tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87438747520118664132024-03-05T10:34:48.516-06:00SV650 ProjectI bought a Suzuki SV650S to use as a track bike. This is its story.SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-23678832699908024042018-12-10T16:08:00.002-06:002018-12-10T16:08:46.164-06:002014 CMRA Round 1 at MSRHThe first race weekend of the year had its ups and downs but overall I had a good time. I arrived at the track Thursday night, unloaded a few things and then bunked down in my friend's race trailer with some other members of some of the race teams. I was way better than the tent since the temps got down around 40 that night!<br />
We got up Friday morning and started getting bikes ready to go to tech then headed down to registration to pick up our 2014 registration packets and competition licenses. The SV650 made it through tech with no problems except that I missed my payment receipt when I grabbed my tech papers. Fortunately they just let me run back and get it so I didn't lose my place in line. Tech sticker in place, I headed back to the trailer to start getting ready to get out on the track for practice.<br />
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----------- And that's all I wrote in 2014 on this post for some reason ----------<br />
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So, going from memory I think what I was pointing out on the following 2 pictures was how I decreased my personal best lap time at MSRH on the SV650 by over 4 seconds and got my first podium with a 2nd place finish in Superstock D Novice.<br />
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The SV has been just sitting in the garage for over 2 years now after a big crash during practice. I hope to get it going again in the near future....<br />
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<br />SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-74465314386246752552014-04-18T20:03:00.001-05:002014-04-18T20:03:58.895-05:00Lot of work - CMRA Round 3 next weekend at Eagles CanyonHaving a motorcycle for racing sure is a lot of work. Still waiting on that money for a pit crew. But I think it's mostly ready for Eagles Canyon next weekend. Just a couple of things left. Something still isn't 100% right in the front end but hopefully I'll get it worked out. Time to take a break and relax now for the evening.SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-74006685800445977732014-02-09T22:41:00.001-06:002014-02-09T22:41:06.165-06:002014 CMRAThe CMRA race season starts next weekend. I plan to run the full season except the March TWS round (I'll be out of town) in several classes:<br />
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<li>D Superstock</li>
<li>Formula 2</li>
<li>D Superbike</li>
<li>Lightweight Twins</li>
<li>Formula 40 Lightweight</li>
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Stay tuned for more detailsSWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-7970812416283997472013-11-10T13:40:00.000-06:002013-11-10T13:40:15.690-06:00End of the 2013 CMRA seasonI got my full race license at the last event of the 2013 season. <br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151844446299673.1073741831.764434672&type=1&l=749d824b0b" target="_blank">A short summary of the 2013 CMRA race season as a Prov Nov</a><br />
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Full season to come in 2014.SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-38743315578157489362013-09-22T22:07:00.000-05:002013-09-22T22:07:01.237-05:00Wish I had/took time to update this moreSince June:<br />
Raced in my first CMRA races. One more race weekend as a Provincial Novice and I should be a fully licensed racer.<br />
Became a track day instructor with <a href="http://www.fastlinemcs.com/" target="_blank">Fastline Motorcycle Schoo</a>l, teaching novice riders.<br />
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And that's about the only 2 big highlights.SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-79640571734153727382013-06-03T23:14:00.003-05:002013-06-03T23:14:34.808-05:00I got to ride the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) this weekend<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;">You read that right. I got to do a track day on my SV650 at the new Formula 1 track in Austin. What a great experience. I normally ride level-3/advanced sessions but had to settle for level-2/Intermediate to get an open slot. My best lap time appears to be about 3 minutes flat but riding level 2 and following the passing rules for that level (6-foot buffer, no inside passes, and no passing at all from turn 3-9) and it was pretty limiting for my SV650. Still, I made some outside passes and got several on the brakes. And all day I was NEVER passed in a corner or on the brakes so I was pleased.