V2 National Champ

How about that Keith Bennett guy.....crashes in practice, transported to the hospital for a cat scan....gets released, scrambles to find a ride back to the track......makes the grid.....and takes the title!

Bravo sir, Bravo! :up:

 

One hard headed English dude......well done....

 

Thats dedication. Congrats

 

I was very surprised when I came into Charlotte's Web to see him motionless, partially under his bike. Glad he was able to get up. Then to see him pull up beside me on the grid for the race - big props to Keith for getting back out there to finish the season with the V2 Title.
Paul Garland
Vintage Specialties #101

 

I arrived late, it did appear that oil may have been involved, but I don't think it was on the track, per se....yet.... anyhow.

He is a "Tough Old Buggar".....I heard he was m o v i n g r a t h e r s l o w at the ceremony.

 

Ahh, OK....I heard he lost the rear very quickly.....I wasn't there, so I'll go with your play by play sir....

 

Technical Analysis from the Autopsy

I retrieved Keith's bike from the tech area and walked it back to our pit. Keith had made it to the hospital already and was trying to contact me during the autopsy.

Findings:
Oil all over the port side of the bike from the front sprocket to complete saturation of the rear wheel/tire. Oil had lapped over the side wall and spread into the tread area by as much as two inches toward tires center line.

Cause:
The clutch pushrod seal had, as has happened to me on multiple occasions, pop out from between the upper and lower cases where it resides. This penetration is above the "oil level line", but with a running motor, oil is distributed to every nook and cranny in the crankcase.

Repair:
Front sprocket removed and chain pulled aside, the open aluminum port that the seal resides in was brake parts cleaner cleaned as was the perimeter of the seal. Seal relocated into is resting place and brake parts cleaner used again. RTV Blue to case and seal for complete perimeter. Bill Howard offered a funnel hose segment that I placed on the rod. The length was such that when the hose touched the seal, the length of the hose extended to the edge of the chain away from the casing.

Engine, frame, swing arm, and rear wheel/tire were cleaned with a water based multi-purpose cleaner. Reinspected by both Mark at the tech area and by Tony at the pit. Tony did recommend more cleaning to the rear wheel and such was done.

Windshield was removed as it had broken. Shift pedal was pulled out as it had received impact during the crash. We were both surprised by just how little damage the bike received in a crash that knocked Keith out.

Options: Dean Middleton once gave me a pushrod seal retainer that was used to hold the seal in. It mounted to the shift indicator retainer screw hole above and to the left of the seal.

Recommendation: As this is not such a rare occurrence, self-governing 350 Honda twin riders (both stocker and suped-up motors) might want to make it a point to have some form of clutch pushrod retainer employed for all the right reasons. Options discussed include: Springs, hose segments, and retainer bars such as Dean provided.

Once repaired and modified, there were no issues with the seal working it's way out during any of the racers on Friday...

 

Cheers for Keith! Glad to hear he is alright. I've seen the clutch rod oil seal issue enough times to say I think it is fairly common when the motor is run hard. I second Jack's recommendation for using a retainer to keep the seal in place but that only really treats the symptom, not the root cause, which is a lack of adequate crankcase ventilation. Also, if you have an oil seal that is popping out, then the seal is bad and you should replace it with a new seal instead of just pressing it back in there. They cost, like, a few dollars at most. I can't recall if Keith's bike has a vent tube coming from the oil filler cap.

The CB500T has a metal bracket that holds the oil seal for the clutch rod in place as does the CB360T. They don't call it a seal retainer though. The 360 parts fiche calls it a cord protector, for the alternator wiring, and the 500T fiche calls it a case protector. Neither would fit a cb350 without more modification than would be necessary to fabricate one from scratch.

 

Nice bloke Keith, well done.

Charlie, did Wayne drop something off from me?

 

V2 Champ - congratulations!

Keith,
I want to add my congratulations. Well done!
When I saw you down, tangled up with the bike, it didn't look good. Then Tony said that you were transported! But you made it back. Tough guy!

Keith you have been riding exceptionally well all season. This championship is well deserved. As I have told you, you are an inspiration to me personally, and to all of us.

Jack, you are to be commended too. You got the bike back together and on the grid. You and Keith represent what is great about vintage motorcycle racing.

 

Way to go Keith! Heal up!

 

Good job Keith.

 

DING DING DING!!!!....as usual, we have a winner here with John Cook! :up:

The cause of the pushrod seal leaks is crankcase pressure. Vent your engine, vent your engine well, and it wont be an issue.

Some ventilation is better than none, but more is better. I use a larger dia hose from the dipstick location than some other racers....AND I vent out the block-off plate for the electric starter as well......these 2 vents, plus the stock upper vent, going to a PROPER vent can, and it is a non issue.

I've used a "fillet" of RTV around the edge of the seal as well, reinforcing it from popping out. A clip is fine, and a nice safety backup, but if you deal with the problem and not the symptom, it has other benefits as well....like the motor breathes, which helps with those big-bore pistons, higher compression, and not to mention high RPM's.

I've personally never run a clip, but have used the RTV fillet every time and never had a problem due to proper ventilation.......I probably will just make one anyhow.

JACK....sounds like Keith's bike is as tough as he is!



SCUDDER.....I got a whiff of beer breathe sir!....those hellions you hang out with drank the beer you sent! Blasphemy I say! ......I would have much rather seen you at the track tho.....sorry I missed ya at the VF and GNF. Nice gesture Robin, I appreciate it buddy ....see you on the grid next year........but seriously, I owe those guys a few beers, and have missed hooking up the last couple times.

I can hear them now, especially that Moore character...."Hey Mike, these beers taste good, huh? "clllannk ...F'ing CY....HA!!! Clank! HAHAHA!!!

AND speaking of Wayne....he had a thread worthy day as well!:up: but since all the players are here, CONGRATS WAYNE on the V1 National Title! You earned that. Great riding this year.

He had a heck of a run in 500GP too!.....He made up probably 10 or more seconds on the last couple laps to catch Bucky...he snuck up on him! I watched it, and it was pretty darned impressive.....BRAVO WAYNE! ....those that know Bucky know he aint no slouch either.

I met Buckys buddy Bill Johnson too.....really nice guy who also ran well, sorry to see him crash......Bucky's young lady friend was there too. New bike with the help of her buddies, but she twisted some parts all good. look forward to seeing her run next year......its great to see people drive 14 hrs one way just to race.....I enjoy their company.

And then Bill Howard running good....carrying the load for his banged up buddy Scott....good job sir.

The 2 stroke Tennessee guys....good seeing them too...good run fellas!

Mark Morrow had a GREAT race going with Jim Hinshaw for numerous laps......I heard of the issue that stopped it while Tony and I were dining with Mr. Joe Pomeroy last nite.


Bla bla....sorry for the run on...

 

My congrats to Keith too. It was a real iron man effort!

 

Really Good Point on Breather/Pressure

I did mention to Keith that crankcase pressure was to be considered. Bill Howard verified the ends of the vent hoses were cut diagonally. We found no obstructions, but I too believe there's a build up of pressure behind the seal.

 

Hell of a job getting that bike back together.

 

10-4 Jack.....means you need more venting....I think the big bore V1 pistons create WAY more case pressure than stock pistons.

After all, it is a big air pump, huh?

Here is part of my solution. I plan to manufacture and sell these in the future. All alum, AN fittings, machined with the dipstick threads and an O-ring, even the corners of the hex head are knocked back so it fits into the dipstick hole without binding up...even has a ridge formed on the tube to seal the hose.