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Going Racing

Started by The Prophet of Doom, October 15, 2011, 04:39:21 AM

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The Prophet of Doom

Quote from: Rikugun on October 15, 2011, 12:00:09 PMKeith Code has a series called A Twist of the Wrist. I'd be inclined to recommend the followup Part 2 for your purposes if you didn't want to read both. There's a DVD based on Part 2 that's very informative. I'd recommend it to street riders as well.
I took Rikis advice and bought the A Twist of the Wrist video - it's a bit over the top (i dont like watching two guys fisting eachother), but very very informative.  Made me realise what a crap rider I am, and will make me seek out advanced training.

Rikugun

QuoteMade me realise what a crap rider I am,

Just look at it as having room for improvement?! LOL  :) Those are advanced techniques most riders aren't aware of so don't feel bad. There's nothing wrong with seeking out training and no such thing as being "too" prepared.  ;)  :)
It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is then to persist in delusion, however satisfying or reassuring.  Carl Sagan

kiwibum

Hi Rohan
How is the race bike going? Are you up and running for the start of the season? Hope to set up one of my bikes for the 82 classics class as well.

The Prophet of Doom

Slowly :-(
Perhaps I'll have a bike ready by Christmas, but I keep adding new mods
I'm going off the idea of track though, I hear so many horror stories

The Prophet of Doom

So I w2as looking around for some Upside down forks, but gave up in the end for both cost, and the difficulty of it all especially with clearance on the tank.  Largely cost - good front ends are rare as hen's teeth and upwards of 2K - it would also upset some other ideas I have.

The fork inners are kind of rusty where the pinch bolts go, but still serviceable.  I already had BSA Gaiters and a Tarrozi Fork Brace but have now added Racetech gold valves and Air caps / inners off a XZ400

The progressive springs are stock on the XZ Aus/NZ XZ550 16R model.  Raceteck say not to use progressives, but don't say why.

For some reason the aluminium bush at the bottom of one of these was deformed – you can see in the picture it is out of round.  Perhaps I over tightened it last time.  The bolt came out OK, but there was no way it was going in again without drilling it out.  I swapped it out with a spare.


Rick G

I was fortunate to have a friend, whose dad invented the Bell helmet camera. He wore it for practice at Willow springs and after watching it a few times my lap times dropped by days, not seconds. He wore it at Daytona as well . The boards went by like a picket fence! He was riding a Yamaha TD!B. He gave me a set of Goodyears that he was done with , they were bedded in perfectly for production racing on my Suzuki X6
Rick G
Go soothingly on the grease mud, as there in lurks the skid demon
'82.5 Yamaha XZ550 RJ  Vision,
'90 Suzuki VX800, 1990 Suzuki DR350.
'74  XL350   Honda , 77 XL350 Honda, 78 XL350 Honda, '82 XT 200 Yamaha, '67 Yamaha YG1TK, 80cc trail bike

The Prophet of Doom

#86
The forks are together, filled with oil and on the bike.  The other 1/2 litre ended up on the floor - what a mess.
Hint for getting the fork level right - the fork oil level is up to the threads on the inner when fully compressed and the springs out - a lot easier to judge than with the forks extended and trying to peer down the tube.

I have a 7" chrome headlight - new ex Taiwan.  I think it looks OK but there isn't enough room in the bucket for all the wires.  AAnd it takes up so much room I won't be able to fit my new gauges in.  I'll have to fab/buy some new mounting ears, but installed them anyways to get an idea of looks.  I know you don't use headlights for racing, but this bike will be dual purpose - assuming I end up on the track at all.

Here it is on a trial fit with some mini turn signals that I had on before the earthquake.  The difference between these and the huge dumbo ears is amazing.  These are Halogen off ebay, not LED, so the flasher will still work.

I've also settled on some drag bars.   I tried a pair of FZR250 clipons, but they bash the tank with about 2 degrees of turn.  In the end I chopped the handlebar risers off flush with the triple and mounted the converted triple from Glyn in Auckland who had hippie bars on his.

Not sure about the shortie mudguard - I think I trimmed it too much in the front.  Damn I don't have a spare either.

Also dropped in a NOS radiator cowl I picked up for $10.

The Prophet of Doom

#87
Another pic of the drag bars.
The idiot lights will not be going back in there - or the ignition. I have a cunning plan...

The Prophet of Doom

#88
If ever there was proof that the Japanese employ child slave labour it is the XZ exhaust system.  There is NO WAY an adult can get that exhaust in or out unless they have spooky dwarf hands.

