I get in from work, empty my bag, chuck the camera in, chuck my bike jacket on, get the bike out, grab my tripod, put my gear on, start the bike, set off – bike cuts out. Try again, bike cuts out. Sweating BALLS by this point. Turns out the spring on my side stand had popped off. Face, meet palm. I strip off gear, open garage, grab pliers and a bar, and struggle for 30 minutes against a strong ass spring to pop it back on. Finally it goes on. I set off, I arrive at the parents, I walk into the garage. And the below greets me. No help needed after all. The engine is already dropped out and under inspection.
As you can see in the image above, on the right hand side, one of our issues is a snapped lug within the head that held the left hand rocker cover bolt. The bolt is fully intact. So we believe this is repairable without too much effort, due to the area being low pressure. However, we believe due to the oil dispersal found at the time of the engine failing, that this lug snap was not solely responsible for the leak. We also believe that the leak was coming from the head. The head is coming off, and will be checked for flatness. Beyond this, we are struggling for funds for the season (ie. moving entry fee funds into repair funds) if anything else is required other than the rocker cover gasket and the head gasket to get the engine together again. This is truly racing on a shoestring!
All isn’t looking too rosy for MLR at the moment, but let’s see what we can do, who we know, and where we can get some help. We’ll get this engine sorted and get out again for Aintree on the 14th June.
If you know anyone that is adept with 2000 era motorcycle engines, and is willing to lend a hand, please let us know. Cheers!
Matty Laws Racing 