[ace.cafe]

Hi guys.
Thanks for the support!

I really didn't mean to whine about it, but just to point out that I have tight limitations in the business aspects. So while I would like to expand more and provide easier and faster access to what we do, I can only do what I'm doing until sales pick up enough to support it.

Again, I appreciate your support!
Thanks!

[JVS]

If I ever win the lotto....

[abstruse1]

Ace, I meant no disrespect for someone who obviously is doing these projects as a labor of love.

I did, however, overlook the thin RE market.  I see your situation, now.  Perhaps if the good ol' boys in India are successful in penetrating our market, there'll be more customers for you.  Let's hope!

Meanwhile, keep up  the good work.

[ace.cafe]

Ace, I meant no disrespect for someone who obviously is doing these projects as a labor of love.

I did, however, overlook the thin RE market.  I see your situation, now.  Perhaps if the good ol' boys in India are successful in penetrating our market, there'll be more customers for you.  Let's hope!

Meanwhile, keep up  the good work.

No offense taken, abstruse1.
I am just sensitive in that area because I know it is a weak point, and I am constantly facing it when I try to get parts manufactured. You should see the looks that I get when they ask how many I want to have made, and I have to say "three" hoping that I can find two more buyers somewhere. If I ever had enough market to be able to get real production runs done, you wouldn't believe what I could accomplish! I spend a good portion of my time trying to find somebody to make my parts designs for a price that I could move them  into the Enfield market. Most manufacturers and machine shops won't even talk to me about production numbers of less than 1000 at a run. The most units of anything that we have sold is about a dozen per year, except the Ace Air Canisters which I personally make each one by hand myself. That's over the entire WORLD market! We have reached on to 5 continents in order to move just that small amount.

What I find interesting is that much faster bikes have a very active aftermarket for performance parts, but the nearly "world's slowest motorcycle" doesn't. The one that is in most need of it, shows almost no interest. It's hard to figure.
So, in survival mode, I try to approach things in a custom way, so that production isn't really needed.
Of course this makes things expensive because there can be no economies of scale. But apparently, that"s the way the market wants it. I don't have the resources needed to create a "push" campaign of speed parts into this market. So, I can just present these class-leading products to people, and hope they decide to buy, on a one-at-a-time basis. It seems that making more power than this platform ever was able to make in its 55 year history, and a virtually perfect reliability record and personal 24/7 tech support isn't enough to make the market react. I"m not sure why.

It is frustrating, but I keep trying to find innovative ways to make things better and less expensive when possible. The UCE is really benefitting from previous R&D on the other platforms. But this stuff is never going to be a one dollar and ninety-nine cent bolt-on thing. I hope that isn't what people are waiting for, because that is never going to happen. This requires modding major parts and systems inside the engine by somebody who knows what to do. It will never be a "magic pill" that drops into the fuel tank and turns the bike into a Manx.
So, as long as people have a realistic grasp of what it takes, we will continue to try to provide the best results for the least expense that we can manage, and hope that people will see the value in it.  Even if we are slow to release the stuff.
That's all we can do right now.

And I'd like to close by thanking everyone who has purchased and/or supported our efforts in any ways over the years, not just buyers, but moral support and vocal/written support, because it all means a lot. We have come a long way and accomplished some really amazing things in 4 short years, and I feel sure that it will eventually catch on if we keep working  at it. Maybe when Paul Henshaw wins the UK vintage championship with our head design on  it,  and enters the Isle of Man TT, the word will get out. It will be exciting.

[High On Octane]

Ace - I've been following your work since I joined this forum with great interest.  Not only are you an honest down to earth kind of guy, you are EXTREMELY knowledgeable in not only these bikes, but performance applications in general.  What I really appreciate about you Tom is that you are not afraid to share your knowledge to better inform others, whether they show an interest in spending money on Fireball or not.  That is a true class act that is very hard to find in the performance industry.  Period.  All of these reasons and more are why I didn't even hesitate to send my heads to you for my Bonneville build.  Because in my eyes, and many others, you ARE the best in the industry when it comes to making an Enfield rip shit up.

I think it's safe to say that no one on this forum will ever bash you for your efforts.  Sure they did a half decade ago, but you proved them all wrong with your dedicated hard work to finding a way to break the barriers that Enfields could not break before.  Congrats on your success (no matter how it is perceived by others) and keep up your hard work!!!   

Scottie J

[JVS]

+11111

[ace.cafe]

Ace - I've been following your work since I joined this forum with great interest.  Not only are you an honest down to earth kind of guy, you are EXTREMELY knowledgeable in not only these bikes, but performance applications in general.  What I really appreciate about you Tom is that you are not afraid to share your knowledge to better inform others, whether they show an interest in spending money on Fireball or not.  That is a true class act that is very hard to find in the performance industry.  Period.  All of these reasons and more are why I didn't even hesitate to send my heads to you for my Bonneville build.  Because in my eyes, and many others, you ARE the best in the industry when it comes to making an Enfield rip shit up.

