RG Gearbox

After getting the correct bit, a PH3 (for those that are interested), usng the impact driver I removed the various bits to allow me to get at the gearbox. The advantage of the RG 500 is that it has a "cassette gearbox" which means you can remove it from the side without having to disturb the crankcases. You still have to remove the clutch and it's basket, which went relatively well for me. I was kind of dreading getting the gearbox on the kitchen table - you know all those cogs and bits that need keeping in the same order etc..

With the gearbox on the kitchen table, I set about the task of understanding which bits I needed to remove in order to install the Nova gearbox. Basically Nova supply the input and output shafts with all the gears, they do however require you to keep two bushes on the input shaft and alter the position of a washer on the output shaft. The instructions were quite clear, and I proceeded without any issues. Once the new shafts and gears were in place, time to try and understand how a gearbox works! In fact it's still a mystery - the guys that design these for a living are obviously more clever than I!

I was able to verify by hand that I have most gears! and neutral, so hopefully I will find them all when everything is back together.

I am not going to use the two stroke oil pump (will use premix), so as I was not going to replace it I needed to make up a blanking plate for the hole it leaves in the gearbox, this was duely knocked up out of a bit of aluminium plate, and the gearbox was then returned to it's home - I really hope that I don't have to remove it again!

RG500 work started!

So... here we go! The fairing, tank, mudguards, indicators, headlamps, oil tank are now in nice cardboard boxes in the loft (If I ever want to sell this thing as anything other than a race bike). The bike actually looks (in my opinion) a lot nicer without the plastic than with, and once the frame was cleaned up - it shines - isn't aluminium lurvely...

I fitted the new Hagon shock which went in surprisingly easily! The expansion chambers are really a work of art (Jolly Moto), and although the previous owner has painted them with some horrible silver paint, they cleaned up OK.

I started work on the engine, draining gearbox oil, plus removing the clutch cover. There are some nasty looking cross head screws under the gearbox sprocket, which have initially not yielded to my electric screwdriver! I need to buy the right sized bit for my impact driver this weekend.

Some questions are coming up :- the choke is handlebar mounted and integrated into the left hand control, which is a shame, because I don't want all the stuff on the clip-on, but I really wanted to keep the choke mounted up there - always handy at the end of the straight when you are missing fuel....

I need to make rearsets, and also if I don't cut down the rear mudguard I will need to fabicate a new one in aluminium sheet.

Plus there are loads of wires hanging around which I don't need but I don't want to ruin the wiring harness....

Anyway that's it for now - next installment after the weekend.

Next steps

Hi All,
So the season has ended early and hopefully this will give me more time to prepare the RG500 for next year. I am still working on the RD for the coming weeks, as I still have to send an ignition set back to Borut (Zeeltronic) and I wanted to get back to full power. Hence last weekend I installed a new piston and rings in the right hand (seized 2 races back) cylinder. At the same time I have installed some new (ebay) powerjet carbs. The principal of powerjet carbs is to have an additional jet that come into use high in the rev range, allowing you more adjustment in the mid range with the standard main jet, but still giving enough cooling fuel at the top end - I am hoping this will make my bike more reliable especially at the top end. In principal, the power jets are 60 on the left and 65 on the right, so I am starting with 300 main jets both sides (at the top end this should make it Very rich 60 + 300 is 360, and I was running 340's at the last race.

I also spent a rainy weekend simplifying my wiring - I ripped out all the light related stuff and have just left the ignition and generator wiring along with the temp. gauge, neutral switch and the ignition switch. Saved 300 grams in weight :-)
I tried my old zeeltronic boxes and couldn't get them to fail, so I expect I will send the others back, although something funny going on there! My West Country Windings stator has gone back to them for fixing with a suitable letter - I will wait for their reply before slagging them off publicly!

Next thing on the program will be start the RG500 project I want it to look similar to Pascal Mayer's bike as shown above! We will see how it progresses. Speak to you soon.

Dave Vs. Duhamel Ducati

Dave takes Philippe at Carole 2008

Carole Results

The weekend started Friday morning early, traveling up from Grenoble to Paris (6 hours), this time with Chris (visiting), Carly and Libby in the car - loads of support! We arrived at Carole arount 12:45 after an easy trip, and then we spent 15 minutes looking for a place to park, as the Promosport crews had all been there since Wednesday, and all car parks were full! We ended up parking next to the model car track, with no loos, water or electricity nearby - the girls were pissed off!

Chris and I rigged up a plastic sheet over the trailer and car to give us some shade as the weather forecast was good for the Saturday.

The GOOD news, I managed the 2 open training sessions with ZERO break downs, Chris helped me do a plug chop after a couple of laps, and although the plugs were certainly not a uniform colour, they were not showing any signs of over heating, so I continued to complete the two sessions. I was running my race stator, plus new ignition boxes from Zeeltronic - everything OK.

The bike was using surprisingly little fuel - we calculated around 3.75 litres for 20 minutes, so we filled her up ready for the early 9:00 qualifying practise on Saturday morning. Again qulifying went without a hitch, the bike is not pulling as strongly as previously, however this could be because I am running richer, or because of low compression due to my "rapid" fix after last times seize. (I put in an old piston with old rings!).

I managed a respectable time of 1 minute 17, which put me at 18th on the grid of 32, and second RD 350. Christian Degardin, my strongest rival had got down to 1 minute 15 seconds! Some work for me to do!

Race 1.
The first race was Sunday morning at 9:00, and I got a reasonable start, and followed a TZ350 through a wide first bend scrabble which allowed me to get a few places forward. After a couple of laps I got into a battle with Philippe Freon (Proclassic president), with his Kawasaki 1000, I was quicker through the twisties especially at the parabolic, I even managed a couple of outside overtakes (not to be advised for the feint hearted), and I also got him on the brakes at the end of the back straight, but the speed and torque of his 1000cc's was making things difficult for me. A couple of laps from the end, the bike started to miss a beat..... another bend... oh dear it's not running.... hand up... stop... shit....

Back in the pits, the bike starts again, and then no more sparks!!!!! again.....

To cut a long story short, Chris and I manage to get it going again around 15:00 in the PM, a couple of hours before race 2.

Race 2
I am thinking to myself that the bike will only last a couple of laps, as we have not really found any specific problem, I am running a different stator, new plugs and plug caps now, and my slight flat spot is back (linked with the stator). I am on the back row of the grid because I didn't finish race 1, but in the company of some strong contenders, Ramyond Faboulet and Dominique Denis-Lutard (normally at the front) are next to me! The green light comes on and I get an OK start - Raymond stutters and doesn't get away clean as does Pierre Eline, some lines ahead - well that's 2 of my category behind!

I make good progress, moving past the Arnold brothers (Hugues and Franck), and then getting past Philippe Freon and the last Arnold (Pierre). I ended up having a small scrap with a Ducati 906 (Daniel Duhamel), which I enventually won! I finished in 15th position scratch and 3rd position in my category.

I had brought my lap time down to 1 minutes 16 secs a personal best and on lap 13!

The next race is on October 4th & 5th once again at Carole (yawn...). I will try and post some photos or video clips!