My half arsed F400 nc30

This section is reserved for members on the SITE SUPPORTERS group only. Each supporter can post pics of their bikes for all to view. Standard members can read and reply, but the post author has full control over his thread and can edit, delete & lock at will
Post Reply
User avatar
28hodge
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
Reactions:
Posts: 1204
Joined: Tue May 17, 2011 4:26 pm
Bike owned: nc30 (track) Yam YZ250 (MX)2st
Location: Kendal, Cumbria, Northwest
My half arsed F400 nc30

Post by 28hodge » Tue Jan 29, 2013 10:28 am

Here it is as it stands today, its kinda finished as far as spec is concerned, it’s a 400 so it’s never gonna win a drag race, and the fleshy organic ham fisted numpty sat on it is letting the bike down a whole lot more than its letting me down, so the idea this year is track time track time track time.

Image
Image
Image

Current spec of the bike is as follows:
NC30 VFR400 F400 spec

Brembo sintered brake pads
Std nc30 discs
Early type forks with modified (Maxton I think) internals
Sensei endurance clip ons
Tyga rear sets
R&G Non drill crash bungs
Ported heads
HRC Spec carbs complete with HRC short stack (RO replica items) HRC fibreglass air tray and drilled carb plate running the following settings

Rear cylinders
Pilot 40
Emulsion 5 hole
Main 147.50
Needle 8zf
1mm washer

Front
Pilot 40
Emulsion 4 hole
Main 145
Needle 8zf
1mm washer

Full micron 4-1 exhaust
A123 race battery with 175Amp Anderson connectors
Aprilia RS250 rear shock with 875lb faulkner spring and modded internals
SES bar end, footpeg sliders & Sharkfin
17” RVF rear wheel &
17” VFR750 rear wheel conversion
520 chain conversion 14f 42r
Braided lines all round
NC35 rear shock triangle
Redrilled dogbone to recover rear ride height
Wets on Wheels
KR364 inters on wheels
Chopped rear subframe
Race fuel filler
Full charging circuit still in use
HRC fuel tap conversion with dry break connector
Full lock wired sump plug, oil filler cap and oil filter
Radiator overflow catch tank
Fuel breather catch tank


Last tested on the dyno with stock carbs and producing just shy of 61BHP @60.87 as shown below. I’m hoping to get 63-64 out of it when next dyno’d with the addition of the HRC carbs.
Image
This year the plan is to achieve what I had set out to do last year, a destroyed ankle/foot put paid to last year’s plans at the end of May, still at least I didn’t miss out on a great summer.
Last edited by 28hodge on Tue Jan 29, 2013 11:20 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
28hodge
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
Reactions:
Posts: 1204
Joined: Tue May 17, 2011 4:26 pm
Bike owned: nc30 (track) Yam YZ250 (MX)2st
Location: Kendal, Cumbria, Northwest
Re: My half arsed F400 nc30

Post by 28hodge » Tue Jan 29, 2013 10:36 am

Last year I had wanted to do a couple of trackdays and then some races with Wirral100 and Preston District at Anglesey and 3 Sisters respectively.
This was going to plan, I did my first trackday with NoLimits at a very wet Oulton on the 18th Feb and everything went well, the bike ran well and I wasn’t completely useless, apart from forgetting to connect the dry break coupler in the fuel line in the first session.

Image

The next outing was on March the 17th at Anglesey on the international circuit with NoLimits again. I was really looking forward to this day as I had watched a lot of vids on Youtube and it looked spectacular. And it was, granted we got a lovely clear sunny day, and as I wasn’t making sure the bike was ok I felt that I could concentrate on riding rather than just making sure I got round and away in one piece. I’d put the 14-42 gearing on for this in 520 pitch. But I think I had the chain a little tight as I missed a couple of gears.
Here’s a vid of the day, sorry about videoing my front wheel for half a lap the gopro mount came loose and slipped.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eDQatQrd4o

And a couple of pics too, beautiful area and great track, if you want a picturesque track day you have to go to Anglesey.

Image

Image

I’ve had an ACU licence since I was 5 from motocross so the application process to add a road race intermediate entitlement was simple enough, go sit a ctc course (I did mine in Warrington with wirral100) and get an eye test, join a club and post.

This allowed me to do ACU test days so on the 27th April I borrowed my GF’s 4x4 and my mate’s dad’s bike trailer to trundle down to 3 Sisters for their test day on the Friday before round 1 of their club championships on the 29th.
Here’s a vid of the day out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHBnWgSo7QA

After starting to shred the rear wet on the patchy damp but cold track I put my dry Michelin power ones in.
Which may have been a mistake,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6UvAQzaduU

no massive damage!! Bent a rear set, but it would bent straight with a vice and some heat and dinged the tank, perfectly serviceable ready for round 1 on Sunday.