I think it's safe to say that no one on this forum will ever bash you for your efforts.  Sure they did a half decade ago, but you proved them all wrong with your dedicated hard work to finding a way to break the barriers that Enfields could not break before.  Congrats on your success (no matter how it is perceived by others) and keep up your hard work!!!   

Scottie J

A well-informed owner is actually my best prospect, because the more they understand about things, the more they realize that what we do is the correct way to do things.
An uninformed owner has no way to discern the good from the bad, or why. They can very easily make a bad decision without realizing it.

There is nothing "secret" in what we do, and there's no mysterious "hidden knowledge" or anything, about modding engines. It's all well-known.
Our "secret" is that we know the ways to do things and how to best apply them, and do a great job at it. It's not voodoo.
And the owners benefit by getting top-notch results, and they understand why, and it makes them feel good about what they did.
When we're doing a job for anyone, we always "babysit" the jobs to make sure that nothing happens that doesn't fit into the overall plan for the job. If a customer makes a decision that isn't going to work, we make sure they are told that it isn't a good way to go, and what would be the correct approach, and why. This way, there are no undesired surprises for the owner when it all goes together. It's just part of making sure that each person's build is successful.You can't get that from just any machine shop or your local NAPA shop. They can machine things, but they don't know the ramifications of what mods on what parts will affect everything else in the build, and how it needs to be for best results, and avoid the pitfalls and known issues. This is what you can only get from an experienced expert on the intended engine platform, as your guide.
When we get your new barrel in for boring/honing for our piston, and we have your head here in the shop for head work, we always ask if you want the barrel spigot height set on the lathe for a proper fit into your head, so that when you put it together, you won't have a head gasket leak, and the compression will seal properly. We don't let you get a surprise on your brand new engine build with a pouring head gasket leak because you didn't know that had to be done. And when we do it, if we see the barrel gasket mating surface isn't flat, we kiss the surface on the lathe while it's on there during the process to level it out.
The point here is that we realize what you are doing and what will affect your build during the work we do, and we handle these things automatically, because we are in a position to make it right while the parts are in the shop or on the machine, and we know that if we leave it alone and send it to you with certain things un-done, it will be a problem when you put it together. That doesn't happen with us. We understand how to streamline your build to take out the anxiety.

[Roeland]

Ace, a major problem for many potential customers is freight, customs duties, etc... In my opinion there're possibly 1000's of intrested parties but the above logistics make it difficult for many. Perhaps you could consider the ultimate design and sell the blue print as one off licenses that could be purchased on line and re-produced. Probably not such a good idea in terms of piracy...unless you can safe guard it some how? Did you try to approach RE India, Hitchcocks, Nfield Gear?

[ace.cafe]

Ace, a major problem for many potential customers is freight, customs duties, etc... In my opinion there're possibly 1000's of intrested parties but the above logistics make it difficult for many. Perhaps you could consider the ultimate design and sell the blue print as one off licenses that could be purchased on line and re-produced. Probably not such a good idea in terms of piracy...unless you can safe guard it some how? Did you try to approach RE India, Hitchcocks, Nfield Gear?

Hi Roeland,
Yes, I realize that the shipping costs and gov't interference does put off some of the potential clientele. We do have hopes to eventually have a location in India, and probably the UK too. Perhaps licensing and training might be an option for us.

BTW, regarding your UCE cylinder head work, it's all done except for the rockers. That's all it's waiting for now. It is the small valve version which should easily fit into your projected budget with the rocker package and all, and do about 190 cfm at .400"(1 cm) lift.

Since you have the 535 piston already in there, we need to be careful about the lift at the TDC area, so that we don't clash. Otherwise, we could provide higher lift with more rocker ratio, if you wanted that. That would require you to send us your piston for cutting valve relief pockets into the crown for valve clearance purposes, but we could do that.  Or if you can do that yourself, then you could provide that work and we could select the lift amount to fit. It appears that there is room for up to .450"-.500" lift without making additional changes to the valve gear, but valve/piston clearance pockets would need to be done for sure. At this time, I don't know the thickness of that piston crown you have, so i don't know how far it can be cut into for valve relief pockets.

You could tune the whole thing with your Power Commander and laptop.
It could be the first UCE package that we get up and running that way.

[Roeland]

Ace,

That's great news. I'm not sure what the difference in lift would mean in terms of performance and reliability? I obviously would like the best but I cannot send you my current piston as I'm using my bike everyday.  It is my main mode of transport as I do not have a car anymore. Either I must wait on the piston you are developping or order a new 535 piston from Hitchcocks to be send directly to you? Which would suit you the most?

