The Beta EVO sounding lovely and strong on the single lap I got in at Eastern Creek today. Unfortunately the bike broke a chain adjuster in the second lap. This caused the rear wheel to lock up and try to throw me off in turn two. To compound maters the bike threw the chain and it smashed the engine cases and alternator cover!
Broken chain adjuster main part!
Broken Chain adjuster minor part! Peice of crap!
I thought I saw a putty tat! No thats a great big hole that is!
In the single run down the front straight the bike felt loose, leading me to think we have it a bit step. Something to work on at Broadford. I pulled the bike down at the track removing the alternator cover and proceeded to Mikes this evening. We stripped some of the alt gear out and plugged up the cases ready for welding. Thankfully the big piece of case was jammed into the motor meaning we could weld it back in!
The engine certainly seems to have an oil leak from the clutch to, either the small seal on the clutch push rod or the huge clutch seal is gone. There is continuing seeping oil from the bottom of the clutch.
Also the misfire we had on the dyno was not cured by the changes made to the air gap of the crank position sensor. Increasing it to .9mm was a waste of time. Damn it!
Whats next!
UPDATED: 15 April. As far as we can tell this pretty much happens because the rear wheel is not done up tight enough. Reef the back axle up and you'll be right!
With a ride day scheduled for 7th March. I really wanted to get the engine working under load and see what the fueling was like. I had loaded the Nemesis with a map from a Hypermotard fitted with open airbox and DP cams. I know we did not have the DP cams in yet but this was a close as I could find.
Here is a quick vid of the beastie on the dyno!
And here are the results. The image below shows three runs we did today, and the 800M data. The ones showing 80+ HP are from the HM engine, with a peak at 95HP. A bit more to come with the DP cams when we get them in. The huge drop out on the dyno is a very strange thing and I believe its due to the air gap on the crank position sensor being wrong. Post dyno run I ran out to Frasers and picked up two different size shims for the crank sensor. I'll pay with this on track come the 7th!
Thanks to Harley and Geoff and RB Imports Caringbah for the help with the dyno.
Mike had finished the exhaust pipes during the week. As such we set about getting the bike ready for the dyno next week. We did not need to have clean air or the airbox ready, so we focused on getting the wiring loom back on, and the coils mounted up and the bike running! With some engine oil in we gave it a go....
Yes it lives, and it sounds totally horn! Hmmmm. I can't wait!
See a little different to the 800 but not by much. 10am start time
Today we threw the 1100 motor into the chassis and set about working on the chassis. Mike ground off all the mounting tabs for the airbox, while I played with the rear shock linkage. One of the big changes we had in mind this year was to lift the whole bike up by about 30mm. We used two Ducati 999 as our baseline. Measuring the crank centre to ground on both gave us a number of about 394mm. We inverted the rear shock linkage to get the ride height and swingarm angle we wanted. This caused a few problems with the tie rods to the swingarm needing to be shorted by about 10mm. Still small is lighter right!
With the backend done we threw the front end on. This proved what we had suspected with the forks needing to be 20mm further down in the clamps. While we were on the front end I fitted the lighter front fork springs we got from Nick Dole at TekNick. From 8.5kg to 7.5kg finally allowed me use some preload on the springs. Something I have been unable to do last year.
A few more adjustments saw us reach the 394mm we had in mind for the crank centre. The bike certainly looks taller which I think will look cooler to!
For the rest of the day Mike worked on the exhaust pipes. The heads on the DS engine have the exhaust ports at a very different height to the 800M. Mostly due to the extra bore, but there is certainly some design work to keep the port flatter on exit on the DS engine from the 800M. The rear header had to be dropped down further to clear the pump tank. Mike also wanted to put a mount on the frame supporting where the header meets the muffler. This is where the pipe broke at PI last year. The mount was designed to hold both header and muffler in place.
Once we had the rear header pipe put together we used this as a template for the front pipe to get the same length. With the work to match the header length, and put a new mount on the front pipe the right hand muffler had to be moved. This actually worked to our advantage with the new location providing room for the brake line and brake master cylinder.
We knocked off at 17:00 to have a beer and figure out what we'd do next.
A big box had turned up during the week. Inside the desperately needed cases from Tim at Imperial sports bike. The forward engine mount was broken pretty much where they always break along the casting line.
