Bucket Project - A few Qs for those anyone even slightly smarter than me...

**Moooools** · 7th June 2010, 15:25

My TZR arrived and quickly stopped running, not that it matters.
I have stripped it down completely and now for the hard part, and I will likely have way too many questions along the way.

I have yet to get an engine, so I will be working on the bodywork and anything else first.

Questions:

How many litres of fuel will a 150 4 stroke (probably) use in an race? I got myself some vinyl ester resin to make a tank from, and I am planning to put it where the airbox was originally. I can get a 4 litre tank in that spot. As seen in my crude pic.

Should I trim the sub frame back to the join between the two supports, or just work around it? It would be easier for me to make a tail section around them, but it might not be stiff enough without the brace.

What sort of oil should I stick in the forks? Any preferences?

Should I get the seat as low as possible on the sub frame or is it good to have some height? I'm reasonable small and I can make my tank(/ cover/not really a tank) lower than the original so it is not intrusive.

I think that is about it for the time being, but there will be more, I am sure.

Cheers
Max

**hayd3n** · 7th June 2010, 15:55

i could fabricate polyproplene one so much easier but why?

**Kendog** · 7th June 2010, 16:32

I had a massive 1 litre fuel tank on the 150 Loncin engine. Would run for not much longer than 20 minutes, so was good for the sprint races, not so good for the endurance races.

I don't think your suggested tank location will work very well. You need to have the fuel higher than the carb. Mine was mounted directly above the engine near the steering head.

**Moooools** · 7th June 2010, 16:49

i could fabricate polyproplene one so much easier but why?

I don't understand?

If you are asking why make a tank? to save weight of course.

I had a massive 1 litre fuel tank on the 150 Loncin engine. Would run for not much longer than 20 minutes, so was good for the sprint races, not so good for the endurance races.

I don't think your suggested tank location will work very well. You need to have the fuel higher than the carb. Mine was mounted directly above the engine near the steering head.

I had though of that. I was considering pumping it, and that was drawn with a little 2 smoke in mind, but I don't think I am going to go that way. So it will either be pumped or moved.

I quite like the position because it is out of the way and well protected.

**hayd3n** · 7th June 2010, 17:05

polypropylene is the same stuff your Jerry cans/mx tanks are made of,
i could easily make one to fit and weld fitting's/cap to it ,
being down low you will have fueling problems and maybe get stone damage being so close to the rear tyre

**Moooools** · 7th June 2010, 17:36

That would make things easy, but at what price... The resin only cost me $15, and having here I can just keep adding stuff and rebuilding it until it works.

As for stones I will be making a rear hugger as well.

**Moooools** · 7th June 2010, 18:43

Any thoughts on the rest of my questions?

**Moooools** · 7th June 2010, 19:34

Just realised the title makes no sense whatsoever...

**grantman** · 7th June 2010, 19:39

Does it have a leaking fork seal?

Seat hight
Lower is slightly better but it needs to work for you
If you are small you should be ok
you need to sort out the seating position ...handle bar height/angle etc

Others maybe better at answering this one

What motor are you going to use?

**Buckets4Me** · 7th June 2010, 19:48

Originally Posted by Moooools

Any thoughts on the rest of my questions?

I would find an engine first then things will get easier

**Henk** · 7th June 2010, 19:58

I get an entire weekend out of about 5 liters on an FXR.
As for the rest, seating position is personal preference and the forks are going to be experimentation. I've ended up with 10 wt oil at 135mm on stock FXR forks but will probably tweak some more, depends on if it rains next meet and I can get out of the infeild without repeatedly landing on my ear.
I'd suggest starting with the standard oil level for your frame maybe a bit lighter grade but then I'm no suspension tuning guru (as evident from my crash rate)

**Moooools** · 7th June 2010, 20:10

Does it have a leaking fork seal?

Seat hight
Lower is slightly better but it needs to work for you
If you are small you should be ok
you need to sort out the seating position ...handle bar height/angle etc

Others maybe better at answering this one

What motor are you going to use?

Fork seals are fine.
Lower it is.

I have had many thoughts on the engine.
In an ideal world I would find myself a minarelli AM6 and put an 80cc cylinder and a stroker crank on it. But the minarellis are few and far between so that probably won't happen.

Next on the list is trying to get my hands on a kymco 4 valve 150cc aircooled engine through scooteazzi. Reasonable amount of power, similar to the FXR.

Next would be an FXR. If I can find one.

And if all else fails at the bottom of the pile... the loncin 150.

I would find an engine first then things will get easier

Agreed, if only I could find one.

I get an entire weekend out of about 5 liters on an FXR.
As for the rest, seating position is personal preference and the forks are going to be experimentation. I've ended up with 10 wt oil at 135mm on stock FXR forks but will probably tweak some more, depends on if it rains next meet and I can get out of the infeild without repeatedly landing on my ear.
I'd suggest starting with the standard oil level for your frame maybe a bit lighter grade but then I'm no suspension tuning guru (as evident from my crash rate)

Thanks. Sounds like a four liter tank would be plenty.

**F5 Dave** · 7th June 2010, 21:48

Went to Justins yesterday but he was just coming back as we were leaving, didn't tell him about his poor bike.

17 litres should be fine, if you pressurise the tank it may blow out to that. . . I'm assuming you want to enter Suzuka.

An aftermarket cylinder is pretty shakey ground for legality. Is it a performance part? The debate continues.

**Moooools** · 8th June 2010, 08:07

His bike was poor before it arrived.

Who said anything aout pressurising??
Just pump the fuel from the bottom.

"Engines must be derived from non-competition motorcycles. Motocross, Road Racing,
Enduro and Go Kart motors and transmission parts are not permitted."

Performance parts seem fine to me, just no competition or Kart parts. Considering almost all of the 80cc kits would be sold for road use, they aren't really race parts.
I see no debate.