race bike, pit bike, or death trap?

[bairdco]

this is the last china doll for me. after the races, it's getting hung from the rafters in my buddy's bar.

not giving up on 2 smokes, though...

[culvercityclassic]

Thank god brother...

[bairdco]

the saga continues...

in the last chapter, i mentioned a new GT4 i got from MSRfan, and a new head and piston from DMB.

i decided to go with the head and piston, so i could return the motor to Dale.

what i didn't check, is that the piston was the one with the higher wristpin, so after spending a coupla hours installing it last night, found out the motor wouldn't turn because the piston hits on the downstroke and stops.

yay. went drinking.

this morning, i'm up early 'cause they're finally finishing re-paving our street, and for once, they started at 7am.

i decide i'll take the piston out of the new GT4 and get another one for that later.

another coupla hours go by, as i'm hung over, and painted the tank, and did some other stuff.

get it all back together and it starts right up. success!

yeah right. not that easy.

rode smooth, but no power. switch carbs, plugs, whatever, no change.

the jug DMB gave me has a larger bore. so the GT4 piston is too small.

i've got one more old GT4 jug that's pretty clean, so i swapped that. only took about an hour.

fired it right up, still didn't have any power, switched carbs, blah blah blah,

pulled the BP7HS plug with the longer reach out and noticed the gap was closed. meaning, the piston slammed into it and closed the gap. yikes.

took the head off and there was only a minor ding (which will probably work like a windshield crack, and blow apart in the future) so i put it all back together with a B7HS regular plug, added a gremlin bell (shoulda done that the first day) and fired it up again.

blast off. ready to race.

as long as no one rides it, touches it, or breathes on it till saturday...

here's some pics. at least it looks good...

[bairdco]

last of the pics. number plate was a plastic bubble shield from a 70's helmet...

[Texhun]

Looks good as always Baird. Are you gonna try out one of Dax's engines next? That would be a monster on this bike if you keep it.

[bairdco]

it wouldn't fit. and it would probably rip the frame apart. cool engines, though.

i've got something lined up, hopefully ready for my june race at adams.

right now, it's a basket case, but it might be an italian monster in a box. and if i can get the smog pump supercharger to work...

basically, this race bike drama was an exercise in patience. as long as it stays together, i'll keep running it in the china class. once it blows, it's rafter-art. i'm gonna start all over.

[chainmaker]

Hey Baird,

Nice bike, how have those wheels held up? I am seriously thinking about finding a set, could you post some dimensions as opposed to a 26 in bicycle wheel?

[bairdco]

the wheels work awesome. they're probably stronger than any bicycle wheel on the market.

pretty heavy, though. and with the Pirelli's, even heavier.

as far as dimensions go, a 16" moped wheel is the same as a 20" bike wheel, so they're the same as a bmx bike.

on the first page, first post, there's a picture of it next to my 24" cruiser.

wait... here ya go: