The road rocket racing sidecar project

[Rocket Racer]

Great news for kiwi's, the NZSCRA is running another HAGD at Taupo on 30th May 2020.
Now my bikes still in storage (extensions and renovations) since the last one, but hopefully get it back next week and I'll get onto a top end rebuild to fix the smoking...
Bender my A10RR will be there making noise!
As you may have seen from the video, this is a non competitive take the public for a spin day.

The last couple of years have been tough due to some personal issues but now I'm hoping to have some time and energy to put into racing the chair again and even seriously scheming to build an A7ss based solo race bike if the stars align so I can run several bikes at each meeting. Now that might be a fresh thread ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnS9SZ26MSU&index=24&list=PLn0aB6wamNojvz14Hse84r_d9wzhsKEnz
here's a report of that link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FPNmOvzRiE&list=PLn0aB6wamNojvz14Hse84r_d9wzhsKEnz&index=27

[Rocket Racer]

Well that didnt happen and the top end still needs doing.
May have the garage vaguely tidy enough to tear the top of the motor off. Fairly confident the LH bore and valves are poked from a serious methanol bore wash during a race due to a stuck float. Needs resolving. Catch is I know the motors already on +60 and the only +80's I've got are 8.25 GPM's    Not convinced that'll cut it but the alternative is sleeving back to std which might be the best option as 10.5:1 are readily available in std and +20. If I went straight to +20 I could also fit some 14:1 alcohol pistons but I was thinking of going back to petrol to reduce messing around with fluid dumps each meeting.

Aim now will be to try and have it going for the summer (Dec/Jan) as a couple of other pre 63 rigs have come out of the woodwork and are more fun to race against than the small wheeled BMWs and Yamahas that hold too many cards to give me a fair chance.
 

[RDfella]

Stay with dope, RR. Going to petrol probably loses around 20% power and starts overheating worries. Also, I've always found alcohol motors more responsive then petrol ones. When the historic class here started lumping 350's with the 500's etc I changed my B31 dope motor for 500 B33 on petrol. Not the same pickup out of corners nor as much bhp throughout the range. Disappointing overall. If I was still racing I'd change it back.

[Rocket Racer]

Stay with dope, RR. Going to petrol probably loses around 20% power and starts overheating worries. Also, I've always found alcohol motors more responsive then petrol ones. When the historic class here started lumping 350's with the 500's etc I changed my B31 dope motor for 500 B33 on petrol. Not the same pickup out of corners nor as much bhp throughout the range. Disappointing overall. If I was still racing I'd change it back.

There's no doubt alcohol is brilliant, makes engine so soft and torquey. Storing the stuff is causing some stress with management as it needs to go in her garden shed for storage purposes. Having a carb mishap stuff a cylinder was annoying, so am planning to fit some concentrics which wont look as cool as my 10tt9's but also shouldnt flood and wont be having bias issues on corners (a sidecar issue as the bikes dont lean on corners). Staying on dope could also give me a chance to run my 14:1 +20's hopefully the engine would hang together, might need fresh rods though.
Am also investigating whether the new small fin barrel I have could be readily cast as I could do with one for each of my race bikes. 
Ideally I need some comparable high comp 72mm pistons, investigating that too. questions questions

[Rocket Racer]

Barrel and head finally off over weekend, does need a measure up, no obvious drama's and wear and oil marking appears consistent across top end. Do have a set of sleeves on order and a set of std 10.5:1 from Baxters, but might get away with fresh rings in short term and the head freshened... So officially now all my preunit twin BSA's are in pieces!
Wasnt planning on stripping the sidecar until the road road rocket was back together but conscious Christmas shutdowns fast approaching and parts delivery definitely slower these days. Would like to be racing for the next Pukekohe festival beginning of Feb so limited top end work the current plan. I know if I tear down the crank I'll want to replace the rods and need to rebalance.
Was nice to be working on it, this engine has endured some serious abuse and is still hanging together (famous last words). The engine has a patina from running on castor all these years, is the correct description manky 

[Rocket Racer]

After finding nothing dramatic wrong other than expected wear and tear, a second opinion review of the parts from an engineer mate, I've got some fresh (hepolite rings, had the bores honed and as there was some oil seep from the pushrod area on the head gasket, skimmed the barrel. Will also reassemble head and bang it back together. Have just bought a small ultrasonic cleaner as looking to try some concentrics, have a matched set of 30mm or a pair of LH 32's (might be hard to adjust) and probably run this season on avgas.
Would have liked some 3 piece oil rings but the hepolites were readily available and it will get a hard run in .
Fairings also get some further repair and will cut it down a bit.

