Safety issue?

**Billy** · 23rd December 2014, 08:22

Originally Posted by scrivy

OMG!!! Could you imagine all the crying and hissy fits.......

Haha Yip,

And finger pointing, You forgot to mention blame apportioning.

It was suggested too me by the Officials commissioner that we should be checking the homemade fuel tanks are better constructed when scrutineering following the Greymouth incident WTF? How would we do that, Pull it to bits and reassemble it? It can really only be done during the construction process and with a precise list of materials used and process, Prevention is better than remedy after the fact....isn't it?

**mossy1200** · 23rd December 2014, 08:27

Originally Posted by Billy

Yea,

Its not as easy to adapt to as many would think AND it's not really fixing the problem.

It is fixing the problem. I have a 1985 café racer with 45degree steering angles. If I wanted to fit a steering damper and top fairing unit to race it idd need reduce that to around 30degree to allow for both.
We would need more information about said bike to solve the issue.
Modified doesn't always mean not safe.
If a ducati turning angle wasn't safe then maybe they shouldn't be aloud on the track or in the pits or on the road.
There will be a fair number of pre89 bikes with reduced turning angles for steering dampers and its safer to have the steering stock stop the travel than the steering damper max out and break free.

**Billy** · 23rd December 2014, 08:53

Originally Posted by mossy1200

It is fixing the problem. I have a 1985 café racer with 45degree steering angles. If I wanted to fit a steering damper and top fairing unit to race it idd need reduce that to around 30degree to allow for both.
We would need more information about said bike to solve the issue.
Modified doesn't always mean not safe.
If a ducati turning angle wasn't safe then maybe they shouldn't be aloud on the track or in the pits or on the road.
There will be a fair number of pre89 bikes with reduced turning angles for steering dampers and its safer to have the steering stock stop the travel than the steering damper max out and break free.

I think you might have misunderstood the statement,

All of the above is correct and acceptable on a modified machine and I have made these changes to many machines over the years, In some cases where I was running more than 1 machine at a time, So as to keep them the same as possible.

What I was eluding to was if the bike had genuine or race replica bodywork and it still fouled the bars/Levers, Then theres a good chance something else is amiss with bracketry or fitment.

**Drew** · 23rd December 2014, 09:31

Happens all the time when after market bars go on a bike. I have never thought of it as a safety concern, but it is spelled out clearly that to race nothing must foul at full lock.

I don't think you should be sticking your nose in and whinging to any clubs.

**Drew** · 23rd December 2014, 10:07

Originally Posted by cassina

Just make a rule metal fuel tanks only and not home made.

Piss off, why should people who do things properly be penalised because there are retards who shouldn't be allowed to own tools?

**mossy1200** · 23rd December 2014, 10:07

So the issue is its not up to acceptable race specs as it is but the OP wants advice on what or if any action from him/her should be taken if any.
I have had a race issue (drags) also.
My hand grenade tire caps were stolen and had the rear tire deflate at 300kph. Really should have been picked up firstly by myself and secondly by scrutineers.

My advice is to have a look and see what can be done to solve the issue. Hard for us to tell what would work as we cant see said bike.

If its in the rules then scrutineers should be picking up the fault. Its likely word has got out now about the issue and they will be looking for it. Assuming scrutineers or senior racers read KB.

**Pumba** · 23rd December 2014, 10:18

Originally Posted by cassina

Just make a rule metal fuel tanks only and not home made.

So with that rule any bike that comes out of the factory with a composite tank would never be aloowed to race, because you couldnt even make a metal one to replace it

**jasonu** · 23rd December 2014, 12:08

Originally Posted by cassina

Just make a rule metal fuel tanks only and not home made.

Why? Because one or two dickheads got it wrong?
How about you find a subject you actually know something about to comment on (like having multiple not at fault accidents on the road for example) so you don't make yourself look even dumber than you already look.

**scrivy** · 23rd December 2014, 12:19

Originally Posted by Drew

Piss off, why should people who do things properly be penalised because there are retards who shouldn't be allowed to own tools?

I know that was directed at me ya prick......

**Drew** · 23rd December 2014, 12:43

Originally Posted by scrivy

I know that was directed at me ya prick......

You and Jay actually.

**steveyb** · 23rd December 2014, 12:48

He was looking in the mirror at the time too. But after a knock on the head he is cross-eyed too....

**Grumph** · 23rd December 2014, 13:50

Originally Posted by Billy

Yea,

Its not as easy to adapt to as many would think AND it's not really fixing the problem, Obviously if the machine Alex is talking about has factory or replica bodywork fitted for the correct model, Its not fitted correctly, It all comes down to personal responsibility in the end now there is no acceptable scrutineering taking place, The stories are becoming more prevelant as time passes, Like the Ducati at Greymouth 2013 that the bottom fell out of the home made fibreglass fuel tank on impact causing a huge fire, Or the machine I checked over here last weekend that has now done 7 events all over the North Island without the sump plug wired, Or the Superlite machine thats homemade rear subframe collapsed at Manfeild at round 2 of the Suzuki series, Is it time for ALL Formula based machinery to go through the same process as sidecars ?????

Maybe...but who's going to approve them ? Personally, I did the GP meeting scrutineering for years and acted as a sort of national scrute coordinator for Shand for a couple of seasons - with no formal qualifications whatsoever. Oh, unless you consider FIM tech steward ticket any use - i don't.
the system exists at present for bikes to be "audited" at meetings. i'd like to see it used a lot more.

**sidecar bob** · 23rd December 2014, 13:57

Originally Posted by Drew

You and Jay actually.

What's the go with that? It seems the the better a person can ride, the less tools they should be allowed to use.
Scrivy is really only a screwdriver & a spanner & Jay shouldn't venture beyond a dishcloth, but the bastards can fuckin ride though.

**sidecar bob** · 23rd December 2014, 14:06

Originally Posted by Grumph

Maybe...but who's going to approve them ? Personally, I did the GP meeting scrutineering for years and acted as a sort of national scrute coordinator for Shand for a couple of seasons - with no formal qualifications whatsoever. Oh, unless you consider FIM tech steward ticket any use - i don't.
the system exists at present for bikes to be "audited" at meetings. i'd like to see it used a lot more.

Perhaps MNZ need to grow a ball bag & put up downloadable PDF scrutineering check sheets on their website for the various types of machine that organisers can have access to. I have been going on about this for a while.
The mta wof inspection sheet is probably a good place to start as a guideline, particularly with regard to legal disclaimers etc. I'm sure representatives from each discipline would be more than happy to assist with requirements for their individual machine types.