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;">You really only need 2 words to describe the track: SMOOTH and STICKY. Oh and AWESOME facilities. A world class facility it truly is, and everything around Houston pales in comparison. I'm going to cry a little the next time I go to a local track. :-) Seriously, the surface is stupid smooth. I don't think there's a bump nor seam anywhere. Practically flawless. It was so smooth that both my buddy and I thought we had lost our knee pucks the first time we touched down because just glided on the surface. It is very technical with blind corners, SLOW corners and FAST curves. It wasn't TOO hard to learn but after just 1 day we were barely scratching the surface of how fast we could really go. It's hard to unlearn the sketchy surfaces that we're used to riding on back at home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;">Turn 1 is TIGHT. The hill leading up to it is super steep with a 130 foot climb. I heard a lot of bikes get back on the gas early on going up the hill because they slowed down too much half way up the hill. But at the top it's flat so there's a lot going on to get the bike turned in right. You can't see the apex until you hit the top of the hill and then it's RIGHT THERE. Then it's hard on the gas going down the hill to turn 2. The S-turns were my favorite part and were well suited to the SV650. You can carry a LOT of speed after you get the flow down. Then I'm full throttle, hanging off the bike zooming through turn 10 headed up to a tight turn 11. On the long straight (which actually slightly curves the right right and goes uphill a bit in the first half) I topped out at about 130-132 mph and and the inline fours and big twins was probably doing more like 155 and beyond. There's a nice right hand double apex that tightens up after the left 12 turn, then another fairly tight left hander, but not as bad as 1 or 11. Followed by a TRIPLE apex that can be just crazy fast if you want it to be. Turn 19 comes up quickly but is actually pretty open and can be taken pretty fast. Then it's another tight left hander onto the main straight and I would hit about 120 by the base of the hill.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;">So it's a lot of work, but you get a couple of good straights to relax for a few seconds. I actually get more tired at my local tracks which goes to show you just how much a smooth surface really makes for a more relaxed experience. And the tires... every other place I've been to the tires look melted and torn up with slag and ball of rubber everywhere after a session. Well, off the track at COTA they look practically new with a smooth clean surface. So again, even with crazy grip, the smooth surface really makes them last or at least they wear very evenly. The overall wear was still probably pretty high because we'd come off the track and our knee pucks would have solidified strips of melted plastic hanging off of them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;">Here's a video of one of the sessions:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif;">And a close call in another session. Keep your eyes open at 48 seconds. It happens fast.</span></div>
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SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-79234693596483332282013-04-13T20:43:00.002-05:002013-04-13T20:43:54.187-05:00Only 1 Track Day in April......but what a day it was!<br />
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Well, that's 5 track days down so far and that was just by the first weekend in April. There was a track day this weekend but I cannot make it due a scheduling conflict. Then there was supposed to be a track day on 4/28, but the provider had to cancel it due to some conflict. So that leaves my next available date as May 5.<br />
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But back to the one April track day. We were back at MSRH with my favorite track day provider, <a href="http://www.fastlinemcs.com/" target="_blank">Fastline MCS</a>. The other local providers have their strengths, but I really like the family atmosphere of Fastline. But I digress (I always wanted to use that phrase. Hopefully I used it correctly). As I've started doing this year, I arrived at the track the night before the event and camped in the paddock area, thereby avoiding the super-early wake-up and morning drive to the track to get a good spot. It was just, "wake up and I'm there." <br />
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For this track day I decided to step up to the Advanced level to get out of the traffic jam and erratic driving that is the Intermediate level. Additionally I signed up for the Advanced Racing school for some personal instruction with Brandon Cleland, assisted by Tony Nguyen. To start the morning the track was dry, temps were around 70 and there was a lot of traction from the start. Brandon had us to go out in the first session to get warmed up and check out the track conditions while he and Tony did the same and shot some video of Brandon demonstrating the racing line around the track. After that session we came into the classroom for review and instruction. We then repeated that pattern throughout the day. Ride and classroom, ride and classroom. In class we talked about different items like lines, body position, braking, etc, aided by a track diagram and video of the previous session. The close instruction and one on one mentoring allowed each student to pick out their strengths and weaknesses and learn how to improve. For me, my main area of improvement was braking. They said my body position was good but just get off the seat a little more, and getting on the throttle wasn't a problem because when riding the SV650 you can almost treat the throttle like an on/off switch! <br />
