Rode 140 miles today. The bike survived.

The resonant vibration appears to be caused by alignment or tension problems with the primary drive belt. I noticed that one of the bolts for the right side engine adjustment was loose. Tightening the bolt reduced the vibration. I plan to check the alignment tonight and make necessary changes. I think this needs to be reinforced - some redesign work is needed.

The engine is governed. The handgrip adjusts engine speed. Twisting it halfway causes the engine to spin up about halfway. If I use the throttle lock at that position, the engine accelerates until it hits it's set RPM and stays there. If it's fully open and I pull in the clutch, the engine RPM doesn't change. Going up hill, the boost comes up and the engine pulls harder, but the speed stays (nearly) constant.

Speaking of boost, I think I need more of it. The boost gauge only shows the engine getting about 4 inches of boost. Two inches of boost is about 1 psi, so it isn't getting very much pressure. For tomorrow, I plan to bypass the waste gate and see if it gets more boost that way. I'd like to see the engine getting at least 7 psi or about 15 inches of boost.

It runs. I rode 40 miles today.
Biggest problem is a resonance of some sort when the engine is pulling. It seems to happen in all gears. In higher gears and up hills it's very noticeable. It isn't quite so bad in the lower gears and when descending a hill. Frequency is about 1 Hz.

The diesel has different riding characteristics than a gas engine. The diesel prefers to run wide open until it hits it's rated speed. If you hold it wide open after it reaches the 3000 RPM rated speed, it simply stays there. It usually goes to about 3 lbs of boost, then drops back to zero after reaching rated speed. So, I hold it wide open until it stops accelerating, if it hasn't reached the speed I like, I upshift and continue to hold it wide open. When it reaches the speed I want to travel, I just continue to hold it wide open. With the current gearing, it has speeds of 24, 35, 48, 62 and 77. On one pass of the Prince William Parkway, I held it wide open in 5th for the entire 9 miles. The biggest hill slowed it to about 70. However, at the end of the pass, the radiator fan came on. Since the temp was in the 50s (F) today, that indicates that the bike will need a larger radiator to ride in the heat. The fan didn't come on during either of the other two passes, both of those passes were made at a speed much closer to the posted 55 mph speed limit.

Reassembled and ready to ride again. Well, almost ready to ride - I still haven't added fluid for the rear brake, engine coolant or installed the windscreen.

The new left engine guards are in this photo. Neither of them fits quite right. It seems that the dimensions change when they get painted and edge molding is added to cover the sharp edges. A couple new holes drilled in the mounting brackets and all is well again. The horn also got mounted. This time around, I changed the source for the fuel pump, fuel injectors and alternator, those items now lose power with the engine cut-off switch. The first time we rode it, the engine cut-off switch didn't do anything. This is one safety item I prefer to keep, it's nice to have it working. Additional items from this view include the boost gauge (which isn't installed yet,) some touch-up paint on the frame in front of the seat and the paint on the exhaust pipe. This photo also shows the sidecover installed.

This view shows the other engine guard. This one didn't fit correctly either, it didn't need as much work as the other to re-install. This one makes it more obvious that the wiring needs to be cleaned up. The neutral and oil pressure lights stay on all the time. I suspect there is an open circuit somewhere between the sensor and the guage; the oil light doesn't go out even if the sensor wire is touched directly to ground. Both of these sensor wires run from the instrument cluster back to near the transmission. I still hope to find a loose connector but haven't had time to find it yet. The oil filter doesn't show many of the myriad dents and paint marks.

This weekend's work can be seen in various parts of this picture. First, the engine was re-installed in the chassis. The last of the motor mounts and adjustments were completed. The engine has a fresh coat of paint. Best of all, the shifter finally works.

While the engine was out, the last of the holes for vertical moto mount bolts were drilled. The L-brackets which bolt to the engine each have two bolts to hold the engine down to the frame. The corresoponding 'table' in the frame on which the engine rests has oversized holes to allow for lateral adjustment. There is no provision for camber, if the engine leans to one side, it will continue to do that. Just above the letters 'GTR' on the drive belt, the left fore/aft adjuster is visible. There is also a right adjuster which allows me to set the primary drive belt tension as well as align the engine left/right to keep the pulleys aligned. There is another adjuster visible in the very top center of the photo which is used to move the engine left/right. With the adjusters and motor mount bolts tight, engine stability seems to be improved. I haven't started the engine since putting it back in the frame, but it seems to be part of the bike now rather than simply attached to it.


I will admit that I almost didn't paint it. Paint isn't a priority for me. If it's already got a coat of paint, it doesn't need another one. But after several of the guys at the shop asked when the engine was going to be painted (and a few asked what color) I got the hint that it isn't a good idea to build something at Artisan Auto Body and not paint it. That's what they do. Kevin tooks some time out from repairing the flames on a late model Mustang to spray some black on the engine. It does look good.

Rotating the transmission arm one tooth to the rear solved the shifting problem. Now both levers are square. There isn't enough room to include the heel shifter, I've never used one of those anyway, so I won't miss it. Anyone else who rides the bike will be too busy figuring out all of the other strange controls and ergonomics, so except for the extra length on the shift lever, no one should notice. If the toe shifter needs to move farther outboard, I may have to add a bushing, if not, the end of the shaft needs a cover to protect the splines.

The focus of this blog is about to change. Since most of the fabrication is done. I hope to start showing pictures of where I've been and who I've seen.
December 30 - Ride the bike at Artisan Auto Body, Connor Drive, Manassas Park, VA. The guys at the shop have provided wonderful support, if they want to ride it, this is their opportunity to do it.
December 31 - Honda Riders Club of America, Factory Riders Club. Motorcycle Factory in Woodbridge, VA sponsors this club, we meet for breakfast at IHOP in the Manassas Mall at 9:00 and ride at 10:00. I've missed a lot of Sunday rides building this bike, I hope to make this one.
January 1, 2007 - Potomac Area Road Riders Polar Bear Ride. The ride starts at the Sign of the Whale Restaurant in Falls Church, VA. It's in Loehmann's Plaza just inside the beltway on Rt 50. The Polar Bear Ride is the social event of the season.
February 10-11, 2007 - The Crotona Midnight Run. The Midnight Run is a timed road run, it starts at Midnight Saturday night. We ride for two hours, take a two hour break and ride another two hours. Start and end is at Nathan's Famous on Rt 100 in Yonkers, NY. Mid-point break is at the Carmel, NY diner. I'll be staying with my daughter Cristine in Cliffwood, NJ when I do this ride.