Topic: Starting a race bike

[fastbroshi]

   So if you remove your starter and kickstart, you're relegated to using a bumpstart or one of those motorized rollers.  What is this contraption called?  Where can I get one?
  Any other options?

[turboguzzi]

a pushing helper... 

I built my own roller starter powered by a 2000 Watt angle grinder, works like a charm.

Sounds like you are going racing then. with what, where, when? pictures please.


TG

[MCRider]

I think they are just called roller starters.  http://www.roscosrollers.com/apps/webstore/

[fastbroshi]

a pushing helper... 

I built my own roller starter powered by a 2000 Watt angle grinder, works like a charm.

Sounds like you are going racing then. with what, where, when? pictures please.


TG

   I have a bunch of spares laying around, figured maybe I'll give the vintage class a try with these guys, http://www.cmraracing.com/.  I'm in Dallas, TX, so this would work out okay for me.  Schedule looks to be a bit thin, I dunno.  I've never raced before so I'll be doing some track days first.  I figure the CB550 can be fairly forgiving, relatively speaking. 
   I was looking through your 500/550/650 pride thread and it's really got me stoked.  For now I'm going to get accustomed to the rules, source some parts and get my ducks in a row.  I'll start a new thread as things start coming together.  I'll definitely be pm'ing you with with questions/demands, lol.  I promise to have an awesome paint scheme.

[Howell]

We use a homebuild starter also made from a grinder , this one.

[fastbroshi]

Damn, that's slick.  Send it to me now.  Resistance is futile.

[turboguzzi]

triumph - rpmcycles dallas (shady trail & southwell rd)   were deep into vintage racing but now it looks like they changed hands and location,

might be worth checking the old place, ask for Keith Martin

TG

[lordmoonpie]

We call them "donkeys" in the UK - try googling "foxley mobile starter" or "saxon starter" for those - a small HP engine driving a go-kart wheel. I made my own for 1/3rd the cost of a saxon job. Now working on the Motogp equivalent of Howell's, a battery powering a truck starter motor that drives two chain connected rollers. Just waitingon my rollers now but you can see these types of starters on www.tga.co.uk. They sell them for £1800!!

I used to have friends that push started me but on one bad morning when the single cylinder I was racing wouldn't start, poor old Bob Mace pushed so much and so hard that he promptly vomited all over the paddock 

[Ricky_Racer]

Howell, do you have a photo of the "startrollen.jpg" from the other side. I'm curious about the type of drive wheel you're using. Thanks!  RR

[ryder60]

If you are just starting out I'll assume the weight of the starter isn't going to lose you a lot of prize money.  Leave the starter and relay on the bike and when the time comes to lighten as much as you can, then it's time to remove the starter.

[turboguzzi]

If you are just starting out I'll assume the weight of the starter isn't going to lose you a lot of prize money.  Leave the starter and relay on the bike and when the time comes to lighten as much as you can, then it's time to remove the starter.

+1, best piece of advice so far

[Howell]

Howell, do you have a photo of the "startrollen.jpg" from the other side. I'm curious about the type of drive wheel you're using. Thanks!  RR

Some more pics:

[Ricky_Racer]

That is SWEET! Thanks!  RR

[fastbroshi]

If you are just starting out I'll assume the weight of the starter isn't going to lose you a lot of prize money. 

What?!!  Don't you see my username?  I'm not FASTBroshi for nuttin'!    Seriously, good point.

[ryder60]

If you are just starting out I'll assume the weight of the starter isn't going to lose you a lot of prize money. 

What?!!  Don't you see my username?  I'm not FASTBroshi for nuttin'!    Seriously, good point.

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I'd advise you to build in stages.  Do enough to get a years racing in and go from there.  It spreads the cost out and you get to improve each year.  When you're good you max the bike out or step up to a different one.  Good luck.

[lordmoonpie]

I'd advise you to build in stages.  Do enough to get a years racing in and go from there.  It spreads the cost out and you get to improve each year.  When you're good you max the bike out or step up to a different one.  Good luck.

What sound advice, now if only I'd taken notice of the "when you're good bit" instead of tuning the bike a little more every winter      

[ryder60]

I'd advise you to build in stages.  Do enough to get a years racing in and go from there.  It spreads the cost out and you get to improve each year.  When you're good you max the bike out or step up to a different one.  Good luck.

What sound advice, now if only I'd taken notice of the "when you're good bit" instead of tuning the bike a little more every winter      

--------------------------------

I found that getting 'better' was a slow process and I'm not sure I'll ever get 'good'.

[lordmoonpie]

Me neither now. I was told when I started racing that you work up to a season where you seem to fall off all the time and that's when you're riding mostly at the limit. If you survive that season you end up being as fast as you are likely to be. Sadly for me, I managed to get to that season but too many hospital visits and not enough money to rebuild the superbike meant I never really got back into a full season's of racing after that.

As a consequence, the older I get, the slower I get or to put it another way - the older I get the faster I was 

[turboguzzi]

wait a "few years" might be a bit much but i did my first season with the electric starter in place, connecting  my car's battery directly to it whenever i needed to fire up. was handy actually

if you do go through the trouble of removing the starter's weight, you might as well remove the sprag clutch, it weights a ton, but until you get within a lap time that's about 110% of that of the top guys, that's not what is slowing you down

seen a CB500 with the starter on the winners circle, ridden by an ex world superstock racer...

TG 

[fastbroshi]

That's good info, I'm going to pretend I didn't hear the part where you're falling off the whole season.

[rbmgf7]

i've seen homemeade rollers where they're powered from the wheels of another vehicle. just a simple set of roller jackshafted underneath the drive wheels of another car. if you have an open differential and no TCS, just chock the wheels and the open diff will let the rollers spin

[turboguzzi]

i've seen homemeade rollers where they're powered from the wheels of another vehicle. just a simple set of roller jackshafted underneath the drive wheels of another car. if you have an open differential and no TCS, just chock the wheels and the open diff will let the rollers spin

try to operate it alone