In particular for todays post, rule 15.1.3.4:
"All lateral covers/engine cases containing oil and which could be in contact with the ground during a crash, must be protected by a second cover made of composite materials, type carbon or Kevlar, or be fitted with heavy duty crash resistant end cases made from solid metal. Plates and/or bars from aluminium or steel are also permitted. All these devices must be designed to be resistant against sudden schocks and must be fixed properly and securly. Bonding alone is not a suitable method of mounting"
So I first went searching for an off-the-shelf solution. I can tell you, finding crash protection for a 14 year old motorcycle is not easy. Woodcraft only do half the job, and the NRC covers (although pretty swish in solid billet alloy) are going to cost over $700 for the generator, idler, and starter covers, and that still left the clutch casing un-attended too.
Time for plan B: "Plates and/or bars from aluminium or steel are also permitted." So today I set about taking care of the right hand side of the engine.
First step was to make up the concept with carboard as it's easier to work with, then transfer that to check plate aluminium.
This is the areas of concern:
Making up the concept, the arrows are pointing to where the casing bolts will be extended to hold the plate on, everything needs to be shaped to both protect the engine cases from spilling oil, but also to still fit underneath the fairings without rubbing:
Now I transfer the pattern onto the check plate:
Cut and bent to fit, and should tuck in nicely behind a new set of race glass :-)
I wont drill and fit it just yet, I'll wait until I do the generator cover first, as I'll need to drain the oil to remove the engine cover bolts.
Cheers,
SammyA
PS: A quick snapshot taken at Broadford by Steven Hendy while testing the engine out :-)
