Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on August 19, 2006, 05:55:46 AM
And the wheel finally goes on...

Katana rear rim installed last night with a 150/60-17 Pilot Power out back and a 110/70-17 Pilot Power up front.

Next on the list is to sort out the handling issues I'm having with the Katana shock. After that comes track prep, low speed fun, and then a day at the racetrack!

Pictures later.

how much modin did you have to do for that pilot power?

Quote from: rangerbrown on August 28, 2006, 04:13:35 PM

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on August 19, 2006, 05:55:46 AM
And the wheel finally goes on...

Katana rear rim installed last night with a 150/60-17 Pilot Power out back and a 110/70-17 Pilot Power up front.

Next on the list is to sort out the handling issues I'm having with the Katana shock. After that comes track prep, low speed fun, and then a day at the racetrack!

Pictures later.

how much modin did you have to do for that pilot power?

Pretty much bubkis. Had to heat the brake torque arm up a bit and smacked it with a hammer, then shimmed the sprocket out 1/16" and that was it.

By the way everyone, the track day was AWESOME. Now given, it was only a half track day and I only got three 20 minute sessions in, I still had a great time.

I was at Texas World Speedway running the 2.9 mile road course with Lone Star Track Days
Track is run counter clockwise. Pit in is towards the bottom of the picture, which is the front straight. Back straight is towards the top of the picture.


Session 1:
Session 1 was a "Round Robbin" type ride. We followed the instructor for a lap, then dropped to the back of the line and let the other guy follow right behind him. In my little group we had 3 people to the instructor. I was second in line and followed the instructor's lines very closely. Whenever he would pull into a straight away and look back I'd be right there. He seemed to take each turn a little faster thereafter, upping the pace since I could keep up. By the time we got to the main straightaway we had to wait for a moderate amout of time for the two guys behind me to catch up. One was on an SRAD GSX-R750 and the other was on a Ducati 996. The second time I got behind him he took off immediately, essentially asking me to chase him down. I did. It wasn't balls out fast knee dragging, but it was a bit quicker than the rest of the C-class (beginners). Learned that the bike is still power limited to top speed. Sits at around 10k RPM in top gear (I think, the tach was at a weird angle).

Session 2: An instructor that I met on the FZ1 board followed me around for a lap, then had me follow him for another lap. He gave me a few pointers to work on to help me get more comfortable. He said that the first half of the track I looked great on. My lines were fine and my body position and throttle were fine. The second half just needed a few minor things. One thing he told me to do was in Turn 10 (the Horseshoe, on the left side of the track: the tight 180 degree turn where I crashed last time) I needed to hold my line to the right a bit longer so that I could have a little more room to work with. I'm still a bit hesitant with Turn 10 just due to the whole crashing thing there, but it will come in time. The tip that helped me the most involved the turn going into the back straight (Turn 7). It's a nicely banked curve that most people slow down for and turn in early. He told me to hold on the throttle all the way from Turn 6 through Turn 7. I had my bike pinned at full throttle all the way through and still was barely able to scrape puck. Looks like I need to work on corner speed for Turn 6. I still had a lot of lean to give. I practiced hanging off and getting my body positioning correct through the turns and mainly worked on being smooth. Our session was cut short due to a rider on an R1 highsiding in Turn 7 and breaking his ankle. He then proceeded to stand on it. No one knows why he did. His foot collapsed underneath him and he was taken away by the ambulence. No one was on the track for the next 30 minutes.

Session 3: This session was by far my most comfortable session. My main concern was to work on my breathing, corner speed through the first and second turns, and not crashing. Breathing smoothly and slowly helped me relax a lot more than I had been in the past. I never really realized how much it truly helps, but if you can take deep breaths then you aren't tense, which therefore won't upset the bike as much. Since I was more relaxed the bike turned easier and I didn't have to fight it or use nearly as much effort to turn it in.

In the previous session I noticed that Turn 1 (coming off the front straight, leading to Turn 2 into the small straightaway) was HUGELY wide. We're talking at least 40 feet wide. I had plenty of room to fly through this turn, but had been instinctively backing off. While other riders were backing off as well, I made it a point to stay on the gas coming off the banking and keep it through the turn as much as I can, then hitting Turn 2 with enough speed to pass the slower riders. I estimate I hit turn 1 at roughly 90-95mph actual (I still backed off a little bit, but not as much) and Turn 2 at around 75-80mph. This payed off big time when I just walked around a guy on a 600cc supersport (more on this guy and his friends later).

