Wrathall Mark wrote:

Bill Jepson wrote:

Group,
There are two parts to every story, as there are two parts to every

radiator system, inlet and outlet. These things are obvious yet people seem
to be bound and determined to make ducts that are WORSE than just hanging
the rad out in the airstream. Paul has some good suggestions on his site, we
should pay attention. The point is look for a high pressure SOURCE, and a
low pressure exit.

The best example I have ever seen of this is the radiator on the Britten

motorcycle. The inlet is a tiny nostril on the front of the fairing
exhausting in the low pressure area in front of the rear tire. with good
ducting a TINY 1in thick 2 pass radiator 4inches wide and 14 inches to 16
inches tall cools a 170 HP two cylinder 1 liter engine. The rad system
worked so well in fact that they had trouble making sure to keep the engine
warm enough! It is worth a look Britten is in New Zeeland and still working
to make a few race bikes after Paul Britten the founder passed from cancer.
A very VERY inovative guy. Check out the page. I will check back with the
URL. The speeds they were traveling at Daytona compare well with ours btw,
about 180 mph. Bill Jepson

Mark Wrathall wrote:
Way to push a Kiwi's go-button Bill....

John Britten was a hell of a bloke - probably the greatest bloke to ever
live!! For the general education of the group (sorry if this is too far off
topic Paul), John Britten was a talented/artistic engineer with a dream of
building the greatest motorbike ever, and a bugdet which consisted largely
of dreams and good will.

His talent in hindsight is probably as much due to his ability to motivate
everyone around him to work gladly on slave wages (friendship) to be a part
of his dream as it was his design and engineering ability. (Like Paul's
vision and leadership).

>From his converted Stables  garage/house  he built a motobike which on it's
first outing in Daytona was whipping the works Ducatis when a $20 Suzuki
voltage regulater sidelined it (loose interpretation of the facts that, but
builds the legend). He supposedly used the geometry of two cyclinders of a
Ferrari V8 as the basis for his design, casting his own motor block, and
quenching it in the jakuzi. They built their own Carbon fiber wheels, the
failure of one seriously injured the original test rider.

My cousin, a skilled Ducati mechanic, was getting ready to start his new
position with the  Britten Motorcyle Factory, when cancer robbed us all of a
true hell of a bloke. Since his death, the company lost it's way.

http://www.britten.co.nz/

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