BikeTuna's winter turbo build

Sounds very promising
much better that there was some really small error in the build than it breached the 10psi point.

Keep it up.

 

Looking into a few options and speaking to Sean at BigCC, this is the route I'm going to take. Rather than try and integrate any more hardware, make the best of what I have and get a wastegate actuator that I can change the springs on, and get a really low rate spring. Info I'm reading on the net you need a spring rated for 1/2 your predicted max psi, so I need to find a actuator with a springset that goes 5psi or lower. I know the Vectra one isnt going to cut it, it at least not offer the smooth delivery a decent setup would.

This isnt a failure, this is a setback for sure, but i'm seeing the positives - if the standard actuator was used the boost would be very off/on, with an adjustable one in there i can get the delivery smoother, and without this mistake i'd still be on the Vec one!

 

There are no failures when you are learning something new mate. Just obstacles and setbacks to overcome. Failure would be if you did something wrong that you know or should know was wrong.

As i am sure you know now that you are learning loads about this, you want the wastegate fully open at max psi diverting the gas from the impeller as much as possible, but at lower psi, it doesnt matter if the wastegate is partially open from the lower psi, as you will still be generating boost through evenly matched resistance. You want the wastegate opening smoothly as you build towards max pressure, as that will help prevent a spike, compared to if it builds up to max then suddenly opens the wastegate.

Just think how scary it would have been trying to learn all of this theory first, would you have still started the project?
Now you are almost complete, but learning as you go, it is much more exciting

 

Just read this from start to finish and I have to say I am seriously impressed in your abilities and ingenuity. Well done and hopefully in the short term you will have the bike you always wanted.

 

I picked up the bike on Saturday, along with the list of jobs... but first a couple of pics...

You all saw my oil scavenge pump made out of a marine oil lift pump and an old brake hose... it failed before it even got to the dyno, and Big CC did this:



A proper electric oil pump specifically for motorsport use, with goodridge lines and fittings made to measure. This is the difference between a £14 setup and a £290 setup!

The thing about Big CC is that they are the king's of this game. I phoned a few places before going to them, some turned me down, some felt like I knew more than them, Big CC are the big guns so if anyone can get my bike running it's them, but at a price - they use the best becuse they trust the best from experience. A £290 pump has basically doubled my outlay on the project, and I think I could have made a 1/2 way decent effort, but this way I not only have faith in the build, but Big CC have faith in me to not be some pikey with a junk build.

It's nt the end of it though, as my £500 budget has even blown out the water. Pics to follow but the Begi fuel reg was another £200, (pics to follow when i next have the tank off) and I'm £500 in on labour and it's still not mapped yet!

Here's a pic of run 8 or so, looks good reasonably strong



But you can see where the a/f is tailing off and the boost is coming in late, and as the mapping went on this got more and more promenant, which led to the wastegate mess coming to light.

So, now the bike is back home the list of jobs is as follows:

Find and buy a 3psi wastegate actuator
Make a new mount so it works correctly
Remove the wastegate, send for port and polish and refit
Stiffer clutch springs
Fabricate a metal strap over the airbox

The strap needs to go from the block, over the airbox and back to the block. Because the throttle bodies are held on with just jubilee clips the pressure may burst them off and then the bike will catch fire so sounds important...

So plenty to crack on with, but payday needs to happen before anything thanks to some hefty shop bills, so sit tight and ill update things as I can.

 

And just for your viewing pleasure, this is the Big CC house project, a little classier than mine...

This road legal busa is rebored to 1550, and has a turbo bigger than the bottom end hanging off it, the motec ECU cost more than my bike and car and wife's car together... and is using the same kit as their drag bike but being built on a road bike to attempt a few records.



The expected power? Well, the drag bike is a shade over 1200bhp....

 

Still very impressed with your build, I love the idea of turbo bikes, keen to see how it turns out and how it rides!

 

Progress has been slow the last week or two, it's a combination of notrim having much time, and my change of job that caused be all those problems before... the new job, while financially much better, takes more hours our of my days and more importantly, doesn't give me the facilities I had at the last place.

The bike is at my house, and only fits in an alleyway down the side. To work on one side of the bike I have my back against the fence, and to work on the other side I have to move the bike to where I was sat. No power tools either. Work has some power tools, but nowhere to keep the bike.

So with a list of jobs to do and nowhere to do them, progress is slow. But thjngs are happening...

