Maintenance

Standard Maintenance Schedule

Storing the Car
If you are not going to use the car for a few weeks (e.g. Winter storage), there are a few items you should take car of:
Battery
There is very slight current leakage, but the battery does have a small capacity. It will take about six weeks for the battery to discharge (to a degree where you cannot start the engine). Discharging tit this far also increases the chances of permanent damage.
Ideally you should connect a battery conditioner for prolonged lay ups.
If this is not possible, disconnect the positive battery terminal. This will increase battery life beyond thirteen weeks.
However, using the car, even for a short warm up is the preferred method. Only a couple of miles driving will build a healthy charge in the battery.
Tyres
Particularly if you use the soft track tyres, some permanent deformation (flat-spotting) will occur. You should move the car regularly to change the contact point. If the car is to be laid up for months, consider putting it on axle stands.
Brakes
A lengthy lay up allows air to build up in the brake system. On first application, you will feel the seals sticking, and a soft pedal (correct travel should be very short, about 1cm). The solution is to bleed the brakes thoroughly until pedal firmness is restored.
Starting
Both the Yamaha gearbox and the transaxle are precision assemblies. When cold you will notice a very harsh thump on engagement. This is especially so once all the lubricated surfaces are ‘dry’. If starting after an layoff, we recommend:
•    Do not attempt to engage any gear until the engine has warmed-up enough that the choke can be turned off. This will reduce the speed differential between components when you do engage a gear.
•    Be very cautious for the first mile of driving. This allows enough time for oil in the drivetrain to reach all the dry surfaces.
•    Avoid full throttle for 5 minutes, despite the temptation. This allows all oil temperatures to rise to an acceptable level.
Failing to follow the above is unlikely to cause an immediate failure, but you will be building up unnecessary damage


Common Procedures
Setting The Pedals for Heel & Toe
With the competition pedal box and short pedal travels, it is possible to set the pedals for perfect heel & toe operation. The correct positions should have the accelerator flush with the depressed brake pedal, although the exact alignment will depend on your technique. On the Rocket, you adjust the brake pedal position, not the accelerator.
To adjust pedal position:
•    Use the car for a while. Ensure you have your preferred seat position. Try heel & toe-ing, and assess which way you want the brake pedal to move. Ensure the brakes are properly bled and the pedal firmness is correct.
•    To adjust the pedal, you will need a friend or mechanic, ideally with small hands.
•    Remove the nosecone. Then remove the pedal box access plate.
•    Sit in the car, press the brake pedal, and explain to your partner how much higher or lower you want the brake pedal.
•    Your partner will see a brake balance bar across the pedal, and two actuation bars, one either side of the pedal, running to the master cylinders.
•    They should loosen the nuts on the brake balance bar, taking care to release them by the same amount (otherwise they will be altering the front-rear brake balance).
•    They can then shorten or lengthen the actuation rods to raise or lower the pedal.
•    Once the position seems satisfactory, they should retighten the nuts on the balance bar (again, equal amounts).
•    The adjustment has to be by guesswork. So try the car again, and repeat as necessary.

Setting Brake Balance
Brake bias should be set to maximise use of the rear brakes, but without causing the rear to lock first. This becomes most noticeable on track, where more weight transfer will encourage the rear wheels to lock.
To adjust brake bias, you will need to have the car on axles stands, and a friend/mechanic to make the adjustments. If necessary, you should try to have set the pedals for heel & toe first (see above).
•    Lift the car onto the axles stands.
•    Remove the nosecone and pedal box access cover
•    One of you should sit in the car, and press the brake pedal until the front wheels are almost locked. Your partner can do this by trying to rotate the wheels – they should just move with effort.
•    The driver should memorise the pedal pressure they are using.
•    Holding this pressure steady, your partner should now try to rotate the rear wheels. Ideally set, there should be a moderate drag from the brakes. If there is too much rear bias, the rears will also be close to locking. if there is too little rear bias, the rear wheels will turn easily.
•    Looking into the pedal box, you will see that the brake pedal sits on a balance bar between the two actuation rods. Balance is achieved with different bar lengths, with a shorter bar to the front brake actuation rod. To move bias to the rear, the two bar lengths swill need to be more equal.
•    To make the adjustment, loosen the two nuts on the balance bar by equal amounts. Then tighten the nut on the end you want to move bias away from first. Then pinch both nuts.
•    Repeat the wheel-turning test and make another adjustment to the balance bar. Repeat until you have the brake bias you want.
•    Take the car on a test drive to make a final assessment.