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So the day was pretty busy. We'd ride the track, come back and put our warmers back on and whatever else needed to be done, then hustle off to the classroom. Then with about 5 minutes left before the next on-track session would start, we would quickly go back to the bikes, get ready and head out on the track. The pace was pretty hectic at times, but it was totally worth it. Working with the instructors I was able to knock almost 3 seconds off my previous best lap time and I was still dropping 1 or 2 tenths a seconds a lap each session. When the day ended I was still improving despite being pretty exhausted. <br />
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Overall it was an exciting day and we were disappointed when it had to end. Three days later we were still talking about the fun we had and the new friends we had made. It's a shame I won't be going back for almost a month but then again, having a weekend that isn't go go go will be nice.<br />
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Here's a video from a few laps around the middle of the day having fun with a guy on a CBR600.<br />
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And this video is one of my fastest laps of the day. After watching it again, I can see LOTS of places for improvements. I hope I can drop a few more seconds next time and maybe even run a sub-1:50 lap one day.<br />
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<br />SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-55057967403488240502013-04-11T22:26:00.001-05:002013-04-11T22:29:32.653-05:00March was a busy monthFirst there was the RideSmart track day on May 9 at MSR Houston. It was actually a 2-day event on the 9th and 10th but I was lucky that I only did the 9th because it rained quite a bit on the 10th. I talked about that one last time.<br />
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Seven days later it was time to go back to MSRH, this time with Fastline MCS. And to throw a twist into the day, we ran the track backwards from the normal direction. So looking at the track and the outside section, we ran that counter-clockwise. For the most part, running the opposite direction isn't a LOT different from the regular direction. If you were familiar with the track, then you already knew the layout. You just had to prepare for a lot of corners being slow-in, fast-out instead of the other way around. My lap times running that direction have typically been withing 1-3 seconds of the times going the regular direction. After the super-structured weekend with Ridesmart, it was great to just go out and have some fun.<br />
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The next weekend I wasn't riding, but the CMRA was up at Texas World Speedway in College Station so I went up with my oldest son on the 24th to watch some racing and hang out with friends. It was chilly and super windy, but we still had a great time watching all the fast riders and helping friends get ready for their races.<br />
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Finally, for the last weekend of the month I decided to go up to a Track Tactics event at Eagles Canyon Raceway (ECR). We had quite a bit planned already as it was Easter weekend, but Friday night and most of Saturday was free so off I went and 2 buddies met me up there.<br />
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This was my first time going to ECR. It's quite an eye-opener compared to the almost completely flat tracks around Houston. ECR has about 70 feet of elevation changes. I was ready to step up to the Advanced level class at MSRH, but since I'd never seen ECR before, I stayed in Intermediate for this one. That was a good idea for several reasons. First of course was the new track, and secondly, it rained for several hours Friday night, dropping over an inch of rain in parts of the area. So all day we had to deal with a far from ideal track surface and changing conditions. At least the rain itself had moved on during the night, leaving us with breezy, partly cloudy conditions. The track in perfect conditions would be a challenge, so throw in spots of the track weeping water, water running across the track at one point and just overall low traction and we were slipping and sliding all over the place. We still had a good time, even after I had a low-side in turn 6 with about 10 minutes left to go in the day. It was a spot that a lot of people had trouble with and I trail braked just a tiny bit too much and lost the front end. Come to think of it, trail braking at all that day was probably a bad idea! Anyway, it was all fun and damage was mainly limited to some bent rearset parts and a few scuffs on the plastics. <br />
