Farewell to Big Betty

On Sunday Big Betty went to a new home...

Weird to see he loaded into a different van... a bit sad. I need to say farewell to the second fastest Aprilia twin around the Isle of Man...

Now there's a wee hole in my garage...

... and in my heart.

She was a good 'un.

ManxGP Prep - RSV Factory

While the Ducati SP3's engine is being rebuilt... I've got going on prep for the other Manx GP bikes. I was going to say 'modern' class bikes... but although the Senior and Supertwin classes cater for modern bikes... mine are both pretty old.

First up the 10 year old Aprilia RSV Factory.

 

Ready to bomb down Bray Hill again!

I went a bit over-board on the side-number visibility this year. Every previous year I've had the aggro of changing the graphics because I haven't passed the 'artictic interpretation' guidelines. If you can't see she's #50, you're a blind-ass-mo-fo!

 

The old 'race tuned' engine put out 131 bhp at the back wheel on the dyno before last year's Manx. Not bad. She dropped a valve on the rear cylinder just after Ballaugh Bridge on lap 1 of the Senior Race last year. The head damage was 'uneconomical to repair', so I picked up a 10k mile engine off ebay (and got an extra £20 discount for making to journey in the snow...) and dropped it off with my mate and Aprilia RSV guru Don Plane at Southern Cross. He plugged it in, fitted my open air-area and popped it on the same dyno for a tune-up.

133bhp at the rear wheel. :-) She's a good 'un!

A bit of before and after carbon lovin'

Most of my lock-wiring was still in place and the Pirelli SuperCorsa tyres have only done 15 or so miles. Just the usual Manx inspection and checking of everything and a little bit refurbing/tarting up and she's good for another ManxGP :-)

Common Manx-fuel-overflow syndrome from last year...

... sand it down...

...mask it up...

...rattle-can primer...

...a bit of shiny black on top (I prefer satin black...)...

...and shazam. Looking good!

Big Betty on the bench.

We Go Factory!

Earlier on in the year I was thinking about the ideal Manx GP weapon for the Senior race... and two bikes made the shortlist (VeeTwin, 1000cc maximum). A Ducati 999 or an Aprilia RSV Factory. Couldn't afford to build and tune either (especially a Duke) so have been keeping an eye open for a decent ex-race machine.

For Sale - Race bike that's been thrashed around and thrown down UK circuits all it's life.

She looks a bit gawky and weird when nekkid - that huge air scoop swallows small babies and grannies whole - mean!

By the time May rolled around, nothing worthy came up and I had resigned to giving it another go on the old 1998 Aprila RSV. She's been to four ManxGPs... but only completed two... and only one I would consider a success (2006). Besides, I couldn't really afford another bike.

Everything gets lockwired for racing on the Isle...

...everything...

...it's da rulz!

Things that aren;t lockwired are Locktighted.

Mid-May, in the 'For Sale' section of a race forum, I spotted an RSV that I raced against in 2004 and 2005. My mate Don Plane built the engine back in 2007 - with a mild tune. It had all the right bits and was worth the asking price but it had sold the next day and I only saw the ad a week later. "Pity." I thought and got down to prepping the old beast.

The mandatory overflow tank...

... and non-mandatory rad mesh. Not seen much on short circuits, but on the Isle, catch a stone without it and it'll end your race. I've had these battered before.

A week after this the ad popped up again - the seller had been messed about. The bike was only 10 miles from me so I went to see it. I assesed what it was and how much it needed doing for the Manx, the asking price, the spares it came with, the 'honesty' look of the owner, the history and the "duh-duh-duh-duh" of it's 990cc Vee Twin. I had really try hard not to look too keen and bite the owner's arm off... I even tried to haggle on the price... but it was a very weak attempt. I wanted it!

Quick-Action throttle and new Rethal grips...

... and a few more bits robbed from the old RSV. Tasty levers! Tank also lifted an inch so that she can breathe...

So, at the end of May I bought an Aprilia RSV Factory - a bike that I can't really afford and have no space for. It's only a 2003 model... 9 years old... but 5 years younger than the Manx tool she's replacing. That's gotta be worth at least 1mph per lap! I had the SV in bits on the workbench, so the Factory was stuffed in the corner of the garage.

A quickshifter... felt awesome when hammering through the gears flat out on the dyno... gonna be fun!

The standard pegs on these bling rear-sets look nice but are functionally crap. Proper Harris stylee pegs from my old bike's spares box...

While wedged between other bikes, I managed to do some acrobatic contortions and get her forks and shock out. All checked, serviced, springs changed and set-up by K-Tech (fuck-me, they've become expensive!).

We got Ohlins! Refreshed, resprung and setup for some Island lapping

Trying out a different lightweight battery... I think it's lighter than the Durbahn ones I normally use

In June I managed to re-unite her with Don who gave her a health check and a toon-up. Ditching the ram-air bollocks the previous owner had fitted and a bit of dyno work got her from 126bhp to 132 bhp at the wheel. Nice! She was given a good run on the dyno and came back with a clean health-check. I was half expecting her to blow up... you never know who has done what to ex race bikes... and there are a lot of muppets out there. Super-sweet!

MRA Plexiglass screen - twice the price, but it's the stuff they make fighter-jet canopies out of. No holes. Werf it mate!

After I finished the SV last week, I hauled her onto the workbench early Saturday morning for some Manx-proofing. Sorting bikes properly and an making things that aren;t quite right, right. Takes a lot of fiddling about and mucking around. By 19h00 last night she was ready for testing.

An old pic I found online of John... I normally saw the rear view in 2004/05... he had an unfair advantage

Booked a test session at Mallory on Wednesday afternoon to take her and the SV for a spin. Hopefully all will be well and that just leaves a bit of final prep and they are both ready to lap the Isle of Man.

Basic paint on - still to be liveried up... red, white 'n blue!