Since you are making it a track-only bike, I would HIGHLY suggest eliminating the side-stand. There is no good that can come from leaving it on the bike.
Definitely keep the radiator fan though.
Since you are making it a track-only bike, I would HIGHLY suggest eliminating the side-stand. There is no good that can come from leaving it on the bike.
Definitely keep the radiator fan though.
Can you guys enlighten me as to what I will need when I eliminate the headlights and tail-lights as I progress with my track-bike conversion? I want the bike to operate without any error codes appearing on the dash.
(I plan to keep the side-stand and radiator fan.)
Links to products would be ideal.
Thanks in advance.
Styler,
If you are going track-only, you may as well go all the way and install a bellypan in case you want to race. That is what I did, and it required the removal of the radiator fan. Wilkson also removed his, and it really shouldn't be an issue for a track only. It's in this huge plastic housing that is attached to the servo motor for the exhaust butterfly as well. Felt good pulling all that crap out from under there!
I'm also curious why Chris recommends you keep it?
For convenience without a kickstand, get a Baxley wheel chock to ride into at the pits! I thought I would really miss the kickstand but it hasn't been a big deal at all. I'm super curious how much weight I've saved doing the race conversion, my "stock parts crap pile" is getting pretty large and some of this .... is surprisingly heavy.
When you pull the headlight out, don't forget about the air temp sensor. It's attached to the headlight housing and measures the temps of the air going into the airbox. I just zip tied it up with everything else (it's just a black plug looking thing) until I realized what it was. You'll need to drill a hole for it so that it sticks down through the airtube that comes with the race fairings.
As noted above, I purchased some Titanium Caliper bolts for the1199. Well, they came today.
They are very light weight, hollow and pre-drilled for safety wiring (Item# TIT6QA2973).
They are beautifully made and extremely light weight; but, unfortunately, and contrary to the guidance provided on Podium Racing's web site, these bolts do not frigging fit the Panigale; they are too long.
(See pic, OEM on the bottom, Item TIT6QA2973 on the top)
Anyway, I'll see if Podium Racing has the proper hardware and If so, I'll exchange for bolts of the proper length (approximately 2-and-3/8ths inches, see Pic) and let you know the item number.
Why is the radiator fan so important on a track-only bike?
I haven't yet tested the racing mod radiator I got installed over the winter but was constantly above 100 cels with the stock radiator and fan riding lightly... And had the fan removed from all my previous trackbikes with no issues as a consequence.
I understand the risk; it's just that the side-stand is just so damn convenient. What I've done thus far is use the side stand when the bike is in the garage and moving it to and from the track, but zip-tie it up during the track day.
Nonetheless, I will consider your advice. Thanks.
Because there are many times when you are sitting on hot pit (or on the grid when talking about racing) for an extended period of time. You cant always leave your pit and make it on to the track, then make it all the way back to your pit, without stopping for an extended period of time.
The miniscule amount of weight you will save my removing the fan is nothing compared to the stress and risk of overheating your bike.
With that being said, I guess it also depends on where you are. I race in the Southeastern US and regularly see ambient temps of 95-100deg F and track temps of 130deg F (approximately 37deg and 54deg Cel respectively). The bike will overheat in a matter of a few minutes without a fan. Few racers down here remove the fans.
Were they able to leave your radiator fan on and still fit the bellypan, did you notice when you had the bike?
I was not able to keep mine, and everyone else I've encountered has had to remove theirs as well to fit the pan. It's all pretty tight down there on the pani..
The miniscule amount of weight you will save my removing the fan is nothing compared to the stress and risk of overheating your bike.