Goin to the dragstrip

Jack wrote:

irishwill,this is my bike,Geoff on it at Grand Bend 8:30's with him on it; 8:60's with my fat ass.It's currently parked after the camchain broke at the top of 1st. just as the shiftlight came on...ever seen shims returned to sintered powder or 12 piece cams ? It even broke all 4 cam caps...

ouch!!!!...$$$$$

What is your local track and where is it? If there are other street bikes running there, watch them as much as you can. You can pick up things just by paying attention to what they are doing. You'll find a little off the 60 ft. will make a larger difference in the e.t. time, so every little bit helps. Look at it this way...although you have only been riding for a month, you also probably haven't picked up any bad habits either, so listen, watch and learn. Ask questions here or better yet, at the track. Other racers can probably watch and explain things first hand on how and/or what to do to get you going faster. There's a few guys here that can help but having someone there with you would be better to give immediate feedback on what you are doing. But it's also like Irishwill say...nothing beats seat time so get out there and spend time practicing. That's the fun about this sport...practicing.

racer54 wrote:

What is your local track and where is it? If there are other street bikes running there, watch them as much as you can. You can pick up things just by paying attention to what they are doing. You'll find a little off the 60 ft. will make a larger difference in the e.t. time, so every little bit helps. Look at it this way...although you have only been riding for a month, you also probably haven't picked up any bad habits either, so listen, watch and learn. Ask questions here or better yet, at the track. Other racers can probably watch and explain things first hand on how and/or what to do to get you going faster. There's a few guys here that can help but having someone there with you would be better to give immediate feedback on what you are doing. But it's also like Irishwill say...nothing beats seat time so get out there and spend time practicing. That's the fun about this sport...practicing.

US 131 motorsports park. Its in Martin, MI.

Yeah I talked to some guys that were running the real bikes, actually one guy and his son were rollin old school using the kz1000 engines bored out to 1497 cc. He was running 8.80's all night, but said they had them tuned down a little .

He gave me some good advice on launching...but I didn't have the balls to try it yet haha. Also he pointed out not to use all 5 gears, just ride out 4th and it would drop some tenths off my time. Those guys were a great help.

damn 1 month and your in the low 13's you'll get into the 12's no problem. Just remember to keep it off the street.

thompsonmx100 wrote:

damn 1 month and your in the low 13's you'll get into the 12's no problem. Just remember to keep it off the street.

Yeah I had never had the bike over 80mph before I took it to the track, I would hate to be a hypocrite since I always talk about how stupid it is to ride like an idiot... So it was a whole new ball back when I got to get over 100mph

Here is a vid of one of my passes. I think I ran a 13.2 at 101? Or something like that.

Looks like you left the line good! I was there about a month or so ago for the Prostar race. Very nice track. Hope to be making passes next year instead of watching though. By then you will probably be running in the Street Fighter class running about 9.50 e.t.'s. Guy was right about using 4 gears. You will actually run quicker by revving 4th gear out instead of shifting to 5th. You can try going down to a 14T sprocket on the front. It will definitely help but it makes the second shift come real quick. I went from running 15/33 sprockets to 15/35 and picked up about a tenth and a half or so. It's a balance between gearing it low enough to go quicker but not spinning the tire with too low gearing. These bikes can spin their tire quite easily. Try leaving at different rpm's...can make a big difference but it means modulating the clutch/gas more critical. Shift at redline...8500 rpm. Lots of guys will shift higher but I have always ran best shifting at redline. Going higher will usually slow you down to some degree. Set shocks on soft...helps tire plant before spinning when the rear squats on take-off. I usually run about 15 psi in the rear tire...again...depending on what traction is available...all trial and error. Concentrate on getting WOT and getting clutch out as fast as you can...but be careful. Lots of guys get over anxious and they are the ones who either bog or reach for the sky. It's a dance and only practice will tell you how to do it right. Keep your eyes and ears open. You will be amazed at what you can learn by watching and listening...don't be afraid to ask questions.

likes2gofast2009 wrote:

thompsonmx100 wrote:

damn 1 month and your in the low 13's you'll get into the 12's no problem. Just remember to keep it off the street.

Yeah I had never had the bike over 80mph before I took it to the track, I would hate to be a hypocrite since I always talk about how stupid it is to ride like an idiot... So it was a whole new ball back when I got to get over 100mph

now that you've been there imagine a prostreet bike goin 200mph in the same distance....sobering

likes2gofast2009 wrote:

With more practice I am determined to get 12.8...

Oh it is over for him now! He's hooked!

Next stop, big bore, carbs, cams, clutch,electronics, slick.....the list is mind boggling!