LOL --AFAIK, when you screw up the title of the thread, there is no changing back.

I fixed it for ya...

Think smooth not fast. Look way out ahead and that will begin to show you this next trick.

Good stuff, Hub. -bg

WOW!!

Hub posted in a thread......and I didn't need to scroll back up even once!

Very good advice too Hub, that's what it's all about.

Thanks for the pointers Hub. Track day is day after tommorow. Probably, I will just be taking out ~1/4" of chain slack since I installed it quite loose. Change oil and call it good to go. I'll get the video recording ready. There is a mess of other details I could try to iron out but I think I will just go and have fun this first time.

1. You roll that bike out like it is. All those brake hoses and pads are not what you are going out for.

If you aimed where s/he was, they won't show up there again

8. Throw a foot out and feel that ground take the boots first. Pull your foot in and now feel a peg stab the tarmac.

9. The idea is not to pace with anyone but to run your own best, comfortable feel for speed.

* Last updated by: Rook on 6/6/2011 @ 10:26 AM *

Have fun, Rook! Anxious to hear how you like it... -bg

Rear sets? OK, here is the deal. How much they give you in laps, don't worry about that swapping back and forth trying to heat up tires. Just run a slow pace and learn the track. Not that stupid tire warmers are for the flag get some slide in so you can pull it back or catch it and correct it.

First thing you'll do it tag a hole in the covers if not the fairing first. If you have the fairings on, the better. You feel it hit, I doubt your pegs will hit first. That sets your limit if you ride parallel with the axle think. You'll ride straight up leaned over.

It's all about that curve learn, not that hanging off shit. Your first session should be track line orientation. Say you are a quick learn on the lines, feel comfortable around the track. It is again, not about hanging off the bike and wasting a day that way.

This is more that eye out to the next turn to smooth it out. Ride more in an instinctive way not chasing brake markers. Squids chase markers. Chase the instinct to pull the trigger to slow down. That way, you come around again, it doesn't seem you were going that fast through there and you picked up something about that dive going in.

We are no longer on the street and you can hold that throttle a lot longer down the straights. That is where you kind of lift and don't sit up in that wind or it will pull you off the bike. Take a lift and stay tucked till you find the engine will slow you down.

Get that oil level right so it air brakes on lift. Grunts out of the turn. Too much to cover. Just think smooth and don't think at all. Yeah, just ride do not think. Look out and aim for smooth whipsawing yourselfun times ahead! Ask, bg about how slow he was riding all this time and now it's a night and day difference.

Speed is addicting. Now don't start crying you can't get off the track.
Attack it like no tomorrow!

If you have the fairings on, the better. You feel it hit, I doubt your pegs will hit first.

That's what they say. I've heard of lowers dragging at the track and some remove them for that reason but as you say, it can be a good warning system. Lowers are probably not too expensive to replace.

Weather forecast for the 8th is light showers in morning and 90 in the afternoon. I guess I will be getting my leathers wet but I couldn't ask for anything better than hot asphalt to grab those tires.

May be just me, but on the 600 and 750 i rode on the roadcourse, i hardly ever hit the brakes.. Mostly all engine braking

In fact, there's a motorcycle track day at my local (100 miles lol) track on the 19th. And as far as i can tell i have no plans... Hmmmmm

May be just me, but on the 600 and 750 i rode on the roadcourse, i hardly ever hit the brakes.. Mostly all engine braking

You could be right. I don't brake much sport riding on the street. I can see how hard braking might come into play in track riding when you are pushing to trim lap times by the last little bit. I'm pretty sure I won't be worrying about that yet.

Catch what Slow said. No brakes! Remember I told you forget the braided lines and race pucks? That is called, time it in. If you saw that mustank incident, watch the forks climb taking out that car. It was more timed-throttle-no-brakes; deliberately timing the truck bumper.

It's a 100% commitment taking out that mushtank in the 'timing of it.' No brakes needed having that high speed timing thing.

