Windle F2 Chassis in NZ.. Build Date? Setup Advice? History?

[Fast Eddie]

heres a couple of photos of the windle as it is today, sittin in my shed..

Waddya recon a Windle of this vintage would be worth over in the UK? I landed it for about 5,000 quid.. (bit less than that actually at todays exchange rate)


..another question, for the TT riders, whats the oldest chassis a TT rider would or should use from a safety aspect? a couple of years old.. 5 years old.. etc Do they get a bit too fatigued after a few years and run the risk of breaking mid race?

[oldbelly]

I only used a Windle for two TTs then sold them Kai.They do however seem to have lasted perfectly ok for much longer than that. Also your bike is not one of our first two Windles. We had two made with top tubes in 96 for me then 97 For Ian. It looks like youve got one of those. They were the only two Windles made as top tube chassis, some had top tubes added to the origional Windle design after this. I think that standard airbox will make it diffiult to race Kai, unless your 7ft tall.

[Kickaha]

I think that standard airbox will make it diffiult to race Kai, unless your 7ft tall.

He isn't far off, he needed his legs cut down for his other Sidecar

[Fast Eddie]

I only used a Windle for two TTs then sold them Kai.They do however seem to have lasted perfectly ok for much longer than that. Also your bike is not one of our first two Windles. We had two made with top tubes in 96 for me then 97 For Ian. It looks like youve got one of those. They were the only two Windles made as top tube chassis, some had top tubes added to the origional Windle design after this. I think that standard airbox will make it diffiult to race Kai, unless your 7ft tall.

Ah bugger! So did this one ever do a TT?

Yea I'm 6 foot something and just finishing off my fibreglass seat - finding the bike very very comfortable may get a different airbox as some point and I could tuck down behind the main fairing even more.. It used to have a nice carbon fibre airbox but that has been cut in half and molested and most of it is gone now so thats a bit of a shame.

Cheers.

[Fast Eddie]

I only used a Windle for two TTs then sold them Kai.They do however seem to have lasted perfectly ok for much longer than that. Also your bike is not one of our first two Windles. We had two made with top tubes in 96 for me then 97 For Ian. It looks like youve got one of those..

also, it is possible these top tubes were added later, as Pete the pirate had the bike modified by Terry to suit a 1000cc I believe.. so possible it was an older one that had top tubes or something added for the thou?

[Kickaha]

It used to have a nice carbon fibre airbox but that has been cut in half and molested and most of it is gone now so thats a bit of a shame.

Speedway munters shouldn't be allowed near real race bikes

[oldbelly]

No Kai that is one of the two top tube chassis Terry made for us. The origional design with added top tubes looked completely different. If it was mine it was used brand new at the TT in 96. It turned its wheels for the first time down Bray hill , Monday morning practice. We finished 4th + 4th , never got the thing running properly. If it was Ians it was used in the 97 season then sold to get his first DMR chassis. He used it at the TT but I cant remember what happened with him that year , I think he was leading at one point and got a puncture in one of the races.

[Wal]

Front brake mounting looks interesting, don't think that was Terry's was it Geoff ?

Re Set-up Kai, I've never owned a Windle chassis, but I have had a few short bikes with big engines, for me personally I found hard rear suspension to reduce squatting under power and soft front with 'droop' to stop wheelies helped the handling, but the front is always a bit of a 'trade off' against weight transfer.

[oldbelly]

Yes Wal thats the way they were made although we wouldnt have had the tie bars as long as that.

[Fast Eddie]

Speedway munters shouldn't be allowed near real race bikes

Tis true.. most of it has been put right though - I'm getting good with fibreglass! might need to try carbon fibre next.. And my welding is coming along too! and soldering and rust removal.. and so on..

[Fast Eddie]

No Kai that is one of the two top tube chassis Terry made for us. If it was mine it was used brand new at the TT in 96. It turned its wheels for the first time down Bray hill , Monday morning practice. We finished 4th + 4th , never got the thing running properly. If it was Ians it was used in the 97 season

Thanks Geoff! Much appreciated. What 600 unit did you use? yzf600?

I see Ian is returning to the TT next year? Are you still competing at the TT yourself?

[Fast Eddie]

Front brake mounting looks interesting, don't think that was Terry's was it Geoff ?

Re Set-up Kai, I've never owned a Windle chassis, but I have had a few short bikes with big engines, for me personally I found hard rear suspension to reduce squatting under power and soft front with 'droop' to stop wheelies helped the handling, but the front is always a bit of a 'trade off' against weight transfer.

Thanks for that Wal - on my road tests that is the first thing I noticed was the wheelie feeling of the bike. open the throttle and the front goes very light and it will not turn/change direction! will play with the suspension as much as possible to try get weight on the front wheel.. Maybe even a wider/oversized front tyre? (altho won't help if there is no weight on it!)

[Fast Eddie]

Yes Wal thats the way they were made although we wouldnt have had the tie bars as long as that.

Hey Geoff, would you use shorter tie rods altogether, or adjust these ones a bit? there is some threaded section that could be wound in to shorten them maybe an inch.. wouldn't got any shorter than this..

What effect do the tie rod's length have on the bike?

It's all very new to me!

[Kickaha]

Tis true.. most of it has been put right though - I'm getting good with fibreglass! might need to try carbon fibre next..

Mint, we got some bodywork that needs work, sort that out will ya

[oldbelly]

Yes Kai we used Thundercat ( YZF 600 ) . Probably the best fourstroke F2 engine ever made, Rob Fisher lapped TT at nearly 112 mph on them, ( my motors ) would still be competitive now. Had another look at the position of the calipers on your photo, leave them as they are. Rod length makes no difference. Weve got exactly the same calipers and carriers on our Baker F2 but the rods are shorter on this with the Baker forks.