New builds

Hi Ted,

I haven't spoke to any other female riders yet.. I think a lot of 'young' riders are too interested in pretty shiny sports bikes.. (to be perfectly honest.. so was I until I got involved with the Bantams!) so it is difficult to get young riders interested! Maybe a lot is relying on young lads following their Dads interests?

Maybe I should speak to Rob before I make any decisions.. seeing as I'm supposed to be helping him at the race meetings... maybe he won't be too keen on me paying more attention on another bike than his own?? hehe!!!!

Shelley

Hi Shelley I meant have you spoken to the lady racers there are at least two solo female riders and many in the three wheelers.

Hi Ted,

No I haven't spoken to any other lady racers...

I'll be at Cadwell at the end of the month so I shall make it my mission

Shelley

Good Afternoon Ian,

Has anymore thought been put into what we can do to help regarding new builds? Im sure if its pictures or writing a list i dont mind helping and now dad is retired im sure he would help also.


Kind Regards


Eddie

Just popped back on these messages and saw Ned´s comment ...

... about what God said... etc ... etc... -- wear make-up -- indeed!!

-- good one Ned -- I am still laughing.

Why does the mention of a lady cocking her leg over the saddle of a racing motorcycle raise so much steam among you lot? Way back in the good old days of Speedway using real cinder tracks there were women professional speedway stars beating the crud out of a lot of the blokes. The MEN of those days couldn´t stand it so they had women banned from riding Speedway...
If they weren´t so much put on by selfish men I reckong there´d be a lot more lady-super-stars in all the so-called dare-devil sports we blokes get so excited about. It was a woman engineer who solved the Spitfire carb problem during WW2 -- and she flew the experiments she made when solving the "fuel-starvation problem during diving" which I think a lot of so-called "brave men" would fight shy of ....

So where were we? The title appears to be "New Builds" -- Help! I´m lost!!

Cheers!
JayBee.

whilst i am a newcomer to this game,its the old situation, red tape and thing moving on. i was riding trials for a few years when i started everybody rode one route,but as time moved on different routes were introduced so that everone with different levels of skill could have a ride and not to be put off. aswell as bantams i'm a keen dahlia grower the same happens at the local shows because people get put off by the same old people( no disrespect to any riders ) winning all the time so novice classes have been introduced. i'm a carpenter by trade so some engineering practises don't come natural to me ( as my father tells me you old chippies work to the nearest 1/16 th he's an engineer) so this could also put people off,really a novice class should be introduced,where the bikes should be as standard as possible to a road bike,so people don't get put off,after a short spell in this then progress to the normal classes, this allows people to go to meetings,have a ride,and learn with out the fear of being intimadated ( yes ive felt like that a bit ),i know its not intensional. i have received alot of help from riders to which i am very grateful ,but theres still a nagging feeling that the bike i produce eventually won't live up to the standard to race competively so could i be another victim and be put of, i hope not.

Hi Ted,
The 175 class is the class for new starters and the build of an engine is much easier than trying to get into the 125 class straight away. There is plenty of information on the forum and if you use the info provided on the Snow engine build then you will be in the thick of it very quickly.
Cheers,
Alan

not sure as im new to bantams but looking at old posts and old photo's i think there was a novice race, but i guess the best way would be keep the machines as they are but with novice points for the rider rather than bikes going slow because they're nearer standard, that way you learn the class you've got a hankering to be in.

also just a guess but i expect it'll be hard to fill a novice only race (with so few riders)so you'd be mixed in all together anyhow.

