Hi all.
I hope that you all enjoyed reading my Blog for the 2014 TT, I had almost 5000 hits in the end and i`m really happy with being able to share my racing exploits with that many people.

I have started a new blog for 2015 and i hope that you will again enjoy following me and my team.

We haven't as yet done an official press release but its coming very soon.

Please sign up again for the email notifications.

http://danhegarty2015.blogspot.co.uk/
Happy New Year and best regards

Dan Hegarty

Wed Practice

A better night tonight.

600 was handling better and we matched last nights best first time out. With spots of rain to.

Practice was cancelled due to a crash, riders ok.

The superbike runs! She sounds sweet too.

We'll dyno her today/thursday to make sure all is well and clean the fuel pump 1 more time before we go out again.

The 600 is having an engine change, although shes plenty fast shes blowing a lot of water out and we think the head gasket is on her way out.

Needless to say with getting the superbike running and feeling a lot better we went out for a well deserved beer. Cheers everyone!

Tommo and Dave doing the finishing touches.

Rob fettling the 600.

Jackooooo changing the ever problematic Kawasaki fuel pump!

Me and Dave did a little survey as we had a lot of interest from the fans whilst we were dialling in the cams on the engine.

Tues practice

Tuesday night practice went a little better than monday. Unfortunately the superbike engine/engines are still in bits and we are trying to make a good one of the 2. We got to the point where we had an engine built and in to the chassis running.

It was really noisy however and the new head/valves must have somehow got damaged by the excessive heat that caused the motor to blow.

What has very cruelly happened is that the fuel pump had got blocked from crap in the tank. Usually when this happens the bikes misfire and dont run very well at all. Unfortunately this time on ours it must have only partially blocked and this causes the bike to keep running fine but excessively lean creating heat, pistons expanded due to this and then picked up on the bores. All on my brand new engine.

So yesterday the old engine/new head combo was still noisy. Today-Wednesday we have built the old engine back together, made a thicker head gasket to get safer clearances as this was a BSB engine running very tight....

Dialled the cams in, checked piston to valve and squish. If this one doesnt run well we're up shit creek! 

So i took the stocker out first last night for 1 lap and shes great, does everything as it should, we're making 1 small change to the shock for support.

I did 120 and tbh i'm happy with that for 1 lap. I can def build on that ok.

The 600 is really really fast. There was no bike out there that i saw faster. I was used to people clearing off when i rode the Kawasaki but this Yamaha really flies.

Its handling strange at the moment i thought that we need more weight forwards to get her to steer but actually Ian Lougher thinks that we may have gone too far and the front of the bike is pushing away from us.

4pm well the engines built and we've just finished shimming the head. We'll get her on the dyno tomorrow before we go out again and get the fuelling double checked too.

Soon i'll be getting ready for Tonights practice for hopefully 2 laps each on both the stocker and the R6.

Ooooh

Well we're here as you all may know!

First nights Practice.

1 lap on 600

600 ran well but soft as hell. Barnes racing are getting the forks sorted today and adjusting the rear shock.

Superbike. 1 Lap

Bars way out too far. Got kind of used to it after a way into the lap.

Bike was fast. Handled ok.

Started knocking. Got the engine out, looks like pistons have got too hot either due to lean mixture or ignition advance.

Going on to old engine now as the bores and pistons are fecked.

Superstock.

Lovely thing to ride, great potential there.

But would not rev and got slower and slower over the entire lap. Pulled in at brandywell in the end and had marks and spencers biscuits and a cup of tea. Cheers guys.

Me.... Woke up with a bad stomach and a little stressed.

Up to the awning in a minute to get the other engine ready.

Lets see what tonight brings.

A bit more moaning!

WWell the good news on the superbike front  is......

Not a lot except i have the most awesome people behind me and i couldnt do this without them!

Andre, a young manx man, whom i met at the Iom in my first year has turned out to be this years biggest godsend!

Hes travelling from Derby University every day to come and help me in the shop and stays with me for as long as i'm there for. Last night it was a 11.30 finish!

I've got Tommo coming down every night he can, working like a trooper in his Joinery Business just to earn enough so we can live the dream at the TT.

I've got fantastic sponsors helping me out in every way they can from Kev @ Delph making us new hookup leads to Woodcock, Stardelta, Arclid and more all working away in the background.

Janice, Tommo's wife is busy sorting all the Admin with myself.

The list just goes on. This is only a brief thanks to the immediate few for now. I can not do this without you all!

Minor problem...

I've snapped the fucking yoke, yes the Magnesium Super duper yoke. I've fucked it.....

Options were....

1.Get somebody to make a new one within a week!