Unfortunately the wonderful British spring/summer took hold and Rd1 was cancelled due to biblical rain.

I was going to go to Anglesey on the 26th May again with my mates dad for another trackday with NoLimits, this was in preparation of a run out with Wirral100 later in the summer, however I was a bit tight on cash that month so decided against it, and as it was gloriously hot went mx racing instead, this meant that i was home in time to help my girlfriend with her horse, which promptly stamped on my foot and smashed my foot and the navicular in my ankle to bits, all becase it was scared of a plastic bag!!

This is where my season came to an abrupt end after destroying my ankle and foot, to the extent that I still can’t run now and still get pain when walking.
Image

User avatar
VFRkieran
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
Reactions:
Posts: 1404
Joined: Fri May 06, 2011 8:37 pm
Bike owned: NC30, NSR250, CBR600, TS125
Location: Oxfordshire
Re: My half arsed F400 nc30

Post by VFRkieran » Tue Jan 29, 2013 10:14 pm

Nice post mate, that picture at Anglesea looks like your riding off the top of a cliff! Shame about your foot ive never understood why such a big animal could be scared of absolutely anything :P

User avatar
28hodge
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
Reactions:
Posts: 1204
Joined: Tue May 17, 2011 4:26 pm
Bike owned: nc30 (track) Yam YZ250 (MX)2st
Location: Kendal, Cumbria, Northwest
Re: My half arsed F400 nc30

Post by 28hodge » Wed Jan 30, 2013 3:13 pm

yeah that corner at anglesey is really nice and a lot of fun, makes a great photo too.

No horses are particulary stupid animals sometimes will jump 1.10m fences but is terrified of black bags/silo wraping, only black ones mind :stupid: , plastic asda bags containing carrots hold no fear whatsoever :|

User avatar
28hodge
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
Reactions:
Posts: 1204
Joined: Tue May 17, 2011 4:26 pm
Bike owned: nc30 (track) Yam YZ250 (MX)2st
Location: Kendal, Cumbria, Northwest
Re: My half arsed F400 nc30

Post by 28hodge » Thu Jan 31, 2013 10:58 am

This year I am aiming at the Wirral100 round at Oulton Park on the 27th April as my first race, this is because it’s a big track and should mean that I stand more chance of staying out of the way, also I've been before and intend to go again a couple of times before the race. book into the MSV trackday in the inters on the 15th Feb

Hoping i can follow this up a month later on the 13th March with NoLimits and then again on the 24th April with NoLimits, thats the wednesday before the race.

I’ll see how I get on, I’m not expecting much but don’t want to be riding around on my own either, I hope there will be somebody there that I’ll be able to race with.

I’ve got a racechrono setup sorted so will try to get some lap times from the Oulton trackdays, not really allowed i know but I’ll try to get a couple of sessions with it and then have a look at the wirral100 results from last year. I know that I’ll no doubt go quicker in the race itself but it’d be good to know I’m in the ball park beforehand.

I also really want to go and ride Donington, and having read Chowders plans to race with NGRRC this year the May round at Donington is very tempting but will have to be dictated by cash flow.

silver1956
Settled in member
Reactions:
Posts: 93
Joined: Tue Feb 21, 2012 10:14 am
Bike owned: Ducati 749S,BMW F800S,XBR500
Re: My half arsed F400 nc30

Post by silver1956 » Thu Jan 31, 2013 12:13 pm

Agreed about anglesey i did the coastal circuit and loved it. Sorry to see a horse did your leg, i bashed mine against a car with similar results, including writing the car and bike off. Fortunately it wasnt the nc30.
I did Donington twice last year on the NC30 and it was brilliant, one of my favourites now along with Cadwell.
Hope you get well soon.
Dave

User avatar
28hodge
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
Reactions:
Posts: 1204
Joined: Tue May 17, 2011 4:26 pm
Bike owned: nc30 (track) Yam YZ250 (MX)2st
Location: Kendal, Cumbria, Northwest
Re: My half arsed F400 nc30

Post by 28hodge » Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:50 pm

Bad news about the accident mate, i did my test and rode on the road for about 4 months and could never get a safe comfortable feeling i come from a motocross back ground, raced that since i was 5 so getting on for 22years, tho ive not managed too much in the last 18months due to injuries which sucks.

For me i think track riding is the only road bike riding im going to enjoy, what with the risk of injury and points/losing my license on the road.

Saying this beating myself to bits on a motocross bike isnt doing my future employment any favours, still if someone breaks their leg playing football at the weekend its considered acceptable as football apparently a worthwhile weekend pursuit, where as bikes are a unecessary risk :stupid: w*****s

hope your all good now though and back out enjoying your bike.

