Balistic

What I want to know= will the enhanced contact patch really help if it is on the 5.5 rim? = what are some other issues that may arise because of this change. Yes the tire will still "set" when mounted on the narrow (5.5") wheel. you will get the same type of contact patch as the 6.0", the difference is negligible in the tire. You would be more likely to feel the difference in the two wheels and what that width does to the handling than a difference in the tire when mounted on the two wheels. The NT tires are a point and shoot tires, pick it up and nail the throttle type riding. Not fitting to my style of riding, it took a little while to get used to how much of a "set" they take in the middle of a turn. it's like the bike wants to stand up when you get on the gas, I think is from the tire folding to rim in the contact patch and not staying round like the G tech tire did. I have never been very concerned about the size and profile of the tires or the wheel width though there are slight differences in what they do to the bike. Knowing what they are is a long way from being able to gain some advantage from them. Just because the fastest guys use NTs doesn't mean it is the best choice for everyone. If you can come to grips with how much they move to take a set they work very well on the 600s. Will

I have never had a bike with much. I would look at everything to make sure it is straight(axle, tree, triple clamp). One thing I do is with one tube tight and one loose I use the front axle to set the height (when it spins free in both legs). All forks are not the same and a little tention on this dimention could bind the fork up. Will

I never tried to remove the servo. I used the Lio Vince arm. I know if the servo is removed the ECU sees it as an open and codes it. The ECU also cycles the servo on boot to get the open and closed position. Good luck fooling the ECU. Will

I'll see if Will has a suggestion on this. Don't know enough about the 250 clutches to be honest. CF Dry clutchs are very sensitive to heat as they have no oil to carry the heat away. I have seen new clutchs in Superbikes burn the first time they were launched. You can slip the clutch too much. I always try and find an RPM that I can launch the bike and get the clutch out ASAP without bogging the engine. On a 250 I would think 8,000 or 9,000 would be about it. Will

Tim please go get your bike and get it going in a 10' diameter circle to the right at about three MPH. Now you will have a few degrees of lean and the steering turned to the right keeping the bike balanced. First question is what would you do stand the bike up out of the arc? Answer; turn the bars more to the right and it will stand up. Second Question; why would this not work in reverse? Third question is what would you do to tighten the arc? Answer; turn left. This is completely demonstrable and it goes to tracking, you are either steering the front wheel out from under the bike or back under it. This point is why the snow track works with counter steering; you are simply driving the contact patch out from under the ski. Very interestingly they simply put a wheel on the front and it worked just like a bike? The wet bike worked the same way, it is also the reason I suck at Jet Ski’s THEY DO NOT COUNTER STEER. They go the way you point them and I will ride one until I get tired of picking myself out of the water. I understand what you are saying but I simply do not agree that anything less than the action of driving (forward motion) the wheel from one side of the balance to the other is what creates lean angle or manages it. Will

I think you need to think about that one again. Fall to the right and steer to the right by pushing on the left bar. Thats the opposite of countersteering. You were falling to the right so you steered farther into the right to correct, allbeit to make the bike fall back to the left. You're steering in the direction you want the bike to go. Countersteering is steering force applied in the opposite direction. Again you must think of the steering as to where the wheel needs to be pointed to keep the balance as the new center when moving slowly, and not the true center of the wheel being straight ahead. with the bike falling to the right as cobie pointed out a counter steering to the left has already occured and now to chase the balance and catch the bike a counter steering input to the right would be reqired, going past the point that would balance the bike in the arc is where counter steering starts not past where the front wheel is centered but far past it. The balance point is the center of steering when going slow, no matter how far off the True center of steering (wheel pointed straght ahead).

And that one aspect is why I don't like talking about steering using bicycles as examples, the steering inputs are soooo small and the rider outweighs the bike by so much it is easy to confuse the feedback. Keep in mind that the only thing different is the speed and the lean angle, there is no dynamic geometric change in the bike with speed. It will still track exactly the same way at 3mph, 30mph,60mph,ect. Precession in the bike does change with speed, both of the wheels and the engine.

