New York Motorcycle Show 2014

This year, my KZ400 diesel motorcycle was accepted into the Ultimate Builder Competition at the 2014 New York International Motorcycle Show. It was an incredible experience, and I was honored to share floor space with some beautifully-built custom machinery. And surprise, I didn't bring the only diesel to the show! Below are pictures of the spectacular Kubota-powered bobber that took runner-up in the Freestyle category.

Unloading

Pre-Show lineup

Kubota bobber. Incredible design and build

Details of the drivetrain

Showtime!

The electric Harley I've heard so much about

Ducati's new Scrambler

Land Speed Racing

On the wish list

BEEFCAKE!

Looks pretty good on a clean carpet!

Fantastic Portraits

Some offerings from the VJMC booth

Velocette in the Featherbed

Warhorse

Amazing Beemer custom

Indian lineup

Diesel Land Speed Racer Mk2 Part 1 - Building the Rough Chassis

Because of time and budget issues, I unfortunately had to take this season off from land speed racing. I swear that I spent most that time productively: finishing dozens of small projects, fine-tuning my race bikes, and catching up on the to-do list. However, it is definitely time to kick back into high gear and build some racing hardware. It has been a while, but *drumroll* it's finally time to get back on topic: alternative fuel speed records. 

AND HERE IT IS! 

Uhhh.....hmmm....yikes.

Don't worry, I haven't (totally) lost my mind. This carcass may be stripped and beat, but there are good strong bones to start the build with. This sad pile is the remains of a 1979 Harley Davidson Sportster Ironhead. I bought the frame, the forks, and....not much else off of craigslist (for far too much). You may be wondering "why a sportster?". It's not particularly light and would seem to be useless as a competitive race bike, however this chassis has one very important feature: a MASSIVE space in the frame for a big engine.


The first step was to put together a rough rolling chassis from whatever I had on hand, as well as further ebay and craigslist searches. I happened to have a pair of decent rear shocks on the shelf, so I machined some bushings so they would bolt to the sporty frame.

I traded the "king" tank for some rear fender brackets, and installed a peanut tank from my collection on the frame. It just happened to be the perfect fit!

Next up, I found cheap dented fenders on ebay, as well as a steering stem bearing kit so I could remount the forks.

My best parts score so far has been a pair of lightweight cast-aluminum 19-inch wheels. I picked them up off of craigslist, as well as a set of clip-on handlebars, and loosely assembled the rolling frame.

Finally, I machined a quick-release bolt for the swingarm pivot, so that it can be easily removed immediately before the race.

Stay tuned here for more progress on this ill-advised hobby of mine!

Steam Engine Restoration Part 12 - Modifying And Finishing the Connecting Rod Bearing (Video Post)

When I pulled apart and sandblasted the connecting rod during disassembly, I noticed something strange about the lower rod bearing. The bearing boss had been machined to exactly the diameter of the crankshaft, and the oil passages had never been drilled out. There was no room to pour babbit between the rod and the pin, and no way to lubricate it.

It appeared that someone had simply forgotten to finish machining the rod bearing, which may explain the relative lack of wear to the rest of the engine. Most likely, the engine had never run correctly or for long periods of time, which would also explain its partial disassembly and abandonment. The only way to properly complete the engine was to finish the work and rebuild the bearing.

Boring the lower rod bearing to the correct diameter

Finishing the Boring

Drilling out the bearing grease passage

Tapping the grease passage for a zerk fitting

Drilling shallow holes into the sides of the lower rod. Babbitt will flow into these holes and lock the bearing material in place.

Lower Rod Bearing Cap completed

Adding retainer holes to the upper portion

After 100 years, this part has finally been machined to spec.

Adding grease fittings to the valve eccentric parts

The completed and painted valve eccentric assembly

Prepping for Babbitt

This rod is machined to the same diameter of the crank pin. The side spacers hold the pin in the correct location in the lower rod.

Mold placed into the upper rod bearing.

Adding clay and metal forms to the edges

Forming the spigot.

Ready to pour

The final result. Unfortunately, the Babbitt cooled before it filled the entire space, but this should be more than enough to run it in demonstrations.

Adding the bearing shims

Steam Engine Restoration Part 11 - Finishing the Crankshaft Bearings (Video Post)

I got a bit ahead of myself with the successful test run, so I want to backtrack and post the rest of the Babbitting process.

After pouring the bottom of the main crank bearings, I scraped, finished, and reinstalled them, and then laid the crankshaft in place. Next, shim stock was placed on the joining surface, clay was packed around the edges of the bearing block, and the top cap of the bearing block was bolted in place.

The fresh babbitt had to be poured through the bearing port, so I installed a sacrificial pipe fitting to protect the threads of the hole.

Next, I packed clay around the fitting to form a cup that would guide the babbitt into the bearing block.

Unfortunately, the babbitt hardened a little too quickly this time, so the right bearing block cap didn't fill up all the way. However, since this engine will be run at a reduced capacity, this should be enough material to support the crankshaft.

CL450 Racer - Syncing The Carburetors (Homemade Vacuum Gauge)

This is a quick video post to show the custom Carb Sync Vacuum Gauge set that I built. Most of the available sets use regular vacuum gauges and an adjustment valve to smooth out the engine ignition pulses. Without this valve, the needles would rapidly jump in time with the engine vacuum from the intake stroke, so it is difficult to take a reading. 

Instead of this design, I built a gauge set that uses Glycerin-filled gauges. Glycerin is a thick liquid and fills the entire gauge, which resists the movement of the needle and causes it to move slowly. This action dampens the needle's response to the vacuum pulses, which smooths out and stabilizes the reading.