Bimota YB8 Postie project sees the light of day

[crazy man]

can l bring out my 1912 Zenith race bike witch was (band) from racing in its day cause of its verable speed coffee grinder 89 boys do you want me out there lol

[codgyoleracer]

can l bring out my 1912 Zenith race bike witch was (band) from racing in its day cause of its verable speed coffee grinder 89 boys do you want me out there lol

of course you can - its "pre89" isnt it ? :-), + the bonus is , You can run it on your home brew mate.

[codgyoleracer]

Malcy25 - again i agree with most of what you say. Rules...ha, the Motorcycles techical section is still largely as I rewrote it in the '80's as a remit from Canterbury, you could say I've been there...
I've been in contact in the past with peter Smith pointing out some problems in the rules. I have no idea if anything was discussed subsequently.
While not currently on a club committee I'm informed that at least one SI club is looking hard at putting forward some alterations.

As I said there's a lot of bikes and rider out here not PCRA members. It would be interesting to find out just how the active racers break down by area and club...

So your the one to blame............. LOL

[malcy25]

can l bring out my 1912 Zenith race bike witch was (band) from racing in its day cause of its verable speed coffee grinder 89 boys do you want me out there lol

Crazyman....yeah, nah....

At the suggestion of a senior MNZ official a long time ago it the following rule was added to differentiate the Posties from classics.

25.2.2 Major Components
Major components are: Frame (including Swingarm), Engine and Gearbox castings,
carburetors, Brakes (excluding front and rear master cylinders which are open) and
forks. These are to be manufactured between Jan 1st 1963 and December 31st 1989.

Bad, luck, you get to play with the pom bombs!

[malcy25]

Malcy25 - again i agree with most of what you say. Rules...ha, the Motorcycles techical section is still largely as I rewrote it in the '80's as a remit from Canterbury, you could say I've been there...
I've been in contact in the past with peter Smith pointing out some problems in the rules. I have no idea if anything was discussed subsequently.
While not currently on a club committee I'm informed that at least one SI club is looking hard at putting forward some alterations.

As I said there's a lot of bikes and rider out here not PCRA members. It would be interesting to find out just how the active racers break down by area and club...

Grumph. Excellent, seems we have had similar experiences along the way!

Be interested to see wht the SI club proposed changes look like along the way. From experiences in riding here, Aussie, belgium and UK, NZ has the at a macro level the rules which restrict the major componentry the most to the actual period.

Eg. for all pre 82 style racing....
UK: any RWU forks. open brakes, 5.5 inch rims in Pre 82 style bikes, but no slicks
Aussie Max 41mm fork RWU, any age, but "period looking" with single pinch bolt axle clamp, period calipers, but floater allowed
NZ: Period forks (or exact replicas of), brakes (discs and calipers), non flating unless OEM (eg RG500 gp bike)

As I've said many times, we are vaguely racing old bikes, not racing vaguely old bikes. So I hope their thinking is along those lines and is not planned to significantly open up any area to more modern components (and you'll note my 13 points posted earlier are structured around this).

My view of the world in this regard....

1) You only have to look at the success of the NZCMRR in some areas - they are held in very high regard worldwide due to their rules (ie MNZ rules) which are very prescriptive of the Pre 63 period.

2) If you have a major change in one area which is performance increasing, it becomes an arms race for a while between the haves and the have nots. E.g., if we allow period floating brakes. IIRC $2000 a set from aussie....once we all get them, every one is back to a level playing field and the only winner is the guy making discs! The losers are the guys who won't or can't spend the money. Meanwhile we all become $2000 poorer and relative speaking, all going as fast against each other as we were before.

3) if we allow modern major components at what point does it become a class which is based around old bikes?

Apart from some logical allowances, we have a set of rules which are "clock stopped" at the cut off periods. Allowing more modern major components I think destroys the basis for the classes and means the bikes will become more of a mishmash.

Agree there is some fine tuning that could be done around this without losing the intent of how the class lives and breathes now.

Just my 2c worth

[Grumph]

Yeah, I agree costs should be a factor. The Canadians for example allow RWU forks to 41mm OD which at least saves hunting for GL1000 legs in good nick.....but specify solid spoke mags which immediately sends you after Dymags....

Bad example with the register IMO....I go back to the start of that lot and the rot set in when John Surtees talked them into very strict rules which IMO again, resulted in false history being presented in NZ. Bike racing here just was not remotely like they present. As soon as a bike landed here the mods started....The setup now has resulted in specials with good NZ history being broken to make another manx or G50.....
If XR69's were at a premium how many McIntoshes would survive ? Extreme case, yes but look at what's happened with the pre 63's.

The biggest (and hardest) problem to fix is the continuation clause....as worded now it only applies to pre 72.
really specialised knowledge is going to be needed to make it viable for pre 82 and 89.

[Grumph]

can l bring out my 1912 Zenith race bike witch was (band) from racing in its day cause of its verable speed coffee grinder 89 boys do you want me out there lol

I'd just about pay to watch you in action on Levels or Ruapuna.....Years back i watched a huge GP Fiat - '08 I think - on Levels and the passenger was doing everything except stoke a boiler - pump fuel, monitor oil feeds, haul on the handbrake - and hang on too.
I reckon Puke would be too easy....you'd work up a good sweat on Ruapuna.

[malcy25]

Yeah, I agree costs should be a factor. The Canadians for example allow RWU forks to 41mm OD which at least saves hunting for GL1000 legs in good nick.....but specify solid spoke mags which immediately sends you after Dymags....

