Latest News Archive

Well, as we are sure, many of you are aware we have not been out on circuit yet this year. This has been due to a combination of various problems with the engine and a lack of funds following last year’s extremely expensive season. However things are now very much on the up and we shall be racing in August on the 9th and 10th with the CRMC at the stunning Cadwell Park circuit in Lincolnshire. This will be a bit close to the wind as it is likely that we will have only just taken delivery of our rebuilt engine a week or two earlier.

Following our initial investigations back in March which pointed to a piston issue, this finding was confirmed when Ian went to P&M Motorcycles to purchase some new, larger pistons. Whilst there Richard Peckett gave the bores a quick measure and confirmed that there was definitely an ovality to them. Richards’s measurements found the bores to be worn slightly more than we had thought which limited the choice of piston. The pistons we purchased offer a compression ratio of 9:1 which is lower than the old ones which were 11:1. Although there maybe a slight reduction in power it is unlikely this will be noticed due to the engine having blow by issues all last year. A benefit of the lower compression will be a slight reduction in engine temperature and increased reliability. Whilst at P&M Ian was given a very thin copper base gasket which will increase the compression ratio slightly but needs careful fitment to ensure there are no clearance issues within the engine.

The engine has now been collected by our previous engine builder and good friend Richard Darby who over the next few weeks will work his magic. Along with the re-bore, new pistons etc. we will also be reverting to running a Castor based (R30) oil. This is a very exciting time for us and as August gets closer the excitement is growing!

If you cannot make the CRMC meeting at Cadwell we will be at the circuit again the following weekend for the awesome TR3OC 'Beezumph' rally which looks to be a truly awesome event!

The measuring has been done and the findings are that the bores have worn tapered with a larger piston ring to bore clearance at the bottom than the top. This is not good and is probably the cause in part if not totally. We have decided to have the engine fully stripped down and re built again as we cannot continue in the hope that nothing else will go wrong. Part of this decision was based on the oil pressure seeming to be lower on start up than before.

Today we spent the day partially dismantling the engine to see if we can find a problem. Following a lot of research we feel that the crank cases are being pressurised. This would be caused by the piston rings not sealing properly in the bores. We will be taking these to a friend to measure and see what is going on.

Today we headed for Mallory Park and the first test day of this year. Spirits were high but also so were nerves as we had not been out on the outfit since October last year. We headed out for the first session and managed a few steady laps with all seeming ok. Time came for the second session and after a few laps we ground to a halt on the exit of Gerards. We pushed in at the end of the session and spent a few minutes head scratching to work out what was wrong. It was eventually traced to a flat battery! With a new battery installed we headed out for the third session only to be black flagged after 3 laps due to excessive smoke. This was condensation from the engine breather! Something was wrong so we decided to call it a day.

Today we installed the engine and completed all the work to create a race ready machine. This included bleeding the entire brake system, fit new brake pads front and rear, connect all the fuel and oil lines and fit the exhaust system and carbs. By the end of the day we had added fuel and oil, checked the ignition and timing and run the engine for a few minutes to check all was ok.

Well we had a good day today with everything going together as it should. We have fitted new tyres to the front and rear but not the sidecar as we can only afford 2 at this stage. We took the engine over to an ex CRMC rider and TR3OC member who has very kindly offered to fit a standard oil pump in place of the old high flow item to cure our breathing problems. We won’t know how well this works until we take to the circuit though!

Today was the CRMC marshals training day that we both attended. The weather was glorious and a great day was had by all. There was a great turnout with around 100 marshals in attendance! We also collected the oil tank and fuel tank from our good friend Buster following some alterations. Next weekend we plan to complete the rolling chassis.

Today we collected the frame from the powder coaters and it looks stunning! A real first class job. Now we can begin getting ready to start building up the rolling chassis and re fit the engine.

The frame has been taken to a powder coat firm to be blasted, checked and painted after all the alterations. This coming weekend we also plan to begin sourcing the various items needed such as new tyres, engine oil etc. The most important item we need to find is a special high flow oil pump of the + 30 feed / +50 return to replace the 10 year old + 50 feed / + 50 return that is currently fitted. Another inner primary cover will be fitted at the same time due to the drain bolt thread on the current one getting tired. Some work is also to be done on the breather routing and we have just sourced some 1" (25mm) diameter clear tubing to use for this purpose. It is hoped that these changes will bring a stop to the oil issues we suffered last year. The ultimate test will be when we take to the circuit for the first time. This is planned for sometime in early March as the first meeting is Easter weekend.