morning ted, i have to say that in my very short experiance as a novice at the start of this year, with a bike thats never been run more than in 100/ 150 yard bursts, which i have knocked up over what must be getting on for more than 9 years with niggling little and major cock ups along the way,thats never been, myself included, on a track prior to mallory at the start of the season, ive finally had two great wednesday afternoons(test days) running around mallory park. getting around the track at my own pace, getting the feel of the track and the bike and most importantly the engine not giving up. It has given me a great big lift to have achieved this.My advice to you is get around any track on any bike as often as you can and get a feel for it. Getting a new bike to at least finish every race you enter will be an achievement. Being competative straight away is not going to happen unless you have raced before... even having a bike as quick as the front runners will not get you up their from the off. Having a novice only race would be great if enough people could be found to take part. Im not sure how many new riders made it to the meetings this year, i only got to mallory(sadly finances mainly have kept me away and a bit of dispondancy with my engine set up). im hoping next year i can get to more races and im quite prepared to tootle behind everyone and a least finish and get more comfortable with my bike.If you feel you need to have a good strong engine from the off maybe you can strike a deal with another rider to borrow one for the season.. there have been and probably are people like myself who have said yes im building a bike to race and have like you say felt intimidated/not knowledgable enough only to have either given up or just sit in the conservatory polishing there pride and joy and never racing it or riding it .Dont do that, get your bike done take part, even if its just on test days to get some confidence and a feel for getting around a track, then progress from there. I can tell you from my own experiance with a bit of track time your confidence and enjoyment will incease ten fold, especially when you built the bike with your own hands.

Interesting.. We have a novice trophy.. which isn't always presented because there
haven't been any novices! But we could use this trophy for a novice championship?
Highest novice placed in the championship? To get a Novice race like in 'times of old'
you need a lot of novices about 30 i would think?

A bantam only race may be on the cards next season if we get to Three Sisters where
a full grid is 20ish..

I think newcomers would stand a better chance of finishing races if they copied
'Snowy's 175' engine exh etc or got BTW to do it. Rex Caunt i think is now up and
running with his engines too. To carve up a cast iron barrel is only for the brave.
That said a well sorted cast iron barrel with 25yrs input could be a winner..

Mike

Rooky of the year sounds a good idea

Anyone tried Rex Caunt's con rod kit?

thanking you all for your help and mainly encouragment,thanks to les for helping me with some bits as you all say got to rise above my hang ups and get my bike going (might take time)but its moving in the right direction. many thanks ted

Hi guys and dolls oops can’t say that any more can I. Firstly if you wish to win a rookie of the year go and race in the USA (useless states of America) but a novice of the year is a good idea. It could be given to the rider that is in there first season or the rider with fewest seasons that gets most points. Now a note for Ted Firby Brian White was a wood worker but still is able to do some good work with metal. The idea of borrowing a bike is not a new one but a good one as the Toms shed team showed at Cadwell and Mick Potter all year. Those of more advanced years will remember with a tear in there eye the master of this was Wobbly Man and the 175 trophy is awarded in his memory.

BSA Bantam Racing is UNIQUE Ted (Firby)... There´s nothing else like it -- just nothing quite like it -- with 3 gears and a very narrow power band it also presents a special sort of challenge to anyone who has ridden a 4 speed,4 stroke motorcycle with lots of bottom end torque -- or even raced such (as I had on the grass --etc...etc ... ).
Don´t be put off by the downs of it -- the UPs make up for those times.
I nearly did -- give up, I mean -- that was during my first ever road race at Snetterton when I was in a 250cc race with a 150cc Bantam²² ... and I am glad I didn´t because I would have missed 6 seasons of fantastic experiences which were mostly exciting, quite a bit of fun and sometimes frustrating plus being indescribable...³³

²²...at the time we were still looking for a 125 engine and although no one would have known it was a 150 -- we did...!!

³³a broken collar bone and two periods of incarceratiion in Norwich hospital - overnight !!

PS -- just seen Ted´s reply and like it. Wobbleyman was a great character. He and I had many magnificent battles -- we even raced each other in practice -- without his pushing,my son Slick would have never got started with Jimmy Wells which led into being top spannerman for Carl Fogarty and how he is situated now in tht Island ...
All the best for 2013!
Cheers!