'The Quicker Quasar'

The goal is to retain the Quasar identity while improving power output, useability and reliability, and reducing weight wherever possible.

Getting More Power

Power Output can be significantly improved by the following measures :-

These mods will raise the power output from 40bhp to around 55-60bhp, allow the engine to rev to around 7,000 rpm, and gives a much crisper feel to the power delivery.

Royce Creasey did the head work for my bike. I can recommend him unreservedly as proving to be both totally competent and very professional in his approach.

Royce recommends fitting a Weber ICH down-draft carb in place of the standard SU, some of the Voyagers apparently run well with this set-up. I have struggled long and hard to achieve perfect carburation with a Weber carb, if you want to try this, contact me for the latest info on the jet sizes I'm using.  A suitible Weber carb can be supplied off-the-shelf by Rebels Racing.  

Saving Some Weight

There is some scope for significant weight reduction :-

Other Possible Modifications

The other areas that I see as being ripe for improvement are as follows :-

I will expand on these themes in the future and explain why and how I plan to tackle each one, incorporating any feed-back that I get from other owners.

I'm sure that other owners could suggest a range of mods that they've done to their own bikes that might benefit us all. Could we, perhaps examine each owners suggestions and consider adopting such mods more widely ?

 


Construction of the final Quasar has started ! It will incorporate many of these enhancements.

The engine has a balanced crank, gas-flowed head, lightened rockers, stiffer valve springs and a re-profiled camshaft.  The block and head are being machined to raise the compression ration from 9.5:1 to 10.5:1.

It will be fitted with a 4:2:1 stainless exhaust, built by 'Longlife Exhausts' with a motorcycle race-can mounted above the rear wheel on the left-hand side of the bike.

The engine has been lowered in the chassis to provide a lower C. of G. and has been mated to a Moto-Guzzi 1100 Sport clutch and gearbox using a Creasey adapter plate. (As used on the 'Voyager').

The transmission consists of two standard Guzzi drive shafts welded together and fitted from the gearbox to the swing/arm pivot, where the front UJ is mounted, then another 1100 Sport drive shaft to the second UJ on the front of the 1100 sport floating bevel box. An additional support bearing for the extended drive shaft has been incorporated.

This combination of components offers a five-speed box with positive stop gearchange mechanism combined with a significant reduction in top gear ratio, (down from 11:39 to 8:33).

The gearbox is currently operated by a 'Kliktronic' push-button gear change system, although this isn't completely successful at present, and may be replaced by a mechanical linkage later. 

A braced Guzzi 1100 Sport swing arm and three-spoke Marchesini alloy rear wheel, (which accommodates a 17 x 160 profile tyre), have been used. The rear brake also uses standard 1100 Sport parts with a lightweight Brembo twin-piston caliper.

We originally planned to use a WP mono-shock set-up, but have eventually settled for a conventional twin-shock arrangement in the interests of simplicity, light weight and to allow seating space to be maximised.  Shocks are 15", alloy bodied units with adjustable damping, supplied by 'AVO performance suspension'.  They are fully re-buildable and incorporate spherical bearings in the mountings which are more compact than conventional rubber bushes and can accomodate some mis-alignment in the shock mountings without putting any loading on the damper rod.

The new Quasar may, ultimately, be fitted with one of the new light-weight Creasey Hub-Centre Steering systems.

Handle-bar controls are from the Guzzi 1100 Sport and feature 4-way span-adjustable dog-leg levers and a Brembo brake master cylinder. 

Hydraulic operation of the clutch is also planned, replacing the standard Guzzi cable operation.

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