Well here we are at the start of another year and doesn't it seem that time goes by quicker and quicker! With the start of the new year there is plenty of work to do to ensure that the outfit will be ready for the coming season. The first job we have done has been to fit new knee cups to the chassis to support the seat unit as the old ones had started to weaken. A slight modification was also made to strengthen them too. The grab handles have also had attention with the rear one above the exhaust being angled up for greater clearance to allow Ian a better hold and also stop his hand getting too warm! The hand rail that runs to the front of the outfit has had a small handle added to allow Ian a better reach when leaning out the front on left hand corners. The gear lever pivot has been welded in place to stop it loosening. A new coil box is being made that will look neater and also house a lanyard style cut out switch which is now a compulsory requirement.

This weekend saw us compete in the BMCRC annual 'Sidecar Burn Up' meeting at the short, but challenging circuit at Lydden. Saturday's practice went ok but was nothing special. We had a small oil issue, with the engine breather passing a small amount of oil into the catch bottle. Before the first race we made a change to the breather set up in an attempt to solve this problem. The race was over 10 laps and the weather was cold but dry. We got off to a reasonable start but had a rather dissapointing ride with some handling problems. For the second race we altered the tyre pressures a bit to see if we could improve the handling, fitted a larger rear sprocket to improve acceleration  and hoped that the breathing problem would not cause the catch bottle to over fill. We finished in a dissapointing last place and upon returning to the pits found the catch bottle almost full and the oil tank level had dropped.

Sundays racing did not start until 12.30 due to local restrictions so we spent the morning trying to figure out the breathing issue and see if anything could be done to sort the handling. On careful checking of the tyres the front was found to have worn more than we had expected so was not helping with the steering. We adjusted the pressures again and also altered the front wheel spacers. The rear sprocket was swapped back to the original as the larger sprocket offered no real gain. We had a short 3 lap practice and things seemed a little better. Onto the race and again a rather dissapointing ride. After around 7 or 8 laps we noticed the oil pressure had dropped slightly and that the catch bottle was almost full. Rather than cause any oil to spill onto the circuit or risk damage to the engine we retired from the race and returned to the paddock. It was decided that the weekend was over sadly.

Now that the season is over we have the winter ahead to sort the breather problem, strip and check the chassis and any other work to do. If anyone has any ideas on a cause (and indeed a cure!) for our breather issues please let us no!

We hope you have enjoyed the season as much as we have and we look forward to the 2008 season.

This weekend saw us compete in the Classic Racing Motorcycle Club season finale and Race Of The Year meeting. We were very excited as it is a great circuit and one we had not ridden before. We walked the circuit on the Friday afternoon to try and get an idea of how the circuit went.

Saturday quickly came and before we knew it we were out for the 4 laps of practice. This went ok with the outfit running well and us getting a grip of the circuit at near race speed.

Our first race was race number 9 and we were gridded 5th. We got off to a bit of a slow start but soon got our heads down and in with the action. We had some great fun catching and passing a few outfits and at the end of the 5 lap race we finished 6th with a best lap of 1 min 55 seconds. A check over of the outfit before the second race showed no real problems other than the breather catch bottle almost filling. We made a change to the breather set up in readiness for the second race and looked at a gearing change but decided there was not enough time to carry it out.

Race 18 was our second outing and was reduced in distance from 5 laps to 4 due to stoppages earlier in the day. Again we had a pretty good ride despite the failing light and low sun. We finished 6th again and posted a best lap of 1 min 56.