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Here's a couple of laps around the middle of the day<br />
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And this is the low-side at the end of the day. .<br />
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I rode the bike back to the pits and had it ready to go for the next track day just 7 days away on April 7. I'll continue that in the next post. </div>
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<br />SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-4085666162847134842013-04-10T09:32:00.002-05:002013-04-10T09:32:57.205-05:00Too busy riding, no time for postingWow, it's been a month since my last post. Quick summary with a full writeup later. Done a couple more track days. Rode a new track, and set a personal best time at a track I've ridden a lot. Had one minor lowside with mainly rearset damage at one track day but was ready to go and rode again 6 days later. Next track day will be in May.<br />
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More to follow.SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-14722376501359337212013-03-10T14:48:00.003-05:002013-03-10T14:53:36.303-05:00Level 2 with Ridesmart at MSRH - 3/9/13Yesterday started out wet but finally dried up. Level 2 was a crash-fest with one concussion and a couple of broken collar bones but I avoided any mishaps. I had 2 riders collide right in front of me, and I had to avoid one of the motorcycles that fell right in front of me and went sliding down the track right in my path. It may be time to level up and escape the madness!<br />
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I had the Dunlop tire guy put me a set of the new D211GP-A dot race tires on in the afternoon and I almost immediately ripped off a lap a full second faster than my previous best time. I should pick up more speed as I get used to the improved grip.</div>
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Riding with the <a href="http://www.ridesmart.info/" target="_blank">RideSmart </a>organization was ok but I still prefer <a href="http://www.fastlinemcs.com/" target="_blank">Fastline</a>. Ridesmart was more restrictive on the level 2 riders, mainly by only allowing passing on the outside in the corners. While the intention is good, I think it also bunches up the field more by removing some passing opportunities. A big issue I saw was riders not getting off the racing line to slow down. I saw several times where a rider would put a hand up to signal that they were slowing to pit, but then rolled off the throttle without moving out of the path of overtaking traffic. I saw several near misses because of those. And also, when a yellow or even a red flag comes out, that doesn't mean that you should immediately roll completely off the throttle. Instead, back off just a little to kill your acceleration, keep going, and be careful. Ridesmart should send out a feedback email in the next day or 2 and I'll mention those in my response. I know I've heard them mention it before at other events.</div>
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The next event is just 1 week away on March 16. We'll be back out at MSRH, but with Fastline this time, and we'll be running the track counter-clockwise, which is "backwards" to the direction it's normally run. 70-80% of the track will be the same, with just a few adjustments in a few key areas.</div>
SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-24188989337628179572013-03-07T22:21:00.003-06:002013-03-07T22:21:44.435-06:00Ready for another track dayTrack day coming up on Saturday. Bike is ready. New clutch cable arrived in plenty of time, as well as a new adjustable clutch lever. The stock lever went in the track box.SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-8803313640410044332013-02-24T22:33:00.001-06:002013-02-24T22:33:57.523-06:00Broke a critical partI readjusted the drive chain slack today. It had loosened up a little at the first track day. I also noticed that my master link was a little tight and squeezing the o-rings too much so I may swap it for a new one. <br />
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I also lowered my shift lever about 5mm so I don't have to pick my toe up as high to upshift. Then I started to take a little slack out of the clutch lever and cable. I was doing it per the service manual and turning the adjuster at the clutch lever when suddenly the adjuster broke in the middle of the threads and broke a strand in the clutch cable too! So, I immediately went and ordered a new cable and adjuster. Fortunately the track day is 2 weeks away so there should be more than enough time to get the parts in. SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-28116768666327326332013-02-16T21:19:00.001-06:002013-02-16T21:20:48.997-06:00First 2013 Track Day CompleteAfter my last post, the next several days became a rush to get the SV ready to go so i never took the time to update the blog. I did post quick little updates on Twitter and Facebook, so here they are are from oldest to newest.