Bucket Racer Build – Pre Race Prep

While getting my bucket ready for the race weekend, I came across a few issues. The first being a fuel leak after the engine was run and turned off. I first assumed it was the drain screw o-ring failing to seal the hole but upon further inspection, the fuel leaving the carburettor was reddish and had grime in it… Looks like a dirty fuel tank causing the fuel float not to close?

The pics below show how much crud there was inside the carby.

Rust inside carburettor, not the specks on the floats

Corrosion on the carburettor inside face

Corrosion inside the carburettor air path

Choke cable had rusted inside the carburettor

Finally after some cleaning with carburettor cleaner… Things were a bit cleaner. I didn’t have a workshop manual at the time so didn’t check the float heights.

Stupid me… I lost the bowl gasket. Luckily I had a large o-ring that I cut up and super-glued into shape. It worked remarkably well and even held up with exposure to fuel. Win!

My better half, who is more creative, cut out a foam seat for the tail. The foam was only $10 for a big square piece from Para Rubber

Sitting pretty during race day! You can also see I painted the front guard and belly pan white to match the rest. Simple rattle-can job! Also note, the rag sitting on the engine. The carby cleaning didn’t quite work and it leaked fuel when the engine had been run and then turned off.

The race weekend was a good shakedown for the bike and I came across a few issues with the carby leaking fuel constantly if the bike isn’t running and fuel tap is on. Plus a few other minor annoyances.
But before I resolve any of that mechanical stuff, I need to get better at riding!! What a humbling experience it was. I thought I was a decent rider on the road and I’d be fine at buckets, but boy was I wrong!! Last place in grade C, 6 seconds behind the 2nd to last person (lap time was around 42 seconds). I was lapped twice by some guys. I was my own greatest fear, traffic on the racetrack.

I really don’t think there’s anything wrong with the bike and the blame lies solely on myself. I did think I was getting a bit faster by the end of it and I’d probably have done about 25 laps all up?
So much room to improve and I’m sure I’ll get there with more seat time. As long as the bike doesn’t play up when it comes time for riding!
Fantastic community too. So much good advice, friendly chats and even a few guys who helped me out with parts and spares. Thank you all!