The Bucket Foundry

[Frits Overmars]

Riding on two wheels? no way, too dangerous for me!

Found just the thing for you then:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTrlnxslYrY

[husaberg]

[Grumph]

Where did you find that lot ? In the pic with the starter pieces, there's a cambox top with a 3 lobe cam. It's either a survivor from the 5 valve engine or a single part. Same pic, there's one of the injector bodies cast in the black CF resin material. Same bit in alloy would be about .5kg - that will be feather light in the CF. I'm reliably told that none of the patterns exist now.
In the pic with the wheel mould and the pattern for the boom box there's a lower crankcase casting. I know one was salvaged from the "museum" so that's probably it. It was a bad casting with a couple of big voids. It's now repaired and in Kevin Grant's engine.

[Michael Moore]

Greg, there was a Britten twin racing at the AHRMA races at Sears Point this past week. I didn't think to ask which number bike it was.

[WilDun]

Found just the thing for you then:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTrlnxslYrY

Love it! - that's definitely me! except that I wouldn't be able to find the icy conditions.
Would hate to think what the reception at the hospital would be like, especially from the surgeons who rebuilt me!

Maybe one with B&S power and a trailer (for my furnace) would be safer.

Husa, Grumph,
I had heard of the five valve head but never heard the results of any tests done with it. Obviously like Yamaha/Toyota heads, I guess there were some issues around having 5 valves??
I remember reading the book when it came out and maybe I didn't pay enough attention - think I was in hospital at the time!

[guyhockley]

Found just the thing for you then:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTrlnxslYrY

Meanwhile, in sunny england...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy5rkw4SeP4

[Grumph]

Greg, there was a Britten twin racing at the AHRMA races at Sears Point this past week. I didn't think to ask which number bike it was.

While I know a couple of customer bikes have been given "birthdays" by Rob Selby in the past few years, I don't know if any of them have been brought out and run.. The only one which does get aired frequently is Kevin Grant's one, based here in NZ.
Actually racing - or being demonstrated ?

The 5 valve was a bit of a blind alley. At the time it was done, the rest of the on board systems weren't up to the sophistication needed. If I remember the timeline right, it didn't have a programmable ignition - which a 5 valve head needs badly. There was some miscommunication within the team too - the heads were done with the valves sitting in the radiused pockets which worked on the 4V, but the guy who'd designed it on the flowbench apparently wanted the valves sitting flush with the chamber. When John showed a 5V head to me he was a bit annoyed at that, but it was his fault anyway.
From all I've heard it wasn't as good on the dyno as everyone expected so when it blew, it was shelved.

If we'd known you were going to be at Sears Point, Michael, you could have had a chat with Swarfie on here. Nev Mickelson was there riding I think, a Velo and something else.

[Flettner]

Looking forward to it

Frits, got your accommodation sorted for you when you are out here.

[Michael Moore]

Greg, the Britten was going out in practices so I presumed it was being raced. There was what looked like a pre-war cammy Velo, rigid frame/girder forks, presumably a 350 KTT.

I don't pay much attention to the bikes any more, too much "seen that already, ho hum" at this point. I went up to say hello to my friends from out of town I only see once a year at the race and after watching one of them run away with the 200GP race I called it a day and headed home to beat the after-work traffic.

[husaberg]

Greg, the Britten was going out in practices so I presumed it was being raced. There was what looked like a pre-war cammy Velo, rigid frame/girder forks, presumably a 350 KTT.

I don't pay much attention to the bikes any more, too much "seen that already, ho hum" at this point. I went up to say hello to my friends from out of town I only see once a year at the race and after watching one of them run away with the 200GP race I called it a day and headed home to beat the after-work traffic.

It will likely be Jim Hunters Massachusetts
or Dr Mark Stewart Michigan
or Michael Canepa California

The other two that are in the states have never been started or raced as far as i know.
Michael Iannuncci Las Vegas
George Barber Museum


Three are in NZ Kevin Grant, Te papa and one owned by the Britten familly and Gil Simpson.

One was in South Africa, Gary Turner
One in Italy, Roberto Crepaldi

Oh Michael in regards to Hossack front end, John did indeed concede thats where it came from he admiried Normans work greatly, only he didn't like its messy appearance.

While I know a couple of customer bikes have been given "birthdays" by Rob Selby in the past few years, I don't know if any of them have been brought out and run.. The only one which does get aired frequently is Kevin Grant's one, based here in NZ.
Actually racing - or being demonstrated ?