<br /><br /> 1/31 - I just need to put the gas tank back on the sv650 and it'll be time to fire it up with the Bazzaz for the first time. That should happen tomorrow after work. Then I'll have Saturday to put the fairings back on and get everything together for the Fastline trackday on Sunday! woo hoo!<br /><br /> 2/1 - Fired up the SV650 this afternoon. It ran fine with the new FI system and the quickshifter is cutting the ignition like it should. Now just to organize a few cables, give everything a 2nd look, and put the fairings on. It's ready to head to the track.<br /><br /> 2/2 - Test ride of the sv went well. All done except belly pan and upper fairing. May add a little more slack in the throttle as its a bit tight and twitchy.<br /><br /> 2/3 - I had a fun day at the track today. Stronger brakes were great, the quickshifter is just awesome, and having tire warmers was very convenient. The ability to go out on the track and go full speed without any warmup laps is hard to beat! And finally, with the aftermarket ecu/quickshifter, throttle response was VERY smooth.<br /><br /> 2/16 - Next track day is scheduled for 3/9. I have just a few small adjustments to make and everything will be ready to go.<br /><br /> Here's a video of one of the sessions.<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-22996633622921797792013-01-29T22:50:00.001-06:002013-01-29T22:50:36.797-06:00Almost ready to rideAll of my high priority items are almost complete. Unless I run into a major issue, the SV should be ready for a track day this Sunday 2/3. I'm on call at work, so hopefully that will be quiet so I can make it to the track for at least a few sessions to get everything tested and start getting used to all the changes.<br />
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Here's the updated list with just active and recently updated or completed items.<br />
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<ul>
<li>4 piston front brake calipers – Installed. Pending test ride</li>
<li>Aftermarket ECU - Bazzaz Fi-Quickshift installed - Electonics in place. Needed one small part for the rearset to install the quickshifter sensor. That is on order and should arrive tomorrow. Then I can finish that part and button everything back up.</li>
<li>Oil change, check spark plugs, check fluids - Complete. Installed new NGK plugs</li>
<li>Replace front brake reservoir hose (schedule with new calipers) - Completed with caliper installation</li>
<li>Upgrade brake pads and rotors - New EBC double-H pads installed. Scuffed old rotors with 80 grit sandpaper to remove old pad material.</li>
<li>Extra levers, pegs, gas tank, etc. - Got a swingarm in excellent condition for 50 bucks from a SV650 forum member.</li>
<li>Spare Dzus fasteners - in hand. Will use a couple when reassembling the bike this week.</li>
</ul>
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<br />SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-84014264020209052472013-01-20T20:40:00.002-06:002013-01-20T20:52:46.475-06:00Making progressHere's the latest updates as of today. 4-piston calipers and Bazzaz fuel-control/quick-shifter are the last major items to complete before my first track day. If I can make it out to MSRH on February 3rd, I can give everything a shakedown and then have 3 or 4 weeks to make any changes before the next trackdays on 3/9-10 and 3/15.<br />
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Updates and changed information in <b style="background-color: red;">bold</b><br />
<br />
<strike>Quick turn throttle tube - Complete</strike><br />
<strike><span style="background-color: red;">520 chain and sprockets - Complete. test ride successful.</span></strike><br />
4 piston front brake calipers – Calipers and brackets in hand. <b style="background-color: red;">Started teardown of stock components</b><br />
Aftermarket ECU -<b><span style="background-color: red;"> Bazzaz Fi-Quickshift on order</span></b><br />
<strike>Oil change,</strike> check spark plugs, check fluids<br />
Captured wheel spacers –<b> <span style="background-color: red;">rear complete</span></b>, front parts in hand but<b> <span style="background-color: red;">I may hold off on these. They replace the speedo sensor and I still want that on the motorcycle for now.</span></b><br />
<strike>replace rear spool bolt - Complete</strike><br />
Lap timer – XT Ultra Lap<br />
Replace front brake reservoir hose (schedule with new calipers) - parts in hand<br />
<strike>Spring clip for rear axle nut - Complete</strike><br />
safety wire & pliers - not needed for track days but will be required when I/we race the SV<br />
Upgrade brake pads and rotors - need to order pads. Will forego rotors for now<br />
Woodcraft clip-ons - future planning<br />
Check lower triple/steering-stem for straightness<br />
Lightweight upper faring stay<br />
Lightweight sub frame - future planning<br />
