XJ550 turbo build update

Here's a video on it: link here

 

I can't view youtubes at work but I'll look at it tonight at home.....thanks for posting!! I always enjoy seeing another turbo owners work......these things are a blast!

jeff

 

THAT, is very impressive! The fantastic camera work and editing kept me glued to the screen. You have a lot of very top of the line components employed and although I might not agree with the concept of turbocharging a 550, I shake your hand on a project done very nicely.

I'm sure that you are going after top speed if you are testing on the salt so you might want to look at the old fairings that have long since been outlawed.....called Dustbin fairings....they were outlawed because of dangerous effects on handling in '57 but if you are looking for top speed, nothing else comes close from what I've heard. When I roadraced we used a fairing built by Paul Dunstall that was similar but not a Dustbin....we were poor privateers who needed every mph and bit of braking secrets we could get so if a fairing could help, we were all over it.....

Again, very nice work....

jeff

 

Thanks Jeff. Its more now than ever just proof of concept. I'm needing it done fairly soon. As to the Dustbin Fairings. I like them personally in terms a measurable cd to a bike. I built the one on there to hide and protect components while still having something a bit unique. Curious as to how it will do at a buck 10 or so. It may down right suck! Looking forward to finding out. Yea compressing a 550 wasn't my first choice either but the price was right, free! Then I liked the idea it was air cooled which helped determine loss of heat energy to h20 absorption, .. yada yada.
Thanks again for the compliments, as you know, it's a bunch of work.
Tim

 

Well, I think that you've proved the concept but I wouldn't bet the farm that it will hold together....the 550 just wasn't built to handle a turbo.

Hey, I'm not ragging of your "stealth" fairing....but you are right, you don't want it to decide to imitate a fighter jet at a buck ten!

FWIW- back in the day we had access to the Navy's "form development lab"(submarines) courtesy of one of my neighbors who was Base Commander. We had assumed that "downforce" caused by the form (motorcycle) going through a substance(in our case-air) is what kept the bike on the ground at high (180mph & up) speeds. What we actually learned was that the negative pressures underneath had more overall affect at holding the bike to the asphalt yet less effect on drag so we concentrated on the underside of our fairings and bike and simply tried to have a lift-neutral topside.


stay safe,
jeff

 

Lots of neat, home-made stuff on your bike !!

What gearing/top-speed did you settle on??
You should be able to beat "worldsfastestXJ550" he ran 148 MPH with no turbo.

http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic ... xj550.html

http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=14306.html

 

My gearing is close at one up in the front and down 4 in the back. When all the dog and pony show stuff is over with this bike, I have another engine that has better internal components that hopefully next year will see Bonneville. Providing the fairing is decent (and would probably utilize a Dustbin type for Bonneville) it should see over 140. Once it's up and running we will be able to get a few dyno pulls. This motor (stock) does fine at 15 psig. The bonni engine will see 25. I hadn't had the best of luck with those copper gaskets, although many other people swear by them. I've found good machined surfaces with a mild texturing hold up to a bunch of pressure. My stock 318 was push 30psig ("now and then) on stock gaskets for over 35K miles with no problems, so far anyway.
I was at 137 when I holed the piston at Bonnie. On the road I've been at 140. But not on this upgraded automated system. But I'm not sure with this stock motor I will push it. It's just for demo-ing right now. Course I'll be tempted
Yes Jeff the aerodynamics and the physics principals related are fun to learn about and when I go back to Bonniville I hope to stick with what works, no doubt about it!! Definitely looking for "lift neutral"!

 

did u put a bov on it?

 

There is no blow off valve from the compressor housing as there is no butterfly valves of any significance, before the turbo. There looks like one after the compressor housing but it's just for TPS. So no back pressure to harm the compressor wheel. Max output pressure to the intake is regulated via a solenoid on the internal waste gate with a spring and set screw to adjust exhaust release rate. There is a separator housing I made that is between the exhausting gasses port and the internal "waste gate" exhausting port to promote better flow characteristics within those independent regions.