I think the next time this motor comes down it'll be due for new rods etc, but its done very well for a road based designed motor not usually considered to be that robust. It's taken a lot of stick and outperformed my expectation.
I'm thinking that its next incarnation might be with an alloy barrel and nikasil bores for close clearances, perhaps a65 cams and followers  , scheming is underway. But thats next year if I'm lucky.

Have also entered the NZCMRR pukekohe classic Festival early Feb

[muskrat]

G'day Tim.
Good to hear mate. These motors are a lot more robust than most think.
I just got a 10 liter ultrasonic cleaner. It's first job was the rHonda carbs. Just had to break them down into pairs. Works great.
Cheers

[Rocket Racer]

HAGD 2021 confirmed for kiwis!

[Rocket Racer]

revisions for the Pukekohe festival early feb
fairing has been repaired and shortened which gives me a lot more room to climb around and shows off the motor. Am also going to trial running on petrol at this meeting, so have thrown some old 930's on.
Just need to sort out a number board for the RHS and the tank needs welding around a tap, having developed a leak. Carbs will be tuned at the track and the rings run in.
numbers are down for the meeting with only a dozen sidecars as we have a clash with the Burt Munro in invergiggle. I sadly dont have the time to do the Burt this year. Hoping the bike will behave, its been in storage with house renovations and of course the curse of 2020.

[Alex kettle]

Rocket racer that thing looks the business. Bet it goes well too. Really smart👍🏻

[Rocket Racer]

Rocket racer that thing looks the business. Bet it goes well too. Really smart👍🏻

Thanks Alex! I'm afraid my thread is up there with war & peace in scale and goes off topic frequently. but in summary the bike was an idea I had around 2007 when I was racing a norton twin sidecar. I liked the style of the daytona beach race specials BSA built. So I had a replica BB32R frame made and sourced an engine , gearbox, hubs etc (mainly came out of the states). I wanted something authentic looking and of the period. The first build was in 2010 and I've had a ton of fun with it. It's a great wee bike, a bit undersized capacity wise for its class which is up to 1300cc so up against bmw's, yamaha's, harleys and big bore trumpets and notruns, but is never embarrassed punching above its weight. I've been very pleased how robust its been (touch wood) has taken a huge amount of abuse. I fired it up yesterday for the first time in donkeys, bump start down the road... The noise was glorious!  I do have conceptually two other preunit BSA twins, but one is still not yet a complete pile of parts (will be a race 500 solo) and the other needs me to find time to assemble. Both are early alloy headed twin port motors.
When the engine was fresher it routinely saw 7500 but now in deference to its state of wear and the six speed box which keeps it buzzing, I keep it to 6500 ish, but it is rarely run below 5000rpm.
Tim

[Alex kettle]

Credit to you for building your dream. I bet it does sound a treat. Get a link up on YouTube with a video so we can drool next time you fire it up. I%u2019d love to hear it. The six speed box sounds interesting, I had to read that twice. I%u2019ve heard of nova 5 speeds but not a six. Care to expand, just curious out of interest.

Edit: even better a video of it racing!

[Rocket Racer]

Credit to you for building your dream. I bet it does sound a treat. Get a link up on YouTube with a video so we can drool next time you fire it up. I%u2019d love to hear it. The six speed box sounds interesting, I had to read that twice. I%u2019ve heard of nova 5 speeds but not a six. Care to expand, just curious out of interest.

Edit: even better a video of it racing!

Alex, nothing recent video wise, but here's a 2012 link before I had the fairing and with the original STD 4 speed at a track called Taupo. The current box is from TT Industries in Nelson. https://www.ttindustries.com/bike-gearboxes/ A lovely piece of kit, full replica shell, not a repurposed BSA one. very slick change. Highly recommend, they option a kickstart if required.
I originally ran a siamese with a goldie muffler but these days have bsa daytona style pipes and mufflers, she's not subtle soundwise on song.
Cheers
Tim
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ojp77AjtrMg&feature=youtu.be

[RichardL]

Saw that video a while back and still hugely impressed.

Richard L.

[Rocket Racer]

Saw that video a while back and still hugelyy impressed.

Richard L.

Thanks Richard,  The engine is really due for a rebuild but while its running have plenty of machines needing attention
Tim