Bleeding The Brakes
Brake bleeding is quite easy and follows normal procedure. You can access the brake nipples easily without removing the wheels. You will need:
•    A fresh bottle of correct specification brake fluid
•    An 11mm A/F C-spanner
•    A length of clear plastic tubing that fits snugly over the nipple, and a bottle to collect waste fluid.
•    A rag to wipe up
Normal brake bleeding procedure should follow, but please note:
•    There are separate reservoirs for front and rear brakes.
•    The reservoirs are small, and will need to be refilled, perhaps more than once.
•    Access to the reservoirs is tight, too small for a normal bottle of new fluid. Before you start, find a small funnel, or a small container to pour in the fresh fluid without spilling (a small sherry glass is ideal)

The Scottoiler
The Scottoiler sits to the left of the gearbox, and automatically lubricates the chain. Check the fluid level occasionally.
Flow adjustment is made by turning the cap – the gauge runs from a small drip to a large drip. The correct setting should be one or two notches from the small drip.
Bottles of Scottoil can be obtained from any motorcycle store. Make sure you get one with a nipple fitted to the filler tube.
To add oil, peel away the rubber sender unit on the side of the Scottoiler. this will reveal a small hole for the nipple. Insert the nipple, and squeeze the bottle.
 
Adding Oil To The Transaxle
Oil can be blown out of the transaxle through a breather on the top, and will collect in the gulley. There is no way to check the level, other than to fill until oil escapes through the filler hole.
The filler hole is located on the round face on the right side of the transaxle. It is a small grub screw at about 9 o’clock (behind the driveshaft). Set the car on a level surface and remove the screw.
You should buy lire bottles of gearbox oil, with a filler pipe and ideally a nipple (as with bottles of Scottoil). Insert and squeeze to fill. Continue until oil leaks from the filler hole.


Repacking the Silencer

The silencer uses a glass fibre wadding between the outer case and an inner perforated tube. Over time, this wadding will be blown out, and requires replacing. It is quite easy to replace, though rather dirty. You will need:

·       Wadding (available from a specialist motorsport store such as Demon Tweeks)

·       Rivet gun and 5mm rivets

·       Drill, and a 5mm steel drill bit

·       A large screwdriver or similar, to lever the case apart.

·       A stick or bar (10-15mm square, 50cm long) to pack the wadding)

·       Stout gloves

·       A hammer and drift to put the case back together

·       A selection of spanners and hex-keys to remove the silencer.

You can do this with the silencer in place, if you can reach all four rivets with your drill, but it is better to remove it from the vehicle first.

1) Remove the silencer:

Release the canister from the exhaust pipe (either a clamp or springs). Loosen the stay bar where it mounts on the transaxle. Unbolt the canister from the stay bar and pull it free.

2) Open the canister.

Drill out the four rivets retaining the end cap in the canister. Take care not to enlarge the holes in the aluminium casing, and ensure all material is removed. from the holes. Now lever out the end cap, Be careful not to damage the soft aluminium with your lever. You can now shake out the old wadding and the central core.

3) Inspect the core

Check for any damage, such as holes and gaps - these are where the wadding is escaping.

4) Repack

Wearing your gloves, cut off a piece of wadding (remember, it’s glass fibre). 20cm squares seems acceptable. Making sure the core is properly seated and centrally positioned, force the wadding down down the outer ring - first with your fingers, then with your stick, and force it down hard. Repeat until full, ensuring the core stays central.

5) Refit the cap

Using the hammer and drift, drive the cap back in - make sure you have the alignment right, so the exit points up or down and not to one side! When the cap is almost in position, you may find it helpful to place the rivets in the holes to “peg” it in position. Then rivet the cap in place. All you now need to do is refit the canister to the car and bolt everything up.

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