Extra levers, pegs, gas tank, etc.<br />
Sculpt/lower/firm seat pad<br />
Spare Dzus fasteners -<b style="background-color: red;"> on order</b><br />
<strike><b style="background-color: red;">Tire warmers - Purchased and tested. - Complete</b></strike>SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-71873682510129867722013-01-19T16:12:00.001-06:002013-01-19T16:12:38.752-06:00520 Chain - First test rideFirst test ride on the SV650 with the 520 chain and dropping a tooth on the front sprocket. Everything looks good and sounds clean. But HOLY COW... standing start, engine barely up to temps, cold rear tire...up on the tank as far as I could get, head over the front tire, rev to 5000, smoothly but quickly let off the clutch while feeding more throttle (quick turn throttle now, remember), and ....LAUNCH! Front tire is instantly skimming the pavement and the bike takes off like never before. I never even got to full throttle so I could keep the front down before I had to let off since I'm on a residential street with cars and a slight curve.<br />
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Now to go put those 4-piston front calipers on. This track season is gonna be fun.SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-28541275538361013152013-01-16T13:29:00.002-06:002013-01-16T13:29:30.666-06:00First track days coming upThere's a track day on February 3 at MSR Houston. I MAY go to that one if everything falls into place. I still need to install my new front calipers. We'll see if I have time this weekend to get that done. If so, then I'll just watch the weather when it gets closer to the 3rd. <br />
<br />
The next track day I could do will be on March 9/10 and March 16. I'll almost certainly go to the one on the 16th since that's with Fastline. March 9/10 is with Ridesmart and either or both of those dates are a possibility too. All of those are at MSRH.SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-3935383660130239902013-01-13T22:03:00.002-06:002013-01-15T13:42:01.822-06:00Sprockets and chain<br />
A few pictures of the 520 chain and sprockets on the motorcycle.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5PdQGYeiiVRKwK12Tk_NhMDgN4fwUGypzE43pyOUnbn9VXr3WNpnk4dZQHC-gdqjtO9WxhuKyY9_ac9zJaPDzsM7vKhQn2zDSJEkINlLwa5l_64yMQ7UffBLBwz2sYrSovxTGt4et77YA/s1600/P1040507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5PdQGYeiiVRKwK12Tk_NhMDgN4fwUGypzE43pyOUnbn9VXr3WNpnk4dZQHC-gdqjtO9WxhuKyY9_ac9zJaPDzsM7vKhQn2zDSJEkINlLwa5l_64yMQ7UffBLBwz2sYrSovxTGt4et77YA/s320/P1040507.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">The clutch actuator and sprocket cover are still off in this photo. Chain slack has not been fully adjusted either so it's hanging a little low.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-sDecPyJwM2qfI6DcyF-jG-t-R5xgBvYlZXWDHTF6AsA8OeEGLAK7QYQ6OjKKc2tu3pySI6ui1gb9loovPTYQFzZ0-wlsoIQ52NIuW3O28yQPN1oQs5DHHapPQTIqkYMk6xIWUJzozoy/s1600/P1040509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-sDecPyJwM2qfI6DcyF-jG-t-R5xgBvYlZXWDHTF6AsA8OeEGLAK7QYQ6OjKKc2tu3pySI6ui1gb9loovPTYQFzZ0-wlsoIQ52NIuW3O28yQPN1oQs5DHHapPQTIqkYMk6xIWUJzozoy/s320/P1040509.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"> Master link riveted. Excess grease still present</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvD7MMfonJ7RxldXwSXG92VBTNIAMjntaTqzc2mVgTbpsV2iqss8zbA556zMOzEHbX_P8ujT40R51gd-dd6Jes1_IvIhiBO3EUY0CCQ1PUYxy1cDnodM2UmRhWqb_Lt1xJnPGE9Gce40gH/s1600/P1040517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvD7MMfonJ7RxldXwSXG92VBTNIAMjntaTqzc2mVgTbpsV2iqss8zbA556zMOzEHbX_P8ujT40R51gd-dd6Jes1_IvIhiBO3EUY0CCQ1PUYxy1cDnodM2UmRhWqb_Lt1xJnPGE9Gce40gH/s320/P1040517.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still not adjusted</td></tr>
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SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-48499790278001825272013-01-06T22:58:00.000-06:002013-01-06T22:58:13.693-06:00Rear Captured Spacers in PlaceI finally got back out to the garage today and made a little progress on the SV. I got the captured wheel spacers in place on the rear wheel and sprocket drum. Then I attached the new Superlite RS7 520 rear sprocket from <a href="http://www.supersproxusa.com/" target="_blank">SuperSprox </a>to the drum and put it all back on the swimgarm. The new chain isn't in place yet so I haven't tightened everything up yet, but at least its up off the floor again.<br />
<br />
I started working on installing the new front sprocket but that's all just finger tight for now too. I needed some blue loctite but either I'm out of have misplaced it because all I could find was my tube of red. I don't want to put something that strong on it since I may want to swap it out quickly at the track in the future. I'll stop by the store in the next day or 2 and get a new tube of blue. After I get that installed and torqued down I can put the new chain on. Then maybe a short test ride up and down the street before tearing into the front brake calipers to start that upgrade.<br />
