Last Stand of the Chicken Hawk? - July 15-16, 2000



So, my bike had been running great. New suspension from Peter Kates,
recently tuned by Patrick the Mad Genius, much improved confidence in
track (and street) riding. But I was noticing oil burning the week of Pro
School, and a funny feeling/sound which seemed like fuel delivery issues,
but which no one else seemed able to detect. :/ Judicious applications of
oil and a change of only partially dubious spark plugs didn't seem to
change anything, but...

I decided, almost kind of last minute, to go ahead with my plans to ride
on the Ottawa Magical Mystery Tour, instead of going to Shubenacadie, or
Mid-Ohio, or Laguna Seca as a spectator this last weekend. I put 1150
miles on the race bike, and figured when I got home, a tire and oil change
would be in order, at the very least. The ride was a blast, except for
some really scary moments with a wacky clutch for about 200 miles on the
ride up, and The Horror Which Came About On The Trip Home.

Basically, about an hour from our campsite Sunday morning, just over the
border of Ontario into New York, my bike started overheating, and spewing
coolant out the reserve. My companions and I stopped, I tore everything
off the bike so I could get the tank up and put more water in the radiator
after it cooled off, and then we resumed our trip. Nothing was leaking
after that, but the temperature gauge looked a little dubious, so I
nervously watched it the rest of the way home. Fortunately (?!), it rained
like mad almost the whole way home, so the bike stayed comparatively cool,
or so I thought.

First thing Monday morning, I took my bike to Galen at Bikeworx, who
graciously let me interrupt his work on a bike and with another customer
to come take a look. "Galen, come smell my bike!!!!" (Thanks, guys.) After
22 miles, and about 10 minutes sitting turned off in the parking lot, the
engine temperature was 242 degrees. The side covers felt like an iron.

By the end of the day, the prognosis wasn't good. Something is forcing all
the liquid out of the radiator, and there wasn't any left when I brought
it in. I'm hoping I didn't do more damage by riding it. Unfortunately, the
temperature gauge never said anything meaningful, which probably is due to
the sensor not being in a place where meaningful information is conveyed
with no water in the system. Exploratory surgery is required to figure out
what's really wrong, and Galen's schedule is already pretty tight. So, no
racing, no riding, and a pretty dismal outlook for the future of this
Broad Squad Racer.

I'm taking bets: head gasket, combustion leak, or cracked liner? 

Stay tuned...

...

I am going to race Dane's FZR 400 this weekend. Hopefully there will be
races and practices that we are both not in. I'd hate to have to fight him
for it. Even in his currently weakened state (he just had a tonsilectomy),
he could probably beat the shit out of me.

...

Chuck Berube is the best! He's got a line on a crashed CB-1 engine. 1990,
less than 10K miles, at a shop near the track. I called up, and after I
bring them a deposit, they'll do a compression test and check to see if
the motor's usable. Then I can take it away. I talked to Galen about it,
and he said, "Buy it!" Evidently, the engine would cost half as much as
even the easiest repair options of my top three guesses above...

I could be saved! Woo hoo!

...

I raced the FZR. It was very uncomfortable. My times sucked, and varied
*wildly*, but then... it also rained, too.

2:07.527
1:58.869
1:54.340
1:54.076
1:52.803
1:50.605
1:49.750
--------
1:55.424

More soon...

...