Nitro 101

The Ducati fueler project has finally come to a point where we can go out and attempt to embarrass ourselves in public.   

With the mechanical fuel injection’s arrival we can move forward with the development.

A more detailed discussion of the theatrics will ensue, but after finish-machining of the components, installation and plumbing, the bike was ready to test in the driveway.

(this is actually a burnout from earlier in the summer when it was still a turbo system but it still looks cool)

After surviving a somewhat inept burnout attempt, a full throttle squirt spun the tire for fourty feet and it didn’t blow up.  That qualified it for the next phase, the dyno.

Once in the dyno room it was a bit of a project to get things situated as the startup requires the shot of flammables to be added and the fuel turned on at the same time.  Once the motor was warmed up on alcohol, this was done and once the bike settled into its idle, Nick ran through the gears quickly and watching the exhaust gas temps not exceed 1100 degrees F, we vacated the room as quickly as possible as the exhaust fans weren’t up to the task of exhausting and your eyes and nose let you know.

Well it survived the second phase where it didn’t blow up, so the entry for Bonneville was mailed out that afternoon.    This is where the story picks up on the Bonneville blog. 

After returning from a frustrated attempt at running on the salt (rained out), it was decided to test the bike at Byron Dragway, and once again, if it didn’t blow up, off toValdosta Georgia and the Manufacturer’s Cup Race there.  In unexplored territory with a not too commonly used fuel capable of  tremendous power gains this is always a possibility kept in the back of your mind, especially using all stock parts.   

The next thing that would make the platform more user friendly would be the addition of the slider clutch.  This allows the rider to simply turn the throttle and leave, taking the application of the clutch and the vaguaries of starting line surface traction out of the equation to a great extent.  

Now Ducatis are known for their slipper clutches.  These are back-torque limiting units that keep the rear wheel from locking up on hard deceleration due to engine braking.  They slip the plates just a little bit.  You can do the same thing manually but it takes a lot of experience and concentration to do it in a productive manner. 

A slider clutch, on the other hand, slips the plates on acceleration.  The amount of slip and rpms the bikes launches at are adjustable to a great extent.  This allows the tailoring of the first 100 to 150 feet of the launch to be tailored to the conditions of the track and the motor, thus allowing the best 60 ft. times, otherwise known as “short times”.  Getting the show moving is paramount in a race of acceleration such as this.  Improvements in short times usually can be parlayed into a multiplier down track.  Say you are able to knock .10 seconds off the short time.  This often will show itself as a .14 to .16 second improvement at the end of the quarter mile.  There are amazing 60 foot times to be had, often in the 1.05 second range for motorcycles and for a Top Fuel car .886 seconds is not uncommon. 

Now I was looking around and discovered, to my non-amazement, that nobody makes a slider clutch for a Ducati.  We have two slipper clutches in stock at the shop, but as I mentioned before, they work in the wrong direction.  Now the hunt was on for what it took to make one.

A slider clutch is centrifugally activated.  That is to say that there are a series of arms that swing out in a small arc.  Weight on the ends of the arms located in the outermost piece, called the “hat”, adds force to the tips which in turn bear down on the pressure plate.  The pressure plate in turn squeezes the clutch discs together and, voila!, the bike (or car) moves forward.  To keep the arms from squeezing the plates together too soon, a series of springs are used to hold the pressure plate away from the clutch plates.  The strength and adjustment of the preload of these springs determines at what rpm the clutch closes (or engages) at.  There is a balancing act involved where the strength of the springs and the amount of weight has to be reckoned with.  The spring strength has to be subtracted from the arm weight force and hopefully leaves enough pressure to keep the clutch closed up at the higher rpms.  This is where there were huge gains made in the 1980s by Dale Armstrong using a second set of arms that, when released, closed the clutch up tighter and made for big speed gains.  Unfortunately we don’t have the sophistication in this initial configuration and need to listen to the motor and look at the clutch plates.

Once the basic and seemingly simple understanding of  the clutch function is grasped, the next step is to see what may be available to adapt to use rather than reinvent the wheel.  Looking around, MTC Engineering had a hat assembly  available and once we had ordered a sample fiber plate from each model they offered it was determined that the Kawasaki ZX-12 was the most likely suspect.  Ordering the hat assembly was simple.  Now came the challenge of fitting it to a Ducati outer basket and clearancing the inner parts so as to not hit.  The allowance for travel of the pressure plate and its attending whirly bits was imperative so as to not wind up with a handful of aluminum shavings after the first activation.  A trip to Houston in the van allowed a fair amount of time to think about and draw the approximations of parts.  Once back in the real world, however, things were different. 

Making the hat mounting ring was a bit of a process as it required cutting it from a sheet of chromoly.  Lacking the sophisticated devices to do this meant it had to be done at night so as to not piss off everyone in the shop with the noise and smell as it had to be done with an abrasive because the plasma cutter wasn’t up to the task, and conventional flame cutting would make for tears when it came time for machining. 

Eventually the parts were made to play well together and it was time to test.  A used Ducati 900SS on the showroom floor was chosen as the likely candidate and everything just bolted in.  Amazing.  On startup I realized that if nothing else, we had made a clutch that was louder than the Ducati stock dry clutch.  It was pretty scary to listen to at first at idle, but once the rpms were picked up and the arms started to bear on the pressure plate, things quieted down a bit.    Backing it off the lift and starting it up was a bit of a thrill as I had no idea what may happen.  Was the pressure plate too close to the inner hub, allowing the shavings and an instant one-piece clutch?  Was it too far away and wouldn’t engage?  The pack clearance was within specifications, but the primary ratio was unaccounted for in the speed at which the hat would turn and thus its actuation characteristics.  Clicking it into what I assumed was first gear a light application of throttle gave a twitch of movement.  Out to the driveway we go. 

Pointed towards a relatively open area, applying the throttle gave a satisfying forward movement.  Let off and it slowed down.  Good, especially the slowing down part.  More spirited application and away we went.  Now for the burnout.  Roll into some water in third gear and apply the throttle.  Sounded a bit weak and I looked back and the only smoke was coming from the clutch.  Nick pointed out that you needed to snap the driveline to keep from killing the plates.  He rides John Gilchrist’s Kawasaki H2 dragbike in Super Eliminator and has a lot of laps with a slider clutch.  Following his advice worked the charm and smoke rolled out at a satisfying rate from the rear tire.  Snap the throttle off and it quit rolling.  Good again.  Now to take it inside and take it apart.  Either it would go right into the fueler or into the trash.  Everything looked good so into the fueler it went.

Bonneville World Finals Wrap-up

The weather looked ominous as we headed west, but the event was still on, so onward we continued.  The extra weight of the nitro and spare motor parts was apparent in the trailer and the gas mileage was a bit down.  The hills are a lot bigger out west and it seems you are going on forever.  Coming down out of the mountains into Salt Lake City is always a special moment as we are nearing the end of the trip out and it is a spectacular view.  It is also at the end of Bob’s driving stint down the mountain and if you weren’t awake before that you certainly were afterwards. 

The last fuel stop before coming across the salt flats let everyone stretch and prepare for the last leg of the trip.  Just west of TooeleUtahthe rain started.  It turned into a downpour that discouraged everyone.  Standing water on both sides of the interstate and the median didn’t bode well.

Approaching Wendover the sun started to come up and the rain began to ease.  As we headed west the sunrise allows a shadowy glimpse of the flats.  The expanse of white gives it a ghostly appearance and you start looking for the vehicles out on the salt way before you will ever see them.  Finally we could see one little point of light that was the “end of the road gang” watching over the entrance to the salt flats themselves.

Pulling into the truckstop at the state line we called Jim Haraughty to see where he was.  He had called earlier to let us know that the rain had stopped just south of Wendover and he and Nick were out on the salt and where the heck were we?   A quick purchase of ice and a rest and out we went. 

The entry onto the salt is always an occasion that excites even the most jaded veterans.  It still sends a chill up my spine and I have been coming here four years now and racing for fourty.  The sun just coming up, even with the clouds to the east is able to shroud the place in fog and shadows.  It is now that the possibility of a record still awaits and potential is still unlimited.  Like at the season beginning of any racing, we are all still tied for the number one position in the standings.  Seeing old friends that are only met on the salt is always great and meeting up with new ones is something special.  Meeting with a fellow traveler Jim K. was one of those moments.    