There is one datum that I just can't let go of; Single track vehicles Counter steer. There is no speed at which this is not true. When going slowly you need to think of it in a different way though. Turn to the balance has been the best way I have found to explain it. If the bike is leaning to the left and you want to go straight again you turn into the arc to stand it up. That is counter steering. also if the bike is falling to the left you steer into it , more left until you catch the balance or have to put a foot out. Going slow you will find that the steering is often off center to one side or other, this condition is the new "center" around which another steering input would be measured. So if you are going 5mph and the steering is 20* off to the right as you are going around in a radius if you want to tighten it up you would steer left (19* from center) and if you wanted to stand it up you would turn right (21*off center). My point is counter steering when going slow is real and occurs much of the time off the normal center of the handle bars making it a little harder to think with. As for precession being the guiding force of counter steering I will disagree. I posted above the effect of precession when the front wheel is not in contact with the ground, VERY VERY LITTLE. Noticeable and usable to create minor steering inputs during wheelies. As for timing there is other problem. The wheel must turn before precession is measurable. It is the by-product of changing the plane of the wheel not the driving force of the change. First the steering input then A precessional force, release the input and trail turns the wheel back into track with the rest of bike and another precessional force is measurable. Other than being secondary the precession is trying to not let the wheel turn resisting the motion, not assisting it or much less causing it. Trail is the force that self steers the bike, pointing the front wheel into the turn after the steering input is released.

How to measure the total effect of precession on steering a motorcycle? How about a moto gp bike or superbike that has its front wheel 1 to 4" off the ground and the steering cranked to one side? In this condition the exact effect of precession can be seen as very small. Without the tire on the ground a motorcycle will generate very little steering effect. Being an original squid (wheelie expert) I have played with this effect to control the bike for the last 25 years. With the bike near balance the front wheel slows down quickly. Leaving corners under full power with the wheel just off the ground I have had the steering at the lock many times to the inside trying to get the bike to stand up. It does work, the faster the better. It will only take a couple of times before you get the idea of how little steering effect precession produces with wheel off the ground and full lock steering. I would liken this to the noBS bike and the real effect of "body steering" VS the idea of what it does. Will

WOW! I notice one thing that is common when gyroscopic forces come into play in the steering argument; all geometry goes out the window. the bike leans because the tire has been turned out from under it and it is falling to the ground. When the input into the bars is released Trail steers the front wheel to balance lateral acceleration against gravity. The gyro's in the bike resist any change in plane. the front wheel doesn't want be counter steered and it once turned it doesn't want to turn into the corner either. There certainly are physics at play in the dynamic of the motorcycle but the only contribution to steering is to resist it. Will

I have experiance sliding both dirt and street bikes and I don't use too many of the same techniques to do it. In the dirt I like to snap the bike down with a steering input while using some rear brake and transition to throttle while the rear is already sliding, or use throttle and at the end of a longer turn and pick the bike like a dirt tracker. Neither are motocross style but I am still trying to get that stuff going. On pavment I only use the throttle and most of the slides I get were not intended but welcome never the less. I get a kick out of drifting street bikes but it very expensive if you have to buy your own tires. Im sure some will think of "drifters" in cars but that is for Moto GP guys. What I mean is just the other side of hooked up before it steps out enough to need an adjustment of the throttle or lean angle to keep it up or "loose" as Nascar guys would put it. to put a number on it 1 to 3 inches out of track at full lean. will

I sold it to a guy in the Bay area who does control ridding for track days.