It took Mike about an hour and three welding rods to re-attach the broken section. These cases are not very good castings, and the section that had cracked off had a cold shut in the join. Meaning that the aluminum was not hot enough to join correctly around the flashing points in the casting process. Mean while I spent those three hours with my hands in the parts washer cleaning everything up for reassembly. With the cases finished I put them through the washer while Mike had a well earned smoke.
Repaired engine mount!
Mike set about shimming up the engine, while I continued in the parts washer. The washing did not last long before we hit a road block with the crank shims being to small, and Mike was all out of the correct size. I took a long shot and returned home to pick up the remains of my Ducati 800M, hoping that they might contain the correct shims. I stripped down the 800M and removed the crank, gearbox and shifter drum. Much to a massive fluke the crank shims were the right size. All the shims went into the shim box at Mikes for safe keeping, and I ordered another set off the net when I got home.
We made good progress with the main cases going together quickly once the shimming was right. The barrels and heads jumped on. Although the clearance of the conrods to the timing shaft raised our eyebrows. There is less than 3mm from the rods to timing shaft. After that progress slowed due to the starter motor and starter gears from the Hypermotard not fitting. As a result we had to mix and match using those from the 800M. As a result of the Sportclassic cases not having the timing trigger mounted in them, we had to use the 800M timing gear, alternator and alternator side cover as well.
Clutch side the bike flew together and by nightfall we had the thing all bolted up!
Some major changes in the BEARS club rules meant some major changes for the Beta EVO!
Our Plans:
• Install a Hypermotard 1100 engine
• Redesigned airbox to make it larger
• Set the bike up higher in a new stance
Hypermotard 1100 engine
What seemed like a pretty easy thing. Putting a Hypermotard 1100 engine into the db1 Beta EVO, after all the engine mounts are all the same right? Yes, but some one, aka me forgot that the HM1100 does not have the swinging arm pivoting in the cases. There are no bearing mounts in the HM1100 to support the swinging arm like in the 800M cases. A frantic call to Tim Meiners at ImperialSportsBikes from ebay yielded me a set of 1000DS cases from a Sportclassic.
Meanwhile we dismantled the Hypermotard and had it already for the cases when they turned up.
Hypermotard engine mocked up in the db1 chassis.... Tonnes of room.
Race report for the final round of National BEARS 2010.
The final round was at Phillip Island on 3/4 December 2010. I went into the meeting 20 points behind Glen Bauder, my major competitor for the title.
Race 1
The new exhaust pipe changes certainly have effected the bottom end, and my normal launch RPM just barely gets me mobile… Damn. It feels like the entire field passes by turn one. I over take four by the exit and another two before the drive to southern loop. Ahead of me Paul Coleman is struggling to get his Aprilia Tuona turning well. I get out driven to Honda by a 675 Triumph and am not close enough to attack on the brakes. Ahead I can see my title rival Glen Bauder steadily making progress away from me. A bad drive out of Siberia and Tarquin HOR on a 675 passes me in the Hayshed. Keeping the gas on out of here I repass him with ease on the entry to Lukey heights. I try to line up a wide tight move on Coleman into MG, but this does not come off, with the db1 not turning how I'd like under brakes.
First time over the line and Glen is three places ahead as Tarquin and then Dean Yagen overtake me on the run into turn one! Damn. I was leaving room to sweep around Tarquin into turn two, so now I do the same to the pair of them running super hot into the southern loop. Nice. I get the drive perfect down into turn three and Honda, leaving them in my wake. Coleman has started to catch Glen, and I set out to chase. By MG I am on the back of Coleman with Glen another five meters ahead. My drive from here is shocking and by the start finish line, I am three hundred meters back.
Using the only advantage I have, light weight. I haul them all back braking late into turn two. Ahead five bikes all fight for position. I follow them and place myself for a dive down into MG, where I over take Coleman and John Cardury (675). Cardury uses the power of his 675 Triumph to outdrive me to turn twelve. Down the straight I loose another two places as Coleman, and Mark Henderson (Ducati 1198) over take me using their extra grunt. I slide up the inside of Mark in turn two. Mark over takes out of two, we hold position until ahead in Honda I see Paul Cane being passed by Coleman. Damn that puts three riders between me and Glen. Getting a great drive out of the Hayshed I take Mark on the way into Lukey and Cane down into MG. Nice!
The start of lap four see's Mark and Cane overtake me at the end of the Gardner straight, I have lost six hundred meters to Coleman and Glen. Again I overtake Cane into MG, Mark is starting to carve through the guys ahead of me and making a nuisance of himself by overtaking all and sundry, bringing them back to me as we hit turn twelve for the second last time.