Turbo is stripped off the bike again, and taken to a local independent garage to have the wastegate arm cut off and welded. His welding is worse than mine and it cost me a tenner and some cakes, but it's done.



You can see where the actuator is and where the arm used to be. I also think the new position is wrong but I have a plan to use the bolts at the manifold flange. The clearance to the rad is close but should be ok, a tricky test fit (due to the alleyway issue) looks OK so I'll make another bracket quick and then see if it fits after.

If it works then onto the last 2 jobs, the plenum strap and the clutch springs. I'll try and step it up for you all...

 

Well, now I have a lack of facilities my quality is right out the window, but the actuator is on.



Will hopefully be back on the bike Saturday.

 

A little more progress over the last week or so...

Last weekend I had a bit of time, so I got 2 jobs done. Firstly, I fitted a set of EBC heavy duty clutch springs. It's not the heavy duty clutch the project may well need, but it's in the right direction and may well be enough.



The new one is on the right. The spring is a little longer but I'm sure that's age deterioration. The new one has a ever so slightly thicker coil though, and is noticeably stiffer. The lever is pretty stiff now... gonna have to start working out with the other hand, if you know what I mean...



I also stripped the wastegate off the turbo and sent it to Big CC to have it ported, and goto it back yesterday.



Ignore the paper, its a marking tool. What's been done is they have marked the gate with paper, and then drilled out the hole to be as large as it can while still sealing.



Then also drilled out the hole from the feed to the hole to make it more free flowing.

Hopefully this will improve the efficiency of the gate to the point where we have the control required without having to fit an external.

Next is to refit it all and make the plenum strap, though looking at the diagrams I still don't know where I'm putting that yet!

Still, progress is progress!

 

Cracking job mate! When's it booked in for another RR session?

 

If i can get my act together I'll be dropping it off on the 25th, but there's still a little to go.

The turbo is back on the bike and plumbed in except for the wastegate actuator feed as it's new position means the one on there is too short. New hose has arrived ready to go.

I've also done a few other buts and bobs, like rewire the rear lights. General maintenance stuff.

So just the plenum strap to go right?

Well...

 

Here's the panel, after a full degreasing, and the 30 mins later....



We'll, the tank and panels are off anyway, and the nose and tail are staying carbon so it's not that much more, right?

Place your bets people, bearing in mind I painted my R1 pink, what's it gonna be?

 

Luminous green and are you bringing it to the fest?

 

This! (but Dyno rod orange!)

 

No cigars, but not a million miles away... The idea of keeping the build stealth is very much out the window!

And believe it or not, I cant make the fest! I'm the sound engineer for a mini-festival that day so am completely tied up, but if theres a mini-rideout the night before I might make the trip depending on how prepared I am for the day after. Gutted isn't the word that these clash!

2nd sidepanel is sanded down, so hopefully tank off at the weekend and get that to flat on Monday. Ive got a weekend of car repairs though so time will be tight but with any luck the boost hose and the plenum strap will be easy - game on for potential completion next week!

 

The bright green from the original speed triple with gold wheels!

 

Like many other forum members I've been reading this post and loving the build and can't wait to see the finished results!

When it's done what will you do next? Here's my suggestion;

Get some crowd funding and produce a Daytona 'Turbo Kit' such that people buy it online and fit to their own bikes or offer a fitting service?

Just a thought

 

Produce a kit? I barely cobbled together this one!

Have been busy despite the lack of input..., I now have this:





The rear is done too, and the other side will be done by tomorrow. This weekend the panels are booked for colour.

I've also finished the build, and have a few pics for you there too...

While fitting the new longer boost hose to the repositioned Watergate, I took a couple of pics of the Begi fuel pressure regulator. Along with the oil pump, it's the only other pro kit I've fitted (rather than budget/used stuff) and it was a good place to put money properly! It's got an additional tap from the tank to it, then also an input from the fuel pump, then outputs to the rail. It's putting a base pressure down over and above the pump pressure I believe, to overwork the injectors into pushing more fuel to cope with the more air. A lot cheaper than larger injectors, but not cheap in comparison to my build - the reg along was £300.




This means the build is done, so just paint before remap. Paint is going on this weekend, just a quick reassembly and should be back at Big CC within 2 weeks. Plan to collect payday (25th), hopefully ready to ride.

It's really time for this to be done now, for those following - sorry it's taken forever!