02/06/2026
I borrowed a gas welder kit from a guy in the pits and got the exhaust muffler welded! Packed the muffler and riveted it back together, good as new! Found the source of a small oil leak. It was actually the pressure gauge itself that was leaking! Removed the gauge and temporarily plugged the impulse line, fixed the problem.
I took a bicycle tour around the track with Kristian Salö, who generously shared his tips and tricks getting around this heavily ondulated track!
The Sunday warm-up was wet, but now I actually recognised the turns (!). Still awfully slow, but not lost. The bike was running cold in the rain, not exceeding the EFI cold start sequence (60degC). Running rich and jerky, when rolling on throttle, is not doing you any favours in wet conditions. Still problem with my vision from time to time. The bike was otherwise running very well, with both oil and water where they should!
The start of race 2 went, and I was on it for 2-3 gears, when the engine died! No noise or seizure, just... dead. Rolled off and sighed. Packed up and drove 1000km back home again. Counted the tunnels we passed and ended at 69! Building roads in Norway can't be a cheap affair!
Back home I packed up and did some RCA. The 15A fuse for the fuel pump had blown! Checked the current while running and it was close to 13A! That's not a healthy pump, even if it is over-dimensioned! Now I'm looking for a Yamaha R6 pump, which looks like a suitable size for this engine power. It is small and efficient!
All in all, despite very poor results, the initial problems were solved, I got some track time and the opportunity to try out the challenging Sokndal track!
