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It was autopsy time again today between race 1 and 2 at Assen. (Wont spoil it if you have not watched the SBK race yet)
All theories went on the table, and then we looked at what is there to support a theory.
Unfortunately for me, and this is a hard one to admit, it would appear that I did mess up the belt change.
Looking at the piston face itself you can see two neat little circles where both the exhaust valves made contact with the piston face for an extended period of time. The circles have carbon deposits in them (difficult to see after the fact with all that metal flying around in there at 8000 plus rpm) and all the damage is super imposed on top of the circles. AT 8000 plus rpm that piston and exhaust valve was making contact at in excess of 130 times a second. From the time when that exhaust valve finally snapped and started to do its thing until the engine reduced its rotation to zero was enough to cause a lot of damage.....to the engine, to the bank balance and to my pride.
In the end, I must have slipped a single tooth on the belt change and when the engine was doing top rpm all hell broke loose. Now that is an expensive lesson to learn......there is not much to say other than "you stupid bloody idiot!"
I now have to go and humbly appologise to the bike
SF
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