March was a busy month

First 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Here's a couple of laps around the middle of the day

And this is the low-side at the end of the day.  .

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. 

Too busy riding, no time for posting

Wow, 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.

More to follow.

Level 2 with Ridesmart at MSRH - 3/9/13

Yesterday 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!

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.

Riding with the RideSmart organization was ok but I still prefer Fastline.  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.

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.

Ready for another track day

Track 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.

Broke a critical part

I 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.

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.

First 2013 Track Day Complete

After 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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Here's a video of one of the sessions.

Almost ready to ride

All 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.

Here's the updated list with just active and recently updated or completed items.

• 4 piston front brake calipers – Installed. Pending test ride
• 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.
• Oil change, check spark plugs, check fluids - Complete. Installed new NGK plugs
• Replace front brake reservoir hose (schedule with new calipers) - Completed with caliper installation
• Upgrade brake pads and rotors - New EBC double-H pads installed. Scuffed old rotors with 80 grit sandpaper to remove old pad material.
• Extra levers, pegs, gas tank, etc. - Got a swingarm in excellent condition for 50 bucks from a SV650 forum member.
• Spare Dzus fasteners - in hand. Will use a couple when reassembling the bike this week.