That is without a doubt the worst advice on brake-in I have heard. I don't belive it is possible to hurt a current motor by just jumping on and riding it, even hard. But the idea that you would end up with a better sealing motor is seriously flawed. A typical "drag car" motor is an old school V8 with iron linners, depending on the borring process, the grit of honning, and the use of torque plates you may be able to get a good seal with the first pass but you wouldn't have a 200,000 mile motor either. The idea of running the motor at a certain RPM is to seat the cam and lifters to each other in a V8. At idle the cam doesn't get enough oil and can hurt the hard faceing leading to flat lobes. Motorcycle engins don't suffer from that issue and are in a bath of oil not hanging in mid air with oil dripping from above. Many engine builders (cars) will start an engine with an old cam to seat the rings and pistons with heat cycles before installing the new cam and running the engine at 2,000 + RPM for 20 to 30 minuets. What is good for the cam isn't always best for the pistons and rings. Will

Hi Racer The line drawn through the steering head hitting the ground and a verticle line from the axle hitting the ground is the trail (if the axle line hits behind the head line). You can have the forks at a different angle to the head but whatever the head angle is is the "RAKE". You can see some of the chopper guys using a head angle in the thirties and a fork angle in the fourties trying to get some trail back into them. The shopping cart caster is a good demo but you must keep in mind that it has no rake, a verticle line drawn from the pivit to the ground and one from the axle to the ground would be the trail on a caster wheel. Will

HI Ken and everyone else I read this thread and saw a little thing missed. The trail effect is what is pointing the front wheel. It will point it into the turn to ballance the bike at the lean angle asked for by the rider. Yes some bikes will respond slightly different but caster effect will always point the front wheel and ballance the bike, in a lean or going straight no matter. The rider must CS the bike into a lean but you don't need to "steer" it again to find the ballance once leaned. I will conceed to having to have bar pressure once turned on some bikes to maintain a line but not until you need to, the majority of the steering into the turn after CS is done by trail. Also the biggest cause of needing to hold the bars is a low front tire. CS is also required to get the bike back out of the turn, turning into the corner to get the bike to stand up again. Any CS thread will get to body steering eventually so yes you can throw the bikes ballance off and effect a lean with your body. Done in time with CS is the mose effective way, the heavier the bike the less effective it is. The walking demonstration is a great way to show that a single track vehicle will CS if a lean is enduced. As for the tire width, a rode bicycle handle just like a motorcycle with the same size tires on the front and rear. When I was riding 250 ninjas we would put 130 rear tires on and 120 in front in place of the 110 in front because it would turn easier with the tires closer in size. Will

2003 636 set up to race with spare wheel, spare motor, all street stuff. $7,000.00 firm. Mechanic@superbikeschool.com or 661-917-7578. This bike has done 22s and won 5 class championships in 04 at Willow and is the current Streets track record holder at 1:18.767. 2003 ZX6R 636 Sharkskinz + spare fairing Elka triple clicker Akropovic stainless / Ti K&N filter Graves shark fin Factory pro engine covers Full sliders PC III Dyno jet speed shifter GPR steering damper GP suspension 25 mm superbike fork internals. Graves rear sets Graves Bars Spare motor with Fresh top end. CRG short levers Brake tech 300 mm iron rotors Spare wheels with rotors Stomp grip All street Stuff unused. _________________ It's all about attitude!

I have talked about this on several forums specifically about traction. I weight the inside peg because it is under me, the outside is not. I feel most guys who say they weight the outside peg are doing the pickup drill. If you try to weight the outside peg you inadvertently pick the bike up which does increase traction. Weighting the peg does not increase traction.

There is one problem with this idea and that is how the tire cools. the tire is convecting heat the ground so if the ground is cold the last thing you want to do is give the tire more contact with the cold surface. True lower pressures will build more heat in the tire but on a cold day the result could be a tire that looses heat quicker than it is making it.

I have found a good use for the rear brake a few times. When I have run off and the dirt or grass prohibited using the front much, and once when a head shake pushed the front pads back and I had no front brake at 150 MPH. I didn't know until that moment that I actually KNEW how to use it. I was able in an instant to get enough rear on to have the rear 6 to 8 inches out of track and the bike pointing to where the most pavement I saw was. I got 20 to 30 MPH off the speed before I hit the dirt. That little bit made the difference between an injury that was a hindrance and a ride the ambulance when I hit a chain link fence at about 50, not 70 or 80! It will always a tool little used on my road bike, I have no issue using it all the time on my dirt bike, go figure.

