Baja 5b SS - new owner - need help and advice please.

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Got the brakes fitted but I am getting some biding on the rear wheels, think i have burned the clutch out - is there an up-rated version I can use?
 
I used a Vertigo vented clutch bell on mine and metal clutch shoes from Taylor. I would make sure you have free play on the servo link to the master cylinder when brakes are off and pay careful attention to the spur shaft , I had to thin the spacer when fitting the black bone spur gear to prevent binding.
 
Not too keen on them enclosed clutch bell holders , no cooling on the clutch, and the brake mount is not needed with disk brakes fitted.
Check each wheel at the rear for binding , but I bet it is the spur shaft binding up , that purple spacer in the above picture is the one I had to thin when fitting the Blackbone spur system , or it could be because I used a Taylor Titanium shaft.
If not that , then remove calliper off one side and see if it is dragging (which I doubt).
Metal clutch from Taylor is bomb proof.
 
Dunc2504 said:
Not too keen on them enclosed clutch bell holders , no cooling on the clutch, and the brake mount is not needed with disk brakes fitted.
Check each wheel at the rear for binding , but I bet it is the spur shaft binding up , that purple spacer in the above picture is the one I had to thin when fitting the Blackbone spur system , or it could be because I used a Taylor Titanium shaft.
If not that , then remove calliper off one side and see if it is dragging (which I doubt).
Metal clutch from Taylor is bomb proof.
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It's 6 of 1 - half a dozen of the other. If you run on dirt or sand, you need an enclosed clutch. Clutch slip is the cause of heat build up. In 16 years, I'm on my second clutch. And it's a 49 mph Baja. I use red springs and proper clutch material. I dislike metal on metal clutch setups - it's a recipe for clutch heat and constantly slipping.

The one piece brake mount eliminated any need for individual rear disc brakes - or any other parts for that matter - it works fabulously and prevents binding, being spring loaded. Plus, it all comes off in one go. Win win.

I get the need for front brakes for racing - but not the need for individual rear brakes. It's a solution in search of a problem! 😉
 
You pays your money and makes your choice !
But in this case , the disks are fitted ,so standard brake is a moot point .
I removed the standard disk and pads from mine when I fitted the hydraulic brakes, as I did not want any undue binding.
Taylor fit and sell metal clutches for their engines , as well as fully open vented clutch holders , so I will go with their experience .
Sand in the clutch is unlikely to be a problem as far as I am concerned , as we are in the UK .
 

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Sorted the binding - it was one of the calipers - I needed to shim it slightly and now it runs true.

Had my first proper go last night, wow!

The brakes are immense, it stops on a dime now.

I had a drive shaft pop out, The rubber boots are torn, so I will replace those. I don't think I need to change the shafts and cups, not planning to run a larger engine at the moment.

Only things left to do:

trim the body shell to fit round the brake master cylinder
replace the tyres - the rear square blocks don't really grip.
 
Dunc2504 said:
You pays your money and makes your choice !
But in this case , the disks are fitted ,so standard brake is a moot point .
I removed the standard disk and pads from mine when I fitted the hydraulic brakes, as I did not want any undue binding.
Taylor fit and sell metal clutches for their engines , as well as fully open vented clutch holders , so I will go with their experience .
Sand in the clutch is unlikely to be a problem as far as I am concerned , as we are in the UK .
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It's a great setup you have with yours - I like the spur holder and the lighter spur. Don't get me wrong - I think the hydraulic discs are very cool, but on mine, given how effective and consistent my rear brakes already are, I'd only be looking to supplement them, rather than replace them.

I frequently ran my Baja at Pembrey Country Park, which has miles of beach and large areas of sandy grass. The natural mounds and undulations were perfect for the Baja.

However, even when racing my Baja for a time on Grass/dirt with the original open clutch system, it was evident the HPI clutch system wasn't up to the task. The main issue wasn't the fact that it was open - it was that the clutch bells weren't round - specifically where the spindles met the bell. This in turn would damage the nylon bearing carrier until the bearings spun and melt the carrier. Not good.

In 2005, TR were really the only aftermarket choice. However, much of what they produced is still available today via DDM, or RCModelz. I have been so impressed with their 6061 offerings, I have no hesitation recommending them.

