When Dean Reynolds left his job as service manager at a machine tool company in 1993 to set up Milton Keynes-based Reynolds Engineering as a repetition turned-parts business, little did he know that it would lead to him fulfilling a dream and building the ultimate in track-day motorcycles — the DR Moto.
Initially, Mr Reynolds made full use of his turning experience before adding a prismatic-machining capability as the business grew, which it did thanks to a range of customers that then included Stewart Grand Prix and later the world-championship-winning Honda Formula One team. At one point, Formula One — plus motor-sport in general — accounted for an unhealthy 80% of his company’s turnover.
Unfortunately, the demise of the Honda team forced Mr Reynolds to make redundancies and sell some of his machine tools. However, his dogged spirit saw the business restored to rude health through the development of a customer base focused more on general engineering; it now works for companies across many sectors, including non-destructive testing and gas analysis.
That said, motor-sport companies also remain on his customer list; and by working with the then Kenny Roberts MotoGP team and its chief designer Barry Ward (who now runs GPMS Technology, a designer of high-specification components for racing motorcycles), Reynolds Engineering began manufacturing chassis components for many of the teams competing in the World Superbike and British Superbike championships — and MotoGP.
Mr Reynolds says: “Working with Barry rekindled an idea I had — that of creating my own MotoGP motorcycle — and as we talked, it became apparent that this dream could be realised. What we have now created is the ultimate in track-day bikes — one that is fully specified and capable of sitting on a MotoGP grid without any modifications.”
Optimised design
Central to the success of the DR Moto machine is its frame and swing-arm, which have been designed using finite element analysis to ensure optimum stiffness characteristics for short-circuit racing. Moreover, all relevant areas of the frame offer scope for adjustment to suit individual riders and tracks.
However, while many similar frames are fabricated, Mr Reynolds decided to machine the elements of his from solid billets of 5083 type-0 aluminium, which benefits from good machinability and corrosion resistance — and does not require heat treatment after the numerous frame and swing-arm components have been welded together.
The original material for the frame and swing-arm weighs more than 500kg. Once machined, the finished weight is just 15kg, with machining of the swing-arm alone taking some 65hr to complete. However, machining the complex frame forms required the use of cutters with extended reach and specific corner radii.
For these, Reynolds Engineering turned to long-term tooling supplier Sheffield-based WNT (UK) Ltd (
www.wnt.com), which recommended its range of W-HPC solid-carbide cutters.
These were specifically developed for the high-volume machining of aluminium; they are also available as standard with different tool lengths that can be combined with a variety of corner radii ranging from 0.2 to 4mm. Cutter diameters range from 2.7 to 25mm, although those with corner radii are only available in diameters from 3mm upwards.
Good reach
Mr Reynolds says: “Because we have to machine some deep sections, WNT’s W-HPC cutters are perfect; they are necked out to allow even better reach. The fact that we can order short, standard, long and extra-long cutters with specific corner radii and get them delivered the next morning is a fantastic service, and 90% of all the cutters we use now come from WNT.
The other positive thing is that our WNT technical sales engineer has worked with us for the past 10 years now, and we have built up a great understanding; knowing that he is there if we need expert advice is reassuring. That said, we have confidence in the cutting data provided in the WNT catalogue and rarely apply other than minor tweaks to any machining program.”
The potential of the W-HPC cutters used by Reynolds Engineering is being maximised by the use of WNT’s Centro P collet system, which combines high cutter accuracy with high levels of clamping force. Cutter run-out with Centro P is guaranteed to 3µm, with each chuck balanced to G 2.5 at 25,000rev/min as standard.
Clamping forces with Centro P are up to 560Nm, giving the ability to maximise cutting data and metal removal rates. A further feature is the use of through-tool coolant, which can be supplied at 150 bar for the efficient removal of swarf from the immediate machining area.
If high-performance motorcycling is what you are seeking, the DR Moto may be your answer, but be prepared to invest a minimum of £90,000. For this you get a MotoGP-specification machine with a 1,000cc Yamaha cross-plane four-cylinder engine delivering 200hp at the rear wheel. Also featured are a Motec M1-series engine management system with traction control, fly-by-wire throttle, anti-wheelie system and the option of full GPS track mapping. Gear changes — up and down — are made clutchless, and the close-ratio gear-set is provided by Nova Racing.
“While I live in hope that a race team will pick up on the bike and run it at MotoGP level, I believe the key market for this bike is as a track-day machine. Car enthusiasts think nothing of taking a £250,000 Ferrari on a track day, and many motorcycle enthusiasts spend tens of thousands of pounds on their track-day bike. With the DR Moto, they would have the ultimate track-day machine straight out of the box.”