fossilfuel
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Posts posted by fossilfuel
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Nathan,
Nice going....I hope you find the next three as mind blowing. Level three was what did it for me. You have pretty good form maybe you should try racing...good luck mate!
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I think because of the incredible success that Dunlop has brought to racing and street tires, many manufacturers have upped their game in order to get a piece of the pie. The Michelin Power Cup was recommended to me by a friend who loves them. I feel comfortable on Dunlop tires so I'm not switching. Until someone can prove to me that the Michelin's will cut time off my laps, I'm not switching.
As Cobie points out, the Dunlop Q2's are a very good street/track tire. I did a CSS at Laguna Seca in 2009, I think. It was 49 degrees with 50 mph wind gusts...no tire warmers on Q2's. I had a blast. I'm sure Cobie remembers. I have video on Vimeo.
I will be control riding this weekend for a track organization at NOLA Motorsport Park in New Orleans. I'm not looking to set any record pace In "B" or "I" group so I will be using a set of medium compound bridgestone's. My point is that there are several brands that will work just fine for the kind of riding you want to do. Buy something and try them out, They will work perfectly, I'm sure.
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When I described how I apply brake pressure..it's not segmented like I set pressure against the pads then compressing the forks..etc, etc...Its one motion...off the throttle..and squEEEEzzzzz..throttle. Depending on the type of corner the pressure and duration of the squeeze is different but the motion is the same for me.
There are other factors such as fork springs, fluid levels, single or double rotors, tire condition, track conditions and as khp mentioned length and trail of the bike....Braking shouldn't be a scary experience. It should be second nature and it pretty much has to be if you want to go fast. It takes practice...the tools you learn in school...and familiarity with the bike you are riding.
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There is an art to braking....It's just not squeezing the lever and that's it. For me it's applying enough pressure to set the calipers against the pads, then squeezing the lever to compress the forks with linear pressure. As I do this, the action becomes smooth and I transition the weight to the front. This creates feel and control.It takes your mind off the fear of braking hard. The one aspect that brings this all together is looking through the turn. You can go much faster and brake later when you focus through the turn. Practice, practice, practice.
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Congrats Fossil, that sounds like a battle I would have like to have seen!
This was a battle because my line slowed me down more at the apex while his line was a little faster even though I was out braking him. By the time I got to the apex, he was at the apex cutting of my entrance. I either gave it to him or we crashed...simple as that. I had to push really hard and trust the tires.
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I edited the story added the rest...enjoy..I can't write or spell!
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This will most likely be a "to be continued" story. Barber Motorsport Park was the first race of the season for me. I lost two teeth on third gear a few weeks back at NOLA which caused havoc with the tranny and cases of my CBR1000RR. I was more than a little apprehensive about putting it on the track but I had waited long enough to get the season started.
All the usual suspects showed up Friday evening and we commenced putting the canopies together. When we finished, we had 14 motorcycles lined up with chairs and rope lighting to sit around and tell war stories.
Saturday morning was time to get teched and get ready for race practice. The forcast for the day was 60% chance of rain. People were anticipating the worst but nothing happened and the rain held off. The race I was waiting on was the Solo, a 16 lap race for pride. The Heavy weight and medium weight Solo for 1000cc and 600cc bikes. going to eat!
We practiced with no rain and all of us hoped for good weather for the afternoon races. I put a new Dunlop rear tire on the bike for good traction and went out to take a practice lap. I was through the last corner when the engine died. Coasting through the last corner, I tried to it a couple of times but nothing happened. I cut across to the pit wall and looked down at the engine, there was a lot of gas in the belly pan.
We took the bike up to the paddock and found that the fuel line to the injectors had come loose from the pump. By the time we got everything hooked back up the race was done. I had missed the Solo race and probably the only dry of the weekend.
I was very glad this didn't happen during the race. It could have caused harm to myself or other riders. My day was done.
Saturday evening brought a steady rain that lasted into early Sunday morning. My canopy collapsed under the weight of the water, the second one destroyed in the last couple of weeks. This day would bring new challenges as I've never ridden on rain tires. The track was soaked and slick with drizzling rain falling down with more forecast for the day.