Unloading and going through tech was next.  This is always an interesting time because we are usually bringing “A” series bikes to the salt.  An “A” bike is a special construction piece that is subject to much closer scrutiny than a “Modified” or “Production” bike as far as safety and workmanship.  When you add a bike in a 200mph plus record class, such as the turbo runs in or a bike actually running nitromethane, at least two tech inspectors are required and usually another one or two show up to see what the heck is going on.  The A-F 750cc bike and the long bike were both beneficiaries of this attention as was Jim Haraughty’s blown Triumph.  One of the moments I take pride in is when these bikes all go through SCTA tech the first time with no notes in the logbook of required future modifications.  This time they all passed right away.  Back in the pits the boys were wondering what was taking so long and started to get nervous.  It was just that everyone had to get a look and that takes time.  Unfortunately Lew’s Triumph was subject to additional efforts as the metal battery hold down was an item I forgot to tell Lew about the first time he picked up his bike, and the number plate mounting, although in exactly the spot shown in the rulebook picture, was not legal.  My judgment as to what was more important, not hiding a part of the rear wheel or having the plate obscured by the rider was in error.  Lew, Mike and Rob had a bit of a scramble to correct those items and I apologize for that confusion.  I was later informed that the number plate location shown in the rulebook photo and used by us will be legal next year.  I guess I am ahead of my time. 

Once back to the pits it was time for the trip over to the registration and souvenir trailers to get the crews signed up, wrist banded and vehicle stickers to allow access to the salt.  This year there were a lot of bands to get as we had the full compliment of four crew members per bike plus the primary and alternate riders.  

The weather was blowing hard, but clearing up giving everyone hopes for Wednesday. 

On the way over to the truck from the trailers I saw a 1471 mag cased blower sticking out from under a plastic cover.  They are what the Top Fuel cars use, so it immediately got my attention.  After putting my neck back in joint I talked to the owner and we discussed the various aspects of tuning that type of combination.  His previous best of 277mph was pretty impressive.  The description of a leanout, bang the blower and wreck the transmissions sounded familiar.

Once back to our pit area we decided to take a walk through the pits and see who was there we might know.   It didn’t take long to decide where I was going to stay.  The blown fuel roadster #911 was there, out and being serviced.  I saw them mixing up fuel so it meant they were planning to run it.  I had a chance to talk briefly with the crew chief, Jerry, and he explained the staring and warmup system they use on the car.  Last fall I saw this car go 304mph and was certain they had maybe 25 to 30% nitro in the mix, but the jugs they were mixing were labeled had “68.5” on them.  That is a lot of nitro to run through any motor.  Jerry had mentioned they went through 35 gallons per run.  At $30 per gallon, even mixed with 33% methanol, that is a bunch of nitro every time the car goes down the salt!   They put on the valve covers, hooked up the breathers and then,  dammit, they decided to eat lunch.  While it was only burgers and soda it seemed to take forever. 

Finally they moved the car back and directed the exhaust away from painted surfaces.  One of the trucks there was just recently refurbished after the last incident and they didn’t want that again. 

Starting is like a Top Fuel car because that is what the thing is, basically.  While they had a cast Keith Black block versus the billet blocks now required in Top Fuel, all that was missing was the complicated timer system for the fuel and magnetos.  Still old school that way.  After a brief discussion with an SCTA official who insisted a driver licensed for the speed the car was running be in the cockpit, the process began.  The guy in the car for warmups had actually been doing it for two years and the driver only a few times.  This was mentioned at the drivers meeting the next day. 

After cranking it until oil pressure was seen, the alcohol running system was hooked up and gasoline was squirted in the injector.  Spinning the motor over with the starter, the mag kill wires were pulled and the beast awoke.  After the obligatory puff of smoke out of the pipes to signal the exit of the assembly oil and pickling compound the motor was running on alcohol alone.  Pretty sweet sounding until the motor had built enough heat to allow it to be switched over to nitro.  Then the fun began. 

These motor sound a bit different than the ones at an NHRA drag race.  They are not as crisp with the throttle response because they are running a richer part throttle mixture to keep the motor alive on the salt.  Good throttle response equals wheelspin.  The barrel valve spool is cut in a different fashion to accommodate the need for enough fuel to keep the motor alive, but capable of delivering the power when the traction allows its use.  Barely controlled chaos.  It helped me make decisions as to what I would want to have the Ducati Fueler sound like.  Don’t get me wrong, it thundered!  Well worth the price of admission alone.  The driver of 911, Dave Davidson is the man!  A grey haired man at that. 

As the day wound down, we went back and put the daily use items back in the trailer and unhooked to head back into town.  Having gotten only a couple of hours sleep the night before, everyone was running on fumes at that point.  A quick assault on the hotel buffet and lights out.  Getting to bed at7:30seemed a little strange, but I was too tired to care.  

Wednesday, October 5. 

Back out on the salt we made preparations for the day’s activities.  The dailies were unloaded and placed on the tarp and most of us headed over for the rider/driver’s meeting.  Looking around you see quite a few red hats.  These are hats given to the members of the 200mph club.  These hats are given only when you set a record over 200mph, not just making a run over the double century.  With the record in the class the turbo Ducati runs in at over 251mph, the chances of a red hat for me are pretty slim. 

Updates on the “Save the Salt” efforts were given and the process and procedures for the event were outlined.  Rookie orientation was announced and then everyone took off for the starting line to run down the course they  planned to use to check the conditions and lines they hoped to take.  Me, I just was more concerned that the center of the course was usable as that is pretty much where I run.  Some of the guys in the past have made suggestions like “it’s a little loose in the middle at the 3 ½ mile area” that are well meaning, but if the bike is on a run, I usually remember this suggestion about mile 4.  Nick and I took the Zuma and had the throttle pinned the entire way.  Turning around at mile 6 we headed back into the wind and not only was it cold it was considerably slower.  Getting back to the pits we saw Fred, Jim K. and Noel Hackbarth, a new member of the crew in Jim H’s ATV with salt all over them.  They started out at the head of the line of rookies, but got sprayed by the trucks and cars used by most of the others checking out the course.  Noel commented on how your imagination could carry you back in time to realize that this was the same area that pioneers like Arfons, Breedlove and Bert Munro ran on, possibly even the very same course.  Sort of spooky in a way. 

Well, the weather started to deteriorate further with the wind picking up and rain starting to sprinkle on us.  We loaded up and were getting ready to head to the starting line after we heard a car coming down the course.  It was a supercharged Datsun and he went through the 2 mile marker at over 211mph.  At least there was one good sounding car!  As we headed towards the start we looked around and no Noel.  We had already begun our journey and with Noel being a new guy, we just plain forgot.  Slowing down we looked back and then started turning around to see him trotting towards us.  Once in the truck we proceeded to the line.  As we pulled around to get in line for the start, one more car was sent off and the rain was picking up.  The car pulled off after the one lime mark and the day’s running was shut down.  Standing water on the starting line and now the course spelled the end of the day.

Returning to the pits we loaded up the dailies and decided to pull off the salt upon the advice of a more experienced (30 years) racer.  He said there could be a foot of water out here by morning.  There was 5 inches of water in some spots and by the entrance, the lowest area we are involved with a good eight to ten inches of water stood.  We created a wake exiting the salt. 

Back at  the hotel we could only speculate as to what tomorrow would bring.  We did get a chance to meet Chuck Kalbach of the SCTA who assigned us our numbers and we listened to his stories of the past events that had been washed out and also about the new ECTA venue atWilmingtonOHfor 2012.  This replaces Maxton for the East Coast Timing Association.  It was encouraging to hear that it is only a thirteen hour drive for us instead of 24 for speed trials, but since the turbo Ducati isn’t happy with short courses, it will continue to need Bonneville for happiness. 

The next morning we got to the motel parking lot just as Matt Cribben and Jason Gullickson pulled fromWisconsin.  I felt bad for them with the odds looking a bit long for the event, but they hadn’t called it yet so out to the salt we went.   Looking around, all the surrounding mountains had snow where there wasn’t any the night before.  Not a good sign.  We all headed out to the salt.

Once there, the foot to 15 inches of water at the end of the road spelled the demise of the event, it being officially called just as we got there.  Matt and Jason were coming out to film for a documentary they are doing on what is need for a small shop to run on the salt.  Since that wasn’t happening, they were going to scout around the area for footage for their monster movie. 

Back at the hotel parking lot we unloaded the bikes and took the bolt-on ballast plates off and readied everything for transport back home. 