Many Thanks

Roeland

[ace.cafe]

Ace,

That's great news. I'm not sure what the difference in lift would mean in terms of performance and reliability? I obviously would like the best but I cannot send you my current piston as I'm using my bike everyday.  It is my main mode of transport as I do not have a car anymore. Either I must wait on the piston you are developping or order a new 535 piston from Hitchcocks to be send directly to you? Which would suit you the most?

Many Thanks

Roeland

We can't do a new one,  because it would affect your piston-to-wall clearance, because the pistons are never really identical. Each piston needs to have the bore honed specifically for it, and if the new one was a little too small, it might slap. If it was a little too tight, it might seize.

So, I think we should work the head with the rockers that will clear your flat top, and see how it goes. If you decide you want more, we can address that when you have the time allotted, so that you are not inconvenienced.

[Roeland]

Ok - agreed - I look forward to the modified head - many thanks.

[Roeland]

190 cfm - That's about 40% increase over original. As per your previous postings this will give about 38 HP. Can I safely add another 2 HP for the 535 cc piston - bringing the total to 40 HP + perhaps a couple of HP from other modifications?
Since I have the hybrid Power Commander and cannot increase the rev limit should I be considerring to upgrade the 19T sprocket to a 20T?

[ace.cafe]

190 cfm - That's about 40% increase over original. As per your previous postings this will give about 38 HP. Can I safely add another 2 HP for the 535 cc piston - bringing the total to 40 HP + perhaps a couple of HP from other modifications?
Since I have the hybrid Power Commander and cannot increase the rev limit should I be considerring to upgrade the 19T sprocket to a 20T?

Well, that figure would be a crankshaft hp estimate, and we don't really know how close those estimates will hold yet, with the UCE. Also, we will see some reduction when the throttle body and filter package get installed, probably 10-15 cfm lower. So, when considering the fully installed conditions, we will more realistically see probably around 175 cfm peak, in situ. That brings the installed flow/hp estimate to probably more like 35 crankshaft hp.
With the typical drivetrain losses that we have seen from Bullets in the past, we should expect somewhere between 5-6 hp less than that figure at the rear wheel, so let's estimate a more realistic figure of about 29-30 hp at the rear wheel. However, it could get better than that in ideal circumstances. We get more with the Fireball from the similar flow amount, so maybe we will get it here too. Much will depend on tuning it to best effect, and if the rpm range can be raised to get the most from the flow.

Regarding the added power from the 535, this added displacement will yield more torque at all rpms, and potentially more hp too, but the flow calculation isn't dependent on displacement. The flow calculation is based on how much power "could" be extracted from the flow level in best case scenarios, regardless of displacement. It is up to us to get the rpm and the tune-up necessary to make as much as we can from the flow. The flow is the starting point, but we can't get to where we want it to be without having that first.

Now that we know what the Continental GT 535 really is putting out in terms of power, we can make a comparison.
The stated crankshaft hp of the GT 535 is 29.2 hp.
Estimated drivetrain losses, let's say 6 hp estimated.
Resulting rear wheel hp estimate would be 23.2 hp for the GT 535.

Assuming that the Ace mods do yield the estimated 29-30 hp at the rear wheel as described above, then we are looking at about 7hp more than the GT 535 in comparison. About 27.5%-30%(estimated) more. And that's above and beyond the "hottest" and newest factory 535 package. It's more than 40% higher(estimated) than the factory 500 power.

Now, depending on how you want to look at this, you could say that it isn't exactly setting the world on fire, and that these are all just estimates, and maybe it might be lower, or higher. But it's a decent power level, and we are installing it on a stock bottom end. We have to be careful with this, so that we don't upset the apple cart, and have too much power for the stock bottom end to handle. The aim is for a more powerful ride that makes people happier with their riding experience, and doesn't break things.

With our currently experimental rocker system, it should be quite simple and reasonable to upgrade to higher performance by just using a higher ratio rocker, as long as there is clearance for the valve/piston over TDC, and the ECU can be adjusted to suit the new conditions.
So, if it turns out that the UCE bottom end is very sturdy and can handle more power, we can give it more power. And we plan to keep all the work in the cylinder head if we can, so that users won't have to remove the engine and rebuild internal parts, if it's possible. That part really isn't up to us. It's whether the factory built enough strength into this platform to withstand it.

Regarding your hybrid-PC, and the rev limiter, we are going to need to see where the hp peak is going to be. The 535 will help to keep that hp peak lower than the 500 would be with the same port, because of the higher demand of the added displacement. That will work in your favor. Also, the torque will be higher at all rpms because of the added displacement and bigger bore. That will work in your favor. As long as we peak below your rev limiter rpm, then you can gear it as you like, and still access all the hp available.

[Roeland]

A very comprehensive reply - thank you Tom