The trumpet shaped stock exhausts are exceedingly heavy, hideously ugly, and very un-cafe. 

I picked up a pair of Spec2 pipes a while back from the US ($100 shipping) - Can't remember his name but he was using the 550 to build a cart, and didn't neet the pipes.    They are Steel pipe with stainless (or very hard alloy) canisters. 
These are horribly rusted (but still solid), broken in half and a bit battered.  I welded them up, gave them a clean and a trial fit.  They look much better, and about 10kg lighter.

My old pipes are stainless replicas - for sale if anyone wants them.  I also have a pair of NOS Macs that I won't be needing if these turn out as I hope. 

Before I coat them I want to drill them and weld on O2 sensor bungs.

Perhaps they should be an inch or two shorter.

The Prophet of Doom

#89
While I mull over the exhausts, My gauges arrived from Dime City Cycles.  They have built in idiot lights :-) Though I'll need to do something with diodes as there is only a single turn LED

Here they are compared to the stock gauges, and some others I bought, but hated when I found they weren't real metal chrome but chromified plastic - Yuck.  and that it didn't go up to the ton.  $US50 + postage if anyone wants them. 

Being water cooled, I need a temp gauge, and I'd like a volt meter also.  No idea what to do about these. - My new gauges are 64mm, so even 52mm temp / volt gauges will look too big.

kiwibum

Quote from: roro on October 26, 2012, 06:04:49 PM
Slowly :-(
Perhaps I'll have a bike ready by Christmas, but I keep adding new mods
I'm going off the idea of track though, I hear so many horror stories

LOL, very easy to get caught up in making it better rather than getting it on the track, however as long as it goes it's all you need. Racing is fun if you enjoy riding fast, it's much safer than riding on the road, everything is going in the same direction at least. Ease yourself into it, get the bike going, take it to track days and rider training days to get as much practice riding on it as you can. Join the local club and get into a race, start at the back of the grid and just circle round tagging along behind someone. The excitement will bite you and you'll be away. If you haven't raced and go straight to a race meeting (as I foolishly did thinking it was easy) it gets all a bit stressful and more likely to crash.

I raced an Aprilia RS250 in clubman races in the UK for a year, it was so much fun but very expensive. It was my first time racing, friends I was with had raced in NZ, hence going straight to a race meeting but it was all new to me. Not sure how they do it here but they had a rookie class where we had to wear a orange fluro vest for our first 6 meetings I think it was so everyone else knew to give you a bit of space (well that was the theory). I raced on all the big circuits in the UK and really enjoyed it, however I ended up getting a bit of a name for falling off and having a bike held together with duct tape ;D. I'll definitely be getting in plenty of practice and training before I go out this time.

Then for some people racing just isn't for them. I meet guys in the UK that had built bikes specially for track days, that's all they did and they loved it. No pressure to be fastest, ride as much or little as you feel like and at your own pace. Then you can do that at race meetings too if you aren't affected by peer pressure!

If you do go to the track make sure you get physically fit too, it's not just about the bike. A friend told me he was thinking of doing motorcycle racing because it looks so easy, just sit there and twist the throttle. Can't be further from reality. I was exhausted after a race because there is no resting and was always moving round on bike preparing for next corner, bum hardly touches the seat. A friend we raced with in UK of rather larger stature would collapse after coming in from a race. He always need someone to help him get out of his leathers he was that tired, and these were sprint races of 6 laps so only lasted 5-6 minutes!

I still remember it very fondly and one of the reasons I want to get my bikes back out. Was lots of fun riding the little 250 round outside of fat 600s in big sweeping corners and looking down the road on its side. I know the XZ wont handle quite like that but it will be lots of fun!

The Prophet of Doom

#91
I was going to build a bracket for my gauges today, but found a pair of used R1 Rotors on the Internet, and just had to fit them.
The bolt holes are identical, as is the spacing between rotors - they are dead flat.  They have a larger diameter, so fitted a spacer to jig them out 25mm or so (thanks Jared).  I still have to build a bush, get some bolts with an extra 4mm (the width of the adapter plate) and give it a coat of paint.