The 5 valve was a bit of a blind alley. At the time it was done, the rest of the on board systems weren't up to the sophistication needed. If I remember the timeline right, it didn't have a programmable ignition - which a 5 valve head needs badly. There was some miscommunication within the team too - the heads were done with the valves sitting in the radiused pockets which worked on the 4V, but the guy who'd designed it on the flowbench apparently wanted the valves sitting flush with the chamber. When John showed a 5V head to me he was a bit annoyed at that, but it was his fault anyway.
From all I've heard it wasn't as good on the dyno as everyone expected so when it blew, it was shelved.

If we'd known you were going to be at Sears Point, Michael, you could have had a chat with Swarfie on here. Nev Mickelson was there riding I think, a Velo and something else.

What started as the 5V bike is in italy in its third incarnation 1100 5V twin belt 985 and then 996 single belt, it won the NZ gp and was the only britten to have finished at the IOM.
It was for years the Factory Race team Britten race bike.

I am not sure but i think Hans Weekers did the 5V head He was on leave from Yamaha Europe (GP i think )
He did do the the highly successful improved 4V head anyway. working with plasicine and clay on the flow bench from a dummy head that was bsically just valve seats Rob Selby made.

Where did you find that lot ? In the pic with the starter pieces, there's a cambox top with a 3 lobe cam. It's either a survivor from the 5 valve engine or a single part. Same pic, there's one of the injector bodies cast in the black CF resin material. Same bit in alloy would be about .5kg - that will be feather light in the CF. I'm reliably told that none of the patterns exist now.
In the pic with the wheel mould and the pattern for the boom box there's a lower crankcase casting. I know one was salvaged from the "museum" so that's probably it. It was a bad casting with a couple of big voids. It's now repaired and in Kevin Grant's engine.

It could be from the 6v single as well, i never noticed it.
Oh the part pics and patterns are from somewhere but i am not saying where.

but the single pic is from the building that is no longer a building and the first with John with the patern is from a book i had. in hindsight it looks to be the precussor twin.
as it looks like both EX face forward
Ie Gary Goodfellow barn door model.

[Frits Overmars]

Frits, got your accommodation sorted for you when you are out here.

That's great! Now I need to talk to the missus....

I don't pay much attention to the bikes any more, too much "seen that already, ho hum" at this point. I went up to say hello to my friends from out of town I only see once a year at the race and after watching one of them run away with the 200GP race I called it a day and headed home to beat the after-work traffic.

That is exactly how I go about it too, Michael.

[Michael Moore]

Frits, I enjoy seeing something new to me, whether it is a DIY job or rare factory piece. But "the same old stuff" I've seen before isn't as interesting these days, even if it is a Britten or Honda 250-6.

I've never had much interest in watching other people race. I can't relate to watching anyone riding at or above a fast club racer speed, it is so far beyond my capabilities, it may as well be magic/movie special effects. If I'm not riding (or going for the social aspects) there's little reason to go and stand around watching other people having fun.

cheers,
Michael

[Grumph]

Frits, I enjoy seeing something new to me, whether it is a DIY job or rare factory piece. But "the same old stuff" I've seen before isn't as interesting these days, even if it is a Britten or Honda 250-6.

I've never had much interest in watching other people race. I can't relate to watching anyone riding at or above a fast club racer speed, it is so far beyond my capabilities, it may as well be magic/movie special effects. If I'm not riding (or going for the social aspects) there's little reason to go and stand around watching other people having fun.

cheers,
Michael

Of the two big bike meetings locally, the NZGP and the BEARS Sound of Thunder, I only go on practise day. Lets me talk to those I need to see without pressure. I've even stopped going to the big Classic car meeting here as for each of the first 3 years it ran, I wound up sorting someone's damm car.

[Flettner]

This is old stuff but I'm just showing the process again.
As I'm having to do some changes to the sand mold, thicker boss for the power valve slot.
Starts off as a wood shape of the water core.
Then transfrred to a wood / resin mold.
This is then copy cast into an aluminium mold.
The metal mould is necessary so as to use shell hot set sand. This sand core would be too flimsy using CO2 set sand. Shell sand core is much stronger for these thin sections. The two core halves are glued together in the cylinder sand mold when assembling.

[Flettner]

This is the modified part. This is a removable section of the die. This takes sand away leaving a solid boss in the casting, so I can machine a slot for the power valve.