Land Speed Racing Mk2

[coachgeo]

We will be at Airborne Park in Wilmington, Ohio this Saturday and Sunday (6/18 - 6/19)

http://ecta-lsr.net/events/

That's only hour away. would love to come out Sat. I've PMed ya.

[HondaJohn]

During testing, I determined that the fuel pump was not running once the battery umbilical cord was disconnected. These pumps require clean 12VDC to run properly, but the output from my alternator is pulsed 12VDC. I had installed a large capacitor in the system to attempt to smooth out the pulses, but apparently this wasn't sufficient.

Unfortunately, the stock battery tray in a Sportster is inside the oil tank, so I could not install a factory replacement. There are not many mounting lugs in this section of the stock frame, so I designed a battery tray that clamps to a frame rail. I cut a pieces of 3/4" 6061 aluminum plate on my bandsaw, finished with a hand file, and machined a pocket with my mill.

[coachgeo]

IMHO John's long journey from Long Island all the way to OH was pretty fruitful. Enjoyed a lot of sunshine with him and his bestie as we hurried up to wait in line for chance to run. He rode twice today. First run he used one set of sprocket ratios that theoretically the math said could get him to 75mph before any losses (friction/air resistance etc.). Resulting time on this shakedown run was a 61ish mph over the mile run. It was this bike's very first shakedown run in fact.

Second run- it was determined probably won't get but this one extra run in today so was determined to then skip the intermediate ratios he could go to with. Initial plan was to be stepping up ratios in each of 4 or 5 runs by using combinations of various sprockets he had brought along. (front and back). So he skipped over all the intermediate steps considered for other runs and right to the planned ending sprocket combo that theoretically could get 100mph on paper. (again before losses.) Took him about 20 min to swap after a bugaboo was discovered on the untested freshly milled rear sprocket. Got her done right as the line place holder for him (Bestie in his truck) was nearing the top of the run line. In the end; this ratio slowed him down on take off; as expected, but top end gained him about 6mph more overall. On the second run he GoPro-ed the Primary CVT Clutch for later analysis to see how far the belt moved thru its ratio. We suspect it did not get to the full max ratio. Either the Primary weights need to be heavier and/or engine is not reaching its top Rpm potential. Engine most likely is not getting to top of RPM's cause the engine is bone factory right now. Nothing was touched on it much less tweaked.

Not wanting to tweak engine yet and not having other roller weights to put in the primary clutch..... there was one thing left that could be tried on this trip. In his design, there is some compromises in belt alignment made with the CVT layout. Tomorrow before heading home he's thinking of trying a run or two again but with this compromise weighted differently. This time, plan is setting things up with spacers on secondary clutch's mount making the compromise sit more toward best alignment of belt being at top speed end of the ratio where before it was set to reach best alignment at midway thru point. Unfortunately, I work on Sundays and can't attend.

His GoPro vids wont go up real soon. I'll try to get what's on my phone off and get it up.

Thanks John and Bestie for putting up with a tag along diesel bike nut today. Good to know first hand now how fine of people there are in this crazy diesel bike world.

[coachgeo]

https://youtu.be/GDuQroCVOJM

Above is 2cnd run. You can hear me comment (that's what I was afraid of) referencing the sprocket ratio creating a slow take off butttt hoping it would give enough "more" at the top. Overall the ratio did more than wash out the slow takeoff and garnered a higher MPH reached over the mile compared to the first run.

[HondaJohn]

I have a ton of pictures and videos to sort through and edit, so the updates from Ohio will be coming in drips and drabs. First off, it was amazing! Many, many thanks to coachgeo for coming out, lending a hand, and generally being awesome all day Saturday. He helped with troubleshooting and tuning, and he and my girlfriend basically kept me vertical and hydrated the entire day. It was a scorcher, and certainly wasn't helped by the armored leather tights I had to wear all day, but they both got me through it. He also introduced us to some traditional(?) Ohio cuisine, consisting mostly of pasta, chili, and beef in varying combinations.

