And the story continues....

 And what a story it is..

The MT made way for a WK450 DTX, and I made it out playing with some of the best there is, end of 23 saw me practicing at a local private Oval, then on to what is to become my favorite place to ride, Greenfield nr Lincoln.

I had the opportunity to get hold of a DTX bike which just needed to be brought back to life after sitting for a while.

A flush of the carb and a general look over, a few kicks and it was back alive, running well, and no obvious problems, time to get a practise in, as I said I'm lucky to know of a private oval, and was soon  wobbling around, trying to put everything into practise and not falling off, covered in dust, grinning from ear to ear, booked in for the last DTRA round of the season, Greenfield oval.

The van fully loaded, everything in and away we went, a mission drive, but we got there, set up and prepared for the Sunday racing, Saturday was spent enjoying the action, drinking a few beers and meeting new people.
Sunday.

What a day, i had no idea what I was doing, just get out there and see how it goes, riders going by, but I stayed where I was, rode my own race and stayed on! 

The races fly by, and soon I was sitting at the back of the van feeling pleased I made it.

Next up IOW...

Still grinning from my first outing, I got the chance to ride at the IOW, and grabbed it, a ferry across and a very wet track awaited, all I can say is, wow, what a day, all over the place but the grin factor was worth it, the finals and speedway boys spot on, great viewing, and great memories.

But I wasn't done there...

Iwade in kent, a chance to go round again on another new track, and why not, dry, cold, and mad, but what else do you need..

A great day going out and round, just really getting on with the bike and trying to get some speed and above all confidence in what I was doing, you don't get long out there, and a soon as I was getting happy the day was over, as was the season, the off season was full of preparation for the 24 season, and a hoping for better results!

2024...

With the bike serviced over the winter, and a few goodies added, time to move onto the van and get that finished, and pretty much sorted it is, does the job, and although had a couple of issues, battery, alternator its been a good one.

The dates came out for 24, and I had greenfield TT in my sights, 

Amazing weekend, I can put into words how good it was for me, really good racing, and although at the back, I had a great time, and some good battles.

A few up's and down's followed on from the first meeting, then a major change, I heard of a bike via the grapevine, and went for it..
Something completely different to the DTX, a Rotax framer styled flat track racer, I remember seeing this bike at the IOW at the back end of last season, and it went rather well..

So towards the end of 24, I'm now back learning a new bike, which I do feel more comfortable with, and as I get a few more meets in, and with 25 around the corner, It may be a while before I update the blogger again... 

You Can Only Give Your Best, Even If You Know You Will Fail.

Be Lucky in whatever you do!

 

 

  

 

Erm.... well, its like this....

 its all been a little hectic...

the CRF, yes, Could have done better, costs going out of control, and covid tax really did hurt, the Chinese motor didn't want to play, and after some soul searching, rebuilding a blown 450 motor to be doing it all again a few hours down the road really wouldn't have sat well at all, so, a look around to see whats out there, soon had me thinking it was not going to be happening, CCM, Rotax, framers etc all well out the price range, so a home build was going to be the way forward.

XT, TT, XS, something along those lines would be good, but again, few and far between, but hang on..MT03!?!? 660 motor, and plenty about..

yep, you got it, I found one, no MOT, but all there and a runner, perfect!

Time to strip out the CRF bits, swap out what I could, and lets see where it goes...It all started really well, and I even got in a flat track school day, which was great, and proved the point of getting the MT ready, but, ah yes a but, on a return from a weekend at Santa Pod, the trusted Big Tranny started to make some very strange noises, and was soon at the side of the road rather ill.. 

A new turbo, cat and tappet bridge with a recon set of injectors had the old girl up and running again, but only for a short run, as the bottom end went south, and that was it, time to cut the losses, and move on, I found a Custom, reasonable money, and perfect for what I need, So campervan 3 is underway, and fingers crossed on this one, but the flat tracker is well behind, so maybe out for a practice before the end of year...we will see!
never easy, never straight forward, and never to plan.. Wouldn't life be boring!

The Custom, the Dirt day, that MT! 

So the CRF....

 I had a day flat track marshalling, and really enjoyed the fact its nuts, so, after a few phone calls, and messages, I found a bike that needed some work, but on the whole was all there, so off I went and a few hours later, well most of the day really, I returned home with a bike and a few boxes of bits, and a possible plan.. 

its been a up hill struggle with the Cerf.. the engine although new, really dont want to play ball, so another 450 honda motor is going in, as it stands, I have a garage full of engine parts, a few sets of crankcases, and a fair bit of re-assembly is on the cards over the winter, but hey, if it was straight forward that would be too bloody easy! lol. 

Wow... its all gone crazy!

Where to start..

The ZX6R..

After a final refit, the bike developed a starting issue, I spent many an hour chasing down what it could be, and came up blank.

Very frustrating, and just a little soul destroying after the work that went into it, but, if its got Tits or Tyres, its going to be trouble..

The ZX went off to a new home, fully aware of the issues, and what had gone into the bike..

The van got some more love, with a better bed and storage set up, some nice dark lining, a few charging ports and even a TV! 

Front suspension got a treated to a Polybush set up, and has made a world of difference..

The CRF..

Now that is another story.. and will be back with that at some point!

Stay safe, be lucky!

There's been a fair bit going on.. The ZXR is nearly finished, and looks good, a few little bits to sort, but nothing that won't take to long,

The big Tranny has been given some love too.. arches, underbody treatment, some rust spots sorted, a map has boosted the drive, and a whole day with the polish made a world of difference..

Then there is the CRF, now that is another story...

Be lucky, and stay safe! 

Its been needing some attention..

A weekend show some love...

Oooh a CRF..

 

 

The bike is coming together nicely, the wiring is moving on well, and just needs soldering up, awaiting new soldering iron, as the USB one went bang... well I did hook it up to a 12v supply, before reading the instructions... heated up quickly thou..

Exhaust back on, new gaskets and brass stud nuts, plus a few other little jobs, throttle cables and lines routed, little bits that can cause headache later, radiator mounted with fan checked.

A really good few hours...

Once the switch gear is sorted, choke cable is next, as I'm removing the left hand switch gear altogether, then move on to the rain/brake light...

All the best, and stay safe.

 

Time to sort out the calipers..

Had them apart, all pistons removed, cleaned and inspected, no damage or pitting, so after a polish and the fitting of new seals, happy to get them back in, nice new stainless bolts, and a paint, all looking very good..

Now, bleeding these is notorious for being a pain, so started the job on the bench, filled the caliper first, then connect the hoses, and bleed away.. 

It worked pretty well, and after a few pumps bubbles coming up the tube, pleased with that, got some good pressure on the lever pretty quickly, so all in all well worth suffering the cold...

Once the handle bar is sorted, it can all go back on, and the front end is done! 

Looking all nice clean.. the brake pad pins cleaned up with a little scotch bright.

All bled and ready for the new pads and fitting back on the bike, once the bar is sorted....

It was a rather cold couple of hours in the garage, but well worth the effort, and very pleased that its coming together again.