Airshow!

I don't like to lift photos from other people's blogs, I'd rather use my own, but a friend sent me this link, which had another link embedded in it, etcetera etcetera...you know the drill.

Anyway, pretty incredible shots, mainly because we "Westerners" didn't/don't get to see this stuff too often. The Soviets had three flight demonstration teams, two of which flew the contemporary fighters, the Mikoyen MiG 29 flown by the "Swifts" and the Sukhoi Su 27 flown by the "Russian Knights"....

Here are the "Swifts"


The "Russian Knights"


And here they are together, which is cool because you get an idea of the size difference between the two jets, as well as some of the similarities of design.


I guess they don't have a "Navy" flight demonstration team the way we do. It would be cool to see the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds fly together though.

Here's the link;

http://www.richard-seaman.com/Aircraft/AirShows/index.html#Maks2005

YZ134

One of the reasons I haven't been posting much is that I got really sick of anything to do with motorcycles. I know, I blaspheme, but hear me out. I siezed the YZ 134. Again....

I thought I had the jetting pretty well squared away, and I probably was close, so I went out to just do some more testing. I was riding a road course on the south side of the sandbar, it was about 10 degrees out. I took a couple slow practice laps to let the engine warm up, then I picked up the pace. Too quickly. The engine sized just as I shifted into 6th.

So this is what a "cold sieze" looks like.






I have to mic the cylinder to see how bad it is. Maybe I can clean it up and just put a new piston in...probably not though.

I went into the garage on Sunday, looked at all the bikes, turned around and walked back out.

When it actually gets warm, maybe then I'll be inspired.

Making Tracks...

Sorry to leave the blog on hold for so long. It's been an interesting month or so since my last post. Been to Spain. Been to Montreal. Been hanging around the house, and I've been doing some cross country skiing.

I'm guessing this is a Bobcat hoping to catch the Turkey that wandered here.


This is what it looks like when a Turkey takes off in a hurry.


I'll get back to motorcycles soon.

Destination Moon

Or at least a few hundred feet into the air...



I still have to work out the balance. I may need to add some weight to the nose. Actually I know I need to but I'm not sure how much, probably an ounce.

Launch countdown sequence starts at 1:30 PM on 03/07/2011

Billions of blue blistering barnacles...

Another afternoon on the ice...

Matt and I spent another afternoon trying to dial in the jetting yesterday. Actually, we both made changes at home in the relative comfort of our garages, and tried them out, and the changes seemed to be spot on for both of us. I pulled my plug after several runs and it just looked better each time. So for what it's worth, it seems a 460 main and 65 pilot jet, with the needle clip set in the center (#3) position, is just what the doctor ordered.

Matt's bike has a Lectron carb, which is a different beast altogether. Semi-Flat slide, clear float bowl and the only jets you change are the pilot jets...


I also tried to make my rear tire grip a little better by repositioning the left side screws. Didn't work, the thing is still a bitch to ride. You have to hang off the seat and keep the bike straight up to get any traction. I'm getting too old to mess with that kind of compromise. I just want tires that work.

This is just a quick look at the ugliness.



We ran the oval "backwards" for a session and my rear tire actually worked better turning right. Didn't get any video of that though.

Top Secret Project Revealled

Spy photos of the "Top Secret Project" have surfaced on the internet...right here!
The images of this unfinished OLAC entry were captured this morning, in an unguarded moment.





This appears to be a scale replica of the "Destination Moon" rocket from the famous "The Adventures Of Tintin" book series.

It's looking more like a rocket...

Making more progress on the Top Secret Project.

Body secured to motor mount. Shock cord attached.


Fins on.




Landing gear.