Flash 5 Rises Like a Phoenix from the Ashes of F3

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

Pulled off shrouds and looked around for telltale signs of leakage. Found none:

F5Hour1.jpg (118.13 KiB) Viewed 5045 times

Pretty clean, even if it was all under 8KRPM. Seam under the head was equally clean. Still I Re-torqued the head for good measure, but no reason to screw with the exhaust flange. I'm not as worried about the size of the pilot it appears to need. New #8 plug (Had been a #BR9HIX), gapped to a Baka-san-Approved .24mm.

Oddly, it behaved a lot richer than it had. No "Ring-ding" coasting down with closed throttle. Temps were lower too.
I started to wonder if it was the only change I made - spark plug heat range and correct gap - when I remembered it was at least 20 degrees warmer than on the previous break-in rides. If it stays warm, I may have to go down a size on the Pilot after all. I wonder if the various carbs also come with different emulsion tubes and other accessories that affect final jet size? Maybe it's the AVGas? Anyway a 50 Pilot and the air screw 1.25 turns out is close enough.

Proper testing will commence Sunday-Monday. I'm a bit heavy on the vario still and for sure the 125 Main is too much.

[deuce217]

Sweet news.. Need some videos to hear this thing run..

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

Knowing my photography "skills", you'd expect me to know how to make/post a video? I still haven't figured out how to make my Blackberry transmit video files to anyplace useful. If I ever do, consider this a threat to post Live Action of Flash 5 in flagrante delicto.

Jetting has been deliberately rich all across the range during break-in with 50/125. As break-in run time approached 90 minutes, I dropped the OKO 24 intending to install the 122. Curses! Wouldn'cha know the ONE jet you need is the one you don't have? Not brave enough to drop from 125 to 120 and attempt to re-enable the PowerJet, I decided to screw in the 48 pilot instead. Good calll.

Particularly since the weather turned cooler - low 50s - low end is really crisp, clean and Linear now. I mean sewing-machine smooth from idle to 40 MPH. The power declines a little on the brief WOT spells I've dared. Cool-ish 300 readings from the CHT suggest the 122 or even 120 may be indicated.after all. Treats 122 on the way. With a few more minutes of run time and confidence, I may yet enable the PJ and begin to investigate the Mystery of the Third Fuel Circuit. If Anybody is running his 24 with a live PJ system, I'd like to compare notes. Meanwhile, the .177 BB stays in the transfer line.

[kingearwig]

Speakin' of the 24, lots of them come with the infamous Power Jet, reportedly tricky to tune because it adds a Fine Mist O' Fuel at larger throttle openings. The BB

F5BBPowerJet.jpg

in that tiny line defeats it and allows to tune this carb "Normally". Someday I may revisit and try to tune with the PJ but there is a tiny jet that seems to come only in one size under that big brass screw.

So have you made any attempts at tuning with this BB removed? Any links to further info on this?

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

No One Dares enable the Power Jet. The Dark Side it is. However... Once break-in is complete and I get a few miles run at WOT with good temps, it may be worth a try. I'll be going down to a 122 when Treats delivers that one missing link in the Jet Chain. If that works out, I'm thinking 120 with the PJ a-spritzin' won't be all that different, but again I haven't tried, nor do I recall anyone posting success with the PowerJet operating. I do recall that strong Opinions abound, but haven't read much fact upon which these opinions are based.

There is a tiny little "Mini-Jet" under that brass screw that evidently only comes in one size - the one in the carb when you buy it. I have searched long ago and wasn't able to come up with evidence that alternative sizes even exist. Oh well, it won't be the first time I've gone against the grain with oddball carbs. I'll post pics of the carnage if it happens.

[kauaianman]

Greetings:

No One Dares enable the Power Jet. The Dark Side it is. However... Once break-in is complete and I get a few miles run at WOT with good temps, it may be worth a try. I'll be going down to a 122 when Treats delivers that one missing link in the Jet Chain. If that works out, I'm thinking 120 with the PJ a-spritzin' won't be all that different, but again I haven't tried, nor do I recall anyone posting success with the PowerJet operating. I do recall that strong Opinions abound, but haven't read much fact upon which these opinions are based.