User avatar
28hodge
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
Reactions:
Posts: 1204
Joined: Tue May 17, 2011 4:26 pm
Bike owned: nc30 (track) Yam YZ250 (MX)2st
Location: Kendal, Cumbria, Northwest
Re: My half arsed F400 nc30

Post by 28hodge » Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:58 pm

So here’s a brief summary of where it started and what’s happened to this point in time.

June 2011, after looking kinda curiously at track bikes, I did the only decent thing, got a bit drunk and made a rash bid on a bike 2.5hrs away from me (damn you eBay mobile) without even speaking to the guy selling it to sound it out. I also hadn’t told the girlfriend that I’d put a bid on it, she knew I was looking for a bike though so over the next 5 days the auction ran I made contact with the guy, and then told the GF that if it didn’t go over a £450 (which also happened to be my £50 less than my max bid that I’d already placed!!!) I was going to have it. I neglected to tell her about the 2.5hr journey to go pick it up, thought I’d save that for another day.

So, loose ends tied up, the auction finish came around and I ended up with this, for £450.00
Image
Image
Picking it up (Whilst selling some other mx related bits on the way down) on the hottest day of the year, which we spent sat in a baking hot van was hell, as was trying to get the thing in the back of the van, as the brakes had seized up so pushing it up the ramp looked like a competition from world’s strongest man.

The bike had sat for 10 years unused but thankfully it had been stored inside, so once home I started to rip the bike down, after buying a Haynes manual, the carbs were solid with fuel and were completely rats

However when I did pull the carbs off I happily found ported heads with all the casting flash removed from them. And some trick adjustable needles, non standard items!
Image
Image

Image


I eventually had to buy a cheap little ultrasonic cleaner and put all the jets etc. into it, I also split the carbs and placed them in, even so I still had to get some new pilot jets as they were beyond help.

Next item for a service was the forks, a slight misting on the stanchions and the fact that the oil was 10 years old and no doubt rank and the seals were probably hard a buggered, meant that they were a no brainer for a full service. Then I hit a snag, taking the brake calipers off they looked wrong.

Turns out for whatever reason somebody had put CBR400 calipers and fork legs, which with sliding calipers are a poor replacement for the stock NC30 calipers!!

Anyway after briefly considering a zxr400/NC35 front end conversion I pulled the forks in bits and blagged some nc30 fork bottoms for £30 and a full nc30 front brake set up complete with braided hoses for the princely sum of £19 delivered!!!

When the forks came to bits it turned out that the internals had been modded, when I rang the seller I’d asked if the forks had been modded by Maxton (the eBay ad showed the forks had Maxton stickers on them) he said they had but I’d kinda assumed that he had just agreed with whatever I’d asked him. Turns out that he was possibly telling the truth.
Image

Image

User avatar
28hodge
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
Reactions:
Posts: 1204
Joined: Tue May 17, 2011 4:26 pm
Bike owned: nc30 (track) Yam YZ250 (MX)2st
Location: Kendal, Cumbria, Northwest
Re: My half arsed F400 nc30

Post by 28hodge » Thu Apr 25, 2013 3:18 pm

Went to Oulton on 10th April as a test ready for the wirral100 round that is there on the 27th Apr. I'd had a look on mylaps for the results and laptimes from the previous rounds that Wirral100 had done.

Tail end of the f400 was around 2.12/2.15, armed with this I stuck my racechrono on and did a few sessions.

Image
Image
Image

The racechrono threw a bit of a wobbler in one session but was showing 2.18's after the first couple of sessions which were freezing, after lunc these kept falling until i was running consistant 2.15's which is still a bit slow really.

Its not like i was getting held up as i got a good few laps in the inters where i didnt run into another bikes, however this also meant i didnt have somebody to chase and improve my times further.

It was a good day with few red flags and so did 6 sessions in total each one a bit quicker than the last, baased on this i sent my entries off for the wirral100 round which is this weekend. fingers crossed for some good weather.

User avatar
CMSMJ1
Moderators
Moderators
Reactions:
Posts: 9806
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 9:42 am
Bike owned: NC30-No9
Location: Chesterfield, United Kingdom
Re: My half arsed F400 nc30

Post by CMSMJ1 » Thu Apr 25, 2013 3:42 pm

that dyno graph is minging mate!

The bike is cool though, you are bringing this to Cadwell? We'll surely have a good crack. I might fit my race bike bodywork to no9 and I can look pukka too...
IMPERATOR REX ANGLORUM

The V4 is the law..

NC30 - No9 - my old mate


Post Reply