Going through Turn 3 into the straightaway heading back they passed me, but I was able to pass them again through Turn 4. They had good lines and were hitting the apex, but their corner speeds were slow. I went around on the outside (no passing on the inside) and passed two of them at the same time with a minimum of 6 feet between us. As I hit the small straightaway leading to Turn 5, the group of 2 I had passed earlier zipped around me and dipped into the turn. I noticed them slowing down for Turn 6, and since I had practiced this turn earlier I knew exactly what to do. Full throttle through the banked turn I pulled around him on the outside and settled into the outside of the straightaway.

They screamed by me in the straight away. Sounds familiar, huh?

Turn 7, the one at the end of the back straight, is also a banked turn with excellent traction all the way through. Again, most of the new riders slow down a lot because it is an uphill turn and they can't see it very well, but there are plenty of visual cues and the track is still visible, so I nailed the throttle and pulled up right behind them again. Turns 8a, 8b and 9 are a no passing zone whatsoever. There is a concrete wall barricaded by tires some 30 feet from the track. Everyone takes it fairly easy through there. It's the rules. I stuck right behind these two guys through these turns and was right behind them all the way through Turn 10 (the Horseshoe). Since I held my line to the right some more and had a little more room to work with on Turn 11 I was able to pass them once more before the main straight.

They left me standing still in the straight away.

But don't feel too bad, I caught up to them again by Turn 2 by hauling ass through Turn 1 and passed one of the guys exiting Turn 2. I mixed it up with this guy the most (Daytona 650) as the other guy had an R6 and pulled away in the straights a little easier. This passing went back and forth, back and forth. He continued to pass me in the straights, I continued to pass him in the corners. Eventually I backed off and let him go because I wanted to work on my lines (honestly! Okay okay, he did pull away fast enough in the main straight that I couldn't catch up again). On the last lap of this session I was following one of the 600cc supersport guys (there was a group of them). This was the '06 GSX-R600. I followed him through Turns 7-10, came close to getting him in Turn 11, but finally got to pass him right before the chicane leading to the main straight. I really wish I could have seen the looks on these guys faces...

Anyways, these guys were really funny to me. Let me tell you a little about them.

Four guys, all worked together in a motorcycle shop. All but one of them had a brand new 2006 model 600cc supersport.
There was:
2006 Kawasaki ZX-6RR (green) - yes, two Rs, not the 636 model.
2006 Suzuki GSX-R600 (white)
2006 Yamaha YZF-R6 (blue)
2005 Triumph Daytona 650 (red)

Each one of the '06 riders had matching Alpinestars 1-piece race suits, matching Sidi Vertigo Corsa boots, and matching Shoei or Arai helmets (X-11 or RX-7 Corsair). The guy on the Daytona had some moderately scuffed Joe Rocket suit, some old Sidi boots, and a mismatched Scorpion helmet.

The guy on the Daytona was the only one of them who was any sort of good. He was the only one who picked up his pace throughout the entire day. The other guys stayed consistently slow. When I cornerworked, I watched the guy on the GSX-R600 ride stiff armed through a turn, not even attempting to hang off the bike. My thinking is that these are their first bikes and they still haven't ridden them that much. The guy riding the Daytona was actually fun to mix it up with. The other guys were just annoying. All were 20 something year olds.

All in all, I had a blast. I am going to try and corner work for a full day so I can get a complete track day for free sometime in the future. I can't wait to get back.

Did you race with the 14t sprocket?

Quote from: plusultra on August 29, 2006, 08:45:18 AM
Did you race with the 14t sprocket?

It wasn't a race, it was a track day. Big difference. Races are timed events where you run all out at 100% or more. Track days are to help you learn to ride better.

And yeah, the 14T came in handy, needless to say. I can't imagine going back to stock. I might go to a 15T front and a 42T rear though. That would be in the future though.

QuoteGoing through Turn 3 into the straightaway heading back they passed me, but I was able to pass them again through Turn 4. They had good lines and were hitting the apex, but their corner speeds were slow. I went around on the outside (no passing on the inside) and passed two of them at the same time with a minimum of 6 feet between us. As I hit the small straightaway leading to Turn 5, the group of 2 I had passed earlier zipped around me and dipped into the turn. I noticed them slowing down for Turn 6, and since I had practiced this turn earlier I knew exactly what to do. Full throttle through the banked turn I pulled around him on the outside and settled into the outside of the straightaway. They screamed by me in the straight away.