The trip began on Thursday. Anyone who has ever been to New York City will tell you that the traffic is insane, and the roads are Third-World, so I set aside an entire day just to get from Long Island to New Jersey. I loaded up all my parts and clothes, hitched up the trailer, and fought my way over the Hudson.

On Friday, I picked up my girlfriend, and we hauled across Pennsylvania towards Ohio. Along the way, we stopped in Lancaster to visit my grandparents for breakfast, and Pittsburgh to visit her cousin for dinner.

[HondaJohn]

We rolled into Wilmington, Ohio around 1AM, overslept, and nearly missed the driver orientation meeting in the morning After rushing to the track, sitting through the rookie orientation meeting, and registering, we brought the bike to tech inspection, which it passed with flying colors

[HondaJohn]

[HondaJohn]

Here is a video of the first pass. The Comet CVT did not shift fully, so unfortunately the fastest speed I could manage was 67mph. This was still enough for the record, but I have a lot of tuning and improvements to do for next year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF_87dtSysw

[Tetronator]

Good job!

[HondaJohn]

After we discovered that the CVT was either slipping or not fully shifting, we moved the GoPro mount to the left side of the bike and pointed the camera towards the transmission. During the next run, we were able to document the CVT behavior.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3d-XNZzP5Q

[HondaJohn]

It appears that the CVT simply does not shift all the way to top gear. We suspect that this is occurring because the diesel engine isn't revving high enough to throw the weighted rollers out to a full shift. We will either make custom heavyweight rollers, install weaker return springs, or some combination of the two.

[HondaJohn]

Here are some photos from the other competitors who showed up!

This is a homemade steam car

They used a Doble-style flash boiler fired by propane, and the engine is a heavily-modified Mazda rotary engine. They machined custom rotor housings out of solid stainless to prevent rust and optimize the port positions. Unfortunately, they suffered a valve failure on their first pass and had to retire without completing the run.

This is a land speed racing Ford tractor with a flathead V8. Apparently, this was a factory-available conversion back in the 30's and 40's. The rear tires are sourced from a Boeing 747.

[HondaJohn]

MERCEDES 300 SLR GULLWING!!!!

[BertTrack]

It appears that the CVT simply does not shift all the way to top gear. We suspect that this is occurring because the diesel engine isn't revving high enough to throw the weighted rollers out to a full shift. We will either make custom heavyweight rollers, install weaker return springs, or some combination of the two.

With my c.v.t experience on the Track I'd increase the weights a bit and possibly bring the gearing down a little. What's the current theoretical max speed at max rpm currently with the c.v.t. shifted all the way?

[HondaJohn]

Following the race, the Sportster became a show queen for the rest of the summer and fall. I brought it to numerous cruise nights, as well as two Maker Faires. During that time, I was also steadily improving it. The first order of business was to repair a few assembly issues that I discovered at the race. I corrected some alignment issues in the wheels and CVT, installed a proper seat with actual cushioning, and tinkered with the CVT tuning. Once the winter weather kicked in, I started performing the major surgery:

- Installed a homemade fork-shortening kit to drop the front end by 1.5 inches.
- Removed the bearing seals from the rear wheel due to binding. I had installed sealed single-piece ball bearings, so the seals were unnecessary.
- Built an auxiliary wiring harness, and installed a headlight, taillight, horn, and brake light.
- Had the bike registered, titled, and insured.
- Installed a homemade plate bracket.

The goal of all this was to allow me to perform road-testing before taking the bike to the track, so she is now fully legal....though still hilariously uncomfortable.

[HondaJohn]

[HondaJohn]

On Labor Day Weekend 2017, we once again drove to the great white north (almost) for the yearly pilgrimage of speed, cramped legs, road food, hotel beds, and surprisingly cold weather! Joining this year was my extremely patient and understanding girlfriend Hannah, as well as great (and slightly crazy) friends Drew and Maggie.

Side note: Drew and Maggie rode 650 miles two-up on a Honda VFR800 to be there. They are the true heroes of the weekend, and I bravely salute them from my heated truck cab.

Photos courtesy Maggie Rusch, Hannah Knight, and Myself.