There were a few racers there and being the showoffs we were, we just couldn’t disappoint the fans.  Jim K. had come fromCalifornia, Jim H fromPhoenixand Noel had never heard a fuel bike run so out comes the nitro and we made some noise.  We did learn that Nitro 70 motor oil is very thick and resists letting motor turn over when it is 40 degrees out.  Persistence and adjustment of our starting technique finally resulted in a hearty roar from the bike.  Once warmed up, it seemed a bit sluggish due to the altitude and not having adjusted the barrel valve for the elevation, but still sounded pretty darn good.  It received a standing ovation from the crowd.

Loading up for the trip home took another hour and then we were on our way.  Sad to leave, but now it was time to get the heck home.  Snow just at the top of the mountains out of Salt Lake made for interesting driving the next 4 ½ hours and rain in Nebraska helped wash off some of the salt.  Arriving home to spectacular weather was a bit of a bite but it made the unloading easier and washing out the trailer less of a mess. 

We are looking forward to next year and have a full page of things to do to both bikes to further refine the programs for each. 

In the short term we now have to strip off the 80 lbs of ballast from the fueler and get ready to test it in anticipation for the big fall Maufacturer’s Cup drag race inValdostaGeorgiaNovember 11 – 13.  But that, my friends, is another story. 

I do want to thank the following people for their help and patience throughout this project:

Fred Weege:  Motors and Computer Fiddlery
Nick Moore : Tires, Brakes and Suspension and almost a ride on a true fueler on the salt
WJ Shields: Procurement and coordination on the home front
Jacki W:  Paint, turbo Ducati decals and construction of the body parts on both bikes and the Triumphs
Steve Dale: Pushing us to use the right color and assistance with the turbo Ducati tail
Bob Crook: Loading and Truck Driver
Louie Lamore: Loading and keeping an eye on Bob
Noel Hackbarth: Trailer work, driving, and entertaining Bob
Patty: Infinite patience and support 

All our customers for their support

The salty dogs chase their tales: The last day of the 2009 run

(another post that was discovered unpublished in the list. Well, we can look back at  the good run of 2009 to make up for the rain this year…)

SATURDAY

This was the last day we had scheduled to be on the salt.  The drive time back home had needing to leave Saturday night at the latest to arrive home in time for family commitments Monday morning (kids on the bus, etc.)  The event itself had been pushed back a day initially and the SCTA opted to run on Sunday morning as a makeup time.  What a temptation.

The weather was cold and calm heading out and it stayed that way as we unloaded the trailer and rolled out to make the first run of the day.  The early morning temperatures were in the 38 degree range, so keeping warm was a bit of a challenge.  Starting up the bike required a lot of choke and keeping a bit of heat in the motor was a good idea.  It was these conditions that would lead me to believe that more than 40% nitro could be a dicey proposition.  This is a consideration if we were to run nitro on our next trip out.  We have made runs with the top fuelers in 38 degree weather but we were able to keep heat in the motor long enough to get the job done.  The constant fear is the nitro puddling and relighting at an inopportune time.  This has similar results to the below sea level air (mechanical exuberance accompanied by loud noises and bright lights).

Gary Ilminen

The record runs from the day before ran first, as is standard procedure.  The daily runs started off with a couple of beautiful streamliners and then went into some door cars.  The electric bike then ran and left with a flurry of whirring noise, mostly from the chain.

Three pairs later I got to the line and after the prestart inspection I was sent off.  Pulling away from the line I was rewarded with a lot of bucking and popping from the Ducati.  This was followed by the motor quitting.  I figured restarting the bike on the fly was OK and just went merrily on my way.  Little did I know that if the motor quits you are done, just pull over and get out of the way.  Well they say ignorance is bliss so I must have been plenty happy.  Proceeding along, things sounded a lot like Thursday’s run where it blew up and with the banging out the exhaust I figured a banging of intake was coming soon.  Trying a couple more throttle positions and a quick upshift and downshift to try a different rpm range or two, I gave it up and pulled off before the 2 mile mark.  I have to say I was pretty disappointed, figuring all that work, driving and effort on the part of the guys here and back at the shop was going to go for naught.

The pickup was shortly done and into the trailer with the bike I went.  The last time I did this was in 2007 when I changed another ignition and nearly gassed myself with the generator running to charge the battery at the same time.  We have a charging system on the bike this year, so that wasn’t quite the issue it was before.  This time I figured it had to be the carburetor, so into the spares I went for the other carb.  This was the one we ran at the dragstrip last fall (another exercise in futility) and made 253 hp on the dyno instead of the 289 the other carb made.  I was out of ideas and options so on it went.  This process is a bit more involved than it seems because there are parts that need to be switched in addition to the carb itself, such as adaptors, cables and manifolds.  Another trait of the S&S carbs we use is its propensity to projectile vomit gasoline out of the front of the carb unless a spring is used to help the float press the needle on the seat.  This spring was transferred to the carb we were using and I forgot that until I turned on the pump and sprayed the whole front end of the trailer with gas.  I transferred the spring and still struggled with the leakage.  The new carb also required different jetting so a guess was made there on both pilot and main jets.  New cables, throttle and adjustments to them followed.  It was getting a bit fragrant in the trailer so the rear door was let down a bit to get some air.  It was at this time the line moved forward and I watched helplessly as the door went crashing down, breaking off the bumpers that bounced along behind the trailer.  I guess the good part of that was we only had one bike to load and unload.

Finally getting everything together I soaked up the gas in the belly pan and lit the bike.  It seemed like it wanted to run so all that was left to contend with was a slight seepage at the overflow if the rpms weren’t kept high enough to burn the excess gas from the higher float level.

It was about now that a long time customer Rhonda Rideout arrived on the salt after starting for Bonneville three days earlier.  She had said she always wanted to go there and now that she knew someone going it was as good a time as any to do it.  I am afraid I wasn’t a good host as I was still a bit cranky after the mechanical thrashing and needed a bit of time to reset my mind.  I felt an empathy with Burt Monro as I was just looking for “One Good Run”, the title of his biography by Tim Hanna.

It always seems the line never moves very fast until you are trying to get things done and true to form we were unloading the Ducati before I realized it.

Topping up the gas, with most of the previous tank going all over the inside of the trailer, checking the tires once more and it was time to suit up.

Getting to the starting line, it is a challenge to gather yourself up and put everything else out of your mind.  It doesn’t matter what happened on Thursday or even what happened earlier in the day.  The task at hand requires all of the meager resources my mind can muster.  Being determined to not kill the motor I left a bit of clutch dust behind and started out towards the first mile marker.

The motor seemed happier this time and as I shifted it ran well.  I shifted into third and gave it a bit more throttle and got some wheelspin.  Rolling of a bit helped it to catch up and I shifted into fourth.  I glanced down at the GPS and it said 163, but the 1 ½ mile marker was going by.  It was than I realized I had better get going if I expected to reach the 175 mph threshold needed for the next license upgrade.  I rolled up a bit more throttle and shifted in to fourth.  At this point things began to change and feel like they did in 2007 on the last run that year.  The wind was causing the shield to vibrate, making vision something of a blur.  It was till pulling hard so I clicked it into fifth and turned it up.  The vibration of the shield intensified and I saw the loose stuff in the middle of the track coming up real fast.  Not feeling very inventive I just ran through it.  The bike was starting to move around a bit, but nothing too terribly alarming, a lot like running across a frozen lake with sheet metal screws.  I peeked up over the fairing screen but it didn’t help so I tucked back in and looked between the tach and the EGT gauge, about a 2 by 3 inch space.  I knew it was faster than I had ever gone before as I saw the 2 ½ mile marker go by, but I was more concerned with keeping the markers equidistant on both sides in my peripheral vision.  I remember asking myself “Is this really what I want to be doing?”.  I think this caused me to roll off the throttle a bit and then the next bright spark was ”To hell with it I want a good timing plaque to show the boys back at the shop”.  I then rolled the throttle back on, the bike took off, and I was shortly after rewarded by rather loud bang….AGAIN.  About two or three seconds later the three mile marker went by and I looked down to see the right side of the intake manifold looking like you Mom’s purse unzipped and laying on the table.  The bike had quit running when the manifold split this time.  I looked at the gauges (the first time I could see them since the 1 ½ mile marker)  shut the throttle, hit the kill switch and rolled over to the return road.

After a run like that it takes awhile for the details to sink in.  I had just gotten my helmet off when a couple of the SCTA trucks came rolling up.  I had never been graced by their presence before and my thought went back to the coupe earlier in the event.

