rich46

wraith, Because these motorbikes are big and fat I, from the beginning of the build have been trying to keep everything I stick on the bikes as light as I can. When I look at the cooler that came on the Kat's (keeping in mind that street bikes are built to sit in traffic) and listening to folks on the forum I think I'll try going with a 6 row to at least start with. I plan on some testing this spring and I will be running oil temp gauges so as to not over heat. I will, of course bring along the larger cools just in case. This is on thing that can be changed at the track. I may even make up a set of lines for the different sized cooler just in case. The other reason to go with a smaller cooler is on the street courses (at least at the IOM) the suspension often bottoms out on the bump stops (just the nature of the road race courses) so the small ones help with allowing more options as far as ride height, compression and the like. Thank you for your input every bit has helped me with a bike I'm not totally familiar with

I stand properly chastised This said it's the answers that are what mattered to me and made it worth the time. Being an Old Guy all I have is a flip phone so I must get my wife to take the time to shot the photos. She does not really care about keeping the forum informed. Cheers mate !

When I first introduced myself and explained that I and my mates were putting together a pair of 1982 GS1100e's (or GSX1100 for those not in USA) to be raced next year in some of the UK vintage road races I was asked to please send pictures. I usually don't bother with this sort of think as I tend to get going on a project and then never take the time to slow enough to take the picture for fear I'll forget what the hell I was doing. Then when I do have the time I've totally forgotten all about take the camera out so it still never gets done. Well there's a firm in the UK that specializes in building custom race exhaust (RaceFit) for the Dunlop and Martin and some friends in the UK have hooked me up with them so I'll be able to get a proper system worked out. Jon has a GSX1100 that he can work from but he also was aware that on these vintage motorbikes a lot of parts are going to be made from scratch (rear-sets, swing-arms etc) so he requested pictures. These I am passing along. Do be aware that this motorbike is in the mock-up stage so is rather rough but all the same here you are.

Thanks mate. On the race bikes we usually remove those kind of bits. I even pull out the thermostats (do install a baffle) Not having those sorts of bits are not really needed and it's just one more thing to go amiss. If someone wants a street version (a fellow was in a day or so ago who may want a GS750 done) I will for sure use your suggestion to help him on the warm up. So thanks again. Cheers

Aryyu, You have no idea how much value this kind of information is. What I really was looking for how these motorbikes worked in OEM state as I know that Suzuki didn't want their bikes blowing up in traffic. You were quite right in that most of the racing these bikes are headed for has little traffic (maybe only when drafting on long straights) they are run at high RPM but not crazy numbers (9500 or so) so your big engine most likely has a chance at high temps just riding around because of the thinner cylinder walls. Our motorbikes also have fairings (see pictures of endurance bikes built by Yosh. ridden by Graeme Crosby) with the early '80's look. so I do need to consider that. What I'm thinking is that I do need to worry about keeping them cool but it will not be a huge issue. The engines will have fairly mild cam grinds, not any exceptionally high compression. Heck if we are mostly racing in the UK I've not ever seen it far into the 70's and often external eater cooling.

So I've think I have a handle on how to set up the oiling on the race bikes. Next question is how large an oil cooler should I be considering ? I've been thinking that a 13 row like all the kit use is the way to go but when I look at old photographs from the late '70's early '80's it looks to be only an 8 or 10 row.

I gave up on finding a proper exhaust system for our twin race bikes (only GS11E's GSV11) but here in Dummy California it's become hard to get afternarket systems especially race ones. I ended up having some mates in the UK point me towards a small firm called RaceFit. Jon is going to build me a system based on a mock-up motorbike and my racer's pictures. This way the bits that have been handmade and fitted to these motorbikes will clear everything and still have full range of adjustment. He does build systems for all the Pro's who sometimes race vintage bikes and want them to run correctly. Anyway just a thought if you need something special. Cheers !

No big engines either. The real problem with what we're doing is that we're racing with three maybe even four different organizations so we are stuck with rules that let you do things in one group but not in another. Here are the examples Some allow up to 1300 cc others only 1000cc (we can get a special disposition for the spec engine size that the GSX11 came with). Some places we can shift to a single rear shock configuration but others we're left with twin shocks. And again some places we can race with USD forks others we stay with conventional. Now if we were not so far from home we could maybe switch back and forth but allowing for the reality that changes will completely alter set up that is a hopeless option. There's also the fact that we are all about the experiences. We are shooting for being in the top 50% and hope the old age and cunning will get us there. My IOM veteran has done the TT a lot of times and that race is just fun to be part of he's won sidecar championships here in the states and remember there is really no $ in this game. I have retired from serious automobile racing so working on these bikes is my therapy.

