1938 Rudge Race Bike

vibrac

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Yes the Comet is eligible but now how does it go? one door opens another closes
Ben will have fun with the new regs with his K100 BMW it has 4 pot calipers and fairing complications so even in the 1300 specials its a bit marginal the CRMC arnt allowing it nor early stocks I have never known a road bike based bike get such a pasting in the regs.
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Nulli Secundus

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That is pants. Have they scrapped the up to 1948 class now? A lot of girder bikes run in that for a second ride and I was considering doing the same next year.
 

vibrac

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The really sad part is for bikes made before 1950 the date cut off in the CRMC and the laughingly called FIM 'Vintage' class is 1972! There really is only BHR for a period 'standard' racer.
 

Nulli Secundus

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Next weekend I hope to be racing my Rudge Special. In the end the original cylinder head has been repaired with valve seat rings. The local guy who did it served his apprenticeship at Jordan F1. So fingers crossed he did a good job and that the repair holds up.

With the bike back together it was difficult to start on the starting rollers. The rear wheel just locked up on the rollers despite pulling back on compression, de-clutching and wheeling the bike back onto the rollers as I always do. So I have fitted a long reach manual 14mm de-compressor which is made by Venhills and is actually for two strokes. @vibrac might be interested in this. I cannot see why it will not work on the Rudge. To fit it I needed a 14mm to 18mm adaptor which also converts a short reach head to long reach. There was no hint of tyre slippage when I did a test start. So fingers crossed again that it works at Mallory.

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As it appears that hydraulic suspension damping is no longer ineligible
in the class I have fitted this Betor unit.

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A month, or so, back I found out we have to fit belly pans, so that was something else to sort out.

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Please come and say hello if you go to Mallory, but be prepared that I might be preoccupied with problems on the day.
 
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Bill Thomas

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Hello Dave, We have just got Ron's Comet going, With the Decompressor 14 mm long reach that I showed on the Forum, Sometime ago, He had trouble doing it, But now we have fitted a coil ign', He can start it on the kickstart, We thought it might. need electric start, Like H.D.s in USA.
I also have one to put on my 560cc Comet, So wanted to know if it would work.
Cheers Bill.
 

vibrac

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I like the look of that decompressor better design than the RE one and bottom threads keep cleaner.
As for that catch tray I have the make one for the Grey Flash it looks so out of place and anyone knows on a pre 1960 racer the oil sprays everywhere except directly under the crankcase:)
 

Nulli Secundus

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Last weekend was a lot of fun and at times very exciting for me, but not a great bag of results.

I had loads of issues with the bike, which having since partially strippied it down explains it was never at its best

At the meeting I was chasing problems between races and only fixing those I found. I nursed an engine rattle for most of meeting.

I had 3 finishes and one DNS (did not start ). The finishes were a 3rd and two 5ths, but there were not many behind me.

Gerrards, my nemesis corner, was good in my first race, but the bike wobbled badly in the following two. However, not on every lap.

My times were slower except for my last race when I tagged onto some much newer Japanese bikes that were lapping me.

However, keeping with them and showing my front wheel to a 500cc Yamaha two, or three times a lap, showed that I was faster in places where I shouldn't of been. Namely Gerrards, the approach to the Esses, the Esses and the approach to the hairpin. I have shaved 0.3 of a second from my PB.

On the last lap the contact breaker housing made a bid for freedom from the magneto and I slowed dramatically, but managed to tour in to make the flag.

I can add that the de-compressor worked well and so did the belly pan.......
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