“Are you OK?  Did you lose any parts?”

I looked at the bike and it all seemed to be there.  I looked at myself and I seemed to be pretty much there as well.  “No I’m OK and no parts are gone, thank you.”

They resumed their activities and I sat there with no idea how fast I went.  I forgot to hit the “Start” button on the GPS so no data was collected.

I looked up the salt and there came the crew, with Rhonda.  At the same time a white pickup truck pulled up and three guys got out and started snapping photos.  I have no idea who they were, but I am sure the dazed look on my face was reward enough.

Bob and Louie came up and said something about 95 or 195 or 55 or something like that.  I was confused.  They saw the manifold and than mentioned the announcer said over the radio “Big bang at mile three, BIG bang”.  The announcer was over a half mile away.  All I could say was “this thing was f****n’ flying!”

We loaded up the Ducati with the knowledge that that was it for the event and proceeded to go back to the pits.  They let me off at the timing tower so I could get my time slip.  I climbed the stairs to the top and noticed the springy plywood.

Once at the top I said my number and they handed me the slip.  I couldn’t believe my eyes when it said 195.086 mph at the quarter and an exit speed of 195.655 at mile marker 3!  I just stood there for a bit and probably provided them their entertainment for the day with the shocked look on my face.

They were kind enough to print me off a second copy and I almost fell down the stairs in my hurry to get back to the boys and show them.  I can understand the confusion as I am entry number 9595, went 195 in the quarter and 195 as an exit speed.  Who’d a thunk it?  I do believe we are the fastest Ducati at Bonneville by a considerable margin.

After some serious hooting and hollering, I got on the spree and went to get the ticket signed for my license upgrade.  Getting the ticket signed at tech I then had to go all the way down to the starting line to have a starter sign off on it as well.  That seemed to take forever, but I finally made it there, got the signature and back to the signup trailer to get the actual license.  It was such a turnaround from just earlier in the day I don’t think it set in completely until later that night in the snowstorm in Wyoming on the way home.

Loading up the trailer, getting ready for the ride home took a couple of hours, but then we went to the starting line to drop Rhonda off at her rental car.  She was scheduled back in Salt Lake to catch the return train back to Chicago the next morning.  Her trip wasn’t as scary as the snow in Wyoming!  Heading back on I-80 was a relief of sorts and we couldn’t wait to get home!

I would like to thank a lot of people for their help and support on this project.

Jim Haraughty and Team MS who started this whole deal for me.  I hope we can do justice to the cause of raising awareness of and treatments for Multiple Sclerosis.

Bob Crook and Louie Lamour who accompanied us on this and the last trip. The help driving, loading, unloading and general good humor are greatly appreciated.  We couldn’t do it without their help.

The crew at Motorcycle Performance in Madison Wisconsin.  Fred Weege doing the motors, Nick Moore doing the tires and suspension and WJ working the counter to allow me the time to work on the bikes.  Also thanks to my daughter Jacki who did the bodywork and primer on the bikes, Steve Dale who did the paint, Leigh who did the work on the pit bike, and Samantha who put this deal on the website.

And lastly but not leastly my wife Patty whose forbearance and sense of humor allows me to indulge in these endeavors that can now be called midlife crises.  Before it was just another crazy idea.

*All photos courtesy of Bob Crook and Gary Ilminen

<!–[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]–><!–[if !mso]> <! st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } –> <!–[endif]–><!–[endif]–>

SATURDAY

This was the last day we had scheduled to be on the salt.  The drive time back home had needing to leave Saturday night at the latest to arrive home in time for family commitments Monday morning (kids on the bus, etc.)  The event itself had been pushed back a day initially and the SCTA opted to run on Sunday morning as a makeup time.  What a temptation.

The weather was cold and calm heading out and it stayed that way as we unloaded the trailer and rolled out to make the first run of the day.  The early morning temperatures were in the 38 degree range, so keeping warm was a bit of a challenge.  Starting up the bike required a lot of choke and keeping a bit of heat in the motor was a good idea.  It was these conditions that would lead me to believe that more than 40% nitro could be a dicey proposition.  This is a consideration if we were to run nitro on our next trip out.  We have made runs with the top fuelers in 38 degree weather but we were able to keep heat in the motor long enough to get the job done.  The constant fear is the nitro puddling and relighting at an inopportune time.  This has similar results to the below sea level air (mechanical exuberance accompanied by loud noises and bright lights).

The record runs from the day before ran first, as is standard procedure.  The daily runs started off with a couple of beautiful streamliners and then went into some door cars.  The electric bike then ran and left with a flurry of whirring noise, mostly from the chain.

Three pairs later I got to the line and after the prestart inspection I was sent off.  Pulling away from the line I was rewarded with a lot of bucking and popping from the Ducati.  This was followed by the motor quitting.  I figured restarting the bike on the fly was OK and just went merrily on my way.  Little did I know that if the motor quits you are done, just pull over and get out of the way.  Well they say ignorance is bliss so I must have been plenty happy.  Proceeding along, things sounded a lot like Thursday’s run where it blew up and with the banging out the exhaust I figured a banging of intake was coming soon.  Trying a couple more throttle positions and a quick upshift and downshift to try a different rpm range or two, I gave it up and pulled off before the 2 mile mark.  I have to say I was pretty disappointed, figuring all that work, driving and effort on the part of the guys here and back at the shop was going to go for naught.

The pickup was shortly done and into the trailer with the bike I went.  The last time I did this was in 2007 when I changed another ignition and nearly gassed myself with the generator running to charge the battery at the same time.  We have a charging system on the bike this year, so that wasn’t quite the issue it was before.  This time I figured it had to be the carburetor, so into the spares I went for the other carb.  This was the one we ran at the dragstrip last fall (another exercise in futility) and made 253 hp on the dyno instead of the 289 the other carb made.  I was out of ideas and options so on it went.  This process is a bit more involved than it seems because there are parts that need to be switched in addition to the carb itself, such as adaptors, cables and manifolds.  Another trait of the S&S carbs we use is its propensity to projectile vomit gasoline out of the front of the carb unless a spring is used to help the float press the needle on the seat.  This spring was transferred to the carb we were using and I forgot that until I turned on the pump and sprayed the whole front end of the trailer with gas.  I transferred the spring and still struggled with the leakage.  The new carb also required different jetting so a guess was made there on both pilot and main jets.  New cables, throttle and adjustments to them followed.  It was getting a bit fragrant in the trailer so the rear door was let down a bit to get some air.  It was at this time the line moved forward and I watched helplessly as the door went crashing down, breaking off the bumpers that bounced along behind the trailer.  I guess the good part of that was we only had one bike to load and unload.

Finally getting everything together I soaked up the gas in the belly pan and lit the bike.  It seemed like it wanted to run so all that was left to contend with was a slight seepage at the overflow if the rpms weren’t kept high enough to burn the excess gas from the higher float level.

It was about now that a long time customer Rhonda Rideout arrived on the salt after starting for Bonneville three days earlier.  She had said she always wanted to go there and now that she knew someone going it was as good a time as any to do it.  I am afraid I wasn’t a good host as I was still a bit cranky after the mechanical thrashing and needed a bit of time to reset my mind.  I felt an empathy with Burt Monro as I was just looking for “One Good Run”, the title of his biography by Tim Hanna.

It always seems the line never moves very fast until you are trying to get things done and true to form we were unloading the Ducati before I realized it.

Topping up the gas, with most of the previous tank going all over the inside of the trailer, checking the tires once more and it was time to suit up.

Getting to the starting line, it is a challenge to gather yourself up and put everything else out of your mind.  It doesn’t matter what happened on Thursday or even what happened earlier in the day.  The task at hand requires all of the meager resources my mind can muster.  Being determined to not kill the motor I left a bit of clutch dust behind and started out towards the first mile marker.

