When clips are set free...

Two nights ago I helped my buddy Taylor put a HPI mini on his Derbi Laguna! It's such a sweet bike, he's had it for 5 years and during that time it has never really ran for very long.  Finally last year I convinced him to do some upgrades:

* Bottom end sent to Ed Exline for a super solid rebuild.  1977mopeds derbi crank was sent to Mr. Crankshaft for an inspection and it failed miserably (go figure).  Vince rebuilt it and sent it to Ed and then the assembly commenced.  New bearings, seals and roller bearings all around.
* 50cc Metrakit top end, lightly ported and modified piston.
* TJT variator
* Dynaflex belt
* Prototype stiffer contra spring
* 24t rear sprocket
* Weak-ends laguna pipe
* 19mm intake with 19mm PHBG carburetor

This bike absolutely rips now with the HPI.  The stock ignition had some fucked up drunk gremlin in it, because in order to start it you had to use a drill and turn the flywheel the wrong way.  After that it would pop and start and then the flywheel would REVERSE DIRECTION while it was running and start running the right way.  SO WEIRD.  Everything was intact, nothing was noticably messed up.  I think the coils went bad or something... I even asked for help from a few people who I really respect their knowledge base and they couldn't even figure it out... so that's why he now has a HPI mini.

That night I rode home with Taylor and we parted ways both feeling very jubilant.  Both of our bikes were running great and we had a great ride home... little did I know what my Lazer had in store for me the next morning.

The next morning:

I woke up and decided to try and tune my carb with a new needle for my TM24.  Well, I put it in and could instantly tell one of my bearings was trashed.  I decided to let it sit for the day and to ride it to the shop this morning to diagnose it.

This morning:

Rode it to the shop and it was making the gnarliest of gnar noises from the clutch cover.  Guess what happened? Somehow my clutch bell circlip popped off of the crank and found its way into the main gear shaft bearing (yeah, I know right?!) and got itself all caught up in the bearings.  Needless to say I decided to just split the case and rebuild it.  I noticed that the circlip groove on this aftermarket full circle crank is in a different location... and when used with the hammer clutch it kind of presses up against the circlip? I'm not sure but I didn't have this problem with my half circle crank.  I split an extra v1 I have laying around with a rebuilt half circle crank in it and slapped that in my gila bottom end.  Instantly I noticed more RPMS and better off the line power.  Rad.  Also, I don't think the circlip will be setting itself free any time soon.