Update for the last day of April

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

First 2012 Track Day Complete

The SV performed well.  No issues at all.  Worked very hard on my racing line and started picking up on braking and turn-in points.  I was intimidated by MSRH at first knowing that it would have higher track speeds than I was used to at the other track I ran at last year.  However after working on my lines I felt very comfortable.  The instructor for my groups even asked after the second session if I had been there before because my lines looked good.

Anyway, it felt good to get back on the SV and I fell into the groove pretty quickly.  After lunch I decided to only run 3 of the 4 afternoon sessions so that I didn’t get too tired.  That was a good choice.  On the third run I felt smoother and more relaxed than any other session and was trusting the motorcycle more and more.  Even though it felt like my lap times were several seconds quicker I didn’t tire out as quickly.  So apparently smooth and steady are as beneficial to the rider as it is for the motorcycle!

The next available track day is April 29, but I’m not sure if I will be able to ride in that one.  I’ll have to see how my schedule works out.

Track time

Ready to do my first track day of 2012.  Running at MSR Houston with Fastline MCS.  Done a lot of work to the SV so I’m riding in the Novice class.  I’ll get some relatively slow speed sessions in so I can watch for any problems before they become big issues at higher speeds.

Started teardown

I went out in the garage last night and started stripping parts off.  The front end is down to just the suspension now.  Mirrors, body, headlights, and instrument pod are off, as well as the front fender.  After also straightening the handlebars (one was pushed back and the other forward), the suspension actually looks pretty straight.  I have a new front stand coming in that should be here on Friday.  As soon as that comes in, I can pick the bike up by the lower triple, and pull the front wheel and forks to check for straightness.  Meanwhile I can strip the tail down and see if anything needs work in there.

Coming back–July 2011

I hope to start updating this again in the near future.  I’ll be rebuilding part of the SV again after my latest crash.  Such things will happen when you’re learning to feel and push the limits for the first time. I only wish I was about 15 years younger!

Some ask me, why do you want to keep riding when it can be so rough on you?  Well, I’ll explain that in the form of a joke I saw earlier:

 

I recently picked a new primary care doctor. After two visits and exhaustive lab tests, he said I was doing 'fairly well' for my age. (I just turned sixty-something.)

A little concerned about that comment, I couldn't resist asking him, "Do you think I'll live to be 80?"

He asked, "Do you smoke tobacco, or drink beer, wine or hard liquor?"

"Oh no," I replied. "I'm not doing drugs, either!"

Then he asked, "Do you eat rib-eye steaks and barbecued ribs?"

I said, "Not much... my former doctor said that all red meat is very unhealthy!"

"Do you spend a lot of time in the sun, like playing golf, boating, sailing, hiking, or bicycling?"

"No, I don't," I said.

He asked, "Do you gamble, drive fast cars, or have lots of sex?"

"No," I said.

He looked at me and said, "Then, why do you even care?"

Mid-April update 4/18

I’ve run the SV in 2 track days at Grand Sport Speedway (GSS) with Fastline Motorcycle School.  Now I’m addicted.  I’ve run these 2 with the stock suspension.  I had a suspension guy check my sag at the first event.  That pretty much just resulted in screwing the front preload in all the way and setting the rear shock preload on 5 out of 7 with 7 being the maximum.  It helped a little bit but it wasn’t great.  On the 2nd track day I could tell right from the start that the suspension was going to limit my confidence.  I was able to manage ok but I’m looking forward to some improvements.

By the end of the first day I was actually able to get my knee down in some of the corners and was feeling pretty confident.  If I hadn’t been so darn tired I probably would have done even better.  Riding on a track and moving around the seat is hard work!  However, on the second track day I was lightly putting a knee down in the 2nd session.  We were going too slow in the first session to get that much lean angle.  Somehow I ended up being the only student with my instructor so I got some kick ass 1 on 1 instruction.  We would catch the slower groups and pull into the pits for some spacing.  Then we’d take off and catch them again a few laps later.

So all in all, it’s been a lot of fun.  The next track day is 4/30 at GSS again, then we’re already signed up for an event at MSR Houston on 5/7.  It’s a bigger 2.7 mile track instead of the 1.3 miles at GSS.

Right now the SV is at a local shop getting RaceTech springs and valve emulators in the front, and an Ohlin’s shock/spring in the rear.  This should help high speed corner entry a LOT.  Stay tuned for updates on that, as well as more pictures when it gets back from the shop.

Mid-March Update

It seems I’ve been too busy to update the blog.  I’ll eventually get more pictures up.
But in summary, the muffler is installed and sounds great.  I’ve been out on a few rides and I’m really liking the motorcycle.  I swapped the coolant for Engine Ice in preparation for a track day this Saturday on March 19.  All I have left is to tape the lights, pull the license plate, and fill up the gas.  If I have time, I still haven’t put on the TechSpec pads on the sides of the fuel tank.  I’m off work this Thursday and Friday so if it warms up enough maybe I can get those installed on Thursday.