The motor seemed happier this time and as I shifted it ran well.  I shifted into third and gave it a bit more throttle and got some wheelspin.  Rolling of a bit helped it to catch up and I shifted into fourth.  I glanced down at the GPS and it said 163, but the 1 ½ mile marker was going by.  It was than I realized I had better get going if I expected to reach the 175 mph threshold needed for the next license upgrade.  I rolled up a bit more throttle and shifted in to fourth.  At this point things began to change and feel like they did in 2007 on the last run that year.  The wind was causing the shield to vibrate, making vision something of a blur.  It was till pulling hard so I clicked it into fifth and turned it up.  The vibration of the shield intensified and I saw the loose stuff in the middle of the track coming up real fast.  Not feeling very inventive I just ran through it.  The bike was starting to move around a bit, but nothing too terribly alarming, a lot like running across a frozen lake with sheet metal screws.  I peeked up over the fairing screen but it didn’t help so I tucked back in and looked between the tach and the EGT gauge, about a 2 by 3 inch space.  I knew it was faster than I had ever gone before as I saw the 2 ½ mile marker go by, but I was more concerned with keeping the markers equidistant on both sides in my peripheral vision.  I remember asking myself “Is this really what I want to be doing?”.  I think this caused me to roll off the throttle a bit and then the next bright spark was ”To hell with it I want a good timing plaque to show the boys back at the shop”.  I then rolled the throttle back on, the bike took off, and I was shortly after rewarded by rather loud bang….AGAIN.  About two or three seconds later the three mile marker went by and I looked down to see the right side of the intake manifold looking like you Mom’s purse unzipped and laying on the table.  The bike had quit running when the manifold split this time.  I looked at the gauges (the first time I could see them since the 1 ½ mile marker)  shut the throttle, hit the kill switch and rolled over to the return road.

After a run like that it takes awhile for the details to sink in.  I had just gotten my helmet off when a couple of the SCTA trucks came rolling up.  I had never been graced by their presence before and my thought went back to the coupe earlier in the event.

“Are you OK?  Did you lose any parts?”

I looked at the bike and it all seemed to be there.  I looked at myself and I seemed to be pretty much there as well.  “No I’m OK and no parts are gone, thank you.”

They resumed their activities and I sat there with no idea how fast I went.  I forgot to hit the “Start” button on the GPS so no data was collected.

I looked up the salt and there came the crew, with Rhonda.  At the same time a white pickup truck pulled up and three guys got out and started snapping photos.  I have no idea who they were, but I am sure the dazed look on my face was reward enough.

Bob and Louie came up and said something about 95 or 195 or 55 or something like that.  I was confused.  They saw the manifold and than mentioned the announcer said over the radio “Big bang at mile three, BIG bang”.  The announcer was over a half mile away.  All I could say was “this thing was f****n’ flying!”

We loaded up the Ducati with the knowledge that that was it for the event and proceeded to go back to the pits.  They let me off at the timing tower so I could get my time slip.  I climbed the stairs to the top and noticed the springy plywood.

Once at the top I said my number and they handed me the slip.  I couldn’t believe my eyes when it said 195.086 mph at the quarter and an exit speed of 195.655 at mile marker 3!  I just stood there for a bit and probably provided them their entertainment for the day with the shocked look on my face.

They were kind enough to print me off a second copy and I almost fell down the stairs in my hurry to get back to the boys and show them.  I can understand the confusion as I am entry number 9595, went 195 in the quarter and 195 as an exit speed.  Who’d a thunk it?  I do believe we are the fastest Ducati at Bonneville by a considerable margin.

After some serious hooting and hollering, I got on the spree and went to get the ticket signed for my license upgrade.  Getting the ticket signed at tech I then had to go all the way down to the starting line to have a starter sign off on it as well.  That seemed to take forever, but I finally made it there, got the signature and back to the signup trailer to get the actual license.  It was such a turnaround from just earlier in the day I don’t think it set in completely until later that night in the snowstorm in Wyoming on the way home.

Loading up the trailer, getting ready for the ride home took a couple of hours, but then we went to the starting line to drop Rhonda off at her rental car.  She was scheduled back in Salt Lake to catch the return train back to Chicago the next morning.  Her trip wasn’t as scary as the snow in Wyoming!  Heading back on I-80 was a relief of sorts and we couldn’t wait to get home!

I would like to thank a lot of people for their help and support on this project.

Jim Haraughty and Team MS who started this whole deal for me.  I hope we can do justice to the cause of raising awareness of and treatments for Multiple Sclerosis.

Bob Crook and Louie Lamour who accompanied us on this and the last trip. The help driving, loading, unloading and general good humor are greatly appreciated.  We couldn’t do it without their help.

The crew at Motorcycle Performance in Madison Wisconsin.  Fred Weege doing the motors, Nick Moore doing the tires and suspension and WJ working the counter to allow me the time to work on the bikes.  Also thanks to my daughter Jackie who did the bodywork and primer on the bikes, Steve Dale who did the paint, Leigh who did the work on the pit bike, and Samantha who put this deal on the website.

And lastly but not leastly my wife Patty whose forbearance and sense of humor allows me to indulge in these endeavors that can now be called midlife crises.  Before it was just

another crazy idea.

Drag Ducati Project: The reason and beginnings

 (this post was from a while ago – rediscovered and now posted)

DRAG DUCATI PROJECT     2010 – 2011

Part 1.   THE REASON AND BEGINNINGS

Never let it be said that there had to be a reason to build a bike, but in this case there was.  Our Bonneville Ducati project had stalled and the process of testing was very cumbersome both in the dyno room and in the real world. 

The necessity for electronic fuel injection (EFI) made itself known during the World Finals at Bonneville in October of 2009.  Two intake manifold explosions brought that fact home emphatically.  After returning, I read an article about a supercharged Mustang that suffered from a similar malady.  Moving the fuel being delivered to a point under the throttle blades and closer to the motor reduced the size of the air/fuel charge just hanging out in the intake tubes and plenum looking for something to do.  This something can be an explosion caused by a lean backfire, hanging an intake valve or the ignition having an episode and usually results in a loud, distracting bang. 

Venturing into the introduction of EFI would require a considerable amount of both dyno and real-world testing time.  To set the dyno up for testing the Bonneville chassis involves the installation of two extensions to the front wheel clamp that basically puts the front wheel against the wall of the dyno room.  To assemble and tear down this adaptation is a two –hour process and doesn’t lend itself to smooth operation of the dyno for our paying customers.  It also takes three or four people to maneuver the long bike into the room and not tear anything off the bike in the process.  The previous real world testing of the long bike at Byron Dragway got a lot of strange looks and during a run down the track it was spinning the wheel at 600 feet and again going through the timing lights at the end of the quarter mile.  The excessive wheelspin and the attending engine rpm are what I suspect contributed to the loss of a crankshaft.  All in all not very productive. 

The obvious solution was a chassis that could accommodate the motor, manifolding and horsepower that didn’t require the disassembly of the dyno and doubled as a platform that could yield some real world results at the dragstrip.  Looking back into my reference area I didn’t see anyone who had ever built a ProGas type chassis for a Ducati (or any other dragstrip-only Ducati chassis for that matter).  The group led by Wayne Patterson in Australia with a modified stock chassis was as close as you could get.  That left us to take care of that problem ourselves. 

The last three bike chassis had been built for Bonneville, so we needed to change back to a previous thought processes.  While Bonneville has very little weight transfer to deal with, the dragstrip needs a chassis capable of loading the rear tire in a productive manner.  We elected to go with a solid rear end and use the weight distribution and power delivery characteristics to achieve that weight transfer.  Another factor to consider is the possible use of this chassis as the basis of a Ducati dragracing platform for sale in the future.  Something I have wanted to do for quite some time was develop a platform from which a person or team could learn to run a nitromethane-powered bike.  At this point in time the only way to do that is with a Harley or a Top Fueler.  There really isn’t a stepping stone to these classes.  I will give the turbo bikes their due.  We started running a turbo Kawasaki in Top Fuel in 1982, but switched to supercharged nitro halfway through the season after hearing Elmer Trett’s bike at Columbus.  The turbo did well for us, but nothing, and I mean nothing can compare to the sound, smell and sensory overload a nitro bike can give you.  My ultimate goal is to have enough money and time to run nitro at Bonneville.  A nitro rush lasting minutes, not seconds.  We have purchased 55 gallons of the stuff to try and make that happen.

The trick to this program would be to build a chassis capable of running the turbo for testing and then be able to be converted to injected nitro once the turbo was sorted out.  Component location and weights became critical.  An eye towards light weight again was brought to bear and this is where the roadracing and Top Fuel Bike and Car experience comes into play.

It is at this point in time I feel it is appropriate to mention the passing of a true genius and master chassis builder, Jim Ditullio, also known as “Puppet”.  He was based out of the Buffalo New York area and was the creator of chassis for Elmer Trett,  Jim McClure, and Larry McBride among many.  I never had the opportunity to meet the man personally, one the few regrets I have, but his innovative approach to solving problems with the use of moly tubing was unique and will be sorely missed.  I truly would have liked to see his solution to the problems of the Ducati project.  His work was beautiful and worked. 

