One of the last (bantams) standing in Australia

Hello fellow bantam racers,I have enjoyed the this website and reading most of the current forums. I have been tuning and racing bantams for over 20 years in Australia firstly in Victoria and now in Perth ,Western Australia.
I run a square stroke,rotary valve engine also combined with a standard bantam 4 speed cluster (needs to be a cr )Runs on methanol with a Boyer Brandsen ignition. I do have some areas of tuning I still can improve on mainly a better clutch assembly.Currently its a standard bantam 4 speed clutch braced at the top which is a standard mod.The drive slots have been hard faced with a tig welder then spark eroded back to original.I still use original mild steel plates with after market friction plates with weld themselves together.
I have seen there is a solution with nitrided plates but were can I get some and please send some links to other clutch articles.
To Mike Powell, I turned up at your house one night many years ago and showed pictures of my cassette gearbox on a bike I was racing and a few pictures of the rotary disc engine in a earlier stage of building.Seeing your formula bantam up close was great, the good brakes and suspension .
Regards Dave

Hi Dave remember your visit well, we talked about gear ratio's and how to work them out etc, you showed me where i was going wrong explained at lenght i didn't understand but nodded my head anyway!? Yes i remember your pictures you left them with me to post on to you but i lost your address! Sorry...
Hopefully i've got them here somewhere?

Your disc valver had D10 diecast 4speed cases modified with a YZ80? 5speed gearbox cluster mounted horzionaly - so you engine needed to spin backwards for the back wheel to go forwards.(Input on mainshaft -Output on layshaft) Cases had KING BANTAM SPECIAL stamped on them.

Your other pic had a 3speed box - casette!! and you machined your own gears out of soft? steel coz you didn't know what gear ratios you wanted and were working your way throught many ratio's....

Can't remember any more...

REf Clutch drum did John S said he had some made? He's on the next colony to you... lol...
Mine is machined from solid 12 slot steel with band brazed on.
Clutch plates - use std plain plates and case harden old stripped frition plates - problem is out of 30 you get done only 5 will be straght and useable. Or don't harden them just run both types of plates soft pleaty of the guys do that.

Regards Mike

hi dave like to see those photo's - mikes explanation of the engines you were building he has looked at has me at a disadvantage it sounds a very interesting project did you finish both engines he spoke about.

Mike your sentence machined from solid with band macined on and slotted ? are refering to gears or the clutch drum. ?

regards derek

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I hope this link works it a quick photo of the bike I still get allot of enjoyment riding,my D7 frame ,D3 crankcases,fairing hanging on wall.
The d10 cases were way to weak after the 1977 yz80 gearbox was shoehorned into it,constant gearbox issues and air leaks.What was my original piston port bottom end got modified to accept the rotary disc ,it already had the std 4 speed bantam box fitted and is a good reliable quick bike.
regards Dave

Hi there Dave,

Looks like a Monobloc? Maybe, can't really see though. If it is, do you have any advice seeing I'm using Monobloc with a bored out float bowl with an extra capacity on the bowl, and a pilot jet of 25 and needle at 106.

T

like the barrel - you cast it how did it come about ?

but the head is even better looks like a scorpion casting ?

great

carb looks ? different -

REGDS Derek

This is one of the Aussie Bantams a mate saw at a MCA display at the motoGP. Derek - it might be the one your Dad had the pictures of. Rod Tingate is restoring it to go in their National Museum

Still can't get me pics in !

www.flickr.com/photos/60071078@N06/5490762389/

https://s1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa480/dpjdking/

The HCS is the Harold Carter Special it lives in the foyer of MCA Melbourne it used to beat all the piston port bantams and any other
classic 125 two stroke.It was the reason I built my one ,the other interesting older rotary disc engine is the Asby Special of Queensland
it only had a cr 3speed gearbox but was stiil regarded highly at state level.
If the link works there is 27 photos