Raj1988

Bike looks Great.
Have you thought of Vaypors for insturments?
Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution

Rikugun

Quote from: roro on October 26, 2012, 06:04:49 PM
Perhaps I'll have a bike ready by Christmas, but I keep adding new mods
I'm going off the idea of track though, I hear so many horror stories

I'm glad to see you're making progress even if slow.  :)

What horror stories have you heard about the track?
It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is then to persist in delusion, however satisfying or reassuring.  Carl Sagan

The Prophet of Doom

I can't read the digital gauges without my glasses, and I can't see the road with my glasses on.  At least with analog gauges I can see which direction the needle is pointing, even if I can't read the numbers.

Usual horror stories of mangled bodies and bikes - nothing that doesn't happen on the road of course - but I am used to the road.
I'll definitely do some track days though.


kiwibum

Rohan
If you are going to race it in pre '82 post classic you might want to check with someone on the specification rules. I've been reading the rules for "Post Classic Road Racing" here http://mnz.co.nz/regulations/rules/general-rules. You might find your bike doesn't comply with the R1 discs on it. Part of the aim of the class is in keeping with the type of bike of the period.

From the rules:
---------------------------------------------------------------
25.2.7 Modifications
Any modifications made to racing machines must be of the type and style in keeping with the period portrayed in these rules.

25.4 Pre 82 Class Specifications
25.4.4 Forks
Upside down forks are prohibited.  Forks must be period items.  Internal spring and valving modifications are permitted. 

25.4.6 Brakes
Front and rear brakes must be manufactured in the period, or faithful replicas. Floating disk carriers are banned unless fitted as original equipment to the bike concerned.  Maximum disk diameter is 300mm and maximum number of pistons per caliper is 2, unless fitted as original equipment to the bike concerned (Onus of proof is on rider or entrant of the machine).
---------------------------------------------------------------

It was your post regarding looking for upside down forks that made me start thinking about this and reading up about it. Hope this is useful, there are other classes the bike would probably fit into if it can't be run in the post classics but if the aim is to run in Pre '82 you might need to make some changes.


The Prophet of Doom

Thanks, I'd seen those rules, but forgot completely about them.  Every time I walk in the garage I am struck with how cool it looks with the big rotors so don't really want to swap back.  Fortunately I have another front wheel and can swap over in about 20 minutes to rule compliance if I need to. 

The guy I bought the rotors off put a whole GSXR front end on his XZ400 - not inverted but all the pipework is thicker.  I've been wondering if I could get a similarly chunky look just by putting the upper forks (between the triples) inside some 40mm alloy pipe.  The gaiters and fork brace already make the front end look a lot less spindly than stock.

kiwibum

Quote from: roro on October 27, 2012, 08:37:40 PM
The guy I bought the rotors off put a whole GSXR front end on his XZ400 - not inverted but all the pipework is thicker.  I've been wondering if I could get a similarly chunky look just by putting the upper forks (between the triples) inside some 40mm alloy pipe.  The gaiters and fork brace already make the front end look a lot less spindly than stock.

Yip putting ali tube in there would work. Once upon a time on bikes they used to do that and connect the head light fittings to it.

Problem with other front ends on the XZ due its trailing axle design is they change the steering geometry. How much of a difference it makes to the feel of the steering I don't know but to get it back to standard using straight forks means changing the rack angle on the frame which I think then brings wheel too close to radiator under braking but not that sure about it. Would have been discussions on the forum about it before I'm sure.

Rikugun

Quote from: roro on October 27, 2012, 05:30:13 PM
I can't read the digital gauges without my glasses, and I can't see the road with my glasses on. 
you and me both brother  :(

Usual horror stories of mangled bodies and bikes - nothing that doesn't happen on the road of course - but I am used to the road. I'll definitely do some track days though.

I can understand the apprehension but I'd be more afraid of the track days! Some of those can get out of hand if there is insufficient oversight.  :-\  First things first - have fun getting the bike how you want it!  :)
It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is then to persist in delusion, however satisfying or reassuring.  Carl Sagan

fret not

If you want to go racing make the effort to attend a racing school.  Once you actually learn how to ride at near full tilt boogie with a modicum of safety you will be a much better rider on the street and have fun on the track.  I know this costs money but going fast without the knowledge and skill could easily cost MUCH more. :police:

I have found that most riders think they can ride fast, some think they can go racing without any thought of preparation other than obtaining the required equipment.  The truth can be rather sobering at race speed, and not everyone is suited for flogging along at high speed on a crooked roadway.  However, with the appropriate training and practice it is often found to be invigorating and quite fun by many, and terrifying by others. 
Retired, on the downhill slide. . . . . . . . still feels like going uphill!