Looking at a horsepower level of the turbo to be in the 300 to 320hp range, a certain amount of stiffness in the rear of the chassis was called for.  Figuring out the quality of track surface the bike was to run on was crucial to determining the crank height and distance out from the rear axle would work best.  Too far out and the weight wouldn’t transfer, leading to smoking the tire.  Too far back and/or too high and the bike would want to transfer too much weight initially and flip over backwards or crash onto the wheelie bar and unload the tire.  The track we run at the most in recent years is Byron Dragway in Byron IL.  Ron Leek, the owner, has a track that was the scene of four-wide dragraces long before Charlotte was a dream.  It is where we tested our Top Fuel Bikes and when properly prepared, has a superb surface, traction-wise.  An anticipated bike weight of 285 to 295 lbs and planning to run the 7 ½ x 17 Mickey Thompson slick would give a good launch without the extra learning curve a 10” wide tire would entail.  I have seen bikes run low 7 second passes on this tire.  This might get a few converts from the turbo Hayabusa crowd. 

This being potentially a production prototype, an eye towards the rider not experienced in riding a longer wheelbase bike had to be considered.  A relatively steep 30 degree rake angle was chosen as the bike would then be more “driveable” out of the gate, rather than the response of a 45 degree nose, which is a bit more cumbersome.  It also keeps the visual appearance of the bike from tending towards the extreme, and a bit more in keeping with the “ProStreet” appearance in vogue today.   

Determining the wheelbase involved a few checks in the rulebook to see what wheelbase required wheelie bars in which classes.  A 76 inch wheelbase was arrived at for this reason.  It was long enough to be stable, yet still fit on an unmodified dyno carriage.  The addition of wheelie bars can still be accommodated with the right choice of rear end components.  The responsiveness of that length chassis again will accommodate the newcomer to purpose-built dragbikes. 

Crank distance from the rear axle, as I mentioned earlier, determines the dynamic weight transfer characteristics of the chassis.  If I had built another twin cylinder dragbike within the last 15 years it might be easier to determine that location.  The last twin cylinder dragbike we did was a B-Fuel Harley in 1985 that finished #5 in the country and set the speed record in the quarter mile that year.  It was a high gear only iron head, carbureted Sportster.  Not a lot of cross-over, but some of its desirable traits could be brought forward. 

To reduce the violence of the launch a fairly long crank to rear axle distance was needed.  Tire technology has improved and tunability of the low speed characteristics has likewise become more quantifiable.  The data acquisition and adjustability of the modern engine management systems is incredible compared to that of ten years ago.  This makes the launch more tunable, but you still have to have the basic physical weight transfer occur to allow the most effective application of power to the track.  This is also a needed aspect of a roadracing chassis where “roll centers” and weight transfer is not only fore and aft, but side to side as well.  Tuning the roadracing chassis is primarily done with suspension adjustments (one the initial weight bias is properly set) where the dragracing chassis is tuned with component location (including the rider) and the clutch (assuming the power is there). 

The distance to the ground from the crank centerline is another consideration that is constrained by rules within the various sanctioning bodies.  A safe rule of thumb is 2 ½ inches of ground clearance with the tire at 6 psi and the rider seated on the bike.  (Bonneville requires 4 inches of clearance between the seat/tail section and the ground, but no specific clearance minimum ahead of that.)  The theory is that a violent launch and a quick chop of the throttle or sudden braking or a possible off-track excursion should keep the oil pan and exhaust from hitting the ground.  Mind you, I said in theory.  With a bike using wheelie bars this is likely to be true, with a no-bar bike, much less so.  Our concern at this time is the difference in sump depth encountered between the Ducati 999 standard and the 999 deep sump cases.  This can be a difference of about four inches, which is considerable. 

Using the crank location of the Bonneville bike as a start, the crank height was set a bit higher.  With the Bonneville bike having a 98 inch wheelbase and a 162 link chain, a compromise was achieved to try and get the best balance of launch and traction (theoretically).  The hope is that the deep sump cases we plan to use for the nitro part of this project won’t be too much of a challenge in the ground clearance area.  The deep sump is desirable to reduce the oil dilution from the nitro by increasing crankcase capacity and reduce the possible oil pump starvation due to acceleration.  It’s a bit of a guess because I can’t afford a set right now and need to eat a few more weeks of cold sandwich lunches before we can get a set in here. 

Well, it finally comes to the do-it stage and the components and dimension definition parts are loaded onto the frame jig. 

As you can see, even at this early stage there are things that get priority and need to miss and not interfere with other things.  Much like the construction of a building, there are certain things that have to go certain places.  It is a bit different in the construction of a motorcycle in that the beams (frame tubes) are important, but once the engine and rear wheel relationship is established the chain run is god.  You can’t have a frame tube or suspension component in the way.  There is no negotiating.  Here the final gear ratios of the bike need to be determined along with the pitch of the chain.  The gear ratios will determine the size of the sprockets.  Generally you want to have at least 15 to 16 teeth on the countershaft on a bike making 200 plus horsepower.  This helps assure you have enough teeth engaged to transfer the power safely, not relying on too few teeth to do the job.  This is called sprocket wrap. We use a custom made 18 tooth sprocket on the Land Speed Ducati and a similar 16 tooth sprocket on the Drag Ducati project as shown here.

Another concern is the use of belt drives, whether it is for a supercharger, magneto/fuel pump, primary or final drive.  If too few teeth are engaged, off the teeth come with at the least an embarrassing end and in other cases, disaster; when a primary belt fails and over-revs the motor or a supercharger belt fails and knocks off the mag belt thus introducing random ignition timing and subsequent destruction.  Ask me how I know.  A relatively large countershaft sprocket allows a bit of location flexibility in the instance of the cross bracing of an outboard support tube. 

The rear sprocket’s number of teeth needs to be calculated to allow the projected mph to be attained.  There are a number of gearing calculators on the web.  One that is interesting is the RB Racing website.  A certain flexibility in the number of teeth is needed to allow for a stronger or weaker power delivery than planned.  Plus or minus four teeth is ideal, but with some bracing requirements may be difficult.  The wider the tire and the more power the more bracing will be needed. 

Chain whip is another factor easy to overlook.  If you have ever stood next to a bike doing a burnout, you can see chain whip first hand.  The chain will wrap around the front sprocket and form an “S” shape as it exits.  When the power is reversed, the opposite occurs.  A bit of extra room and/or an effective chain guard/guide will help with this.  Most sanctions require a chain guard of some type.  On the Land Speed bike we run at Bonneville I didn’t trust the longevity of an idler wheel and the 162 link chain whipped magnificently and considering there is a three mile distance at near 200mph, the chain’s survival was questioned.  Putting enough tension in the chain to keep it from whipping would have pulled the bearings out of the transmission and rear hub, so a guide was used with a HDPE strip to slide the chain along.  A similar piece can be used here.  For drag racing we don’t generally use the plastic strip, but a hell of a racket can be set up if the chain takes a stretch and you have a bit of a bouncy shut-down area. 

Yellow twine helps define the chain run and keep tubes from being inadvertently placed in an unworkable location.  This photo shows tying up the twine around the front sprocket. 

The front end of the jig is set up to accommodate the steering head of the chassis.  We machine our steering heads in house out of 4130 Chrome Moly steel.  Roller bearings of common cross reference size are used to allow the fitment of a wide number of fork assemblies. 

The fork length and wheel/tire diameter are determined and as we have already decided on the rake, the plates are set up accordingly.  The writing on the plates is for different projects and can occasionally be a nuisance, but necessary. 

Now you step back and look at it and decide if it is what you really had in mind.  You need to get 15 or 20 feet away to really get a proper perspective.  That is one of the reasons I have never been able to do a chassis on the computer.  You are restricted to a much too myopic view of the project and can’t visualize it as a whole.  We are now viewing the piece with either pride or puzzlement the location of the other key components that need to be considered before a single piece of tubing is bent.  Things like a fuel tank, seating position, ignition components, battery (all important in the EFI programs), intake and exhaust systems and bodywork.  A little planning now can save huge amounts of grief and agony later on.  You spend another hour or so and make a half dozen pencil drawings…..then go home.  This allows you to let things percolate in your mind and at least delay the first mistake until tomorrow. 

Next, we get to it.

