CBX Racing

[Syscrush]

A Go-Pro is one way to log that data. Some kind of integrated solution that also takes tach, TPS, and GPS would make a lot of sense if you can manage it.

[Warwick Biggs]

I wish it was fast enuf' to carry all those acronyms.

But I'm feeling better and finally got the NC30 off the bike stand after sorting out some electrical and fairing issues. So the CBX is back up there and I realised the clip ons were at totally different angles and one side was 3" higher than the other. You would think I might have noticed that but that was how I last rode and raced it without noticing. Makes me wonder what else I missed?

Big ructions in the Oz historic racing scene with international connotations. More news to follow.

[Syscrush]

You got that bike set up for Auto Racing in Japan???

[Warwick Biggs]

Hmm, not sure what to make of them Phil. Look like peculiarly modified speedway bikes but what the heck is that little sissy bar for? They must be kidding, surely?

The BIG news is the demise of BOTH the Barry Sheene (aka International Festival of Speed) and the Island Classic. No official announcements yet but they are both like Monty Python's parrot - quite dead. Victims of the pandemic. Nobody is realistically thinking that international travel is likely to re-commence any time soon. For a taste of what the former event was like check out this article on the last year I was involved in that event:-

https://www.mcnews.com.au/2017-internat ... d-bracksy/

That was the year I got into trouble with FIM Women's Commissioner Maria Costello for taking the piss (referred to earlier in this blog). But if you look thru' the report you will see we enjoyed a huge variety of rare and very special bikes from around the world as well as the attendance of many international greats of the sport. Perhaps never to be repeated. A sombre thought.

Now I have to go and warm up the Lump for an oil change. To do that I put it on a set of rollers and run it thru' the gears. Luckily I do not have any close neighbours to complain about the noise.

[Syscrush]

Hmm, not sure what to make of them Phil. Look like peculiarly modified speedway bikes but what the heck is that little sissy bar for? They must be kidding, surely?

They are 100% for real. It is a bit like speedway - it's a form of oval-track racing that exists for gambling - a bit like horse racing. The riders are the mechanics, and they live in dorms isolated from the world so that they can't (in principle) blab stuff that would affect betting lines.

Here's a demonstration with an Auto Race bike vs some Supermoto and Sportbike competition:


Guy Martin had a go:

[Warwick Biggs]

Hmm. The m/c equivalent of drifting - dead boring if you ask me but it takes all sorts. Can anybody understand a thing Guy Martin says?

Many people (particularly quite a few track day junkies on mega $ superbikes) are shocked at how fast super moto bikes can get around a race track. The Husqvarna 701 seems to be the weapon of choice but a good rider on a light weight trail bike on sticky tyres can often embarrass the knee down boys simply because they can carry much greater corner speed. Another factor is the instant grunt from the big singles, proving the old axiom that its not horse power that wins races but torque - a CBX strong suit.

[Warwick Biggs]

I am pleased to finally be able to report that the Lump is running as it should after some years of frustration and the expenditure of many hours by quite a few people.

Altho' it rained every hour just as the track was starting to dry out I managed 3 wet laps (on full slicks) tippy toeing around standing puddles and rivulets and it seemed to be picking up nicely from low in the range with little hesitation and revving out cleanly (and fairly quietly).

After lunch we enjoyed some longer sunny breaks and some off the racing line dry patches allowed a bit more vigor and I was extremely pleased to really feel the rear dig in and grip under hard throttle coming out of the double apex onto the straight (the double apex is in reality 2 fairly fast blind corners (being just over a crest) that can be taken in one sweeping curve if you are precise and use all of the track) and then hitting 9,750 rpm through 4th and just touching 10,000 rpm at the end of the straight in top. My gearing for Mac Park is a 20 tooth countershaft (this requires some shaving of the cases to fit) and a 39 tooth rear.

I haven't worked out the speed but the important thing was my midrange was back and it was running smoothly in all gears from down low to 10,000 rpm (my ignition cut out is set at 11,000rpm).

I did receive a complaint however. "The CBX is too quiet!". That was after receiving a noise warning after my last outing. I don't care. It sounds smooth with an unusual underlying burble audible on gear changes that had me thinking I had another bike on my tail but there was nobody.

Apart from the motor running sweetly I had plenty of ground clearance as you can see from the attached pic. I was way off race pace but I'm confident the bike is now race fit for the Seniors in 2 weeks.

Interestingly I had an A grader from my old 70's club next to me in the pits who was fine tuning his KTM 450 in readiness for the same race. John is 69 and was 8 seconds faster than my best NC30 time on his heavily modified super motard. Light weight singles still rule. Even tho' the thing was screaming its head off down the straight and easily passed by the big superbikes he was able to carve them up to the line with vastly superior corner speed. There is a lesson here for all those who think horsepower is everything.

[Warwick Biggs]

The 125 guys just make merry in these conditions. Slipping and sliding on a wet track is not where I want to be.

[cbxmel]

Looks great!!! Well done.

[Amgcbx]

It's nice to see that all your hard work and real world testing is paying off !!!!...... Beautiful pics also.... Hope your momentum continues for you in the Seniors in a couple of weeks......Thanks for the great info and how you continue to provide it.... I plan to wake my sleeping beauty after a 28 year nap and your very current testing and tuning is giving me some incentive, Thanks!!
xXx

[Syscrush]

Wonderful news! I'm glad to see you had a good day - I hope conditions are good for the upcoming race.

[Warwick Biggs]

I'm grateful for the kind words fellas. After all this whole project started out with ill health and my imminent demise. Something I remember each day. Receiving support helps with motivation when we hit the inevitable set backs.

More fiddling with a new bikini fairing/number plate that I actually started some years ago and then put aside. My old plastic plate was cracking up and restricted quick access to the dash wiring so I literally dusted it off and made up some light alloy brackets. I also dropped the tacho and reduced the overall height by an inch to bring it back to where it was b4 I lifted the suspension. Hopefully this will give me a few extra hundred rpms at the end of the straight.

[Warwick Biggs]

If you look carefully you will note that my clip ons (Tingates) are not matching. One has a few degrees more drop than the other. My spare bars are much wider and only kept for emergency crash repairs because they exacerbate bump steer; something the CBX is prone to. You hit a bump at high speed and if you are holding the bars too tightly it exaggerates the effect and can set off a weave. This is not a problem if you are aware of it but is a sensitivity most easily addressed with narrow bars.

Roly is sending over a new set of clip-ons that I hope to receive b4 the race. I will have to drop the front forks in the clamps to fit them and that will have to involve lifting the steering head with a block and tackle because of the length of the forks exceeding the limits of my head stand.

Getting the left grip off (and on) is also fiddly using the compressed air technique. I should probably take the opportunity to check the bearings and races. I have a special tool for removing the crown nut but may run out of time. We will see.

[Syscrush]

Getting the left grip off (and on) is also fiddly using the compressed air technique.

If this is something that you do often, have a look at Rizoma grips that lock on with a set screw.

[Syscrush]

No dice on Lectrons for a CBX? Somebody must have tried them, surely?

This is really late, but FYI I got curious and contacted Lectron by email about applications for a CBX. They do sell racks of 4 for drag bikes, but that's it. All of their multi-cylinder setups are drag-only - it's hard for me to understand how they could be so popular for trail riding on singles (where throttle modulation is so important) but not suitable for use on street or track riding.

My guess, and this is purely a guess, is that some of the cylinder-to-cylinder interactions with a shared exhaust and airbox complicate matters for their super-simple metering rod system.