Hi All,
I thought a nice little post match debrief would be in order ...
It was good to get answers to all of the unanswered questions I had before I left.
Q1. Would I get it finished?
A1. Yes! Monday afternoon in the back of the truck ... Scrutineering went smoothly, it went through on the first go. I think this build thread probably helped, no surprises ... except actually getting there. Chief motorcycle inspector Graham said, "I hoped you wouldn't make it" which I took to mean, "congratulations you made it!" I'm pretty sure there was a smile there.
At the startline:
Q2. Would it start?
A2. Yes! The starter motor had enough grunt to overcome any drag the clutch put on it so I could start it with both wheels on the salt. handy, because taking off would have been pretty scary otherwise.
Q3. Taking off? How many people would have to push it to get it going?
A3. None! A few more revs than at idle and away she went with #### all fuss. I'm not sure if anyone was more surprised than I was. The gearing was good for 210ish ... it's an incredible motor that can pull one gear from zero to that ...
Here's a video ... it's really not exciting ... which is why its so good!
https://youtu.be/SM7sjv7FjB0
Q4. Could I ride it back to the pits after a run? Loading it into the truck every time was gonna be a real pain ...
A4. Yes! See this video:
https://youtu.be/cHAN4IK180E I'm idling along doing about 60kph, maybe a bit more. It got to 97 degrees by the time I got back to the pits ... so the GSF650 radiator in 32 litres of water was enough to keep it cool.
Q5. Could I ride it to the startline?
A5. Yes! It was surprisingly easy to start and ride. I rode it to the start line for my second and third runs.
Q6. Was it fast?
A6. Faster than me. I ran in the APS class but the streamlining was the unused instrument panel behind the top triple tree. It was really tough to hang on to above 140mph ... I set the new unlimited record at a little over 142mph ... but think I was going a bit faster because I was backing off after the 2 1/4 and cruising through the 3. On Friday morning, after Greg Watters suggested I tech screw my clipons to the fork legs (they had come loose one run cos I was pulling on them so hard) I held on for all I was worth right to the 3 ... and went a bit faster.
Yup, 180 #### 1 miles per hour! Now that was unexpected ... Half throttle, trying to hold it open just enough so I wouldn't be blown off the thing.
She has plenty more.
Q7. Best week ever?
A7. YES! And not because of the speed either, but because of all the people who helped me get there and got me running. Steve "The Bearded Biker" and Paulie "Posh Irish git who flew in this year" were fantastic. Richard, Shane, Steve, Steve 3, Bones, Rodney, Greg, Kim, Ronny, Harkey, Graham are all top shelf individuals and all helped at critical times ... and when they weren't helping directly it was incredibly calming to know they were there and keeping an eye on things. A HUGE thanks to them and everyone else that wished me well throughout the week.
Q8. Errors, cockups, damage?
A8. Yes. But surprisingly few ... the whole thing could have been a disaster, I really couldn't tell beforehand. The left clipon rotating about 15 degrees at 140mph was probably the worst. The tank needs holding down at the front (we spooged in some silicon which wasn't a bad idea, Steve 3, but it stayed soft in the middle and oozed out on the next run ... so I used a motorcycle tiedown and that sorted it). I pulled the clutch and jackshaft apart today, expecting some rust ... and found this:
It's all soaking in white vinegar at the moment, another land speed racing mate suggested that last year. Works well. Will have to, every exposed steel surface looks very second hand.
Q9. Whats next?
A9. This is the list I made on my phone after driving 1,700km ... so its a little delirious ... but roughly right:
[ ]Nosecone (Greg Watters style)
[ ]Padock stand (lift off rear of frame)
[ ]Outrigger bearing support (off front sprocket) and front sprocket shaft re design so it takes the load off the main bearing
[x]Results post on build thread
[ ]Tidy wiring
[ ]Mount gsxr1000 radiator and fan
[ ]Bead all water tubes
[ ]Seat with bum stop
[ ]Electronic clutch (linear actuator, the Harky solution)
[ ]Fairing for front bottom of rear tire (to stop salt from flicking up from the front tire)
[ ]Mounting brackets for front mudguard (to cover in the sides, keep carbon top, gift from Richard)
[ ]Convince Walter to try one of his electric hub motors on my front wheel (2 wheel drive, hybrid)
Got one ticked off already! Good start.
Thanks again everyone, I sincerely appreciate every big or little thing you've done to help.
Cheers!