Clouds

It’s raining on the Flats… No racing today.

On the way to the Salt Flats!

(from Monday,October 3 2011)

The bikes are finished and on their way to Bonneville, – good luck!

 

Some final shots of the bikes, with new decals printed Saturday morning (on our new awesome vinyl cutter). The arched lettering of Motorcycle Performance recalls the original logo, which was arched in reference to the original shop quansit hut.

The drag bike has a new salt-catching fender that we cast from the same mold as the Bonneville original and the Triumph last year.

 

The Bonneville bike has a new tail – actually cast from the interior of the big grey tail from last year (that tail was just too big and heavy up top – not good when a bike is 12 ft long and difficult to control from the outset). The new cast is much lighter (only 3 layers instead of 6) and several inches slimmer with a more streamlined taper.

 

 

And loading….

It’s packed pretty tight in there – there was some conversation about weight distribution… whether the 12-ft bike + extra engine outweighs the drag bike + toolbox, etc. Somehow they managed to fit everything they needed.

- posted by JWhisenant

September 19th update – 2 bikes in the works

The preparations for Bonneville are proceeding, but at a somewhat uneven pace on the two bikes we are taking.

The long bike (turbo Ducati 999) has been erratic in its behavior since the Motoc ECU was installed early this year. With the number of sensors you should be able to tell if the thing farts in the next room, but so far that has not been the case.

Changing engines last weekend yielded a difference in the way it ran just on startup. The bike was immediately leaner by sound and EGTs (exhaust gas temperatures). Once on the dyno it was further evidenced by the data collected. The motor we changed to was the one used in the dragbike this season to test the chassis, and while the combination was not quite what we wanted at the time, it yielded 159 trap speeds consistently, indicating decent horsepower.

Once on the dyno, we started to see a better shaped curve that promised more responsive tuning. After a few adjustments and a bit of head scratching, we started to see results, finally getting in the 266 hp range. A bit of backsliding after a few more changes was reversed when we took the automatic correction out of the system…. and at the end of Saturday’s testing saw 289 hp. While a bit down from the previous peak of 302 seen last fall, it has a better shaped curve and drivability down low is drastically improved, an important point on the salt as there isn’t a lot of traction (wheelspin is a huge waste of time and an occasional source of unwanted entertainment). Monday will be used to clean up the curve in some of the part throttle, moderate boost areas. The 36 psi of manifold pressure was scary and we were able to calm it down to the 25 psi seen on the 289 hp pull with a few tricks to fool the boost controller which was unable to keep up with the rpm buildup of the motor. Fred was getting a handle on the tuneup after being away from it since April.

The next steps will be the bodywork and windscreen mounting. No small feat, with new parts in basically every area of the bike needing to be integrated into a system. Our new inspiration is Bill Warner. See the video of his 311 mph run at Loring this summer on YouTube.

The fueler (dragbike chassis) has a number of areas needing to be addressed, among them verification that the final shutoff works in the lower air pressure levels of the salt flats.

Matt Cribben (the director of “American Café”) and his son, Forrest, came by to do some video work on their new project. Neither have ever heard a fueler run before and the confines of the shop added another dimension to the experience.

The fuel shutoff worked marvelously and after the bike was cleared out of the residual nitro, work began on the next steps. A different front wheel needed to be fit to allow running of the tire type SCTA requires for higher speeds. The dragslick may not have passed tech, and out on the salt is not the place to find that out. Nick went to work making the spacer, modifying the wheel and making the brackets needed to mount the front caliper. Front brakes are an option at Bonneville and a surprising number of bikes don’t run them. Personally, I like the option to use them and they make loading and unloading much less… exciting. After a few hours of parts-making, the installation was complete and now we take it all apart to paint the wheel, install the metal valve stem and tart up the rest of the installation. We also may need to make a different front fender to protect the engine area from the salt thrown up from the front wheel. Figuring out where to put 50 lbs of weight is the next order of business (extra weight reduces tailspin) and that will be no small trick, as ballast has constraints as to where and how it is used, and there isn’t a lot of extra room in that dragbike chassis.

All in all, progress is being made and a measured amount of satisfaction and relief can be had with the results of Saturday’s work. No allowance for resting yet, as there are still quite a number of substantial items to be made/packed/painted/tested/verified/ordered……….

So it’s off to make some more parts and find where to hide 50 lbs. If I just had a fatter rider…

Ducati Dragbike 2011: Stage 1

Well this is an attempt to condense the other wing of the development project here at Motorcycle Performance. 

Initially the dragbike was intended as more of a mule for the development of the engine platform for the Bonneville land speed bike (LSR).  The chassis for the LSR bike was so long (at around 12 feet) it took three people to maneuver it around in the shop to get it on the dyno for testing and development.  It was also pretty darn scary to try and ride around the block to see how the systems operated in real time.  As you can imagine, a bike with a 98 inch wheelbase and 45 degree steering angle is quite a handful which relegated any attempts to early on Sunday mornings.  The neighbors sure got an eyeful. 

Dragracing seemed to be the type of racing most closely akin to Bonneville and a good type of chassis to start with.  We have put a little out on it but the ECU ignition-side failures last fall pretty much pushed it to the back of the closet. 

The decision was made early in the year to pursue the other goal we had in mind all along, which is to have the quickest Ducati in the world.  To be able to hold both titles, maybe simultaneously, would be a little shop’s dream come true.  The chassis was built to handle 300 to 450 horsepower and that was what we expected would make the goal attainable.   The wheelbase and center of mass lent itself to possibly a no wheelie bar configuration, but that would be dependent upon static weighting and dynamic weight transfer. 

Building the intake and exhaust all over was decided because of the compromises needed to fit the LSR stuff in the chassis and it would allow us to finish sensoring and mounting the various bits on the other bike.  Some calculations were done and manifold/plenum made, and the exhaust built and then the two were joined, not always the easiest of tasks.

The dragracing allowed the testing of a few systems that wouldn’t be appropriate to LSR racing. 

The first was the Li-Fe Ion battery systems (or what ever series of letters describes it, bad as a Harley).  Having looked around at the dealer trade show at Indianapolis we decided on the current supplier as a product to test further.  To be able to drop 9 lbs with just the battery was great.  Now would it hold up?  We planned to use it to crank the Ducati and run the fuel pump and ignition, no small tasks.   We run a charging system on this at this point in time, so it also would test the response to a deep drain, quick charge environment.  So far, so good. 

The second system was the carburetion that provided no small amount of difficulty in the past.  Trying to get on top of the manifold explosions we encountered before would reopen the door for possible use in another LSR project.  We started out with what had been run at Bonneville before, figuring that the transition through any particular circuit would be so rapid that it shouldn’t provide issues that can’t be tuned out.  Little did we know…..

Instruments were another area we had questions about and wanted to test some different types and manufacturers as they might find their way onto various customers’ bikes in the future and we wanted to be able to speak from our experience rather than someone else’s.  Lightweight was what we were looking for and set up with initially. 

Building the bodywork was another task and that was undertaken by Jacki.  We started with a carbon fiber 916 tail and added nearly 18 inches into it to accommodate the seat/fender length of the bike.  A few body lines needed changing, but the basic shape was retained and stylized a bit.  The front fender and fairing came from a previous Top Fuel Bike project and required very little modification. The tank shelter was a piece made from that Top Fuel project and required a bit of fiddling and stylizing to accommodate the different frame configuration.

As the bodywork progressed the driveline started to come together.  Using a taller but narrower plenum shape made the feed from the turbocharger a bit easier. 

The exhaust entailed the use of all the sensor accommodations that were in the LSR bike with two exhaust gas temperatures (EGT), a manifold pressure sensor, and an EGT fir the wastegate to tell us when it opened.  Just trying to think ahead for the possibility of the Motec ECU unit’s possible use at some time in the future.   Much easier to put them in now rather than later, when the pipes are contaminated with exhaust remnants. 

The advent of the busy season made extensive testing impossible and we (I) figured that the combination should be close enough to at least get down the track, give us an idea and we could tune from there. 

The closest to testing stated as a ride around the block a couple of times and the ride away from the front of the Barrymore Theatre before the Slimey Crud movie showing.  Should be good enough, right? 

We then progressed to a date at Byron Dragway in Byron IL.  A bike event would give us a chance at getting in some laps and seeing what was what.  Nick needed to get two 9 second passes for his license cross-over and we figured it shouldn’t be a problem. 

