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From The Showroom To The Superbike School


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I have run older bikes for quite some time and never had any issues. All of a sudden out of nowhere I have managed to run into horrid luck with 5 of them all at once. The end of May is coming really fast and i don't want to miss an opportunity to get some learning done. And I don't want to be learning about how quickly the floorboards on my Harley wear out. :)

 

I called my local BMW dealer and they have 2 S1000RR's in stock. I got pre approved for financing and all I would have to do is sign on the dotted line and have a bike that afternoon.

 

Then I started thinking and realized it's not quite that easy. There's the 600 mile service where the bike does not rev over 9K. That mileage needs to be in short cycles rather than all at once to break in the engine. There's tires, rear sets and suspension setup.

 

So my questions.

 

1. Do you think I'm crazy trying to accomplish this all in less than 20 days?

2. Whats a decent pair of rearsets for the S1000RR compatible with the quick shifter?

3. Should I bother running the stock Metzler Tracktec's tires on the S1000RR on the track or just go straight to Q3's?

4. Anything else I should consider?

 

I'm stubborn and hard headed and do plan to keep the old bikes around. The BMW will be the bike I can ride anywhere and always count on. With Heated grips and all the bells and whistles it seems to do everything well.

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Sounds like a good problem to have. 600 miles in 20 days is 30 miles/day... Doable. Rear sets are nice but not required, I like Woodcraft. If anything, I'd put Stomp Grip on the tank. Your stock tires will work fine especially since you're riding about 80% at the school for learning purposes but if you would have your attention on them, get Q3s. Will should be able to mount them for you the first morning but call ahead first. A stock S1000RR is plenty for the school, and even nearly all riders at max pace. You should be just fine. Call the school on Monday about the discount. See you there!

 

Benny

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For what its worth, the school breaks in their bikes pretty much non stop over the course of a single day at the track.

 

Theres really no reason you can't take a bone stock S1000RR to a CSS school, I believe the schools bikes are pretty much stock, with the exception of the bodywork, some sliders, case guards and stomp grips. All the other trick bits and performance upgrades are nice, but not required.

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The salesman I talked to was telling me that heat cycles were good for the engine. If I end up picking up one I'll probably try to do a lot of heat cycles. I took the week of the school off so I have more than enough time to get 600 miles in. I could probably do 600 miles in one day get it serviced and then get some heat cycles in under 9k after they turn off the rev limiter.

 

I'll have to give the school a call and see if they have any info on the discount. The dealer does not seem to know much about it yet. I remember getting something in the mail about it. I'll have to dig that out.

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I guess one of the coaches can help you out regarding the discount.It would probably help if one of them [ Cobie perhaps, or someone at the office ] got in touch with your dealer directly for quicker results.

 

Regarding breaking in, if you have some friends you can trust, the break in can be done fairly easily in days or a week at most.I recommend you change oil within the first 50 km, then at 150-200 km, and again at 500km.Any debris should be cleared out quickly.Also, take the bike upto 70-80% of the redline in say second, shift up, again 70-80% of the redline, shift up etc upto 4th or 5th gear.Then [ Important part ] shut off the throttle and let the bike slow down via engine breaking.Downshift without blipping the throttle all the way to 1st.Repeat this process until the first 50km.Change oil, repeat this process until 150 km [ 100 miles say ] and then run in as normal.

 

This process helps set the rings best.

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The salesman I talked to was telling me that heat cycles were good for the engine. If I end up picking up one I'll probably try to do a lot of heat cycles. I took the week of the school off so I have more than enough time to get 600 miles in. I could probably do 600 miles in one day get it serviced and then get some heat cycles in under 9k after they turn off the rev limiter.

 

I'll have to give the school a call and see if they have any info on the discount. The dealer does not seem to know much about it yet. I remember getting something in the mail about it. I'll have to dig that out.

 

As far as the engine needing heat cyles- completely false.

 

Here is what I would do;

ride the bike with high engine loads, once up to temp of riding it easily ~ not hard, but high engine loads which means hard accelration and lots of engine braking, but for short bursts in the 5k-9k band, to seat the rings really well for about 20-25 miles total only starting it that single time. Change the oil and filter to remove all assembly debris from the machining and honing process as there is always plenty of it left behind as soon as you return while the engine and oil is hot and let it drain for a good long while. Install fresh oi of chosing and new filter, look over the bike well for anyhting and everything and adjust as necessary

Then ride the bike as per "normal" from there on out, no doubt I would want the 9000 rpm limiter removed before a day at CSS but it wouldn't be the end of the world if it wasn't..