The reason I drop the tire pressure on cold days is that the time between when we check them and when we ride them 7am to 9am you can have a significant change in ambient temp. For every 10 degrees tire pressure will vary 1 pound. At Streets when is still in the 30s at 7am and I know it will be in the 50s when we ride I will ask they be set a couple pounds low. The 208 ZRs work best on the track at 30 front 28 rear, a pound lower than the GPs. As fare as scuffing them in, the correct pressure will be best. The tire when it's new is too smooth to have good grip and you just need to ruff the surface up. This can be tricky as too much lean before they are scuffed and boom. The thing I try to keep in mind is the tire will talk to you when is starting to slide, you need to be slow with turning to find this point. If you lean the bike through the turn and can feel when it is at the point of sliding you can have it scuffed in a few turns. I learned this the hard way as have many others, so my advice to you would be take it slow and try to never lean the bike onto an entirely un-scuffed part of the tire. What that means is the tire will scuff out from the middle as you lean it and the first 20 degrees no issue, then you need to be cautious about adding lean slowly so part of the contact patch is always scuffed(1/2).

Thank you Keith It has been my great honor to show what I have learned from you over the years, my only regret is that I wasn't able to do it sooner (15 years). As for the horse power a good running 750 is 135 horse and I have beaten a couple with 148 horse with at best 118. Power makes you lazy and not having it has kept me on my toes all year. Will

