2014 Regs changes?
 

Has there been any further instruction about further securing the fuel tanks? Is the standard fit flip clip not enough?
Also, I have lockwired all the other engine blanking bolts, but cant work out how to wire the neutral sensor nut/bolt thingy, does this, the ignition pick up lead engine connection nut, and oil pressure sensor connection have to be done as well?

The neutral switch is not lock wired would be beneficial to loctite it tho'. Several including me have had oil pressure switches fail, so I use a blanking plug loctited in. The nut for the pickups tightens onto a rubber gland again that cannot be effectively wired.

According to the Senior Technical official he does not thing the standard clip is up to the job of securing the front of the tank under crash conditions and on several occassions he has been proved right on this matter. As such he would like to see the front held more securely, preferably bolted on (this is something that is required in the FIM Handbook but not the ACU Handbook)


Oil pressure switches should certainly be done, not only are they into a oil gallery its a pressurised one at that, although the norm is for the centre part to fail and leak oil, which is why doing away with it in favour of a blank is an option especially if you don't use a oil pressure light.


Again if you don't run a neutral light replacing the neutral switch with a Blank that can be lockwired is a good idea, otherwise as Phil says loctite improves its chances of staying oil tight

apart from tank clip, neutral and oil press sensors are there any other new places to do that will fail tech inspection- I quite like having an oil light so should this just be loctited? anyone know offhand what size needed to blank neutral sensor

ps- please can we keep the dunlops (mine are nearly new!!!)

Can't quite remember the thread for the neutrl switch it is either M10 X 1.25mm or M10 X 1.00mm think its the former

Working on the Dunlops but had to miss the NEC bike show so a missed oppotunity. Thing is they will be discontinued at some point as the D211 compound that they are based on has already been dicontinued

No pressure Kev, as I expect it's not ultimately your call but do you have any idea when a tyre decision will be made ?

I have a couple of decent offers on the Dunlops, if I buy in bulk, but knowing my luck I'd end up with 10 sets of Dunlops just as you announce Pirelli !

Thing is Mark, at some point in 2014 Dunlop intend to discontinue the tyre we are currently using.
If they can't supply tyres to see out the race season it becomes a problem.
If they intend to replace them with an improved tyre as they did last season when the D212 replaced the D211 range of race tyres, then we need a change over date and assurance that there will enough sets of tyres available for the whole grid
If Dunlop do upgrade the tyre they are hardly likely to tell us ahead of any press announcement and these sort of things often get announced around the time of the Docklands show.

Our contact at Dunlop is currently trying to find out if it's possible to secure enough of the existing tyre to supply the DD series for the whole year.

I presume this would be based on last years known sales figures, but in 2014 if we do an extra round we would need to increase that figure by 12.5%.

We had this issue with Pirelli a few years back, we had been using the H-rated Diablo for several seasons and then they withdrew it and supplied us with the Z-rated Rosso, which was to stiff and to hard a compound, before the season was even over they had brought out the Rosso2 but we were stuck with the Rosso, hence our change to Dunlop the following season.

I missed the NEC bike show due to work so also missed an oppotunity to have face to face discussions with people from Dunlop

That does go some way to explaining why there are deals out there then !

Hmmm !

oh no! if we end up with another crap tyre i'm going to jump up and down and cry!!!

if that does happen I better make sure I bolt my tank down 'coz I'll be off on every corner,,,,, again.

Doesn't help the lack of sports bikes around running a 160 tyre

It is M8 X 1.0mm pitch and 16/20mm length

maybe we'll end up with a touring/commuting tyre and i'll get more than a season out of rear and 2yrs on front!!

is the issue here the clip coming undone (ie will it do if i lock it down with post and R clip and maybe secondary zip tie backup)
or the whole thing breaking (need make a shoddy bracket and use 3 zip ties backup)

Scutineering failure prevention work
 

I got the oil pressure sensor threadlocked and lockwired and was starting to fell smug, but then noticed that the neutral light had stopped working, I checked back and it's the sensor itself....doh!
So how the hell do you get that little bugger out and a new one back in? It was suggested that I buy a long reach socket and cut a slot up the side for the cable....is there another way to tighten a replacement in?

Finally, I would like to keep the tank clip on the front because the closing action of the flip clip helps to pull the tank down tight onto the frame / chassis. So has anyone worked out how to easily (got to be easy for me!) add a seondary fixing.
The only way I could think of putting a more secure fixing is to remove the flip clip and use the mounting holes for a metal strap that then gets bolted to the plate where the wire clip hooked on. This would be a bit of a faff to lift the tank but cant see another way of pulling the tank down tight.

Last year I thought I may have felt nervous on the start line, it was great I never did.....cant say the same about going in to scrotumeering though!

Mark, do you really need a light to tell you it's in neutral? Same as the oil light, are you going to pull over or stop mid race because the light comes on.

neutral light seems a useless item to me- never been wired on mine anyway- mine came out easy with long reach socket- if yrs is knackered just cut off the wire and use the long reach socket- my socket had a small hole in side which could put screwdriver in- blanking bolt is a m8x 1.0mm pitch about 16/20mm long and a copper washer- job done (once you can find a bolt)

oil light? i think i would stop if i saw it as i cant really afford engines- chances are i wouldn't see it in a race though

Confession!!!!!
 