There is a tiny little "Mini-Jet" under that brass screw that evidently only comes in one size - the one in the carb when you buy it. I have searched long ago and wasn't able to come up with evidence that alternative sizes even exist. Oh well, it won't be the first time I've gone against the grain with oddball carbs. I'll post pics of the carnage if it happens.

they do sell the jets for the power jet circut. you can even purchase a closed jet so no need for ball bearing.

http://www.racingplanetusa.com/main-set ... db9501a605

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

Thanks Kauaianman! I've never come across this before - heaps of searching, too.
The PJ that came in my previous OKO 24 was a #30. The one in my black 24 from Treats isn't even marked!

So anyone ever run with the thing un-plugged. Does this mean I have to score another entire set of little brass thingies? Where to start?

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

Treats 122 Main arrived and screwed in. Too late to test, alas, but has already managed 45MPH with 125 in cool November night. Ran real rich, so may need to drop to 120. PJ deactivated for now.

[kingearwig]

so what do you think the jetting will be in the summer?

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

It's a challenge to tune in Deepinnaharta. Some mornings after a front we see temps in the low 30s. Bright sunshine all day can warm things up all the way to 80 by afternoon. You have to cover that morning ride, so probably not less than 120-122 the way things seem now. Then I'm stuck too rich for the PM ride unless I carry a jet wrench and soak my Florsheims with fuel at lunchtime.

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

Flash gets a new Belt Drive!
TreatLand wasn't the cheapest source for the Polini-for-Ruckus front pulley, but the only vendor distributing the redesigned version with bigger "overdrive" and a 25-degree ramp plate.

F5VarioPolini4Ruckus.jpg (196.01 KiB) Viewed 4814 times

New Malossi cylinder and crank called for a new belt, vario setup and tidy-for-now belt cavity.

BTW the HondaBonded-on shim washer setup is working great. Cover pops off and on without fussing with the double-gasket and a little air going through may keep the whole assembly a few degrees cooler. YMMV.

[sum-azn-kid]

so you can use a rucku vari ramp and boss? how about the drive face?

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

Carving room and installing Ruckus or "for Ruckus" variators are an old trick to extend the "overdrive" effect of the belt drive. This works on SE/05 or SA/16 blocks. It works with the stock outer sheave or the Aftermarket, such as the Phongeer Aluminum ones. Generally you keep whatever pulley boss you have, but sometimes its length needs to be adjusted a little so the belt fits the possibly altered distance between the sheaves. It's particularly useful for those who have converted the rear pulleys to the larger ZX items. For sure that conversion requires a longer boss to match the wider 18mm ZX belt.

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

Having established its apparent reliability, I rode Flash 5 to work today.

The GOOD:
1. Seems to be getting WAYY better gas mileage than the Corsa. That would stand to reason because of much lower operating RPM. (See below).
2. Nowhere near as much smoke hugging the ground behind me, highlighted by the rising sun in my mirrors.
3. No calamitous sound of mechanical Armageddon, despite brisk 45-MPH speeds and brief WOT forays.
4. Really firm departures from stops and red lights, withOUT the wailing Drama of the Corsa.

The BAD:
1. Although 40mph at 7K-ish RPM is enjoyable, I can't seem to coax much more that 8300 RPM out of the setup. I know the MArn isn't a Corsa or an MHR, but even the Nicasil spun out to 8.5 or 9K IIRC.
2. Top speed observed was under 50 - albeit with very brief efforts to determine that endpoint.

With an increased Vario load of 34.5 grams against a Malossi 1.2K Spring, I suspect I'm revving right over and through this particular cylinder's peak power range. It seems to run out of breath and wheeze. Opening the throttle wide changes the vowel sound of the engine roar, but not its note. I plan to add another 3 grams or so and repeat until it's sweet.

[kingkamehameha]

Add that hg spacer