Hi All Just finished the season final at Willow. It was the best weather of the year with the temp near 70 and no wind. The traction was a little off and I never got to really good times, competitive but not my best. The drama for me was just before the race. I was working at Laguna Thursday and Friday and had hoped to get on track and warm up a little. That didn?t happen as a few guys must have thought me bored and sought to keep me busy. They succeeded and I didn?t get to sit down or ride at all. Then I got a ride back instead of driving the truck so I could get home earlier only to leave my car keys in the truck. So at 12:30 am Friday morning I jumped on my bike and rode the hour home. It was 26 degrees at my house so I was quite cold when I arrived. I slept until 7 and took it slow so I could pick my wife?s Christmas present up on the way to the track, her new dirt bike. That went well and when I got to the track I set up my trailer. I had drained all the water since it had been in the 20s for the week. I turned the pump on and the hot water in the bathroom to fill the water heater. That was when the last two days caught up to me, I got distracted and ended up at Dunlop while the water was filling the gray tank and eventually overflowing into the bedroom. After two hours of ringing towels to get the water up out of the carpet my hands were tore up. I finally got out at about three for my first practice session and went right out and hooked up with Siglin on his R1. Boy was I happy, that set the tone for the rest of the weekend and was able to put all the drama out of my head and ride. I was in race one and the last practice session so I skipped the last one and with three sessions between the two days was feeling ready to go. The first race was F-40 and having won every race this year wasn?t worried too much. That only took two turns to change as running third behind Sullenger and Carnabucci, Watts came flying by me and Carnabucci in turn two. I perked right up and got by into third behind watts. I got by him on the front straight and was able to pull a tenth or two a lap on him and got away for the win. Watts had told me that with the temp low and no wind he was looking to being fast and that was the case for sure, the TZ 250s are sooo fast when the air is good. The 650 Superbike race was next and with more than a few riders that were fast I was worried. I got off in third behind Carnabucci and took the lead for the first lap. Going into one Peris came by and I followed him for lap two and into three. He was doing some very strange things in nine and two, trying to square them off and get a big drive and was holding me up with Palazzo right on me. He did it again in two and I drove under him for the lead. I lead until the last lap when Peris came by just before the braking into one. He had seen my relaxed braking and as he chopped in front of me I cut over and went past him still on the gas. I got it shut down and turned and keep it on line but the front was pushing all the way through the apex. I had the rear light up for the rest of the lap and at the flag had pulled about two seconds on him. The biggest win of the season for me as I don?t race with too many AMA guys, that I have beaten anyway. 750 superstock was the race I needed to finish for championship points. I got off in third and was second behind Girard going into eight. I held it on longer and went by into nine. I had my head down and going past the cross flags I looked back and had a good straight as I saw no one. I was going through traffic and with the rear sliding I pulled it back a notch and coming up for the checkered West came by and beat me by a bike. Boy do I need a pit board. He won the race but second was good enough to win the class. I decided that I would race the F-1 race as if I made it to it I would have three finishes and the 750 race out of the way so I could ride the way I needed to. I got off in tenth with the lead group and was up to ninth behind Dowie on the second lap. His bike is fast and every time I passed him he went right back by. I took until lap five for him to get by Pfeiffer and then another three for me to get by him and make it stick. Dowie had a two second gap on me and in just over a lap I had reeled him in. I caught him sleeping but he wasn?t ready to give the spot up and we went back and forth for the rest of the race. With 180+ horse I didn?t have a chance of getting away from him and catching the battle for sixth, two seconds in front of us. I suddenly remembered why I don?t like racing a 600 in the open class at willow. I had no illusions going into the race as with double money all the fast guys came out. I was hoping to get into the top ten and I made that, not to mention a 12 laps as fast as I could ride. Mission accomplished. F-2 was next and would Watts would be tough but Lane picked it up and I was following Watts in third. I much prefer second and Watts and I went back and fourth for the first four laps. Watts got by lane and I followed lane by watts going into one on the fifth lap. Coming to the white flag I get by Watts going into eight and stuffed it under Lane going into nine. The three of us were never more than a few bike lengths apart and the race was so exciting that the flag man gave a second set of cross flags in stead of the white flag. I kept my head down and took the win with Watts second. It was the best race I have ever been in with constant passing no time to set up a good pass could be had, it was just a slug fest. My last race was 750 mod prod. And I got off behind Girard. He has ridden well this year but has not been a threat past the first lap. Today was different as he was on fire. I passed him in nine on the first lap and he came right back by on the straight. I got him at the exit of eight on the second lap and he came by again, ohoh. Now I was thinking I had to get by before eight to keep it and ran a wide line into three so I could get the gas on soon. I had pulled this pass on Dowie earlier in the day, I got up by him going into four and he held his speed. He is the only rider all year that has gone through four side by side with me and I was hoping he would give me enough room on the outside, he did and that was the race winning pass. I was able to stay in front going into one and pull away for the win. I started the year hoping to bring a couple of class championships and a top ten overall. What I finished with was ALL FIVE CLASS CHAMPIONSHIPS 750 Superstock, 750 Mod. Prod., 650 Superbike, F-2, F-40 light. AND SECOND OVERALL. It my great honor to bring these results to the California Superbike School as proof that a 200 pound old guy can do good with the right coach, KEITH CODE! Four wins and a second in my classes with a top ten in F-1, a very good weekend and a great way to end the year. On the year In 63 starts I have 40 wins, 12 seconds, 5 thirds, 1 fourth, 1 seventh ( what color is the checkered), 1 eighth ( December F-1, first 600) one 17th ( Toyota 200, after running as high as seventh), And two DNFs ( one in Vegas with contact when passing for the lead caused a head shake and no brakes at 150 mph, the other when I through it away on a warm-up lap). I never thought I could have such a good year and it was only possible with the help I get from the people who support me with parts, entry fee?s, suspension work, Time of work, and a wife and kid?s that allow me to spend every penny on the pursuit of points. Thank you All.

