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I thought they were supposed to be 2 pieces… I just jam the wire down into the boot. Looking down into the boot, it looks like a screw that sticks into the wire. You sure it’s broken??? Or has mine been messed up for a long time? :loony:
LOL… I just got my seat struts re-welded because they cracked after I bent them inward for my stick-man size MS seat. Kirk, maybe we should’ve swapped chassis. 😆
Tony, dunno if this will help or not: http://www.lebkart.com/Downloads/seatinstallation_080903.pdf The main thing that’s helped me has been to clamp a piece of plywood to the underside of the chassis and rest the seat on that (you can use spacers if you want the seat bottom to be higher or lower than the bottom of the frame rails). As the Welches have suggested, putting weights in the bottom of the seat (if it has a flat bottom like a Tillett) helps too. Then it’s just a matter of figuring out where to drill the holes. 😀
I’m not a pilot, and I don’t even play one on TV (I’m just a Mechanical Engineer who likes aviation and flies UA just so he can listen to Channel 9). Nonetheless, I’m impressed by what that flight crew pulled off. Only one chance to get that one right!
Still, when I read the accounts, part of me thinks, of course this ended well. We had:
– Two guys working together up front
– The cockpit crew doubtless had run this scenario in the sim at least once (is that safe to say, Chris?)
– A bit of luck never hurts (for example, the fairly calm surface of the river)
– The flight crew didn’t exactly want to die, either.And as for the cabin crew, folks think of them as glorified drink servers, but in the end they’re there to hustle people off the plane when it comes time to evac. By all accounts they did that very well.
So, hats off to those on duty at the time of this accident, but what makes me the most proud is that they kept clear heads and did their jobs. :clap:
@Angel Ramirez wrote:
Am i missing something?with the changes coming in February to the Rotax.
I haven’t heard about anything other than the new clutch and metal balance-shaft gears…
@Jason Benoit wrote:
…Also the leopard has issues with the brushes in the starter so we have been replacing the brushes every 2 races whether it needs it or not. It sucks getting to the starting grid and not being able to get the thing started. We also broke two exhaust headers last year.
AFAIK, Rotax uses the same starter, and the brushes are subject to the same failure, although it may not be as frequent b/c the Rotax has a balance shaft to reduce vibration.
I cracked my exhaust, but had it repaired (welded) at IMI. I believe the spot where I had the crack has since been redesigned.
Tim, just about everything I know about my engine I learned from Doug & Sons at Shockwave and from talking to other runners at TTAC. My perspective is really pretty limited when it comes to making a choice between packages. It’s a no-brainer to recommend what I know. 8)
I’m impressed with the rationality of the replies so far… No flame war yet! 8)
The only kart I’ve ever so much as sat in other than a rental is the one I have now. I bought a 5-year-old Rotax with zero experience wrenching on karts or working with 2-stroke engines (the weedeater doesn’t count), and I still love the engine. Yes, there’s been a learning curve, and I’ve made some dumb mistakes that cost me track time, but that would be the case with a Leopard as well.
In a nutshell, I’ve had great luck with the engine itself; the gremlins have been in the bits that bolt to it. I’ve stripped the plastic balance-drive gears, had a bad battery end my day, and may have the record for quickest fouling of a spark plug (I’m still a bit of an idiot when it comes to jetting). However, that’s all outside of the sealed part of the engine, and it’s stuff I can work on. The long rebuild intervals for the core engine are a definite plus for me. I’ve only had it in to Shockwave once in 2 years (got a new cylinder under warranty), and what I saw internal to the engine made me feel really good about its future (knock on wood!).
I’m a purely recreational driver, but I like to go fast and I feel that I can hold my own at TTAC (I can run in the 57’s with my limited skillz and ancient tires). I’m probably never going to buy a new kart engine, and was lucky to find the used package I did. In the end, maybe I’d be saying the same stuff if I had a Leopard, but with what I know, I’d recommend the Rotax based on its core reliability, availability of service, and widespread use in Colorado.
@Kirk_Deason wrote:
I was lurking on the wrong message boards, I was researching go fast bits, new bodywork…
Hmmph… That’s what pushed me over the edge into getting a kart. 😳
Kirk, looks like we’re the same age. I have yet to see what my mid-life toy craving will be, but it won’t be a motorcycle. First, my wife would kill me and second, I’d be cheating on my first true love, which is waaay cheaper to boot. Consider that I pieced this baby together for about $2k earlier this year. Not the fanciest frame, but she fits me, has full 10-speed Dura-Ace, and is truly “ready to race”… Just need to work on the motor. :puke
[attachment=0:1yli7ojy]Felt.jpg[/attachment:1yli7ojy]No matter what happens to the economy, there’s still lust! :dance:
@Road Runner wrote:
Thats about the shortest version of that lecture I’ve EVER got!!! 😯 😯
We just had our third kid… I have to dole out parental wisdom as efficiently as possible. 🙂
Tony, Tony… Someday you’re gonna need a decent job to support your karting habit… Be cool; stay in school. 8)
@Jon Romenesko wrote:
I can’t wait to see the helmet cam footage.
Same here… Just burn the raw footage to DVD, don’t bother with fancy editing or adding music, and I bet you’ll get some takers.
Safe trip home, guys… Following along online made me remember how awesome it was to have Grands at TTAC! :clap:
Is there a map online anywhere that shows the track configuration being used? What direction y’all going? Looks like the Flying Spaghetti Monster Himself from the air.
I’m guessing you don’t cross the painted lines in the aerial photo except entering/leaving the start/finish oval.
Keep the updates coming. Can’t listen in from work, but can sneak peeks here!
@Road Runner wrote:
No problems, guess I’m just pearinoied that my competion is sneaking in to my garage at night and sabatogeing me from locking up last place this year. 😆
If the competition is trying to mess up your efforts to be the cellar-dweller, wouldn’t they leave your equipment in better condition than they found it??? :loony:
Does it look a bit like a milkshake? Sounds kind of like water churned up in the oil, but in that case you wouldn’t be draining clear oil. Strange.
If it’s water, not sure where it could’ve come from except an internal coolant leak (see if your radiator is still full) or from outside (pressure-washing engine or running in the rain with a bad gasket for the gear cover?).
@Freezeman wrote:
VP98 is also legal in a Rotax for Tag racing.
Not to hijack the thread, but this got me wondering… Do people actually have problems with detonation at this elevation? I’ve always been under the impression that higher octane equals lower energy density, so if you’re not detonating then it makes sense to stick with the lowest allowable octane. Or does TAG require 98? [EDIT: Yep, looks like it does. That’s good to know. Ditto for the use of Castor oil, which I hadn’t realized. http://www.tagracing.net/pdf/2008Homologation/2008_TAG_Rules.pdf]
Last time out, my clutch wouldn’t disengage… Looking through the holes in the clutch drum, I found that the support plate had broken at one of the holes. I popped the drum off to find the little broken piece was wedged between a clutch shoe and the drum. Further investigation found that TWO of my clutch pins had broken.
It’s hard to see how your support plate is broken if the pins aren’t bent or starting to crack. Something’s putting a lot of force on the support plate while the clutch is spinning… Any off-track excursions that got some debris in there?