However since you have the 20 days, you surely could get the 600 miles on, but can/will the dealer do the service and get it back to you in time for you to acclimate and do whatever you want with the bike? ie tank grips, suspension set up etc...

 

Oh and Raceteks are a damn fine tire, so I doubt you would have any issue running those at full pace for CSS

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Hey. Thanks for the info on the tires. I can't see BMW sticking such a powerful bike on bad tires but.... :)

 

In all reality I "could" run the bike right off the showroom floor. That may be what I end up doing. The most important thing of course is to get it in for the 600 mile service.

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Just so y'all know, Robert - the original poster in this thread - is not new to the school, he is a Level 4 student. He does know the pace and routine of the school and will be riding at a fair pace!

 

I agree that you could finish the break-in at the school - keeping it under 9k is probably not a real hardship at Barber, you'd just have to be mindful of it on the main straightaway.

 

Getting some frame sliders on would be a priority for me if I was taking a brand new bike tothe track, they should be relatively easy to add and they are nice to have, just in case.

 

Call the office about the BMW discount, they have the most info on the discount, the coaches don't get much detail on that.

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I have a two month S1000RR that I've already put over 2,000 miles on so getting your break mileage in a week or two is really possible depending on your availability to ride it. I did mine in two weeks and that included 4 days when there was snow everywhere. My bike came with Conti Sport Attack 2 tires which are OK so the very first thing I did was a set of frame sliders and case savers - as Hotfoot said, just in case.

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Completely forgot about the frame sliders and case savers. Thanks for the reminder Hotfoot and PittsDriver!

 

As for keeping it under 9k that's probably true. You could stay in 3rd gear and still be faster than what I'm used to riding. :)

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So it looks like my post earlier didn't make it but yeah all a ok with the frame sliders I got the ....can't thing of the name but they're no cut sliders (no cuts to the fairing- they saved my bike in the crash a little while ago...not hardly a dent on them although I had to replace some plastic with carbon fiber...nothing but joy for me in that!) and I highly recommend at least an Cox oil cooler and probably radiator cover too. Thanks for letting me know about the discount. Nic

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Just an update here. I called the school's office about the discount and it was a limited time thing that had expired. My guy at the dealership is getting in contact with BMW directly to see if there's anything else out there discount wise for school students. I'll post any information I get in my purchase process to the forum.

 

I'm still waiting to hear back from the dealership but if things go well I may be taking delivery this week. :)

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Just an update here. I called the school's office about the discount and it was a limited time thing that had expired. My guy at the dealership is getting in contact with BMW directly to see if there's anything else out there discount wise for school students. I'll post any information I get in my purchase process to the forum.

 

I'm still waiting to hear back from the dealership but if things go well I may be taking delivery this week. :)

 

Oh, another thing to do would be to have the dealership help you set the sag on the bike - you'll want your leathers and helmet with you to get the right weight on the bike for the setup.

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It's a done deal. Signed the paperwork during my lunch break and should be picking the bike up tomorrow after they PDI the bike and put the tires on it. The dealer put Q3's on it for next to free. Probably the MOST easy vehicle purchase ever.

 

The dealer that I'm working with is very familiar with track oriented motorcycles and is regularly visited by Nate Kern one of the BMW test riders. Nate was actually in the showroom while I was filling out my paperwork.

 

http://www.bmwma.com/we-prepare-Nate-race-bike-for-the-track--race_bike

 

I'm going to get my 600 miles in as quickly as I can and go ahead and start picking out accessories such as frame sliders and other stuff and get them on order so when the service comes around I can get everything taken care of in one shot.

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Just an update here. I called the school's office about the discount and it was a limited time thing that had expired. My guy at the dealership is getting in contact with BMW directly to see if there's anything else out there discount wise for school students. I'll post any information I get in my purchase process to the forum.

 

I'm still waiting to hear back from the dealership but if things go well I may be taking delivery this week. :)

 

Oh, another thing to do would be to have the dealership help you set the sag on the bike - you'll want your leathers and helmet with you to get the right weight on the bike for the setup.

 

 

Yeah. I was going to bring it to Traxxion Dynamics but I like the idea of one stop shopping as well. I might get the dealer to take care of it for me.