Sounds like a race to me Alpha, albeit not much of one 

Cheers.

I think the 15/42 t's would help a lot in the straightaway.   You know, I was thinking about heading down to College Station to meet you up, but it rained a lot in the weekend here in Dallas.  Maybe next time.

grooooooovy

Quote from: plusultra on August 29, 2006, 09:56:22 AM
Sounds like a race to me Alpha, albeit not much of one 

Cheers.

I think the 15/42 t's would help a lot in the straightaway.   You know, I was thinking about heading down to College Station to meet you up, but it rained a lot in the weekend here in Dallas.  Maybe next time.

Naah, people get passed on track days, no big deal. Just wish I could have seen their faces when they realized they were getting harassed by a little 40HP twin.

The 15/42 is equivalent to the 14T front I have on there now, I'd just change it to save chain adjustment/binding risk, etc.

Quote from: l3uddha on August 29, 2006, 10:38:11 AM
grooooooovy

Ohhhh yeaaaaah.

GREAT review!    Awesome write up!    It was fun just reading it! 

hahahha..thats awesome. I love hearing stories of bigger bikes getting pwned!

Pablo, ride with me. Everyone in Nevada who has a liter bike is noobtastic. They go over like / that much and that is it.

I've got several trackdays lined up in the coming months...where you at?

I got the photos back! None are really that great, as he was at odd corners for me. For example, he took a bunch of pictures at Turn 10, the one I am not as comfortable taking because I crashed there last time. I apologize for the gigantic "sample" thing across these, but I am not buying a CD from this guy. He charges $65 for a CD. I could have got a CD from the photographer at my first track day for $15. Hell, I bought a 15x19 shot from the first track day for $20 or so, and this guy charges $30 for an 8x10. My parents want one picture though.

You must have scared yourself from the crash, because in the pics you look pretty conservative with the lean...j/k

Looks good and your still alive so must have been a good day

Quote from: coll0412 on September 07, 2006, 08:41:17 PM
You must have scared yourself from the crash, because in the pics you look pretty conservative with the lean...j/k

Looks good and your still alive so must have been a good day

Yeah, I was pretty conservative on my lean in the later part of the track. I just wasn't as comfortable on the last quarter of the track. maybe I'll get some video next time...

regardless, your body position looks pretty good and definitely good head turn looking down track. check out the last picture-and how close the exhaust is to touching down...time to hang it out a little more...

must have been fun. green with envy...

I know you swao out tanks for a track day, but do you always remove the tail plastics too?

Quote from: pantablo on September 07, 2006, 09:14:51 PM
regardless, your body position looks pretty good and definitely good head turn looking down track. check out the last picture-and how close the exhaust is to touching down...time to hang it out a little more...

must have been fun. green with envy...

Eh, half track day only got me 3 20-minute sessions before I had to do my time, but it was better than nothing.

In that last picture it looks like I wasn't even hanging off at all. I might have been stuck behind someone and it wasn't even worth it to hang off at all.

I have been working on my body position, so I'd hope I wouldn't be crossed up (or at least very minor).

He also seems to enjoy taking pictures of right hand turns. In fact, nothing BUT right hand turns. Both times I've gone down it's been on right hand turns, so I'm still not as comfortable on those as left hand turns. Left hand turns = goodness for me.

Quote from: annguyen1981 on September 07, 2006, 09:22:03 PM
I know you swao out tanks for a track day, but do you always remove the tail plastics too?

Yes. If I go down why both ruining perfectly good tail plastics?

Why not remove everything that's not needed at the track?  ie: headlight, turn signals, etc

Quote from: annguyen1981 on September 07, 2006, 09:30:18 PM
Why not remove everything that's not needed at the track?  ie: headlight, turn signals, etc

I do. Take a look at the photos.

No turn signals, headlight, tail plastics, mirrors, or brake light. Swapped tank and bars and replaced the gauge set with just a tachometer.

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on September 07, 2006, 09:28:03 PM
He also seems to enjoy taking pictures of right hand turns. In fact, nothing BUT right hand turns.

it might just be the track configuration allows him easy or quick access to those turns for whatever reason. or maybe those are the slower turns making it easier to shoot...who knows. at least there are various turns used. the photog for one track only takes pictures of ONE turn. EVER. so once you've gotten your first few you're like...what-evah.