Back in the shop

The subsequent gymnastics lesson can make you feel your age that's for sure

I’ve gone off track probably a dozen times, but have been blessed enough to avoid laying the bike down, if only by the skin of my teeth several times. Everytime I road the bike (carefully) back on track and back to the paddock. I have no interest in ‘crashing to learn’ at my age and with a $100k bike underneath me, and almost every ‘bad’ crash I’ve seen was either from an experienced rider having a mechanical failure like no brakes coming into a high speed corner, or most commonly, an inexperienced rider deciding to try and keep up with a guy whose 10 to 20 seconds faster that just passed them. Potential for big bike and body breaking crashes that last one. Because you don’t have the technique and form and the line and the physics on your side to take that corner at the same speeds as the guy 20 seconds faster, and because you are inexperienced when things go sideways (literally) you have an over the top (literally lol) reaction that sends you tumbling end over end (often without an airbag cause you are new and over confident) and then you are going for a helicopter ride.

So I’ve taken a VERY methodical approach to getting faster. Even intra-trackday I ‘warm up’ to speed. My 1st session I treat like a sighting lap even if I’ve been to the track half a dozen times, I usually only do 3 or 4 laps the 1st session getting progressively faster each lap, then I end the session early, go back and check my tire pressures, and visualize the track before the next session. Sometimes it takes me half the day to get mentally and physically warmed up enough where I’m hungry to ‘push’ a bit. If I’m not ‘feeling it’ on a given session or lap I give no ..... about doing it slow and getting off track early in the session to mentally reset.

I want fast times, cause it’s fun, but I don’t want it so bad that I’m willing to take a helicopter ride for it. I’ve seen some life changing serious injuries from guys pushing past their abilities without enough experience to manage their panic reactions.

Brain bleeds and spinal column injuries that are life changing.

Only after 18 months of doing this am I finally reasonably confident about managing my own panic reactions and pushing

At auto club speedway when it was open there was one corner in the infield that was a safe place to progressively get use to losing and regaining grip at the rear wheel, so I got reasonably comfortable with that fairly early on. I was still scared of losing front grip though and how I’d manage that until my last track day at Big Willow where I tucked the front a bit several times progressively and recovered it. Eventually I may go down, but I’m pretty confident that I can manage it in a way that avoids major injury, at least from my own mistakes.

I’m a bit more concerned about other riders now…I’ve been riding in Group A lately and there’s been a consistent hand full of guys that are making some pretty aggressive and questionable decisions about when and how to pass, going shoulder to shoulder at close to the limits of traction and passing at apex’s etc. I’m more worried about some of those guys taking me out in an uncontrolled way.

Changing my clutch plates, should have done this myself from the begging, very easy job to do even for a novice.

Anyone know a vendor that sells a bolt kit fir the STM clutch, would like to change the hardware.

Who even has SAE tools anymore?

Steven31371 said:

I’ve been riding in Group A lately and there’s been a consistent hand full of guys that are making some pretty aggressive and questionable decisions about when and how to pass, going shoulder to shoulder at close to the limits of traction and passing at apex’s etc. I’m more worried about some of those guys taking me out in an uncontrolled way.

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This is why I won’t bump myself or ask to get bumped to A’s. At least in B’s, most riders are a bit more careful around others and give that 3-6 foot buffer. There’s still some sketchy moves but I feel that as one of the faster riders in B’s that the chance of someone running into me is less (knock on wood). My goal isn’t times rather confidence and comfort

There are a lot of track heroes in A group. The better organizations I've ridden with split intermediate into an A and a B group. It cuts the sessions to fifteen minuets, but I feel the sessions are better spent.

bp_SFV4 said:

There are a lot of track heroes in A group. The better organizations I've ridden with split intermediate into an A and a B group. It cuts the sessions to fifteen minuets, but I feel the sessions are better spent.

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Yup. We do B+ and B-. I bounce from one to the other depending on track.

My experiences here in Australia were the complete opposite. A group is Red group and B is Green. Coming from Green group into Red felt so much safer. Red group riders for the most part, appeared to have more experience with overtaking and doing it in a safe manner where as Green group was like moto3. Possibly a lot to do with the fact there was a lot more racers in Red group that weren't so intent on lap times at all cost. Still get some of those guys in all groups at the end of the day.

Mcv4 said:

My experiences here in Australia were the complete opposite. A group is Red group and B is Green. Coming from Green group into Red felt so much safer. Red group riders for the most part, appeared to have more experience with overtaking and doing it in a safe manner where as Green group was like moto3. Possibly a lot to do with the fact there was a lot more racers in Red group that weren't so intent on lap times at all cost. Still get some of those guys in all groups at the end of the day.

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A (advanced) group in States (at least in California) seems to be more cutthroat than B (intermediate) group. I have friends that ride A and they’re constantly complaining of close passes and the shitshow that they have to deal with. B riders are less experienced but more cautious for the most part. Usually B riders solo crash whereas A riders will cause others to crash (like by chopping lines or close passes). I’ll stay in B’s all day to not have to deal with that nonsense.

The worst guys are the baggers and Harley’s down here, guys who race in those classes bring their bikes to our track days to train, those bikes can’t keep up on the straights so it’s like they are trying to prove something in the corners.

I find that it all depends on the organization that is running things.

We have one company here that makes you start in slow group unless you have raced with an organization in the last couple of years.

They have coaches and spotters on track and will bump people up/down as appropriate. Sessions are rarely red flagged because people are well grouped and aren’t allowed to do dumb .... on track.

Others organizations are a bit of a free for all.

Personally I find the biggest risk being slow riders in the faster groups, the difference in speed can be dangerous. I don’t mind going full throttle close to another rider as much as I do rapidly approaching someone who is cornering at walking pace

Pace difference can be an issue, but general competency and predictability is more important. As long as a rider knows the line and rides smoothly and predictably, overtaking can be safe even when there is dramatic difference in pace

craig bush said:

Pace difference can be an issue, but general competency and predictability is more important. As long as a rider knows the line and rides smoothly and predictably, overtaking can be safe even when there is dramatic difference in pace

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True, and it’s one of the main reasons opt for group A now. I’m one of the slower guys in group A but at least everyone knows the line…also other than a few very fast guys the speed differential between me and the guys faster than me isn’t so much that I can’t use them to pull me around the track a bit.

Although as a relative newcomer to group A I’ve had guys pass me cutting the inside if an Apex and thought to myself: “This guy is awful trusting that I’m gunna hold my line”

My Zero Gravity touring windscreen was looking a little banged up so I finally around to putting on the extra tall Cruciatta windscreen on, the Zero Gravity windscreen is in fact taller for those bigger guys out there needing a bigger screen to tuck behind…I ordered a new one and will put it on when it arrives.

I also installed my Starlane Stealth GP4 lap timer. I had a Carbon Fiber bracket left over from another project so I mounted in on that extending out from my camera bracket.

It works well because you do in fact have to push those buttons fairly hard and in this location I can get a finger under it to pinch it easily for button pushes, also there as mass warning labels about the device not likening direct engine vibration for sustained periods, so I used the rubber vibration absorbing washers and that CF bracket will absorb vibration too.

The unit with the software is pretty easy to upload tracks and download data from.

I like the height of the ZG, but the quality is super sketch compared to WRS.

Does the steering turn?

It does look a bit Halfords.

spooky said:

It does look a bit Halfords.

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injuneeeerin innit

that's a crowded cockpit
I could not live like that

You‘re also missing a bolt