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It's a done deal. Signed the paperwork during my lunch break and should be picking the bike up tomorrow after they PDI the bike and put the tires on it. The dealer put Q3's on it for next to free. Probably the MOST easy vehicle purchase ever.

 

The dealer that I'm working with is very familiar with track oriented motorcycles and is regularly visited by Nate Kern one of the BMW test riders. Nate was actually in the showroom while I was filling out my paperwork.

 

http://www.bmwma.com/we-prepare-Nate-race-bike-for-the-track--race_bike

 

I'm going to get my 600 miles in as quickly as I can and go ahead and start picking out accessories such as frame sliders and other stuff and get them on order so when the service comes around I can get everything taken care of in one shot.

 

 

GOOD, I'm glad you got those Q3s on, so you know what you've got under you; I don't know much about those stock tires you mentioned but I know the Q3s will be GREAT. Glad to hear your dealership is knowledgeable on race bikes, that is a really nice bonus and will come in handy when it is time to fully track-prep the bike with fairings and safety wire and all the stuff you need to pass tech for other track day/race organizations. CONGRATULATIONS, I look forward to seeing your new ride!

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Congrats on the new toy. So, which CSS day are you signed up for?

 

BTW, I managed to put on 600 miles on my 2012 S1000RR within the first 2x wkends for the break in service prior to my first track day...very doable, just make sure to schedule an appointment with the dealership ahead of time. I love my Q3's, but the stock Metzlers are also great tires (at fast intermediate or slow advance pace)...they are comparable to Pirelli Supercorsa SP's (street tires), but were prone damage from road hazard.

 

IRT the sliders, I currently have the R&G no-cut frame sliders, but will likely swap them out for the Woodcraft sliders (requires a small cut into one of the side fairings)...they are low profile, more streamlined and bolt directly into the frame without an offset. I use the R&G case savers and like their look and function. As for rearsets, I've used Sato and Woodcraft in the past, but currently have Attack Performance rearsets. If on a budget, woodcraft rearsets are great, otherwise I'd opt for Attack Perfomance over Sato. If you haven't already found it, S1000RRforum is a great place to learn about the bike.

 

Cheers,

Majdi

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Thanks guys.

 

Knowing a bit about the tires is helpful. I'm sure those Metzlers are decent but I was clueless about how much pressure to set them at. The Q3's are a more known quantity and something I can have a bit more faith in. I need lots of faith. :)

 

I need to go ahead and get those parts on their way "just in case". I'll make up my mind here soon. Worse comes to worse the stock stuff is not "that" bad.

 

As for "Pics or it did not happen". This is the one that the salesman sent me when I called him on the phone. My actual bike was still in their storage area and has not done it's PDI yet. I could not make up my mind between the BMW racing color scheme and the red black and white. Seeing the bikes next to one another made it easy. Went with the BMW racing colors. I'll get photos of the actual bike when I go to pick it up. In retrospect I could kick myself for not getting a shot of it covered in plastic. :/

 

unnamed.jpg

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Been peeking in there for info already. Going to lurk for a bit and you might see me there shortly. :)

 

Oh and I missed a question.

 

"So, which CSS day are you signed up for?"

 

Friday the 30th and Saturday the 31st for the one day schools. I can't wait!!

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r, I'm going May 20th Hurrah! I posted a NJMP May 20 thread that's up and easy to see. I'm going a little crazy getting ready for it and also doing some organizing for the Long Island Sport Bike Meetup Group. We have lots of sport bike meetup groups up here in NYC Metro and slowly by slowly I'm getting more comfortable riding in them. Young people get the bikes and know so little about them its scary so I've decided to try to carry the message from the School. It's given me so much and its a good way for me to give to my community. Also, one of my buddies has an idea for a regional track out here on L.I. Our nearest one is four hours away. Its a heck of a tough political battle but again...its a long term project. If the School threw some of its considerable weight on the project...??? OC is the place to be if ur a serious motorcycle rider. I would move there in a heartbeat if I could cause I like the weather, mountains, and whole mystique and pace of the area too. rchase, u are going to have so much fun on ur S1k. Congrats and all the best! Oh, by the way, maybe there are a lot of them out by u but my bike afforded me instant celebrity status. Prepare yourself and thanks for the link and info about Nate Kern. Nic

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