Big Bore, the return.

Is this taking forever or what?

If you seen me on facebook, you seen an engine ready to swap.  I got a fair bit to do yet but its now my next project (after the bloody van I just fixed and sold).

So.......updates yet again to follow, with pics too.

I'm really hoping it works and it works well..............

Update: I cant remember where all the screws go......f**ktard!

I got the new engine in, finished.  I appreciate no updates on here for bloody ages, sorry.  Busy life, demanding wife......I have been posting on face book in the AP page.

Where am I at?

The engine is finished.  Many mods, last one being the stator cooling mod.....yeah I know, it probably wont work, but I'm confident.  I took a feed from the oil filter cap and pointed it to a very specific place through the stator cover....very specific, it will spray onto coils and drop down the stator body.

Because of the extra oil needed, and because of the manual cam chain tensioners, I decided to up the oil pressure.  I have a mate to thank for the guidance of this.  I had to replace the oil pump relief spring.  In later GEN 2 engines they changed a 42mm spring for a 38mm spring.  The 42mm springs are like bloody hens teeth.  I ordered one from AP, who struggled, but really really tried.  I then ordered 2 from the USA, got them weeks later, plus an extra one.....thats 3, then AP delivery last week...I have 4 42mm springs!!!

I think I have the world suppply of them now.......one I fitted, one a sent out to a mate, so have 2 spare.  If you want one PM me.  £5 posted.  Did I say HENS TEETH!

My last post was to fit the engine, but because of the oil cooling mod and the spring....it wasn't finished.  It is now and in the frame.  The last 6 weeks, the bike was being resprayed.  That took for-bloody-ever, its not finished, I ended up getting the bike back leaving the plastics behind, so I could carry on.

Last night I hit a snag, and sorted it but did you know.........

The water temp sender on the rear pot, I have 2 GEN 2 engines, and 2 water temp sensors with very different connectors.....I thought I had lost a cable or something as nothing would connect to the new motor....sorted it and swapped them about, but who knew?

As of this moment, I'm assembling the oil system, followed by the water system.  Its a couple of weeks away from done, minus the plastics, but I'm going to run through what I've done to the bike over the last 3 years (I will get some time later and post pictures).

The start:  My front O2 sensor fell off, broken header, this was the start!

Header off to be welded.  Welders flow cleaned it to a satin finish after fixing it.  I gave them the rear header and centre piece for flow cleaning plus a spare front header with O2 bung fitted.

Sent that off to be ceramically coated, 4 coats, 2 in 2 out, blue finish.

Bought a 1103cc big bore kit

Kit was sh*t, bores not straight, too loose, and too tight.

Took 2 more attempts to get it right!

18 months to get that resolved.

Bought bigger injectors

assembled engine for dry turn, clearances not right. 0.1mm from valve to piston when valve fully out.

cam settings set to 106/109

pistons skimmed/modified.

2nd Dry run, clearances perfect.

Pistons coated underside and top side to aid heat removal.

Exhaust slip on repacked.

Front forks rebuilt.

Every single water/oil hose repalced.

Rad replaced, and resprayed

oil coolers replaced and resprayed

All brackets resprayed

Engine bolt kit fitted from racebolt, all stainless.

All fork and caliper bolts front replaced with titanium

Rear caliper bolts replaced, titanium.

Rear disk bolts replaces.....steel (for the sensor)

Frame and swingarm cleaned.

Head lights polished back to perfection to get rid of crazing.

Airbox modified, engine breather removed and sealed.

Oil breather now through PVC and very tiny oil catch tank

Twin height carbon velocity stacks fitted

Entire loom old loom tape removed and fully reloomed right up to connectors.

Johnny Walker leads fitted

new oil sender switch

new solenoid

new battery lithium, weight = fookall!

new front disks.

I know theres some other stuff I forgotten.........I'll update again soon.

TmH

Engine in, samco hoses fitted, all brackets on rads, oil coolers, vac pipes replaced.  Rad protectors fitted.

Fitting them Samco hoses was a test....but, eventually got the buggers fitted.  Realised that a couple of hoses should of been fitted before fitting the engine.....that would of made life easier.....dick.

Its getting there.  REALLY it is.  I dont think Griff would give me a job though....over 3 years now..... 

As I had it in the air (ABBA skylift, utterly brilliant tool) I stripped down the linkage last night.

Good to report that it was well greased still, have to say that using rubber seals, marine wheel bearing grease and ptfe covers/shims has totally protected the linkage.  Guys, you got to check them linkages!