Exposed clutches are a 2 edged sword. Yes, they dissipate heat slightly more readily and clutch dust falls out by itself.

The downside is that the clutches are constantly exposed to all manner of debris, water ingress, mud, dirt and chippings. It's exactly the same for Gopeds, too.

Interestingly, the enclosed systems were developed in California were the ambient temperatures are much higher than in the UK.

The enemy - heat - comes about by people running the wrong clutch material, wrong springs, combined with constantly slipping the clutch (like one would when running the Baja in a very confined space, constantly speeding up from low speed). Once the clutch is glazed, it's a hopeless lose/lose situation regardless of open or enclosed clutches. In that regard, this is a problem that can affect all engines.

It seems there are many clutch materials that our clutch shoes could be made from, even when omitting organic material variants:

Ceramic
Kevlar
Feramic
Feramalloy

I'm hugely tempted by a Taylor Billet 35cc Reed Engine. Should be a fairly appreciable upgrade over my ancient 26cc Fuelie engine, one would hope! 🤣

I had considered getting an OBR, but the chap in Southern Ireland was particularly unhelpful, so out of principle would sooner import from the US than ever use that guy. Buy then why would I do that, when we have our excellent home grown Taylor engines? 🤩

Have you had an opportunity to speed run yours?

Even at 16 years old, mine is routinely revving at 19300rpms on stock 17/57 gearing!

It's insanely rapid, too:

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My Baja is fairly light, at a mere 13kg! 🤣
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The Supergrip tyres are very heavy though to be fair. The steel roll cage is also entirely unnecessary! 😅

However, the use of Carbon fibre throughout my build has saved 100's of grams.
 

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Had a few runs with the car now, some issues:

Clutch is deffo on the way out - new one on order.
Box exhaust, while quiet, seems to be robbing power - never seems to get into the band.
Front FID brakes seems to have too much drag, like the pads are not retracting - any ideas?
 
Wibbles said:
Had a few runs with the car now, some issues:

Clutch is deffo on the way out - new one on order.
Box exhaust, while quiet, seems to be robbing power - never seems to get into the band.
Front FID brakes seems to have too much drag, like the pads are not retracting - any ideas?
Click to expand...
Take the clutch apart and inspect the shoes and the bell. The shoes shouldn't look shiny. If they do look glazed, provided there's a decent amount of friction material left, you could try sanding them. Otherwise, they're cheap enough to replace.

Sometimes, the inside clutch bell can become contaminated with grime or oily residues, so it's well advised to degrease it with alcohol. In fact, it's well worth doing every time you inspect the clutch.

Once you have a reliable clutch system, like a TR or Vertigo system, you'll find clutches generally last a very long time. 👍
 
I put a little silicone grease on the pistons of my brakes , mine have springs to help retraction , They were a bit draggy till they bedded in , but I have the carbon disks on mine , so may be different. You don't have air bubbles in the lines do you ? and the servo linkage is letting the master cylinder arm all the way out with a little play ?
I would get a vertigo or black bone clutch bell and a fresh clutch .
Oh the joys of the Baja !
 
I do have a couple of bubbles in the front lines - I was going to bleed them again as I suspected that might be causing the dragging.

Servo linkage is fine.

I've got a DDM clutch arriving tomorrow, I'll pull it apart and get the clutch fitted - do I need to roughen the clutch bell with sandpaper?

if i buy a new bell will that require new gears?
 
New clutch fitted, old one was definitly past it's best - <1mm of shoe thickness. Hopefully the weather will be ok tomorrow to give it a blast
 
New clutch working well, next issue - car flipped and air got into the brake lines, so no brakes - any way to stop this? fill the reservoir to the top?
 
Hi.
I tend to fill mine right up , Never had that issue , but never flipped mine due to the very wide track and wheely bar. Also scared of ripping off my carbon wing.
 
Can anyone recommend a set of replacement wheels - i have standard size tyres - are the alloy wheels any good?

Just got an Olimat Silenced exhaust, so that will be going on this weekend.
 
Wibbles said:
Can anyone recommend a set of replacement wheels - i have standard size tyres - are the alloy wheels any good?

Just got an Olimat Silenced exhaust, so that will be going on this weekend.
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Alloy wheels are pretty heavy. Best stick to nylon beadlock wheels. 👍
 
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