After work on Wednesday, I picked Hannah up from the train station and drove directly to the Port Jefferson ferry. We were first on and off, and got the best seat in the house!

After spending the night with a friend outside of Boston, we headed north.

[HondaJohn]

We arrived in Presque Isle on Thursday night, and spent Friday going through registration and tech inspection at the track, settling into our hotel, and purchasing wool socks and gloves because of the "unseasonably cold" high-40's weather.

By that evening, Drew and Maggie had arrived and we warmed our bones at a nearby pub.

By Saturday morning the weather had improved, and we arrived at the track and set up. We were able to make 5 runs during the day, and the bike got progressively faster with each pass as we worked out the bugs. We made several tuning changes to the transmission, but in reality most of the improvements were made by properly inflating the tires....

The final pass on Sunday morning was 86.5mph flat out, the class record, so we packed it in and began the long trek home.

[HondaJohn]

[HondaJohn]

[pietenpol2002]

Thanks for the update John. Great stuff. And thanks for representing the Dieselbike contingent so well.

[HondaJohn]

Some footage from the first Sunday morning run

https://youtu.be/ZK8IGfvcZ5o

[HondaJohn]

Here's a preview of the next stage of the project

AMR500 supercharger from a Subaru Pleo!

[pietenpol2002]

-

Can't wait to see what the little Aisin produces.

Here's what I used to calculate pulley ratios, which was the biggest initial challenge. And while it was for the AMR 300, the equation should still apply. FWIW.

Supercharger Formulae.docx

(14.44 KiB) Downloaded 485 times

[HondaJohn]

Here are some updates of the supercharger installation. I've fabricated the mounting brackets, remachined v-belt pulleys from the hardware store, and started welding up the plenum.

[HondaJohn]

More progress! Next up is a new exhaust system.

[HondaJohn]

Here are some progress pictures of the new exhaust system. I've decided to make separate headers instead of the 2-into-1, and run them high like scrambler pipes. I'm trying to keep the head as far away from the charge pipe as possible.

I still have to practice, but I've made some major improvements with my tube-welding ability!

[HondaJohn]

A week at my local powder-coating shop, and the exhaust now has a high-temp ceramic finish

[HondaJohn]

Information is limited for this engine, so I finally decided to open the governor housing to document the design and look for improvements. It's difficult to see through the small access hole, but after a few hours of tinkering, I drew this diagram:

- Lever "A" is the main pivot in the assembly. The governor pushes against it on the upper left, and it adjusts fuel on the bottom right.

- The throttle cable is attached to lever "B". Both pivot on the same shaft, and are connected by springs and direct contact as they rotate.

- The main spring to fight against the governor is attached to lever "B". There is a tiny spring attached between "A"and "B" that is too weak to have a anything to do with governing. I think it's just there to keep things held in place and prevent slapping.

- I noticed during examination that, when lever "B" is held at full throttle, lever "A" isn't held tight against it. The governor can push it back a bit before it comes to a rest against lever "B". This basically disables the upper 10-15% of throttle position at the injection pump, because there is nothing to hold it there against the governor.

- Lever "B" has a threaded hole that is missing some type of set screw. When at full throttle, without that set screw, the only spring fighting the governor for the top 15% is the tiny spring. Once lever "A" makes contact with lever "B", the main spring takes over.

To increase pump position, and horsepower, I needed to purchase or fabricate a new set screw, then adjust it until there is no slop between the levers. Factory replacements are impossible to find, so I decided to make one. Unfortunately, it is a very unusual, and unavailable, thread (M14x1.0), so I had to special order threaded rod from China. Once it finally arrived (2.5 weeks of shipping!!), I made the screw.

[mark_in_manchester]

Ummmmmm - why was it not there? No chance that your impressive (I mean it) reverse-engineering is reversing a quick mod carried out by manufacturer or importer to knock the top end off the engine's performance and improve reliability / longevity? I vaguely remember a thing with these (I think it was these) V-twins and crank-case breakages. If you're racing, death or glory might be the way to go, mind.