All is good advice...however!
Lock wired in the oil pressure sensor and all good, starting to feel smug again (should have known at that point I was about to get a lesson in humility....but oh no, smuggness prevailed). Really worked out elegent answer for tank retainer strap.....smuggness increased.
As the neutral light was not coming on I wondered what was causing it so decided to investigate. So ended up grinding down a 13mm ring spanner so I could remove offending neutral sensor, that done I wiped off the oil, pressed it a few times, re-connected it and it worked at treat. So re-installed it and.....bugger no light! Checked bike in neutral (all the way down and one click up, hey presto neutral), no light, sensor out re-connected it, light working....mmmmm!
Thought to self I wonder if I started bike on paddock stand, ran in gear back into neutral and it magically sorts itself out. So fitted swing arm back, chain, rear wheel....off we go!!!!! No poxy neutral light!
Again checked crossing wires out of sensor and the light comes on.....just about the same time the light came on in my walnut sized brain......gears...all the way down and one up? I am running race pattern!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Clicked the lever all the way up and one down, light came on sright away.
So if you see me with a spanner in my hand, in my tool box you will find a large rubber mallet.....you know what to do!

Still makes me laugh reading it the second time around Mark. :-)

That's brill, it's so easy to go chasing off after a fault.

The first rule of fault finding is to sit down and have a cup of tea, and give the problem a good coat of thinking through.

Mind you it's a bit different fault finding after the first call for line up :)

I did at Pembrey! :eek:

Scott it was a tad more than the oil light made you pull over.

Nice one Mark, the amusement factor is worth every penny

As for the Neutral light, I quite like mine as it's built into my main ON/OFF switch

As for the oil light as I keep asking Dallas,
"knowing what you do about Ducati oil pressure switches, if you were in chance of winning the race and the oil light came on would you stop?"

Blank them is often the safest option

Call me old fashioned but I'm not sure I would be comfortable with no oil pressure light, would fitting a pressure gauge be a better way forward :confused:

Probably less likely to fail than the pressure switch, but older types adds another connection where as later transducer types are probably more costly

Apart from going round Honda like Peter Collins I had no idea I had trouble till the light came on and the penny dropped.
If it hadn't I would've gone into the hairpin as normal (assuming the engine didn't throw it's hand in) and that could've been quite nasty.

Now both are working I will keep them, and I think if the oil light came on in a race I would at very least look behind to see if the bike was smoking and have a look down at my boots! But yea I would probably pull over, unless is was half way round last lap.....anyway lets hope it never comes on!

Now just got to get suspension sorted, when I got the bike off Tom it has the Ohlins set up soft for him in wet. Will need much stronger spring on shock to stop me draggin my sorry ass on the ground, so getting it done and checking on forks set up while I am at it.
Then just got to decide on paint job, I grew up in the 60's and 70's so may go psychedlic, or quite retro.........viper stripes...yea baby!

I think Tom had two rear shocks, one for wet and one for dry, do seem to remember him changing the whole shock at Snetterton due to the weather, could be wrong though :confused: .

Chris:burn:

He changed them at oulton last year too. It's not a big job though is it - even I can change the rear shock!

i changed my socks

My oil light has come on now and then over the years every time it's been the switch or wiring. Never had a major oil leak. Apart from, last time the switch went. I'd never stop because of the light, but the light might make me look down and behind to see.
If matt larrett was behind I'd keep going :)

When. :D

Yea, Tom did have 2 shocks (I can almost hear Miles now.....One left and one right), he had one for dry and one for wet. The one I got with the bike was the Ohlins, which he had set up for the wet. I think the other had been loaned to him, but very happy with the 996 Ohlins shock and not a big job to change the spring etc.

Anyway, now it's confirmed, there is an round (option) up here at Knockhill this year, only about two and a half hours from home for me, so I will get there early and get the battered, deep fried Mars bars and Pizzas ready.

can't remember

Yep, his Dry shock was the one off Wilf's RS that he raced in Sound of Thunder a few years ago. Wilf only lent it to him.

fuel tank breather
 

think i've sorted all the lock wiring and tank bracket
- wondering if the fuel tank breather is ok using 1 of the motoX style short stubby pipe with valve on end as they designed for lot more falling over than we do?

Used one on mine Miles with absolutely no problems. In fact I think James (22) still has it on the bike.
:)

thanks- that's the one for me then- now to try and decide if the more expensive ones are better than the cheap ones or exactly the same at a rip off price

Less that fiver on the bay. :)

Talking about the fuel tank breather. The actual breather nipple on my tank has come loose and is able to be pulled away from the tank only slightly but has anyone had the same problem and got any tips on how to do something about it.
Or is it not a problem and I shouldn't be worried about it? I keep thinking it's going to completely pull out whenever I disconnect the pipe to lift the tank up