I put on rain tires to start the practice sessions. I was in Group 3. A friend and I were in the same class going out. As we waited he turned to me and gave me this advice, "Stay in one gear taller in every turn on the track". I followed that advice as we battled around the track in the rain. We were no more than 0.2 seconds different in our times passing each other back and forth through the session. I was excited and invigorated with this new challenge of riding in the rain.
As my race time got closer, the skies started to clear and the sun came out drying the track in places. I had decided earlier that I was going to ride on slicks and had been watching the weather radar on my phone to try and predict when the next round of rain would come. The 5 minute board was posted and last call for the Senior Super Bike Expert race.
I entered the track and noticed numerous trails of water on sloping corners and seams placing them in my minds eye so that I could change my line if needed. I got to the grid and waited for the starter to give us the one minute board then the green flag. Everyone funneled into turn one carefully feeling for grip and cognizant of each others speed. I was very comfortable on the slicks and was putting down some respectable lap times. The red flag came out. As I entered the pit lane I noticed that I was fourth overall.
A full race restart. This time my start wasn't so great. I had to pass a few riders with the last rider a formidable foe. We battle through some corners where he blocked me going into some apexes. I could out brake him but he had a do or die attitude. I commend him for that. I however wanted to live and fight another day. So I had to make a clean pass and late brake enough to be clear of him at the apex.
My strategy was to go into Charlotte's Web hot and hard on the brakes. I came up the hill hard anticipating his move to the right for a wide arch and got on the throttle hard getting even with him at the mid point between the two turns. I waited for him to brake and clear his line before I squeezed on the brake. The rear of the motorcycle came up and started to sway as I cleared him. One thing that helps in this situation as in most is to have a wide view. Don't be so distracted by the entrance of the turn but to look through it.
I finished the race accomplishing two goals that I had set for myself....A podium in The WERA Expert Class and a 1:37 lap time at Barber.
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"The thing that will determine whether the off track bikes (brake bike, lean bike, etc.) can be used, is whether there is a safe and usable area to run them"
You might be able to squeeze them in the paddock area....LOL! You'll see.
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The 6680 rears are sweet and last multiple track days but the 7704's are worth another 0.5 seconds a lap. I used nothing but the British made N-Tec slicks until I tried the N-TEC USA made 125/80/17 front and the 200/55/17 rear. I love the feel on my 1000 and can put more throttle on earlier. I use the medium compounds front and rear.
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Thanks for bumping this thread EA6BMECH.
I miss my old friend...It has been a long time.
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Hey Buddy. You already have some very nice upgrades (Ohlins). Get a pipe, Bazazz or dynojet ECM with quick shifter and block off the PAIR system on the engine. You can buy the plates on line or make them yourself. good luck.
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Stevo,
We used these tires on our bone stock (except slip on) R6 at Road A for the endurance championship. We came in third. I have ridden on these tires at Jennings JP in 40 - 45 degree temperatures and at NOLA Motorsport park in 40 degree temperatures. They are the real deal....GET THEM.
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I hate that stuff too! I use a petroleum based degreaser to get that stuff off with, wipe it down with a clean rag then re-apply the lubricant you normally use. I like WD-40 but decided to use a manufacturers formulated lubricant, I have a Honda so use Honda's non wax chain lube.
When applying make sure you apply in a fashion that gets lubricant to the o-rings. The o-rings keep dust and dirt off of the wear surfaces of the chain.
It is my opinion that the wax actually helps dirt and particulate adhere to the chain because it is so sticky but that lubricant probably has a long shelf life and keeps the chain lubricated much longer than an oil.
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I weight the outside peg on corner exit to try to get the bike upright faster and get on the throttle faster.
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To rephrase what I think Eirik was saying:
A given motorcycle (say a liter bike) can stop with equal or greater force than it can accelerate. This stopping relies on the narrower tire than the acceleration does. If the bike is stopping with only the front wheel on the ground, and accelerating with only the rear wheel on the ground, each example has the same downforce and it would imply that the amount of traction is not directly related to the contact patch size.