This whole horse power thing is starting to shit me, as Dean Yagen and Cane again blitz me down the shute into turn one. I ride around Dean in turn one, to see a massive gaggle of riders in turn two! The melee ahead has caught a back marker and they are everywhere trying to take advantage. I clear the back marker out of two and get a great drive down into Honda, overtaking Tarquin on the brakes on the way in. Meanwhile Cane jumps Glen into Siberia using the extra urge of his Ducati 916. Leaving me right behind Glen. I get my best drive all race out of Siberia and grab top gear for the first time into the Hayshed. Bloody fast but it pays off as I carry more pace than Glen into Lukey heights overtaking him mid corner. Finally I get a flawless drive out of MG and turn eleven and take the line three tenths of a second ahead of Glen! Awesome, five points back in the championship.
Lap times: 2:03.994 1:53.211 1:54.120 1:53.422 1:54.350 1:54.076
Quickest: 1:53.211
Race 2
It feels good to be ahead of my title competitor on the grid as Glen and myself take our places on row six. Learning from race one, I put the bike at six thousand RPM and give the clutch a quick fan to get the bike moving. Brilliant! I jump ahead of my row only to be overtaken by most of the field again in the run down to turn one. I keep a tight line into turn one using a late transition to two and manage to slip by Glen by the exit of two. In the sprint to turn three I get passed by Dean Yagan and a 675. I pass Dean on the run around three, and line up the 675 for an outside dive at Honda. As I am tipping in the 675 suddenly lifts to allow a diving Mark Henderson through. Holy crap, all three of us run wide. I recover quickest and drive under the pair of them running the 675 wide and reach Siberia first. Good one! Ahead I see John Price struggling to get his 595 Triumph turned into the Hayshed. Using a late apex I catch him in Lukey and pass him at MG. Excellent I am in the lead of the F3 field.
For the rest of the race I dice with John Cardury, Paul Coleman all the while wondering where Glen is. All the while the note of the engine is changing, and I can hear a exhaust header leak. Something is going wrong with the new pipes. I sneak a look down at the pipe under my right foot that looks good, and reach a hand round behind me and can still feel the exhaust in place, yet the noise from the engine is now deafening.
I cross the line ten seconds ahead of Glen and take another 5 points from his lead. In the pits I see that the rear exhaust pipe has broken the muffler where it was clamped on. Mike King and I work a few little running repairs with bits borrowed from all and sundry. Thanks to Jon Iles for the hose clamps.
Lap times: 2:02.539 1:52.957 1:52.449 1:51.711 1:53.956 1:52.755
Best lap 1:51.711 : 1:51.397
Race 3
The exhaust fix seems to have produced a massive flat spot at 7000rpm. I get a good launch yet find myself getting blitzed on the run down to turn 1. Lucky I get a break in the traffic and ride around most of them in southern loop. I pass Glen and force my way past Mark Henderson into turn 4. This is going great even thought the engine definitely dies dramatically at 700rpm. Down the Gardner straight the first time I get absolutely slayed… Damn! Still I keep ahead of Glen into Honda and I stay that way until lap 5. As I come out of Honda the bike gives a big misfire. What?? I check behind me for traffic. I'm clear as the engine signs on again, then off. I coast to the tyre wall and nearly fall in the mud next to it. I get a bad sinking feeling I have ran out of gas, flipping open the gas tank that is quickly confirmed. The blue sky is quickly joined by the blue air around me. As I realise my race is over and its my fault, the repair on the exhaust pipes has distracted me. Its a long push back to the shed. My first DNF of the year!
Back in the shed I realise that the championship is over and go and congratulate Glen. For 12 years we have been racing against each other, and its wonderful to see him take the title.
Lap times: 2:04.001 1:54.539 1:52.622 1:52.890
Best lap: 1:52.622
Race 4
Starting from the back of the grid, I get caught up with a bunch of guys going way slower than me. Still the bike is not working properly and the engine signing off at 7000k is hampering my forward progress in a huge way. I finish the race 3rd in F3, a bit disappointing but not surprising.
Lap times: 2:05.100 1:55.805 1:53.488 1:53.052 1:52.973 1:52.903
Best lap: 1:52.903
Wrap up: 2nd in the title was a good result. 1st was possible if we eliminate our own faults. Both mechanical and my race mistakes. Bring on 2011 and maybe a bigger engine! The flat spot at 7k we found to be the air/pressure sensor coming loose!