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<br />SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-83906340902143974342012-12-29T10:20:00.001-06:002013-01-06T23:44:00.538-06:002012 Winter Upgrades<br />
I have a lot planned for the SV over the shot winter break. I made a list as shown below, and some are already complete, some are in progress, and others will be just nice-to-haves for the time being. Here's a breakdown with completed items struckthrough<br />
<ul>
<li><strike>Quick turn throttle tube</strike> - Complete </li>
<li>520 chain and sprockets - in progress. Rear sprocket installed</li>
<li>4 piston front brake calipers – Calipers and brackets in hand</li>
<li>Aftermarket ECU (Powercommnder III or <b>Bazzaz FI/Quickshift</b>) </li>
<li><strike>Oil change</strike>, check spark plugs, check fluids </li>
<li>Captured wheel spacers – <strike>rear in progress</strike>, front parts in hand to do with brake upgrades.</li>
<li><strike>replace rear spool bolt</strike> - Complete</li>
<li>Lap timer – XT Ultra Lap </li>
<li>Replace front brake reservoir hose (schedule with new calipers) - parts in hand</li>
<li><strike>Spring clip for rear axle nut</strike> - Complete</li>
<li>safety wire & pliers - not needed for track days but will be required when I/we race the SV</li>
<li>Upgrade brake pads and rotors - need to order pads. Will forego rotors for now</li>
<li>Woodcraft clip-ons - future planning</li>
<li>Check lower triple/steering-stem for straightness</li>
<li>Lightweight upper faring stay </li>
<li>Lightweight sub frame - future planning</li>
<li>Extra levers, pegs, gas tank, etc.</li>
<li>Sculpt/lower/firm seat pad</li>
<li>Spare Dzus fasteners</li>
<li>Tire warmers</li>
</ul>
<div>
Possibly more to come later as I make progress. Some track days start up in February but work and personal schedule (and cold weather) will prevent me from going until March. Plus I don't run tire warmers yet so it's pretty hard to warm up the tires when the air and track are cold.</div>
SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0Houston, TX, USA29.7601927 -95.36938959999997728.8785202 -96.660283099999972 30.6418652 -94.078496099999981tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-65704521373746073732012-12-24T14:37:00.001-06:002012-12-24T14:37:40.688-06:00Almost lowsided<p>This is probably the most dramatic thing that happened at the track this year.</p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:db57e2fa-db7f-44b8-87bf-32eafacd280e" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="ba3af04e-e3ff-4b47-8f89-d690becb5eff" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irGw7dOklD0&feature=youtube_gdata_player" target="_new"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-TpsZscCpA0J6iFV8TMP_SiAJgzx8a5IQR6Jo12PUGjcsYOpALNPXVZNngf6i7G23KR2Hrjg70kV80K0Rr6i86yvrOa8gPw6-H-1d87xRja_JVqsa3hB7d0-HWAx67sNmQAV6-Ujjq6fm/?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('ba3af04e-e3ff-4b47-8f89-d690becb5eff'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"448\" height=\"252\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/irGw7dOklD0?hl=en&hd=1\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/irGw7dOklD0?hl=en&hd=1\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"448\" height=\"252\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-35915305801135333502012-11-26T00:47:00.001-06:002012-11-26T00:47:54.706-06:00A Great 2012 Track Season Comes to a Close<p>2012 turned out to be a lot of fun. I ran about 8 track days and a handlebar never touched the ground. Well, not unless you count when the SV tipped off the rear stand and fell over in the paddock that one time! </p> <p>After about the 2nd track day I moved out of my novice level comfort zone to run intermediate (level-2, middle, etc) sessions at MSR Houston. I was afraid that I’d be one of the slowest bikes on the track when I moved up to the faster session, but I was pleasantly incorrect. I turned out to be as fast or faster then most of the other bikes in the corners and mainly get passed by pure power on acceleration or in the straights when the best speed I can muster is easily 15-30 mph slower than the inline fours or big twins. Now I’m working on my passing skills since almost all of my passing is done on the brakes down to the apex or mid-corner by carrying more speed. </p> <p>Now that there’s a few months before I get to a 2013 track day, I’m using the down time to make some modifications and upgrades to help me get a little better drive out of the corners, and well as improve my ability to brake harder and deeper into the corners. There will be more on those efforts later.</p> <p>On an SV it aint the power, it’s the strategy.</p> SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-22338482063041547312012-07-17T21:50:00.001-05:002012-07-17T21:50:17.128-05:00More SV mods<p>The rearsets worked VERY well. LOTS better grip and feel than stock. And I still have room to move the pegs up and back about another half an inch. I’ve done 2 track days with them so far, and about 2 or 3 more coming in in the next 30 days.