My Bike Ran Like Pus at the Nationals

[Ji Gantor]

Hi all those people that competed at the Nationals at Conondale.
I would like to hear from other riders who had mechanical problems at the Nationals.
Some things will be funny, some ordinary and others just bizarre.
I don't care how small the problem lets hear it.
No body will poke fun at you as all of us have had the same problems ourselves.

Please explain all the issues so we can all learn from our mistakes.

I will let the ball run and then share what happened to my bikes. Unfortunately some of my problems were man made and a bit embarrassing.

So let's hear it.

Ji

[Nathan S]

Can't wait to hear from Holeshot Buddy and Snowy on this topic... 

My list is short, and both are a case of 'poop happens': The YZ125's  header pipe cracked, making it pop and fart and run like poop.

I guess my DNF in the second 125 was was mechanical. After getting caught up in someone else's first turn crash, the throttle assembly was dragged halfway off the bars, which pulled the cable tight. Took about 5 seconds to fix, but I didn't exactly have the tools with me, out on the track...

[Ji Gantor]

Thanks Nathan,
Were the bikes running as they normally did before the nationals, engine wise, excluding the split pipe and race damage?
Can we find out were we normally race.
I ride in the Brisbane area, so any where from Mt Tamborine to Conondale.

 
Ji

[Ji Gantor]

Thanks Walter,
This is the kind of thing I heard guys talking about all three days.
Some little pain in the neck thing.
A glitch in the gizmo.

Ji

[Ji Gantor]

We know that Glen Bell was stuck in second gear for one of his races and Geoff Had to replace the whole gear box over night.


Ji

[Ji Gantor]

Geoff Ballard purchased a Maico Pre 75 263 bike the week before the Nationals.
It looked pretty good when I saw it on Thursday.
On Friday the bike seized and Geoff DNFed. When it was stripped down it was discovered that the base gasket was old and dry and allowed air to enter the crank case. The bike ran lean and the back wheel locked. Geoff's mechanic and good friend Mr Burrell said that a good habit to get into at big events or when ever you are racing is to start the bike and spray "Start You Bastard" around the engine and carb. If the engine accelerates you have an air leak.
Unfortunately for Geoff they focused on his Maico 490s. A big thanks to SA63 as Sean tried his best to help Geoff Ballard by going home and bring back to the track a replacement piston.

Ji

[Nathan S]

With the benefit of hindsight, my YZ's exhaust must have started cracking at the last club event I rode it in (a Heaven race in Canberra). It just got a lot worse at the Nationals. Should have been picked up during pre-event preparation, I guess (insert excuses involving work, CD6, The Boy the wife etc, taking up my increasingly precious shed time).
On the bright side, its an easy fix.

A big part of the reason why I chose to take those two bikes to the Nationals is because they are reliable and generally well sorted.

[Ji Gantor]

Kaw440 had a few problems as well.

"My kx was breaking down had a slipping clutch and was not sorted i finished the bike 2 weeks before the titles"

I hear your pain brother.

Ji

[kaw440]

That was my pre85 bike my evo bike seized in pratice could not get to run right all weekend had no power them in thet last moto seized again base gasket was hangin out rooted all in all problems from practise to the last moto and who said QLD has great wheather pigs arss not for racing vmx

[Ji Gantor]

Thanks for sharing Kaw440.
Sorry to hear about your engine problems.

Ji

[Ji Gantor]

Geoff Ballard also purchased a Mega 2 Maico 490 1981 the week before the Nationals.
This was an imported bike from the States.
When revved the engine loaded up towards 3/4 throttle. You know Riiiinnnng Blalb blab....
Glen Bell took a look and suggested that it was running rich so GB went down a main jet size and took it for a ride. When he returned he installed another size down main jet. After his second practise ride he was happy with the way it was running. Unfortunately he never got the chance to race it.

Ji

[Ji Gantor]

Okay it is my turn,
I guess I should start with my CZ 400 1973.
I have been working on the bike trying to get it totally restored and race ready for the nationals all year.
I had my garage princess looking great for CD6 after a lot of work and money.
When I started her the day after CD6 I discovered that the crank shaft and the crank case seals were leaking gear box oil into the combustion chamber. So on the second day after CD6 the engine was in a box and on its way to the engine rebuilder. On the Monday before the Nationals I received a phone call that the engine would not be ready in time and that I should implement "Plan B".
Plan B is to take another bike.
This is no reflection of my engine rebuilder as he worked very hard to get my Maico engine ready for CD6 at very short notice.
So I guess I can say that my CZ ran like Pus at the Nationals.
It would have been fine it there was a race were someone pushed the bike from behind while I steered.

Ji

[paul]

ji thats a familiar story i think some one told you to do that

[Ji Gantor]

I am a hope prisoner Paul what can I say.

Paul suggested early in the year that I should split the cases and install new seals.
He was right, so I guess this could be classed as human error.

Ji

[Ji Gantor]

The best way to do this is by bike.
My Maico MC250 1977 was ripping this year and I was going to every practise to get more track time. 4 Weeks before CD6, QVMX ran a practise day at a Cooroy turf farm. What a great place this is. I went out first as the safety rider so every one would get through the first lap. I then removed the fluro vest and was on the gas. I caught all riders and held them at bay for ten laps. Then I heard "tink tink" I looked down at the engine as the rear wheel locked. I pushed the bike back to the pits and tried to free the engine, no chance. The next day I stripped the engine and discovered that the air filter nut and washer had worked themselves loose and went through the engine. I packed up the engine and sent it off to the engine rebuilder. What luck the week before I purchased a Maico head, cylinder and piston off ebay Aust. The seller sent the parts straight to my engine guy. Two weeks later the engine was back in the frame for CD6.
When I prepped the Maico for the Nationals one of the jobs was to clean the air filter. Cautiously with shakey hand I removed the element and replaced it with a rag so stuff would not fall into the carb. Only after the rag was in place did I breath again. I then lost focus because I went to plan B and only installed the element back into the Maico the day before we left for the Nationals. At Conondale the Maico would not rev past 1/4 throttle and was breaking down badly. In my first race I selected second gear for the start and got left behind as the engine bogged. I was having to change gears at 1/4 throttle as there was nothing above that. I stripped the carb and blew out all the jets, I changed the main jet, I changed the spark plug, I changed fuel and oil mixes. But nothing seemed to help. The bike was running rich but nothing seem to help. My wife, Mrs Gantor, suggested that I should check the air filter and I poo pooed that but on Sunday I was desperate so I did check it and it was so clean it was like it had not been used. I said to Mrs Gantor "See I told you it was not the air filter" .On Monday we cleaned the bike so we could work on it to find out what went wrong.
As I sat in my office on Tuesday I thought "What did I do that may have contributed to my bike running like pus"
I changed the gear box oil, Nah that can not be it,
I cleaned the air filter, wait on I stuffed a rag into the air box, did I take it out.
With spanner in hand all was revealed, in my caution to make sure that nothing would ever go through the engine again (except fuel and air) I never removed the rag. I did not make a fuss I just told Mrs Gantor that I found the problem and that we should just move on. She insisted that I tell her what was the problem so I like the real man I am I said "It was the power reed, it had a rip in it"

Mrs Gantor accepted this and we did move on I think....Though I am not sure she really believed me.
"Thank God" she is a bit like Paul if she knew the truth she would never let me forget it.

Two bikes and two Human errors.
I am not batting very well so far.

Ji