Sunday's racing did not start until 12.00 so we took the opportunity to change the gearing and also lower the tyre pressures to improve the handling. In no time at all we were in the assembly area waiting to go out. Sadly a rider in the previous race had fallen and required medical attention which resulted in a 10 minute or so delay. During this time the weather started to deteriorate with the low cloud giving way to drizzle and turning the circuits surface damp. Once the fallen rider had been attended to and the circuit given the all clear we formed on the grid. This time we got a much better start and entered the first corner in 4th or 5th. As we went onto the back straight the engine started to splutter and we slowed down resulting in all bar one outfit passing us! Ian managed to adjust the fuel flow whilst we were still riding round and then we were off! Over the next couple of laps we picked off the outfits that had passed us and worked our way back up to 5th. By the end of lap 6 we were clearly gaining on 5th and could see we could get into 4th.On to the final lap and as we passed the last lap flag and entered the first corner it all went a bit wrong as we spun on the slippery surface and were out of the race! Grant did a superb job of bringing us safely to a stop on the inside of the circuit. This was such a shame as the outfit that was running 3rd had just done the same a few seconds earlier and this would have seen us promoted to 4th and with the way were closing on the outfit in front may have seen us finish on the podium!

All in all it was a fantastic meeting and we must say a huge thank you to everyone who came and said hello, to all or fellow competitors and a massive thank you to the marshals and officials for a well run event.

Our last meeting of the season is this coming weekend at the Sidecar Burn Up held at Lydden by the BMCRC.

     The day was spent completing the wiring etc and then we started and ran the outfit for a good 15 – 20 minutes to check all was ok. There were just two small oil leaks to fix which were quickly done and the ignition timing was checked with a strobe. All is now ready for a test day at Mallory Park which we will be doing on Wednesday 26th.

     Today was spent re-fitting the engine back into the chassis and making everything ready for running. New oil lines were installed to the new oil tank and new larger oil cooler. An oil pressure gauge has also been fitted to allow the pressure to be monitored.

     This evening we returned to the base of Triple Cycles to collect our newly rebuilt engine. This rebuild was required due to the failure of a big end. The failure has been traced to suspected oil starvation and over heating. The motor has been built as before with a stroked and toughened crank and is standard weight. Whilst the engine was apart the combustion colour was found to good, a push rod tube seal had split causing an oil leak and other than the failed big end all was fine.

Engine Rebuild September 2007	Engine Rebuild September 2007	Engine Rebuild September 2007
Click image to see the full size image

     Today we spent time modifying the fairing by creating a pair of large air ducts at the front which will allow cool air to pass over the engine and keep the oil temperature down. Some work has also been done preparing the engine for removal ready to return to Phil Pick for repair. It is looking likely that we will be out for the last C.R.M.C meeting of the year at Croft. We will not be racing at Snetterton in two weeks time as there is a lot to do and not enough time! We will of course be going and will again be out on track marshalling for the weekend.

     This is the annual Track Day rally organised by the well known and respected Trident and Rocket Three Owners Club. The two day event sees the larget gathering of BSA and Triumph triples (as well as a huge variety of other interesting bikes) in the UK if not the world. The weekend centers around the track action but there is also plenty to see and do elsewhere. Sadly we were unable to take part in the track sessions as we have still not been able to sort the engine out. We did catch up with many friends and it was nice to be asked by so many people how things were going. Thank you for your support.

     We visited the workshop of sidecar builder and fabricator Mike Richards of M.R. Equipe for some advice and work on our oil tank. After looking at the current set up for a while we discussed various options and decided a completely new tank would be the best option. Mike crafted this while we waited and chatted and drunk coffee! The finished item is very different to the old one most notably being round and featuring internal baffling. A superb job done - thanks Mike.

     Sadly we have not been able to prepare the outfit for the Cadwell meeting due to time and money issues. However we attended the meeting and again had an enjoyable time out on the circuit marshalling. With so much to do on the outfit we are sadly likely to miss out on riding at the Beezumph rally in 2 weeks time again at Cadwell.

     This evening saw a chance to have a quick inspection of the engine to see if anything could be found. The rocker box inspection covers were removed to allow a rough check over of the valve gear and push rods with all seeming to be fine. The next job was to remove the sump plate and have a check of the filter. It soon became apparent what the problem was as a large amount of swarf was discovered which looks likely to the demise of a big end again!

     This now leaves a lot of work to do before the next meeting. Will it be done in time?

     This weekend saw us compete in rounds 6 and 7 of the C.R.M.C championship. A new, larger, fuel tank has been fabricated and fitted along with a replacement fuel regulator. After getting the outfit scrutineered we awaited the call for practice which came all too quickly. We headed out on track and all felt good.