2. Weld magnesium... No thanks

3. Buy new Yokes... But i have no money left!

It gas to be the last one.

Thanks to Tommo and Woodcock for paying half each towards a new set of yokes from Harris. £600 later and they are on there way. Again i would be on my arse now if it wasnt for the people behind me.

Good news!

Mark Fisher is coming to hrlp build the new engine tomorrow.

Fairings were vinyled up today buy The Image Works at Ilkeston.

Massive Massive thanks to Graham and Ted, these boys risked the dog house for me tonight by staying until 8pm to get all our graphics done.

I turned up at 3pm and left at 8 o'clock whilst Andre watched the shop for me the whole time.

I cant thank them enough, the boys are second to none in the World of Motorcycle Decals and lets just say i have been very well looked after this year by them too.

Heres a stealthy looking bike pic pre Decals

More to come soon.

10pm monday

Contact details for ST Motorcycles

Wheel, disc and frame straightening and probably much more!

All change on the 600!

Well, all change in the 600 class.

After Jamie Coward unfortunately broke his leg and Elbow in a crash at the Tandragee he is no longer able to run the very competitive Barnes Yamaha that he was due to ride at this years TT.

I am going to be the lucky replacement.

Although we have spent a lot of time and money along with RLR getting more out of our own 600, it probably isnt still as good a package as the Barnes Yamaha which has had top 10 finishes in the past and is reguarly up there in the speed traps.

I'm so happy about this opportunity and intend to give Ian Barnes and his team the best results that I can.

Jamie Coward roding the bike at Scarborough.

Getting there now!

Hi all!

Sorry its been such a while since i've last updated the blog, busy as usual but lots to tell you all.

So i think we were just heading off to Cadwell the last time i "Blogged"

It turned out to be a very productive weekend.

There was some good competition there in the up and coming Lee Wilson.

I cleared off in the 600 races but had my work cut out in the 1000's.

I was able to lap faster than Lee but could never get close enough to pass him as he would drive out of the corners a lot better than me.

We won a couple each and it was fun racing.

I set a best lap of 1.32 which is not far off my pb in superstock but i know there's a lot more to come once i get my bike going better.

Thanks to Derby Phoenix MCC for putting on the event and credit to the way it was ran. 

Technically, the bike was good, i am now running an MSS rear linkage and i think the rear spring i have is to hard so we'll be swapping that out at the TT for a softer one. I actually rang Pat @ Dunlop Tyres to ask if he'd sent me a really hard compound tyre but he promised me they were mediums.

I had problems on the first 2 laps every race, Dunlop tyres are actually lethal when not up to temperature, but usually tyre warmers then 1 sighting lap is plenty but the tyres were literally dangerous until   1 1/2 laps into the race especially on lefts???

I rode around this anyway and usually managed to work my way through the pack.

The 600 had no problems and was fine from the first lap.

Since we've been back in this last week things for the new engine have been coming together. The crank has been balanced, the head has been so beautifully flowed by George and is now back with me.

All new rod bolts, shells, gaskets etc are now with me courtesy of Corby Kawasaki.

I have deburred and clean every orifice in the crankcases, there are a lot more sharp edges than i ever realised once i started to look closer. 

Dry building the crank. She only wants 1 Main Bearing.

The tank extension is in progress courtesy of Sharif of Vale Fabrications

This is Tommo and Andres mock up.

With refrence to my earlier whinging about the bike i think on thursday this week i came across the main problem.

The rear wheel looked very close to the rh side of the swingarm. Me and Andre decided to measure the wheel alignment with a straight edge, well it appears the rear wheel is 15mm further to the right 

Than it should be! There fore giving us a 30mm difference in measurements off the front wheel 😁 god Damn second hand bikes, always hidden problems.

I'm kind of glad though, even though i'm content with Cadwell and the bike i just knew it wasnt quite right and this must have been why.

I can sort this ok this week, i'll space the calliper over 15mm and reduce the size of 1 wheel spacer and make a bigger one for the RH side.

The head has now gone to SPR to have a quick 0.4 off it and will be back shortly.

I have asked Mark Fisher of G&S Racing if he'd come and build the bottom end of the motor up with me. I just want that reassurance of his experience to be there to guide me. I've always said yes i could build my own engine but i can not inject 30years of experience into myself and the people that do have it need to be appreciated.

All the Paintwork is now at the painters!

Should be back soon and ready to Vinyl!

The Gearbox has been stripped down completely and i have had this superfinished by Race Developments, this should be back Monday, thanks for the fast turnaround guys!

I have had this done as its supposed to reduce mechanical drag but more importantly surface harden the gears which are notorious for going wrong on the ZX10.