However, I sheared a nut last night tightening them back up to 50NM.....shame...it was all going so well.  So I ordered some titanium bolts from RaceTI.  Should be with me on Weds.  I guess the stock bolts are not used to coming off and on, which is something I do every 2 years...had the bike for 11!

Anyway.....I'm about to fill with oil (tonight maybe)....not water, I'll do that later.  Plugs will be out and I'll do a dry turn over on the battery (should spin pretty quickly with the new lithium battery I have....which came WITHOUT bloody terminal bolts, and the old battery had allen bolts to a threaded terminal, on order...), make sure the engine turns, the John Walker leads work, the starter rebuild works and most importantly, I have oil pressure....got one of those plug in oil pressure measuring tools......hopefully see about 2 bar....I'll let you know.

If that goes well, then headers back on, a bit more rewiring (O2 sensors, PC5 and AT300, RegRec and other bits I forgot to refit ), airbox on with super cool duel stacks fitted and water in the rads.  I've also got to get the PC5 setup with a flat map minus 10% to take into account the bigger injectors I have.

I'm still waiting for the tank and plastics to be finished!  so until those arrive, I cant start it...but no rush.  I also just got a race set of HEL brake lines.

Its getting on now chaps, getting there.  Just remember what it looked like (profile pic <----) .....it will look very different when finished!

Sorry no pics.....not on my PC, thats where the pics are.

TmH

No spin yet.....I had to wait for the battery terminal bolts....got those yesterday.

also want to have my oil pressure gauge fitted, so did that last night.

I'm also waiting for the dogbone bolts as I want that bit finished before I crack on.  should have that this evening.

But.....I have to take the plunge now, put oil in it, connect the battery and give it a whirl.  If it clunks, I got something wrong!  If its quiet and oil pressure is right, happy days!

As I'm typing this I'm also trying to find out if my plastics are ready to pick up as I really need the tank now....no tank, no proper start up.

I didn't mention that another job I did was to completely refurb the fuel pump, so that had a new motor, teabag filter and fuel filter, with associated pipes.

thinking about it there is a lot stacked against the motor not starting, but hopefully, it should be OK. 

Spoke to a cracking tuner yesterday about getting it dyno'd:

I want the ECU updating to the latest software, it'll also need a throttle balance and its third oil change during the dyno run.  I'm putting new base oil in, no additives (I got 12 litres of the stuff) it helps the rings bed in without hindrence from friction modifiers.  I'll run it to hot, let it cool, then drop the oil.

New goes in, then its dyno time.  Half way through, it gets changed again...so the end of the dyno it will have had its 3rd change.  That'll stay in for 1500 miles then I go onto proper stuff, I like Mobile1 fully synth.  Anyway, he has the tools to do all the work as he was once part of an aprilia dealership, he has Axone!

Anyway, the tuner is pretty spot on.  We were talking about valve clearances to pistons.  the industry norm is 1mm side clearance to insets, mine is about 0.8 at the deepest up to 1mm as the valve levels with the crown.  He builds race engines with clearances to 0.6mm!  Sometimes a bit smaller.

Turns out I know his brother, and he knows mine, small world.

So thats where I am at the moment.  I'm also waiting for some more single ply vac hose to replace those going to the flapper, but thinking of disabling that now.

The respray.  this is something different, hopefully nothing like it out there, not sure if I should whet the interest or just leave it to later......??

OK, because of the blue Oz wheels and black frame, silver swingarm, I had to get something to match so I've gone with bottom half black to mid front on a deep fleck black, decals in black carbon fibre on the black paint that spells Aprilia all the way up the side, the black extends up the centre of the bike to the screen and around the side of the screen half way between the screen and the edge.  the top half, tank, side panels, top of rear is Pearl white.

Breaking that up is patches of metallic blue that sits between the black and the white.  Its patterned and aligns to the top to front line.

All decals pay respect to the V4 and aprillia racing.  Mainly in blue and black on the white.  and there is a little apprilia italia colouring on the front, green white and red.

the screen is black, indicators smoked and blue touches on Samco hoses, vac pipes and some bits here and there.  All front end bolts are titanium, and stainless on the engine.  Brake lines are Hel translucent blue (not fitted yet).

Like I say, there is a twist to the decals, subtleness to the bigbore and a little modernising to line up with the V4s........I think its cool.  I've also sprayed the radiator guard a nice pearl white with a blue stenciled image.  Wont say what that is, but it'll give the bike a living personality.

what I have seen of the paintwork when I went to go get the bike was brilliant....a 'wood' moment for sure.  Cant wait till its finished....might be finished now.....if only he would answer the phone!

Is that enough for you???

TmH