Oil catchment

[Eddy Wright]

Has the time now come for Oil Catchment trays to be made compulsory on all Classic Sidecar Outfits.

[Triplebrew]

Why Eddy? The oil problem on Sunday I believe was a blown oil cooler line so a catch tray would have made no difference. Monday's issue is hard to establish if it was a a) a sidecar and b) oil or fuel? I feel that a reasonable attempt to create an oil tray should be made is possible. Thing is some bikes are very low to the ground and fitting a tray will make it even lower. It is something Grant and myself are currently looking at doing.

[Eddy Wright]

All other classes of sidecars now have oil containment systems. Classic's don't. Over the last couple of seasons there has been too many cases of Classic sidecars spreading oil around the circuits.

You ask why ? Solo riders are been put in danger I'm sure they would tell you why.

The race programme is also been interrupted whilst the mess is cleared up causing races to be reduced or cancelled, races that have been paid for in entry fees.

I know the argument That Classic Sidecars never had oil containment in their day, but they didn't have cut out switches attached to the rider via a lanyard either.

In fact no other class of sidecars had oil catch trays until a few years ago, but they have them now. Why are Classic allowed to run without them.

[Triplebrew]

I see what you are saying Eddy BUT it is not only sidecars that could drop oil. How many times have solos done so at CRMC meetings? And I have to disagree with your comment about to many cases of classic sidecars spreading oil. I fully agree where possible catch trays or similar should be utilised. Picking up on that does anyone have any pointers / pictures / advice for those new to classic racing and for other to see what is in use by some already?

[DavidCurrell]

I just constructed a simple alu tray for our previous bike around the bottom tubes with 20mm sides. Attatched it to the frame with cable ties and put oil absorbent material inside it doesnt stick out at the bottom .Easy, must admit i gotta make one for the new bike though.

Buddha.

[Triplebrew]

May seem a daft question but is the absorbent material heat proof? I'm thinking it must be due to the close proximity of the engine etc.

[Foxy57]

What about the sidecars that have under trays that are designed to create down force !!!!!
I bet those that have that design of under tray may well feel reluctant to stick a catch tray underneath thus neutralising their perceived downforce.

For clarification, I am talking about flat bottom sidecar floors with wings at the edges to stop the air spilling out. Just a thought!

[LCR1000]

Its a known fact that the stigma that sidecars dumped oil was years ago when the Classics of Today were the culprits.
ALL other classes of outfits have to have catchment trays so there is no reason why a current Classic outfit should not have to be fitted with them also

[Nick66]

while fondleing the solo's at cadwell i did see 1 who had used a cheap ali turkey roasting try . The use once type fitted as a catchment tray. This idea may be adapted 4 the use of some sidecars. its cheap , flexable and maniplable to try make it fit . Just remember wot u did b4 next xmas

[Simon Smith]

I'm with Eddie on this one. We do need to do all we can to stop spillages. Buddha did make me a nice one from ali on my old outfit. Maybe not completely water tight but with lots of absorbent matting it would stop a lot of spillage.

The absorbent matting is standard oil spill kit stuff. I haven't had it catch fire, just melt a little near the exhaust.

Terry, I would have thought that the existing under trays could be simply adapted to act as oil containers.

[tonybsa2008]

Its a sensible and responsible thing to do.
It doesnt have to be anything fancy,just something simple,and it also protects the undeneath of the outfit in the event of running over curbs etc.

[NickR]

We've already got one fitted to ours, it's a similar desigh to that which DC describes.

Ian, the matting I use is heat resistant, an doesn't hold water either. It was about 20 quid for 2 dozen sheets, I'll get the name of the supplier for you tomorrow.

[djtriumph]

I run a simple floor cut from a floor tray left over from my karting days cable tied to the tubes with an oil tampon on it.

We turned the imp into a triple at cadwell a couple of years ago and it caught the lot. Was even towed back on a rope to the paddock.

They are to easy to do i see no argument against using them.

[Triplebrew]

Thanks for the positive and constructive replies from some. We are currently having an undertray made and will be lining it with oil absorbent matt (look foreward to the info Nick). I totally agree that there is no argument to do nothing but feel help and direction from those who have something in place be shared for the benefit of everyone.

[steve-e]

If you do a search on here (come on Ronno ) you'll find a link to the stuff the f1's and f2's use, I think it's Scotch 3M but that might be the tape holding the fairings together.
It doesn't hold water but absorbs oil (how does it know?!) and we used to have people on here who stock it. I'm on little laptop at the moment so don't have all the info at my disposal. Do I have to get off the sofa and go back to the proper one?!
I think we have come a long way, where nobody on a sidecar wants to be accused of dropping oil. That is a great perspective that we have taken upon ourselves to put right and it is up there with drink driving, if you race a sidecar you don't drop oil, that's our unwritten stigma.
Colin was unlucky with a return pipe coming off at Cadwell, hard to know while you're racing as oil pressure stays up and you're not both getting covered as Colin said it was near the rear wheel. Really don't know how we can cure this kind of thing. It's happened with the f1's but thankfully not at BSB but with thundersport (DS and Syd) who know and appreciate sidecars.
Oil containment wouldn't stop it when it's outside the box. If we have to run oil coolers or dry sumps then how do you stop that? That's one for engineers not a passenger