in the garage!!! Keep those projects happenin' - best wishes and have a top year to all!
Nice bikes. "invoice to show she has had her carbies re-jetted, cleaned and balanced" Sorry, but that does not mean very much, unless you know the mechanic personally.
Dragged out my 1982 Suzuki GS125 from the back of the shed(sitting since 2013), fitted a new brake master, cleaned the carb, changed oil and filter, air filter, valve clearances, a bloody good wash,rego some other minor service items and i was off on a 100km round trip:
Looks a nice little bike Stubanger. Was given a Chinese pit bike engine that had no compression a while ago. Looked at it today and the inlet valve had no clearance and was just a fraction open, allowing the compression out. Owner had spent $300+ replacing it with new one because he thought it was worn out. He could have adjusted the valves and been riding again for nothing.