AFM Racing at Infineon 08/01/10

u are obviously all over this Corey.
good to hear u are on the right track.
does your class restrict u to the conventional forks, or do u have a particular reason for keeping them ?

Just running the front suspension and wheels like that this year, then as the other picutre shows of the green/white/and black bike, it will change into that bfore the start of next season. 2006-2008 Kawasaki Ninja EX650.

No suspension limits in Super Dinosaur, just the engine and frame that came with it, updating, and back-dating allowed, and there aren't any modification limits. Whatever I can punch the 550cc engine out to. it's already 615cc and that's where it will stay. I have a set of 478-60(lever 3) Megacycle Cams I'll be installing over the winter as well, and have bigger carbs(CV30s now, and CV32s if needed) to go with it. No turbo's or nitrous(:blush: ). Short of buying another "race" bike, I'll turn this one into something that's already been proven. No need to reinvent the wheel. It still gets looks, but not as much as Ed's Z1. If I can some-what pace with him, I'll be very satisfied. he has a good 8 years on me I think. :S

Going from 18" wheels to 17" wheels will be so much better, and the fact that I can run slicks(none available for the 18" wheel) will open doors for many choices of race tires.

so the reason u are changing to those shocks is that they have been used successfully before. thats a pretty good reason.
do u know if the upright forks have any favorable characteristics that the usd forks may have lost.
all i know about the usd forks is they are supposed to have less flex and had a cartridge type inner works . i dont know if the cartridge was avail in any of the upright forks or if it is only conducive to the usd fork. my limited knowledge says they are supposed to be better but don't know why ? more adjustable maybe ?

Correct. I am changing the stock shocks, for an upgrade from the 35mm to 41mm, and also because there is newer technology from 1984 to 2006 inside. I can upgrade the guts inside with Race Tech Equipment.

The 650 triple clamps will not directly bolt on ,as they will need t be machined to fit my frame. The rear wheel will need to be machined to fit within my swingarm, AND line up to the front sprocket, AND allow the 650 rear brake caliper bracket to be used. 3/4" difference from my current rear wheel disc to sprocket, and the 650 set-up. I know a guy at work that will be looking at doing this machining for me.

All of this leg work has been done by MOMBA2, so it's not uncharted territory. I'd like to race with a budget . . . eventually, and having upgraded wheels, tires, brakes, and front suspension, will add to the engine, and rear suspension I already have. The rest will be all tuning , and rider. I could probably use USD Forks, but this system has been proven in AHRMA on that bike, so I'll be going with it.

I have a friend that has a 2006 that wants to upgrade his front end, so there's all of the parts I need.

That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

Nice work Corey.
Looks like a blast.
Your GPz is looking good too.

Thanks rstnick. I'm 45 and having a great time racing. :woohoo: Remember it's only for a $30.00 trophy, so if you've been thinking about doing it, give it a try.

CoreyClough wrote:

Thanks rstnick. I'm 45 and having a great time racing. :woohoo: Remember it's only for a $30.00 trophy, so if you've been thinking about doing it, give it a try.

u mean u can win some serious hardware!!!
glad to hear that u have a great plan Corey.
i'm sure it will be worth the effort and cost.
i would think u should notice the dif quite a bit, i know the braking will feel so much better for sure.
just dont do what i did. keep booth wheels on the track.
good luck.

You bet Mark. My wife says I can race as long as I don't finish last all the time. I don't, but want to be above mid-pack. Racing against modern sportbikes, with my bike, has it's disadvantages, but it's all for fun.

Will keep you posted on the progress.

last year i ran mich pilot sports, but that seemed to wear in an odd pattern, the front tire was cupping, or scalping on the sides. i ran Dunlop road masters on the kz this year.this is a sport touring tire.
i was able to scrape the cases without any signs of tire slippage what so ever (during hot summer weather).
after crashing (on cold tires and track), i'm thinking i should try slicks.
prior to the crash, i felt that slicks were unnecessary, since i wasnt feeling any traction loss at full lean. now i'm thinking the extra traction would act as a greater safety margin.
as an armature, i find myself making mistakes,and the bike saves my ass,especial when i ride my cbr6. the cbr is a lot more confidence inspiring than the kz. the kz will dance a bit when under stress from load and bumps. i now feel that the easiest place to make a mistake is over braking. i tend to brake too hard i think, or maybe i should say that i am not smooth enough at times ( that would be more accurate), and this can add extra load in the traction department. so the more traction i have the less likely i am to go down.
just thought i would share this with u. what is your thought on tire choice, any advice?

I only have experience with Avon DOT Race Tires, as that's all I can get for my stock 18" wheels. I am looking forward to using slicks with the other tires. For the record, the Avons have lasted a long time, and are still gripping, even when I have lean angles like this:


Can't wait to give slicks a try.

I never ran street tires on the track again, after my first track weekend.

CoreyClough wrote:

I only have experience with Avon DOT Race Tires, as that's all I can get for my stock 18" wheels. I am looking forward to using slicks with the other tires. For the record, the Avons have lasted a long time, and are still gripping,

Can't wait to give slicks a try.

I never ran street tires on the track again, after my first track weekend.

whats the dif between the Avon DOT Race Tires and slicks ? i thought they were the same ?

Slicks don't have any tread pattern, where DOT Race Tires do.