     Race 1 arrived and a minutes silence was held before the start of the race in memory of a marshal, Stephen Brown, who had sadly passed away on Thursday. The race underway saw us have a mediocre start. However we were soon chasing down the pack and making in roads in the tail end machines. As the race went on we developed a fuel starvation problem which caused the engine to run rough at higher revs. We finished the race in last position but had improved on last years lap time by some 5 seconds!

     Race 2 saw us have a better start and were having a good run in the midfield. It ended in a DNF sadly as when coming through Clearways on the last but one lap we hit a neutral between gears and shot up pit lane!

     Sunday and we elected to change the gearing from 36 on the rear to 39. We managed to blag a practice session and were surprised to find that we were the only participants! Two laps is what we were given and it was enough to know that the gearing change was a big improvement allowing the engine to work much better.

     Race 1 saw us line up on the grid in 11th place. Another good start was had and we quickly made progress through the field moving up to 8th place by lap 3. For the next 2 laps we had a tremendous dice with a German pairing on a 950cc Moto-Guzzi machine which we won and saw us elevated to 5th position which we held to the race end. A best lap time of 1min 3.06 seconds was recorded which was the 4th fastest in the race! We were thrilled to bits!

     Race 2 and we were looking for another good outing. The start could best be described as average with us leaving the grid in 6th. We quickly passed the number 16 outfit and were gunning down the rest of the pack looking set for a 4th or 5th. Come lap 5 it was clear something was wrong as the engine began to loose power. We pulled off and returned to the paddock.

     On to round 5 of the C.R.M.C championship and we are at the technical Oulton Park circuit in Cheshire. Practice went well after having a few problems getting started due to the engine getting a bit warm as we were kept in the assembly area longer than normal whilst a spillage on track was dealt with.

     Race 1 and what a great time we had! Things did not start too well mind. We left from the back of the grid and as we entered the 3rd corner eveything cut out! Grant wiggled the wires in front of him and suddenly everything chimed back in. Head down and we were off! We had a great run catching and passing 3 outfits during the early laps and it was clear that we were much faster than we have ever been with the engine pulling really well and sounding great. The results showed us as finishing 4th overall and a best lap time of 2.22 seconds. this was nearly 13 seconds quicker than last year and only 2 1/2 seconds slower than the outfit that finished second. We were very happy!

     Race 2 started and on the warm up lap trouble occured with the fuel regulator falling apart and stopping the flow of fuel! We were able to complete a couple of laps taking it in turns to hold down the middle of the regulator which caused the fuel to flow. This was not ideal and we decided to pull off the circuit at the Hislops chicane.

     There is a little work to do before Brands Hatch for as well as renewing the fuel regulator a new oil tank needs to be made as the current one is too small and not working quite as it should.

     After spending Bank Holiday Monday re fitting the engine back in the frame we headed off for Mallory Park and the afternoon testing session. We arrived early to unload etc. before lunch and so as not to rush anything as sidecars are always the first session after lunch. Although the weather started off being dry and sunny by around 12.30 it had begun to rain. The rain grew heavier and more persistant and once the first session began the track was quite wet. However this was not a problem as we were looking at getting in track time and not going for any lap records! We completed in a further 2 sessions during the afternoon electing not to go out in the last as although the weather had improved a little all our clothing etc. was wet through. It was a good afternoons testing with the outfit feeling considerably faster. Next outing at Oulton Park on Saturday.

     Had a phone call from Philip Pick yesterday to say that he had good news and bad news. The good news was that he had found the cause of the noise. The bad news was that it was not the expected cam follower but a big end had failed. The crankshaft and rod have also seen some damage. Fortunately Phil has another 'stroked' crank (although a standard weight item and not lightened like the one being removed) that will be fitted along with another con rod. It is worth pointing out that Corillo rods are worth their weight in gold. Had we still been running aluminium rods then the engine would have been a real mess. The dismantling and cleaning have all been done and the rebuild will be carried out this week and we will be collecting the engine on Sunday ready to re-fit in preparation for testing at Mallory Park on Wednesday 30th. We have also elected to change the front sprocket from 19 teeth to 18 teeth whilst the engine is this far apart in order to give us more acceleration and utilise our existing range of rear sprockets better.

