big_sur's Race Build

[big_sur]

Thanks, hopefully it's coming soon.

I doubt a 180 would fit, plus it would slow down the handling and be a drag on the modest engine power.

 

[psych0hans]

Thanks, hopefully it's coming soon.

I doubt a 180 would fit, plus it would slow down the handling and be a drag on the modest engine power.

Very true, I think 120/160 would be the max I would push it to, or keep it at 110/150 if I get an MK1 front wheel.

 

[big_sur]

Since the US is apparently not getting the 320mm rotor for '16, I went ahead and got the 300mm poweparts rotor since we're required to retain the same diameter as stock. Hopefully the floating rotor will endow it with a little better feel and it's definitely a lot lighter than the stock one was.

 

[hydroz1]

Dude, are you still selling the tail? Local pickup?


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[big_sur]

Yeah, sorry it's been sold already.

 

[big_sur]

I finally finished it....and promptly crashed it. First track day of the year, all painted up, and made a stupid mistake. The battery cover flew off while I was lapping, I slowed down for a while to look for it, eventually decided I'd buy another, and upon trying to go fast again, tucked the front not even thinking about tire temperature. This is why I can't have nice things.

The good news is they crash relatively well, though you're definitely going through a case cover on the shift side if you don't have a guard there. It hasn't come in yet, but I actually ordered another as it looks like the new version has a slider puck there for good reason. Mine did its job and it got some light rash to the fairing. The clip on was only slightly bent, as was the lever, but it sounded like a good excuse to get clip-ons when I had to order replacement rearset parts. Fitting the clip-ons was kind of a pain figuring out clearance and they're not easily adjustable with the stock triple, but I think I finally got to a good place.

Other than the crashing, it wasn't a bad day. My timing app wasn't working but despite definitely being rusty, I started to feel better as the day progressed. I did some 2:11's with another RC here which is 2-3s off the pace at the front, which while it needs a lot of improvement isn't terrible for first day back and relatively cool temps. Riding with someone else around the same pace also made me realize how little experience I have passing. Racecraft is going to be a lot of learning. A former Pike Peak racer\future competitor was also there on an R3 and while he was still a good bit slower, he got A LOT faster through the course of the day. It's shaping up to be a very competitive grid this year.

Got it all back together, number on, leathers fixed, swap the coolant and off to race school Saturday.

 

[psych0hans]

Sucks about the crash, but glad it wasn't worse. Good luck with the school!!!

 

[=maz=]

Is that Plastidip?

 

[big_sur]

Is that Plastidip?

Yes..123456789

 

[Formula390]

Is that Plastidip?

I was thinking the exact same thing... "Wait, what the HELL is that for paint???!" with the crash damage photo. I've seen guys use truck bed liner... But tool dip? That there is a first! LOL

Glad you got her fixed up, and now ya have an idea of what spares to have in the spares boxes. It used to feel like I was hauling whole bikes to me in my spares supply when I raced. Pitting with guys who ran the same bike made it easier if you ever broke something you didn't have on hand already... somebody in our crew would go down, and the rest of us would have everything possibly needed to fix our pit mates bike by the time they showed up in the back of the crash truck. We'd sit them down to get out of their leathers and cool off, while we'd jump on repairs and get them ready to go back out.

You'll get faster. It's just the start of the season... Once you ditch the 900 number and lose the X (tho I kept mine on the back of my helmet four years... Had fun with it on open practice days when I'd go screaming past guys on "faster bikes" through the turns who I didn't normally run with) and start running with those who are faster you'll REALLY start to crank up your times.

 

[tecknojoe]

made me realize how little experience I have passing. Racecraft is going to be a lot of learning.

ahh, a chink in the armor. Never thought about that but over the years I've definitely learned how to deal with traffic.

weather is looking decent for saturday, I'll probly see u there

 

[unicorn_violence]

i was glad to see you were ok after that lowside! plastidip is awesome. i had it on my wrangler's wheels for a year, and after a year of snow, mud and rain, it was still holding up strong. i will see you at the race school Saturday as well!

 

[=maz=]

Yes..123456789

I've run Plastidip on my track-bike.
It doesn't take too long to look a bit ratty and anything your leathers rub on will roll away from the plastic/glass. Having it on the outer portion of the bike makes it a bit less likely to rub away though. It's pretty easy to patch-paint also which will come in handy.
Glad you're ok after your spill...thanks for sharing the post crash pics.

 

[big_sur]

Race school was cold but no more crashing and I'm officially a licensed road racer now

The only weird thing with the bike is it was going through a tank like every session. Usually it does consume quite a bit of fuel but that seems like a lot. I took the fairings off and couldn't find any leaks, plus it was running just fine, so my current hypothesis is it was just cold. Usually I don't go unless the high is over 75 but with licensing, I was forced into a 40 degree morning. I'm thinking maybe that cold air=denser air=more fuel; or at least that's the guess for now.

Given the temps, I wasn't pushing it at all but I'm kind of questioning the new springs in my front end. We were doing braking drills where I'm doing stoppies from 60mph and I was only using about half the travel on the front end. It was also twitchy and not particularly forgiving. I'm wondering if not recognizing this before was a contributing factor to the crash. Anyways, I'm going to give it a try on a reasonably warm day and see how it does then but it very well may be too stiff.

Mock races were fun but that "chink in the armor" is actually a giant hole. One of the other "new" guys is a 4 time sumo champ and pike peak racer. I could pull tenths in open lapping but he checked out hard in the first mock race. Granted, he did crash out in the second mock, so I won that one, but I've got nothing for moving through traffic like that. Oh well, stuff to learn!

I want to get the AIM Solo timer I got installed, new rear rotor (yes, I paid $30 for ounces), and new tires before the first race, but for now it's off to Austin to watch the fast guys!

 

[tecknojoe]

I'm in the same boat with the front end, I'm using about 60% travel. I also lost about 7 lbs since we got the forks done, so that doesn't help. You may have also noticed more this past weekend since the fork oil was colder. My last time out I felt instability in between the moments when I fully let off the brakes and hit max lean. Perhaps there's some push back when I finish trailing the brakes due to stiffness.

The GF and I will be in Austin too, we just got GA tickets, driving down tomorrow morning

 

[Rexbo]

Comment on the fuel thing: mine drinks fuel as well after getting it race tuned. The OEM tank is TINY so it doesn't sound too surprising, but a tank per session is a LOT. Might want to make sure your injector isn't stuck open or something, does it idle ok?

Over-stiff front end can also come from the damping oil being more viscous than usual at lower temps, and not getting warmed up in time. This can absolutely contribute to the crash, have you checked your measured sag?

 

[reenmachine]

For fuel reference, I've run a couple 100-mile track days on about a tank and a half.

 

[micahpearlman]

I drain the tank very quickly myself. One thing I noticed with the front end is that it is *VERY* sensitive to how much fork oil. 15ml will make a quite a difference.


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[big_sur]

Got some safety wiring done and the gopro figured out for each end. I used some RAM mounts I had laying around and they both seem really solid so hopefully the single buzz won't be too bad. I'll add some safety wire to this and see how that goes.

My replacement cover came and it looks like R&G has learned since I last purchased one...

 

[big_sur]

If you ever wondered what Spring in Colorado is like...72 degrees yesterday and 2-4 ft of snow predicted tonight through Sunday. Don't freeze poor little bike...