-Sean
It's so nice when somebody can put things in simple terms
If you are going to use the smaller front larger rear scenario shouldn't we take into consideration that the larger contact patch on the rear tire is on the sides of the tire. The weight bias is on the front and it might be true that the amount of front tire contacting the pavement under braking is actually larger than the rear tire under acceleration. Stop a motorcycle at a thirty degree lean angle and accelerate at a thirty degree lean angle and see what differences there are.
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I was told by a famous road racer that won a lot of races, to get traction, to get feel and to make the tires work, he wanted to flex the front tire enough to make it feel like the rim was going into the pavement. This gives me something to shoot for.
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corner speed + tire flex = grip
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Ok - so we did it! Pics below. The stand works brilliantly. Once the axle bar is in place, there's a pin that goes in to prevent it pulling out. The bike is then totally stable and can easily be slid into position.
Sliding the stand under the rear wheel is a little more tricky and I needed to get 2 helpful people to assist. One to hold the bike and front brake/bike, the other to slot the stand under the rear wheel, while I levered the rear wheel up with a bit of wood. Once that obstacle was cleared and the pin in place, we just slid the stand into position and secured it in place with 3 T-bar bolts, which screw into 3 plate metal captives, which we had riveted to the chassis.
The small van size is a real pain, as the stand would be a 1 - man operation, if there were space to simply roll into (as on a trailer). I'll keep bugging my boss for a bigger van!
I think it's great! Nice work...My grandfather had a saying and I think it applies here. The motorcycle in the back of that little van "Looks like a diamond in a goat's a.s!"
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"For example, two bikers approach a corner. Biker A sets his speed early, he's going 60 mph 20 feet before the turn point and when he reaches his turn point, he maintains a steady throttle and tips it in. Biker B is going 65mph 20 feet before the turn point and is still on the brakes. He manages to reach the turn point at 60 mph and tips in off the throttle and off the brakes."
While Biker "A" and "B" were preoccupied with getting in the corner at 60 and 65 mph, Biker "C" came hauling a.s down the inside at 90 initiating maximum braking until he started his tip in on the inside of biker "B".He used trail braking to the apex which shortened his turning radius for the exit. He was able to get on the gas sooner and launched out of the corner leaving biker "A" and "B" to wonder wtf?
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The Pitbull restraint system is the best thing on the market! Period. We have a 7X12 trailer that is loaded for this weekend with 5 motorcycles and a 4 wheeler. You can use every inch of available space if you don't have to strap the bike down....
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I have come to the conclusion that weighting the inside peg is a bad thing. Mainly because it does this to your boots. I have bought stompgrips (and gone on a diet
) to help take some load off!Yes my friend, you have reached a level of riding that few attain. Some people ride for years and not get to this level. You have earned the coveted "Hole In Boot" Badge
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How can you lean to the inside of the bike and not have weight on the inside peg?
I'm not sure you got a full answer on this.
When we are talking about hanging-off, there will be some weight on the inside peg; it's pretty much unavoidable. There is a difference between someone "weighting" the peg and having weight on the peg. Weighting the peg by putting forcing on it is unnecessary, and will not steer the bike effectively. Having a little bit of weight to help support some mass (like your leg) is okay. Most of the body weight should be held onto the bike via the lock-on (by pivoting off the outside peg and wedging the knee/thigh into the tank).
Make sense?
Thanks Pete. My question was rhetorical
You are correct there is a difference in weighting the peg and putting weight on the peg. I have not found any benefit in "weighting pegs" unless it comes as a product of shifting position otherwise it is just a waste of energy. Most racers I know use their inside peg as a pivot for their foot pointing out towards the corner and also as an anchor to get off the bike and leaned in. -
How can you lean to the inside of the bike and not have weight on the inside peg?
) to help take some load off!
You are correct there is a difference in weighting the peg and putting weight on the peg. I have not found any benefit in "weighting pegs" unless it comes as a product of shifting position otherwise it is just a waste of energy. Most racers I know use their inside peg as a pivot for their foot pointing out towards the corner and also as an anchor to get off the bike and leaned in.
No More Lurking Around
in School Questions/General Discussion
Posted
You said those magic words...."2007 R6"....