Being invited out is a PAIN!

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

So at this point I have all my clothing for the race meeting sorted out and it's just a case of waiting. My daughter said I could borrow her car which was nice of her
I'm not bothering about any heroic efforts to get enough of a cyclekart built so I can take it with me, but next year's meeting will be a different story. Something I do need to find out about is whether or not I need a classic vehicle competition licence. I will need to join the Vintage Car Club which is fine as I wanted to do that anyway, but the licence thing is part of the event's rules apparently. The rules also say an approved helmet is needed (got one) and that proper racing overalls must be worn (haven't got those). I suppose the health and safety gnomes have been behind all these rules, but it's no use moaning about it.

Even though I'm building the Colombe, the other Kiwi cyclekartists are more into proper racing prototypes from the 1920's so I'm going to build a 1925 Amilcar-Riley Special for racing so I won't have any problems with 'discussions' over whether or not my strange little three wheel French cyclecar fits the rules or not. The Amilcar is still French so I don't mind at all really

 

[Allen_Wrench]

That aft-view of cockpit and hindquarters is just an antique car lover's paradise. Were I the photographer of that pic, well...there'd be no pic. I'd have lost my self-restraint, ditched my camera, and hopped in when nobody was looking. I'm sure of it. You picked a beauty.

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

Yes I know in that view the car is telling you, 'Climb in and drive me fast.' with a supercharged Riley 6 cylinder engine under the bonnet it wouldn't be a slouch either

As a cyclekart it will be a lot more pedestrian though, but I fully intend to try and capture most of the details you can see in the photo as well as the general patina.

 

[Allen_Wrench]

Yes I know in that view the car is telling you, 'Climb in and drive me fast.' with a supercharged Riley 6 cylinder engine under the bonnet it wouldn't be a slouch either

I figured it was supercharged; what with a good portion of its mechanicals peeking out up front there, obviously making room for something. It looks like it means business that way.

 

[Greg58]

Hey Mike B you look like Wilson from tool time!

 

[Mike B]

Thanks.

You reminded me to change my avatar -

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

I think I might not go now

I had a difference of opinion (argument) with the guy who invited me. (sigh)
It was over the construction formula for cyclekarts as is used by the New Zealand group. They are holding to the original construction formula as was handed down by the founder of the cyclekart formula, but in actual fact the world has moved on a little and the US groups (where the formula was founded) are now trying out all manner of innovations which have come to be accepted among those groups.
As you can predict I want to innovate like the US groups are doing and the rest of the boring old lot of Kiwi cyclekarists want to cling to the original formula like it's holy writ. The guy who invited me just happens to be the leader of the group and he is so boringly conservative he could be Chairman of the Bored!

Aaaaaaarrrrrrgggghh!!!

I've been basically told that if I turn up at a race meeting with a car not built to the original formula I don't get to go on the track.

 

[Ludwig II]

I see, yet another quasi religious cult. I just checked, I did spell it with an L. I've had to deal with boned brained eejits in things I've done, they send you up the bloody wall, they really do.

 

[Theon]

Sorry to hear that I.W. but I'm with you, build it how you want, Maybe start your own club!
I hate being told what I can, can't, should do.
Probably why I'm not in any club.
But there's nearly always got to be some Nazi in a club, that want's to take the power away from others.

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

Sigh, - I think you're right Ludwig. Thanks too Theon. The US groups are accepting Morgan three wheeler replicas which are definitely not a part of the original formula. But here building a cyclekart based on a cyclecar is a no-no; - you have to build a cyclekart based on GP type car from the 1920's.
I've got nothing against GP cars from the 1920's, but I don't see why I have to be forced into building one if I don't want to. The 1925 supercharged Amilcar-Riley Special will make a nice cyclekart and I think I will be rightly proud of it (but only I will know that this particular car was modified for hillclimb competition and not for GP racing..... he he he....).

The other point of conflict is changing the engine or transmission in anyway from the original formula. The standard approved engine is a 200cc Honda industrial engine or clone driving through a Comet belt drive type transmission. In the US they are experimenting with electric cyclekarts and with using the Lifan clone motorcycle engine. I have one of these engines sitting on a shelf in my workshop already and I don't really fancy having to try and save up some $NZ600 for the official engine and transmission option. It's a smaller capacity engine even if it is overhead cam, - it's not going to make me have any kind of speed advantage!

Grrr grumble......

 

[Theon]

A better designed motor though in my opinion.

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

A better designed motor though in my opinion.

I completely agree.

 

[Mr.B.]

After your post with a video I was intrigued and ended up joining the CycleKart Club forum. I spent a good bit of time reading through the tech section, so I have a outsider’s view of the fractions you speak of...