That's Great. Keep posting your results. Where is the track in Nashville? Will

The funny thing is doesn't that article make it seem as if Mr. Trevett has gained a skill far above the average racer? Funny how his race results speak to the same. If that seems harsh I am still chapped about the Steering article he did a while back, it was equally flawed in logic. Will

Hi All I had an interesting weekend to say the least. The weather was great on Friday but not having had any time to work on my bike and trying to fit everything into a smaller trailer, I showed up and had to fit all the bodywork I had just painted. I had the bike together by noon and went out but on the first lap I knew something was very wrong. At about half throttle it would just stop making power and after two laps I pulled in. I talked to Louie at L&L and he confirmed what I thought, the fuel pump. I put the tank off Keith?s bike and sure enough it ran. I had a new leaner map made for the 200 and it was still in the bike so Louie did a new full map, and it ran great. I was now OK with the bike running but when I took the suspect pump apart I found that small oversights when doing the prep for the last two paint jobs were in fact the cause of the failure and the pump was fine after a thorough cleaning. I went out to dinner in Rosamond with my wife and kids and when we walked out the restaurant it like getting off a plane in a different part of the country. It was calm and 60 degrees when we entered at 6pm but when we came out at 8pm it was 45 degrees and wind was blowing 15 to 25 MPH. by the time we got back to the track it was starting to rain and I had just enough time to get the rest of my stuff in before it got wet. Sunday morning was COLD! I would say right at freezing as the ice on the windows would suggest. I went out in the first practice and by the time I pulled in my neck was stinging from the cold. Being in race two and still needing to change brake pads I sat out the second practice and shortly after that decision was the day started going wrong. Someone blew a motor and put oil down from before start finish to the apex of one where they went down, at least a quarter mile. So they called the riders meeting then in the middle of practice to try and get something done in the down time. The other two practice sessions went off well and they called the race one. On the second or third lap another motor let go in nine and put oil down from the middle of the short shoot at the exit of eight to just before the apex of nine and took two other riders down before the flags could be thrown. So another red flag and long delay for cleanup. They called race two about noon and I got the hole shot and lead across the line on the fist lap when the red flag came out again. A rider had gotten into a tankslaper coming out of six and the bike was laying at the entrance of eight. He was injured and it took a half hour to get him into the ambulance and clear the track. The bad part was the entire time the crash truck workers were assisting / watching the EMTs and the bike had been left lying on it's side leaking oil. Now after another long delay to clean up oil we were called out again at about 1 pm for race TWO!!!! I got off in third behind Michael Beck and Mickey Lane. I got by lane on the outside of two and set Beck up at the exit of six passing him in seven. I knew Palazzo was back there and I put my head down as best I could. The problem was just at the restart it had started to sprinkle and then during the race to snow. I could see the water and snow on my face shield but the track wasn't getting dark. I was having a real problem going down the straights and seeing the water off my shield thinking of grabbing the brakes????? On the third lap of four Beck caught me in four and I hammered it through six, seven, eight, and nine and pulled out for the win. A tough race to stay up for considering the changing conditions and a big victory as Palazzo finished fourth. They got race three started and I was changing tires when I heard the red flag was out again. After another half hour delay and the event was called by the race director. To my knowledge the WSMC has not called a race before that could have been run. We have run in colder, wetter, windier conditions. We have had races where as many crashed too, and still ran. So on a day that my skills and desire to win were matched to the task at hand all but the slimmest of chance to be the overall champion have been taken from me. I would have been much happier to have lost the chance on the track rather than in the pits. Thanks to all who helped me, Keith Code and the California Superbike School, Kawasaki, Dunlop, Silkolene, AGV Sports, KBC Helmets, Lockhart Phillips, Sharkskinz, Elka Shocks, GP Suspension, Factory Pro Tuning, Graves Motorsports, Ferodo Brakes/Brake Tech, Kyle Racing, Sato Exhaust, Mackie's, L&L Motorsports, Pit Bull, Yin's TKD, Stompgrip. Will Eikenberry WSMC # 87 CCS Pacific # 63