Thanks mates I am now getting an idea of how to proceed. These engines for the real road race courses will never see 10 thousand RPM nor will they get cams that look like they have points. I've learned that the engines first and foremost need to live and make for good top end power. The IOM is about making the bike live for (depending on which races you enter) between 160 and 250 miles , not beat the crap out of the rider and stop when it needs to stop and turn when it needs to turn. A drag race it is not my guys want smooth power over the power-band. Also nothing sudden or peaky because there are almost always places where you're trying to accelerate out of turns that are damp or down right wet. What I'm hearing is that I should look for about 145 HP @ 9500 RPM if that sounds about right then I'm on my way. Cheers to all I off to the Television for the MotoGp

Sorry mate it's even a wee bit crazy at the Classic. We all want to do well even if we were not big names . Never saw anyone with keys sticking out of caps. All I was wondering was if someone had come upon a cap that just worked again there's one about, I've just not found it. We avoid things like locking caps because they sometimes jam or keys get lost. No worries we'll find something or if all else fails we can make up plates that will except modern quarter turn caps like the one's for Yamaha's and CBR's. My bad just was looking for a simple fix.

Arttu, I have heard the same as far as using a drilled plug. What I'm being told that by drilling a .25mm hole in the plug accomplish about the same thing. So do you know anything about using GS750 (year ? ) oil pumps to get higher pressures thus getting more oil up to the heads ? My old Superbike wrench from the '70's and '80's said that I should also remember that the oils of today are far superior to what his guys used and their engines survived. That was the good news he also said that they also swapped engines and went thru them every weekend but today every part is better and the treatments to things like cranks is also much improved. So I guess all I can really do is just go with I think will work and hope. If we can be allowed into the UK next season I suspect that I'll be trying to put together a spare engine just in case. Cheers

OK, So after going over what everyone has been telling me and all the OEM oil flow diagrams here's what I think (please keep in mind I've never worked with this engine before) 1st. I understand that there are different oil pump gears (GS750 still trying to find out the proper year) that will increase oil flow and pressure. 2nd. If I can find a couple of old EFE oil filters covers I'll use those as they shunt the oil flow thru the cooler far better. If I can't find the EFE filter covers then it looks as if I can restrict the flow a wee bit with a plug in the cooler line add by drilling said plug with a small hole that will some supply to pass thru. I'll will use a good quality cooler 13 or 16 row with -8 lines. From what I can gather we are in no way over stressing these engines. Most of the exotic oiling systems are more for engines that are way over bored (1300+ cc) or have high compression ratios (13/14 : 1) have pumps and run on fuel. As we are not using high lift cams,or any of the other super HP tricks and where engine life is the most important issue I thinking this will be a proper way to go as far as the oil flow in our race engines ? ? ? .

It was considered. I will tell you when the motorbikes come into the pits for a fuel (also check tires) stop things are fairly hectic. At the Isle of Man pits you are also using archaic fueling equipment so there is a lot of tension. So when we plan how we're going to handle the pit stops the very first thing we do is try and eliminate anything that could go wrong. Having something like that where the key could fall out if the cap gets knocked to the ground or the rider catches a glove where it sticks up are all things that just scare me. After 40 years racing cars and bikes I haven't learned a lot but the one thing I have learned is keep it simple stupid and if it can screw up IT WILL ! What we did the last time we were there was (different motorbike) was have a cap with out a key and also we each had an extra one in our firesuit pocket. If you drop or loose that cap there you will sit so it's something you worry about. Le Mans caps aren't legal by rule. Thanks for the input. After looking at the opening it looks kind of old school standard configuration. I'm sure there's a cap out there that will fit I just need to find it. Cheers

Is true. It was the IOM I was referring to. Not the TT but the Manx. One of my riders has like almost fifty IOM starts if you count both two wheel and three wheels. The motorbike I built for him to ride a few years ago was put together to do sprint vintage races here in the states. Engine made really great power and that may be the crux of my error for the IOM. Everything was too highly tuned for the amount of stress that kind of event entailed. The engines I'm putting in the bikes I building now are more akin to an endurance engine. They do need to make HP but I'll keep it more down to earth this time/

Arttu, Thank you so much this is exactly the kind of information I'm looking for. Most of the folks that I'd talked to so far were going to benefit from me wanting to install one of these systems (because they're selling it to me) I had had one of these (GSX1100) years ago and I rode it rather hmmmm. Aggressively