Bad example with the register IMO....I go back to the start of that lot and the rot set in when John Surtees talked them into very strict rules which IMO again, resulted in false history being presented in NZ. Bike racing here just was not remotely like they present. As soon as a bike landed here the mods started....The setup now has resulted in specials with good NZ history being broken to make another manx or G50.....
If XR69's were at a premium how many McIntoshes would survive ? Extreme case, yes but look at what's happened with the pre 63's.

The biggest (and hardest) problem to fix is the continuation clause....as worded now it only applies to pre 72.
really specialised knowledge is going to be needed to make it viable for pre 82 and 89.

Grumph, Interesting....I don't have a problem with 'specials" (ie not factory fresh bikes) as long as the major parts are period. My biggest concern is that we don't end up with a situation that delivers a legal bike is a GSX1100 frame/motor and Bandit suspension front and rear, FCR flatslides, modern floaters and 4 spot calipers in pre 82!

From 15 years of competing in Posties and being on the organising side, I have't seen the "destruction" of interesting specials like you allude to happening with the classics. I guess this may be as a result of the availability of TZ's through the 70's for racing classes and the advent of production racing meant many fewer specials being created.

Yeah, the continuation clause is not the best as written, but 25.2.3 replica parts could be interpreted to allow same effect. Be good to get that tidied up.

need to go to bed. Working on bikes most of the day to try and ride tomorrow...

[slowpoke]

You might be worrying about the state of the barn door when the horse has already bolted, Malcy. When folks in Oz are hand building "Katana" frames with GSXR geometry and we're fitting Stack-type digital dashes to CB900 Bol d'ors the envelop has already been well and truly pushed.

Glen's bike is a breath of fresh air I reckon. Realistically it's an FZR1000 donk in a sexy Italian frame of the right era.......possibly the very last time Bimota/Harris/Spondon etc could realistically make a worthwhile difference to what the Jappa's provided OEM. Enough to make up for the 10% capacity advantage of a GSXR1100 now that tyres etc have caught up? Who knows. But for someone "of a certain age" who see's himself competing in Post-Classic's sooner rather than later I can't help thinking the grid would be poorer without the YB8 in it.

No, the real question you need to ask yourselves isn't the legitimacy of the big Bimota but of Glen himself.......all those in favour of restricting the ginga to Pre-82 sub 600's raise their right hand...........

[codgyoleracer]

I Kind of agree with the period thing , but in essence the major components as they are now have relativly brief guildlines to follow, and also there are few of them. If these were expanded a little and they were also be a little more "specific", then it would snuff out a bit the "interpretation" rules.

I am only commenting on the Pre89/Pre95 myself as that is all that i really have experience with.

I've also wondered why there isnt a simple "list of motorcycles makes / models" that are and are not "allowed".

If then you wanted to race a bike that "wasnt on the list" - then you would need to go through the appropriate channels. (I can see that being a bit of a can of worms from some angles - however the bonus of this idea is that at least it is quite clear as to what is & is not allowed at least"

BTW, I have no doubt that there is a hell-uv-a lot more to it than i have any knowledge of , but my comments are from a newcomer.........(albiet an old one)
GW

[slowpoke]

Farkin' double post idjit....

[malcy25]

I've also wondered why there isnt a simple "list of motorcycles makes / models" that are and are not "allowed".

GW's there is a little bit there around fringe bikes for the start of a new period, Eg RZ350 and VF750 must run in pre 89 and Zeddies and RD's in Pre 82, but it;s a how long is a piece of string (ie where do you stop!!

I wouldn't worry about your relative "newness" you may have an idea that no one else has...

[malcy25]

You might be worrying about the state of the barn door when the horse has already bolted, Malcy. When folks in Oz are hand building "Katana" frames with GSXR geometry and we're fitting Stack-type digital dashes to CB900 Bol d'Ors the envelope has already been well and truly pushed

You could I suppose cut and shut an original frame (and I know quite a few that have). Interestingly I looked at a Pre 63 Norton a couple of years back and I reckon it must have been at about 23-24 degrees....

Glen's bike is a breath of fresh air I reckon........possibly the last time Bimota/Harris/Spondon etc could hope to make a worthwhile difference to what the Jappa's provided OEM. Now that suspension and tyres have caught up to GSXR1100's (note the 10% capacity advantage) even that might be debatable if someone is as serious about maximising a GSXR as Glen is about doing his homework/setup on the Bimota. I can't help thinking the grid would be poorer without the YB8 in it so hopefully folks just get on with racing him rather than pointing the bone.

Yup - agree big time on all that.

No, the real question you need to ask yourselves isn't the legitimacy of the big Bimota but of Glen himself.......all those in favour of restricting the ginga to Pre-82 sub 600's raise their right hand...........

Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!

[codgyoleracer]

GW's there is a little bit there around fringe bikes for the start of a new period, Eg RZ350 and VF750 must run in pre 89 and Zeddies and RD's in Pre 82, but it;s a how long is a piece of string (ie where do you stop!!

I wouldn't worry about your relative "newness" you may have an idea that no one else has...

Whew, just as well the Bim is at the end of the period.

[codgyoleracer]

No, the real question you need to ask yourselves isn't the legitimacy of the big Bimota but of Glen himself.......all those in favour of restricting the ginga to Pre-82 sub 600's raise their right hand...........

Now now spud, my shed can only fit a certain amount of bikes.......... , what are your thoughts machinery-wiseon joining us in the retired-old-folk series?. I know where there is a pretty good 851 Duke....... ?

GW