It’s too bad there couldn’t be room at the events for strict Stevenson style classes and for open classes- :- (

In any regard sorry to hear you might not go. I think it might still be a interesting experience, even just to watch...

-Kirk

 

[Ludwig II]

Years ago in my racing, we tried to return a class back to a fundamentalist position. We killed it instead. There needs to be room for innovation, otherwise the support fades and the class dies. We learned the hard way.

Engines - strimmer, mower, chainsaw, all easily available and cheap. What is the problem, apart from they might beat the £££ boys?

British classic motorcycle racing had the same problem a few years ago, the old 250/350 Hondas were dragged out and tuned up, as they fitted in the date ruling. They cheaply went and hammered a lot of Aermacchis and 7R AJS. Surprise! The rich children flounced and had them banned for a while, despite there only being a limited number of the expensive toys to go round. And there we have it, it was their ball and their game, and they took it away if they weren't allowed to win.

 

[Mr.B.]

The Cyclekart phenomena is pretty new, not really enough history yet to even take a retro look back.

As I’ve interpreted the information available the original concept seems to be about the creation of the vehicle, the events are about that shared passion. There is diffidently a attitude with the originators that “this isn’t just about winning races”.

However to compete, to go faster and to want to improve on the past, is simple human nature. So that’s the rub.

I see both sides- I respect the traditionalists vision as nobel and worthwhile, but I myself find little interest to invest in a build to those narrow constants... Perhaps a 2nd one, Ha! “-)

I hope the sport finds a way to accommodate both camps.

-Kirk

 

[CTripps]

I think you should bring your build regardless, and if they won't let you compete you can still do 'demonstration' runs, informal mini-challenges with other builder/racers, show'n'shine, and lobby for a 'modified' and/or 'modernised' category.

I have seen within you glimpses of something my sister has... Resolve and determination. When someone says 'No, you can't.....' to her she proves them wrong. (Top of her class in electronics, where the instructor did all but hand her pink tools trying to bug her and made cracks about to any of the guys in her class stopping by the "girl's bench", as one example - even though they were coming to her for advice).

Go out, enjoy the day, and take quiet satisfaction in knowing that they couldn't stop you.

 

[Theon]

Yeah, I agree,
Just Do it.
I've little patience for bullies.

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

Thanks guys Yeah, - I think I'll darn well go anyway and have a good time watching the event.

Ludwig, I'm with you in that I feel that the attitude of these guys, or one guy in particular, is going to do nothing except strangle off any potential interest in the development of cyclekarts in NZ.
By the way I used to own one of those old Honda CB350's, - they were a GOOD bike

Mr B, thanks for your objective assessment of the present state of politics with cyclekarts. I'm certainly not wanting to get into cyclekarts to win races I just want to have fun building something that I can have a blast driving with like minded people. Some people will want to 'win', but with cyclekarts having a limitation on build cost getting too fancy is out of the question anyway.
I hope you haven't been put off though and that you will build a cyclekart because it really is good fun.

CT, - I decided against trying to rush my build to take it to the event, so I haven't got anything in a remotely driveable state to take with me anyway. I suppose I wanted to avoid cold stares and silences, but dash it all I should give up calling myself 'Intrepid' if I'm put off by by such a little thing as that.
Thanks for sharing about your sister. As it happens my daughter is a chip off the old block as she was the only woman in most of her computer science classes at university and had to suffer all manner of put downs from one or two Neanderthal tutors as well as her (male) class mates. My daughter works here at home doing software development work and her understanding of the interrelationship between code and the hardware it operates leaves me astounded most of the time.

Basically my plan is to continue with building my three wheeled Colombe which will be all 'me' and my ideas and the Amilcar-Riley will be pretty much a traditional build for 'official' use, but it's highly likely that it will be fitted with that Honda clone motorcycle engine I've got for testing purposes and so it can be driven. As I can afford it I will eventually buy the approved engine and transmission, - only I'm hoping that I might be able to make the rest of the group see sense by then.
We've just started to move into our Autumn here which means that the worst of the very hot and humid weather we've been having is behind us. Summer is a bad time for me because the heat and humidity affects me badly with this illness I have, but now it's getting cooler I should be able to get something done and eventually I will have some photos to show off.

And now something to cheer us all up.......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAypJHbikik#t=839

 

[Mike B]

How did you ride all those motorcycles with those skirts down to your ankles?

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

How did you ride all those motorcycles with those skirts down to your ankles?

Back then I wore denim jeans just the same as anyone else. It's only in the past decade that I've been wearing ankle length skirts.