Are you talking about Hallett slow? If so I'll be there!

you just need some of these Rook!

i hardly ever hit the brakes.. Mostly all engine braking

Good idea while learning the track (finding the racing line) -- maybe for your first session... You probably shouldn't be going fast enough to need the brakes, except maybe at the end of a long straight. -bg

Jeff01ss

Are you talking about Hallett slow? If so I'll be there!

Yep! I've been a couple of times. Thinking about taking the big beast out there to see how slow i can go on it! lol

BG, there were a few corners off the long straights where you lay into the brakes, but for the most part (at least at our track) engine braking was the way to go. I actually went slower on the 750 i rode, it wasn't geared as aggressive as the 600 so engine braking had less of an effect.

BG, there were a few corners off the long straights where you lay into the brakes, but for the most part (at least at our track) engine braking was the way to go.

I now use the front brake VERY heavily all around the track, but that's after 6 or 8 track days spent learning the track. I was just suggesting that first time out, you probably shouldn't be going fast enough to need much braking outside of the engine braking.

It's all good... -bg

well if you show up I'll see you there....there is a good size group of us coming from Springfield. My wife is impatiently waiting to get her new 600RR out there. I think it will be the first time they've had 2 14's out there.

you probably shouldn't be going fast enough to need much braking outside of the engine braking.

Probably.......yes. But not necessarily. I didnt think to feel the rotors right after each session but after the bike sat for 15-20 minutes I touched then]m all. The back was a little warm and the fronts were cool. Noticed the back gets hotter on the street, too.

I got up to 130 on the front stretch right before turn so I was on the brakes hard to slow to 40-50 mph to make turn 1. I used brakes a lot after the first session. Second session the back wiggled all over on me after 3 laps. I lost control downshifting and wiggled off into the weeds twice. Once on turn 6 and another time on turn 7. Have video. Very scary. Quite fortunate to have kept the 14 up on the second off. That scared the crap out of me for the next session. I stopped pushing that hard. Still managed to scrape exhaust at least two times. Same spot. The lowers never got touched. The tires cooked. Lots of fun and encouraging people who I pitted with. They were all expert class so I we did not ride together but they helped me out with tools and suggestions.

Traction is definitely improved on the track with lower tire pressure. That is what was causing me to slip around when my tires got hot. Soft rubber + hard tire = crash waiting to happen.

I spent most of the later sessions trying to hit entry/apex/exit marks on the track. My technique is very wierd. It is fairly erratic. That is how I learned to ride and I use up a lot of track. That is how i learned to ride my fastest but I am going to have to relearn which means slowing down a little bit.

Was one of the best days of my life. I have 3 or 4 four of those related to the 14. Must say, I am hankering for a 600 now. or a Gen 5 Zx10

I have some video and pics I will post as soon as I upload.

Now I'm hooked.

* Last updated by: Rook on 6/8/2011 @ 7:24 PM *

my bike taped

mimi's cooked tire end of the day

vintage BMW race bike

Southeast sales pit
healthy ZX-10

crashed zx-10

* Last updated by: Rook on 6/18/2011 @ 7:13 PM *

Sounds, and looks, like you had a blast, Rook... Very cool!

Can't wait to see the vid... don't you dare edit out the sound... I wanna hear your hootin' and hollerin'... especially when you went in the weeds.

* Last updated by: Rook on 6/9/2011 @ 3:34 AM *

Couldn't wait. lol

thanks, dogo. Must be checking the RSS feed again. Good for you.

Must be checking the RSS feed again

Have been today.

3:20... zx14 doesn't need a damper... but I'm bettin' you're glad you had one.

* Last updated by: DogoZX on 6/8/2011 @ 11:29 PM *

I guess so...but that is the thing about a damper --you never know you if you need one until you need one. with the HyperPro, you may never know if you have a damper. If it works perfectly, you might never feel any kind of shake if it happens----I guess?

..now that you mention it, I think my damper might have been shut off I remeber turning it off and starting to count the clicks to get it to 50% but IDK if I ever finished that. Lots of stuff going on yesterday.