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Post by ron90 on Mar 18, 2009 11:44:21 GMT -5
As those that raced at PC may recall my clutch seriously hit my seat during qualifying and the main.
After qualifying I found a loose seat bolt. But then my clutch still hit my seat during the main.
After a detailed a further investigation I found the cause. Mechanic error (read that "I made a mistake"). After practice (when everything worked) I changed gears, but did not shorten my chain. This moved the engine and clutch slightly closer to my seat. On hard cornering with the kart flexing, and having the clutch closer to the seat, it closed the gap and caused serious contact (grinding all the way through the seat).
Thus, when changing gears you may have to lengthen or shorten the chain to prevent changes in the kart and seat setup.
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Post by Brad Wunder on Mar 18, 2009 12:02:57 GMT -5
Good tip Ron. The strange thing about your situation was, it SEEMED like you should have had plenty of clearance given there was nearly a half inch gap between your clutch and seat.
Glad you got it figured out!
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Post by brad42 on Mar 18, 2009 12:27:14 GMT -5
I only have about a 6 tooth difference between all of the tracks we run at, so the engine only moves back and forth about an inch and a half max as I change gears. When setting up my seat I make sure I have enough clearance by putting a 62 rear gear on, and have 1 index finger's worth of clearance. I also run a Buller seat strut on the right side, which does not flex towards the engine at all.
Some chains are also longer than others to start with. The nice ones Todd used to get were 108 or 112 links, the RLV Gold chain I have been using of late is 104. You skinny guys can get away with the 112, us fat guys need the 104 so that there is no clutch where our ass goes.
Bottom line is that I never shorten lengthen chain when changing gears because I compensated at the beginning with seat placement and chain length.
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Post by ron90 on Mar 18, 2009 15:58:50 GMT -5
Hey, did you just call me fat?
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Post by brad42 on Mar 18, 2009 18:14:36 GMT -5
No, I was just happy the board let me say "ass" instead of "thingy"
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