FLAT TRACKER UPDATE:
I've finally had the time to pull the top off the engine and it's a real surprise. The seller told me it was a 'DT1MX' engine which could mean anything as the MX and garden variety DT1 shared the same engine numbers. Externally it was obvious that it at least had a GYT centre plug head so you can imagine how stoked I was to find, upon pulling the head and barrel off, a fresh, unused rebuild. The bore's as fresh as a daisy with nice new hone marks, the piston is used but it's got new rings and what seems to be a new little end. Best of all however is the excellent porting job that's easily as rad as my Warren Willing ported DT1 from Hell cylinder.
The transfers are opened up quite a lot and are blueprint matched to the case ports. The boost ports are huge and although the inlet is not as radical as on the Willing barrel, the exhaust used a totally different set of ideas. I'll photograph the two cylinders along with a stocker to show the work gone into it. Whoever set this engine up knew his stuff. I'll fit a new single ring .75 over piston and a Webco head and replace the points with PVL or DT400CDI....whichever works best.
I've had the detectives on the job identifying the frame and we're no closer to an answer. All of the evidence was pointing to a PDV (Powerdyne), a Taiwanese made mild steel Champion copy originally fitted with a Chinese DT1 clone motor but a few things contradict that theory. The first and most important in my eyes is that PDVs are MIG welded mild steel and painted while mine is beautifully TIG welded and
chrome, not nickel plated. I don't know what steel it's made from but I can see that it's very thin walled tube and very light...signs that lead me to think it's 4130 chro-mo. Other details pointing it away from being a PDV are the engine mounts on mine are far better mounted than a PDV and the rear mount is gusseted, nothing like the PDV or Champion, the frame gussets are a different shape, the swingarm pivot area is different, the rear brake pivot is totally different and the footpegs and brake pedal on mine is mounted on a bolt up alloy plate while on a Powerdyne they're welded to the frame. Another point is that the Powerdyne has a rear loop while mine stops at the top shock mount. I looked really closely with a magnifying glass at the area to see it it's been chopped off after manufacture and it can clearly be seen that if it was cut, it was before the frame was chromed. Interesting also is the 0001 frame number stamped on the steering head, in a totally different place and numbering sequence that PDV used. The words "Dan the creator" are tig welded to the swingarm prior to it being plated which also points it away from being a Powerdyne. I've placed it on the 'Information Wanted' section of vft.org but after 3 months up I've had only one reply...to tell me that it wasn't a Champion and that it could be a very early Redline but I personally doubt it. Although the overall design is pretty close to the Champion and Powerdyne, I don't thinK it's either. It's kinda like the bastard son born from a Champion and Powerdyne mating
. The bottom line is that I think this bike is too well made to be a Powerdyne.
Because I'll be on crutches for most of the year, Yamaico Pete Rowlands will ride it at the Nats later in the year. He'll also be making the down pipe based on the dimensions of my very efficient Pete Reynolds up pipe on the DT1 from Hell. I'm hoping to have it and the Hindall RT1 at the Bonanza in April.
Not difference in pedal placement between PDV and my frame. Not also the different swingarm pivot gusset shape