my bike on you tube

just took me ages to upload a couple videos of my bike on to you tube. i dont know how to link to this web site for people to view here. browse bantam racer 175. yeah its green now... can you here the metally rattle noise?

Hi Nigel,
Are you going to race the beast next season??? about time we saw you out there!
Help can be given....
Cheers,
Alan

nobby1 wrote:

just took me ages to upload a couple videos of my bike on to you tube. i dont know how to link to this web site for people to view here. browse bantam racer 175. yeah its green now... can you here the metally rattle noise?

voila

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyqjqyCLtF4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipCOFt5YbKE

i hope to get the old banger out at some point this year.... about time really! ...... robbie i cant reply to your pm as i seem to keep sending the replies to myself so ill tell you your right should be level at a maximum with the rear wheel, im over by about 20mm and it will be more with lower profile kr825 tyre. so thanks for that.. thank god for fast fiber glass kits. and cheers james your obviously a computer genius, or am i just your normal brummie my own e-mail adress is shown in my profile which makes things a whole lot easier for messages.. thanks

Nigel seat looks to nice to shorten - why not make your swinging arm longer !!

ah , well that would involve more pussy footing around, which ive been doing for far to long already and its only a hacksaw cut away from complying. luckily ive only a short piece to hack off the removable end cone.

I have made a 1" longer swinging arm for my Bantam trials bike, with 340mm Betor shocks, its very comfortable to ride.

Mike is there much handling advantage in a longer swinging arm on a racing Bantam if you have "modern" geometry up front ?

It may well compensate for poor steering arangements with too much yoke offset and too little trail, or just steepen the front end.

Looking at my 2005 photos taken at Lydden, PT and others seem to have standard rear subframes, swinging arms, standard length shocks ?

Hope the snow goes soon, its too hot here to even mow the lawns, I have to sit in the shed and drink cold beer and look at the Bantams !

Will send some pictures of Pukekohe Festiaval and the 25th Anniversary turnout of Rooster Racing Team (NZ) inc

cheers

John

PS is there any copyright on "still clucking" ?

what a pain broke thrue on the side of the exhaust port to studs hole left side looking at the front of bike.

I could not believe it, I was only cleaning it up slightly, where thers quite a bit of build up /eddying, any ideas on what's you would suggest as best way forwards.

scrapping it seems a bit drastic, !.

Derek

Hi Derek,
Looks like few options...
Weld/Braze dependent on barrel type.

Other alternatives are to use araldite or similar to fill the holes, I have used this successfully in the past, and you will find that the top surface will become coke, but the rest of the araldite underneath survives a seasonbecause it is protected by the carbon. However you will need to replace it very year for safety.
Worked Ok for me in the past.
Cheers,
Alan

As Alan has said Derek, a bit of sticky technology can work wonders.
My spare 1955 D1 cast iron longstroke 125 that I got from Lionel Howell in 1988 has had a lot done to it that people said could not/should not be done (thats the Kiwi fix it nature !)

My "modern" tuner ground a hole through the upper exhaust port into the gap between the front cylinder fins.
This was filled with a big wedge of Devcon, as mentioned it quickly got an inner coat of coke.
Pete warned me it might not last long, but as you say, the alternative..........
Several hundred hours of hard racing its still there.

John was but a flippant remark! Thinking of Nobby's seat! My bikes run std 175 swinging arms...

MIKE does that mean 175 swinging arms are longer than 125 swinging arms ? or does this make the frame handle better or just change the geometry for another reason. ?

Derek

Just referencing Bantam std frames/swinging arms
D1 125 Ridgid or plunger frame
D3 150 Ridgid,Plunger or 1956/57 Twin Shock S/A frame - rubber bushes
D5 175 Twin Shock Frame as above
D7 10 1958 on.... Frame S/A Brazed/Bronze welded? 2 different S/A pivots - light and heavy.
D10 14 B175 same frame but welded even later ones had twin webb plates at headstock

So there aren't any 125 Swinging arms only 150/175 ones...

The frames and S/A's in general race use are 1958 on... ones
Don't know if the lenghts are different!

Anybody else got any more detail/corrections?

Cheers Mike

You are quite right Mike with the different descriptions.
Reading various '60s articles the earlier frames were preferred for lightness. I guess compared to rigid or plunger frames the handling was quite good !

I have raced with all 3 different types.
The old "Blue Un" (ex Chas James 125) had a 1956 D3 sa frame with a completely welded up custom subframe; it was very light and handled well once we replaced the rubber torsion bushes with steel sleeve and greasy low stiction plastic bushes.

My ss wc bike has a 1958 D5 frame (ex Lionel Howell), the swinging arm is ~ 1/2 longer to centre of axle slot and the lower suspension mounts are 20mm further back, compared to the D7 / D14 ones. Interesting, as it would also have had 18" wheels compared to D3 that had 19".

I need to figuire out how to post photos and links to video.
Been sorting through old Bantam stuff including BRC Snetterton October 1984 and old 8mm videos, found the one of BRC Cadwell October 1994, will try and copy.
Megan still strongly reminds me she felt real crook ( being 30/40 pregnant ) and cold. Even though I said its was like another Mike (Hailwood) lending me his NCR Duke to ride the IOM

All sounds exciting John - can't wait..

When you raced my bike it was the well sorted 002 ... now owned and ridden by Chris Bennion. Engine is now in Phil Bettys 004!

Ref frames etc I know D3's were on 19" wheels (i've got one) Were D5's on 18"s ?

Your ex-Lionel Howell bike is the S/A std or has it been lenghted?

My D3 is in bits at work, when i picked the frame up it weighed a ton! lol

Regards Mike

Yes, D5s had 18" wheels.

I have sold both my D3 and D5 a few years ago, downsizing collection, realising I was not going to make my retirement dream of a Bantam museum.

But both are featured on http://bantam.150m.com/history/index.html.

The D5 is a rare beast, but I know of two others. One still with original owner, has 18" wheels and brake on Left hand side as delivered.
I still have a spare frame, just sold the rear wheel, it has a deeper brake drum and different plate to D3.

I guess 002 was later owned by Aidan Bent ?

Measured spare D5 swinging arm, LHS is the same.

Interestingly the 1" longer D14 trials swinging is now the same length and distance to lower shock mount as D5