I haven’t been a victim of my own overconfidence to this extent for many, many years. 

Nick did the burnout and staged the bike.  It sounded a little ragged, but I attributed it to the motor not being warmed up and the carb being a little off.  He launched the bike and it never really came up on song.  It started to pull a bit and then a sound like a gunshot.  I stood there wondering what happened for an instant and then I knew.  Bonneville all over again.  Nick rolled to a stop. 

When the bike was back in the pits the damage was evident.  The manifold had suffered from a lean backfire and blew the manifold apart.  Luckily the tank shelter deflected a majority of the energy and it was louder from my vantage point than Nick’s.  The other good thing was that we didn’t have time to paint it beforehand as it definitely stretched it and bent up the fasteners. 

As it was we then had to settle for making laps on the shop Hayabusa that had 149mph trap speeds but never got the e.t. below 10.20’s.   

Stage 2   Richer!! Richer!!

Dragbike Chapter II 3/31/11

The chassis was destined to be a challenge as there were a few different jobs it had to do.

One of the requirements was that it had to accommodate both a turbocharged set-up and ultimately an injected nitro combination.  There would be some cross-over in component function, but the highest demand on a part would dictate that part’s configuration.

One of the first things to consider was what type of track was this bike liable to run on.  The static weight bias I set biased higher to the rear for slippery tracks that a lot of street- tired cars and bikes run on because the treaded tires strip the rubber off the starting line and for the first 20 to 30 feet.  This is often the case at a local track with a strong street car showing.  If we were only going to run this at national event caliber tracks, the superior starting line traction allows less rear weight bias and a lower crank centerline height.  While there is less weight on the rear wheel initially, the better traction allows the front end to start to come up and increase the leverage of the weight of the bike more effectively on the rear tire.  This makes for good 60 foot times and detection of weak chains, clutches and transmissions.

Because the primary testing would be at a local track, I decided on a slightly higher rear bias and the crank centerline raised 1” from where I ideally wanted it.  The adjustable rear axle blocks would add a bit of weight but allow the shifting of the rear weight forward and the use of either a conventional motorcycle prostreet tire like the Shinko 003 or conversion to the Mickey Thompson drag slick, which has a taller profile and more rollout.

This M/T tire I have seen go 6.98 with no bar, far in excess of the goal of this project.  The narrower tire doesn’t look as cool as a 10 inch slick but is a lot easier to ride and doesn’t bounce when you snap the throttle shut.  See the comparison photos.

The distance of the crank from the rear axle had to be determined as a series of compromises between the weight bias, the length of the chain (excess weight and whipping around under the right conditions) and how far down in behind the motor the rider could get.  I’d like to say there is a set of hard and fast rules, but nobody has done a purpose-built Ducati drag chassis before much less had to make it accommodate a shift in component weight of 24 lbs over a 40 inch span when the turbo was switched to a nitro setup.  You just put the motor, the steering head fixture, the rear axle fixture up on the jig and start moving them around.

The rake to be used in the frame was something to be considered as part of making the bike easier to ride for a beginner.  The trap speeds weren’t expected to be over 170 to 175 mph so the need for a 42 to 45 degree rake wasn’t expected.  To keep in the prostreet look a rake of 38 degrees was selected  for responsiveness at slow speeds but enough stability to work well at higher speeds at the strip and possibly Bonneville or Maxton.  The Hayabusas are running less rake than that and going over 200mph at the speed runs so this should be a reasonable combination.

More time with strings, tape measures, levels and straightedges.

The minimum seat height is determined at this time.  Some sanctions have a minimum seat height of 21 to 23 inches, which is a nominal height I like to start with.  Too low a seat height and you can’t move around effectively as needed to shift your weight and hang off.  Too high and you are up in the wind adding drag.  A sit-in rider’s footpeg position was chosen to work with the prostreet theme.  This is a position that is more instinctive with most streetbike riders, the “laydown” type of frame used in the Top Fuelers and a lot of Bonneville chassis going out of general use a decade or more ago.

We also aren’t having to straddle a wide motor package so the width advantage of the laydown is not as big a benefit.

It took a bit of rethinking to get in the dragrace frame of mind.  After building three Bonneville land speed bikes, the requirements for component location and stiffness are different.  You also have to go into lightweight mode again, rather than the ballast-oriented mindset of the Bonneville stuff.  You control wheelspin at the dragrace with weight transfer loading, both static and dynamic.   You control wheelspin at Bonneville with weight and more weight along with a recently discovered subtlety, engine management.  Thirty pounds of boost and 260 horsepower on the salt when suddenly and inexpertly applied makes for an interesting ride.  We carried 110 pounds of ballast in 2010 and expect to add 40 to 60 pounds more this fall on the Bonneville bike.  That kind of weight might control wheelspin at the dragstrip but would make for a rather poky ride.

There is traction at the dragstrip, not so at Bonneville.

Next up is actually doing something.  Time to decide where things are going to be and freeze them there.  That is often the most difficult part of the process because you are in a constant second-guessing mode (too much rear weight and the bike pogos or not enough and it smokes the tire, etc. etc. and freaking etc.).  Once the tubes are beyond the tacking-in stage it is a major issue to remove them and the imparted stresses they have in the chassis.

Starting to connect the dots is when it becomes fun and the image in your mind’s eye actually takes shape.  It is also a time for restraint because you can get ahead of yourself and you make something like the idiots in the manufactured vehicle world do.  By this I mean something nearly impossible and unnecessarily unpleasant to work on.  Coming from a drag racing background, servicing the vehicle, whether a car or a bike is paramount.  An impediment here can cost you a race or a championship, so you try like hell to get it right the first time.  An example is the GP bike we built that requires only 10 tools to service it completely and a motor change is 30 minutes.  You can also remove and rejet the carbs in 10 minutes with two of the aforementioned tools.  The guys like working on the bike when necessary and it wouldn’t involve any more cost to do a street bike (or car) the same way, but it seems that a lot of the manufacturers have their “B” or “C” teams doing the designing and obviously none of them have ever picked up a tool in their lives.  It does take a lot more thought and effort to do it right, and is a source of physical headaches for me as I am straining the little gray cells for all they are worth during this process.  Something as simple as having all the fairing and bodywork fasteners be the same length would seem pretty simple but after the Ducati 916, evidently that skill is lost in the sands of time.  Puleeeze!!   Now that I have that little rant out of the way, take that!

Not having things buried in layers is a start.  The more complicated the systems, the more of a challenge it can be, as seen on the Bonneville Ducati with the new Motec system and enough sensors and wiring to light up a hospital.

Since this bike started out with a carburetor and a fixed-timing Dyna fabrication, there is a bit remedial tidying-up to do. Avoiding the plumbing and wiring traffic jams is the goal.

Next up:  Laying in tubing!!

The Ducati Drag Bike Project as of 3/5/2011

Well folks, while there has been snow on the ground and most people around here have been doing winter things we have been moving forward on the Ducati Dragbike Project. 

Last summer we came to the conclusion that the Ducati Land Speed bike was a real nuisance to get on and off the dyno for testing and an alternative was needed to allow a reasonable method of testing the new EFI platform we were planning to run at Bonneville.  Every time the Land Speed bike needed testing the front of the dyno had to be disassembled and a pair of extensions installed to allow a 98 inch wheelbase chassis to be strapped down.  This process took an hour each way and while the long bike was on the dyno nothing else could use it. 

Owing to the disappointing behavior of the Land Speed bike at the dragstrip, we realized that a chassis purpose-built for the dragstrip would allow a more efficient use of time as we could make it short enough to run on the dyno and the opportunity to get closer to my roots at the dragstrip.  Dragracing has always suited my temperament and attention span and I could see a future in this.  The Land Speed bike had the unpleasant trait of spinning the tire and drifting sideways at the 600 foot point in the strip and then spinning the rear tire going through the lights at the finish line, never really loading up the system to get a meaningful feel for its performance. 

As I looked around, I saw only one other dragracing oriented Ducati effort of note; Wayne Patterson from Ducati Bunbury in Australia.  Leave it to the Aussies to take the road less travelled.  They based their efforts on beautifully modified stock chassis and the latest project involved a 749 with the turbo in the tail.  There is video on YouTube of the bike. 

I wanted a purpose-built approach to the problem of booting a Ducati down the strip, so out came the frame jig, pencil, paper, strings, levels, and coffee. 

We will start this episode with a series of the photos from the early going and as time allows, fill in the details up to the present. Stay tuned!