     We arrived at Lydden in good spirits as it is a great circuit and we were confident of doing well. We had the bike scruitinered etc. and when the first session of practice was called started the outfit up to check all was ok and warm her up. Sadly all was not well as a pronounced top end rattle could be heard. As Phil was parading at the meeting we went and found him for a second opinion. The news was not good as he advised us not to run the motor anymore. The likely cause of the noise is the break up of the stelite pad on the base of a cam follower.  We were bitterly dissapointed but fully understood the situation. Grant spent the afternoon removing the engine ready for Phil to take back and investigate and Ian spent the afternoon marshalling out on circuit.

     As we were not able to race on Sunday we both spent the day out on circuit marshalling and had a great time. It really is a great way to spend a day and if ever you want to give it a go do!

     The next meeting is on Saturday 2nd June at the fabulous Oulton Park circuit in Cheshire. As this is a long way to go we shall be taking part in the general testing session at Mallory Park on the Wednesday prior to ensure all is ok.

     We called on the home of Philip Pick and Triple Cycles to have him look at the engine following the 'noise' heard at the Pembrey meeting last week. Various covers were removed, the primary chain checked and adjusted etc. The cylinder head was also removed and this highlighted that the timing side piston was just brushing the head. The head was quickly taken by Phil to his machinist friend who very kindly machined a bit more on the 'squish' to cure the problem. The engine was put back together and we took it home ready to refit back in the chassis.

     Easter weekend and the opening round of the CRMC championship. Following our somewhat dissapointing test day on the Wednesday some further work found that the oil leaks were caused by overfilling the sump before identyfying a lack of oil returning to the tank. The cause? We had fitted the sump plate cover the wrong way round! A quick reverse of the offending item and hey presto! streaming oil returning to the tank. Sump drained and correct oil capacity saw the problem solved.

     The 5 laps of practice proved to be very interesting as we now had a new problem. Too much engine for the chassis! On return to the paddock we had a chat with some fellow competitors about our handling and it was suggested a reduction in tyre pressures would be a good place to start. We set the front and rear at 20 PSI and the sidecar at 24 PSI. In the first race it was immediately clear that this was a vast improvement and we had a good steady ride battling with a couple of other outfits and although finishing last were not deserted by the rest of the field. Race 2 on Saturday saw us chasing from the back again but sadly retire on lap 3 due to a rocker box inspection cap ejecting from the engine!

	Pembrey 2007

	Pembrey 2007

     Sunday again dawned bright and sunny and following a gearing change (one tooth more on the rear) we had a 5 lap practice session which went fine. Race 1 saw us again battle with a couple of other outfits up until we lost control on the exit of the long Dibeni left hander which saw us slide spectacularly for some 30ft or so! Grant managed to slow us down safely and we regained the circuit and completed the race. By race 2 we were getting a little tired but again put in a steady race knowing that there was one final race to come -  a handicap race. This final race saw us on pole position and we were waved off with a six second delay before the next crews set off etc. etc. Grant really had the bit between his teeth and we immediately went 'hell for leather' with the plan being to get as big a gap as we could and make the most of the time advantage. Well it could not have gone better for we led the race for 6 out of the 7 laps finally being caught by the very fast Weslake in the hands of the highly experienced Latherons who passed us just after the last lap flag. We held on to second and recorded our best lap time of the weekend during the race and were awarded a beautiful whisky glass each for our result. Just as we crossed the chequered flag the engine made a bit of an odd noise sop grant shut it off and we were towed back to the paddock. Initial thoughts are that we have broken a pushrod as the result of a missed gear! 

     There is now some work to do before the next meeting at Lydden on the 5th and 6th May.

     After a couple of long nights installing the freshly rebuilt engine we arrived at Mallory Park to take part in the afternoon test sessions and run in the motor. The engine started fine and we headed out for the first session. After a couple of laps we returned to the pits to check everything was ok. The second session saw us clock another couple of laps but we found we were having a couple of problems with oil leaks! Some frantic work was done in the pits in an attempt to rectify the problems but sadly to no avail. We ended the day having completed just 4 or 5 laps and although not as planned can report that the engine already feels much stronger than before.

     Finally the day has dawned and our newly rebuilt eninge is ready for collection. We travelled to Ilford, Essex and the home of triple God Phil Pick of Triple Cycles fame who has done all the work to our engine. The changes are huge: the biggset being an increase in capacity to 930cc and the installation of a crankhaft lightened by around 7lbs. The primary drive is still by chain but is utilising a special 'duplex' type that Phil wants testing for durability as part of another project he is working on.