</p> <p>Per the recommendation of the "professional" racer at the last track day, and after paying attention to what he said he saw on the track, I'm putting a steering damper on the SV. I think it'll settle it down a bit in the corners and add some stability during acceleration and deceleration.<br>Instead of spending several hundred $$$ on a high-end unit, I'm going the simple route. I found a damper from an 07 Gixxer 600 on ebay for less than $30, including shipping. It's over $400 new. And to make it fit, there's a guy on the svrider forums who machines the necessary hardware to mount it. One piece attaches to the same location that mounts the upper cowl/cluster/headlight stay for the fixed location. The other attaches to the lower triple at the left fork tube. I already bought the parts from him and the mounting hardware is installed. <br>The damper has a drain/fill port that I can change the damping rate by changing the viscosity of fork oil. It seems that most people are happy with about a 15wt oil. I'm not sure how that compares with what came in the damper. <br>So, I grabbed from 15w fork oil. Now I just need to get a small piece of tubing to fit the raised part where the plug goes in. The tubing I had was too small ID. Just need to fill the damper, test fit it, and then tighten everything up.</p> <p><br>And while I was messing with the forks, I got out my calipers and set both both fork tubes exactly 10mm higher in the clamps than stock. They set them that height when I had the forks rebuilt, but then in some work, I let them drop down to about 7-8mm so I put them back tonight. After making sure the steering damper works well, I can probably drop them another 2-3mm before it just starts getting too unstable. OR I can change the ride height in the rear a few mm.<br>Then I also lowered my clipons 10mm below the top clamp. We'll see how that feels at the track (probably 7/28, but 8/4 and 8/11 for sure). I also got a new, clear windscreen, so I may be able to mount my camera at the front of the tank for some video showing the cluster and out the front. I'll try to test all of that this weekend. I'm going to modify the airbox a little for better airflow as well as raising the front of the tank about 10mm. Pretty standard things in the SV world.</p> SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-86772089408507268062012-05-07T23:01:00.001-05:002012-05-07T23:01:47.039-05:00New RearSets<p>I found a good deal on SV-specific rearsets from <a href="http://www.svracingparts.com" target="_blank">SV Racing Parts</a> and they came in today. They look REALLY nice. They appear to be machined out of solid aluminum, have a great range of adjustment, and just look really sharp. I should have great clearance now since these don’t have peg feelers like the stock pegs. I’ll have them mounted and tested in time for hopefully my next track day on June 3.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUk99SfiaVX5NGYr35hn73YfRGgt5xDaBb4IBV8pf0ZIurle1sFxwtypKUTdqxZQRQF04BI4FYJwDwumBm7JThuT89vwpyGN-AJfEbk_w1CVwf65qYx5ccAdrOFkXgHK1CXRgL4b0o4Msu/s1600-h/P1010497%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1010497" border="0" alt="P1010497" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCpTER3TXu_S67Oa3d_uAOrSttUhucp58H793g0KMjZtNSZNBPlGCIYM4W35ZUt1VoiAKQQ25mvqBcpkFMOpBiBnOhRL_11hV89S06wihc9uP7xG7RJYQMhV2ItWEhQTLoWx6Z71uODjA4/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743874752011866413.post-35989564340144674592012-04-30T21:51:00.001-05:002012-04-30T21:51:37.034-05:00Update for the last day of April<p>I just didn’t have time to go out to MSR Houston for the annual Fastline MCS Motohouston BBQ. I’ll have to check the forums and see how the day went. I know that one buddy had somebody trailer his motorcycle down so he could take his Lamborghini to the track. I bet that was fun to watch (and listen to).</p> <p>My schedule for May is already packed with events and travel so it’s almost certain that I won’t be able to make any track days this month. Hopefully June will open up a little even though it’s going to start getting pretty hot by then.</p> <p>The SV is still ready to go. I want to pull the right footpeg bracket off because it’s slightly bent and see if I can straighten it. If it breaks in the process I’ll probably just get a new set of adjustable rearsets. They’re not any more expensive than replacing stock parts, and if you get the right ones, they will be more durable than stock and still able to replace individual pieces as necessary down the road.</p> <p>Lastly, I may look into a lap timer that is compatible with the beacons they use at the track. The guy that I buy a lot of my SV parts and accessories from has a basic unit that he designed and sells for under 50 bucks.</p> <p>Oh, and my kids are anxious to dive it a big stack of stickers that I have and decorate the original gray of the Armour Bodies race plastics that I have installed. I have no intention of doing any painting but a VERY light sanding is all it takes to make the surface smooth for the stickers to adhere to.</p> SWFC Pilothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08526377590055285946noreply@blogger.com0