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Jason P's Project A: Bike Build

20K views 78 replies 21 participants last post by  Jason P. 
#1 ·
Over the last four years of track days I have amassed copious amounts of hours just swapping from street set up to race set. How much do you ask? Well at 4-6 track days a season with an average of one (when I realized a faster way of doing the conversion) to two (when I had absolutely no idea what I was doing) hours it’ll add up. That is time I could be spent doing other things! This never really presented itself a problem, or nuisance rather, swapping over and over again, until this season.

Up until this point I was still dabbling in both my car and my bike, the latter taking more precedence as the warmer months came. I didn’t anticipate this season of track day riding to be this much fun, or the fact that I actually progressed more since my crashes a few season ago. This prompted a serious debate amongst my hobbies. Do I continue to fork money into both my interests or scale back and go with the choice I obviously had more fun with? The answer was simple.

I sold all the car things I had laying around unused, uninstalled and even still brand new in the box, grab my savings from a giant mason jar, hacked up a loan deal and set forth on my quest. The objective was simple, find another bike, most preferably a Yamaha and even more pressing an R6 at that. Luckily I found two within my budget and with quick dealings and negotiations with the owner of one I was on my merry way to Queens in New York to pick her up.

The idea here is to stop having to swap over, but that idea didn’t last too long as another one manifested itself. With the progression I have had during the track day season I felt like after four years of it I should dabble in racing. Watching MotoGP or even WSBK races already have my heart pounding, my palms sweating profusely and my eyes dodging back and forth from riders switching positions. So why not race? Why not try it I thought. This became the reason why I went this far to pick up another bike.

The bike itself was immaculate as so many attested to on the forums so it was a sure deal as far as that went. She also came with a few modifications, all mainly to endure a crash or of the sorts at track days. Engine covers, after market rear sets, flashed and trackside tuned ECU as well as even some cartridge kits for the front forks. The complete parts list is as follows:

-Armour Bodies Fairings with matched factory paint and black lowers
-Scott’s Stabilizer
-Penske fork internals (200lb geared rider)
-Full Exhaust – Yoshimura TRC Exhaust (4 months old, used once on a track day)
-Exhaust EXUP system removed
-K&N Air Filter
-BAUCE Racing ECU, re-tuned at the track by Ant
-AggRacing block offs
-Woodcraft rear sets
-Woodcraft case sliders (both sides)
-Woodcraft frame sliders
-Woodcraft swing arm spools
-520 DID ERV3 with Vortex Sprockets (track gearing)
-Galfer steel braided front brake lines
-EBC Racing brake pads
-Pirelli Superbike Pro slicks
-Aftermarket clutch
-Pazzo gold levers
-Ballistic Lightweight Battery
-Preload adjusters
-StompGrip tank grips
-Traxxion Dynamics tank sliders
-Hotbodies double bubble custom cut shape
-Stahlbus Oil Drain Valve



















What are my plans now? Well the first plan of action was to immediately take a heat gun to the decals. They were abundant and, at least to me, ruined the great OEM paint job that the track bodywork possessed. It wasn’t easy to say the least as there were so many of them and most of them were single letter decals. All I assumed were made by Drippin’ Wet who is really well known through the motorcycle industry in the U.S. for his decal work. He is a great fellow with some great designs of which I will find myself in the future inquiring too.













What does she look like now you ask?











Next up and for the duration of the winter months will be swapping over my complete Ohlins suspension setup after a rebuilding of the kit, geometry setup for the bike with my choice of race tires, quick shifter kit, clip-ons for added assurance in case of a crash, a set of rain tires for the spare wheels, GB racing engine cover where applicable over the Woodcraft ones. There are more as I am forgetting at the moment but will be all listed and documented on this journey towards racing next season.

Stay tuned!
 
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#2 ·
Racing WERA or CCS?
 
#7 ·
Took advantage of Black Friday and picked up some stuff for both the street and the race bike.

I only picked up what I needed which were a set of street tires, Michelin Power 3 2ct to be exact, for my street bike. $209 and two days later they were at my front steps. I currently ride on two season old Dunlop Q2’s that has seen many street riding miles as well as one full day on a very grip thirsty NYST. Needless to say they were on their last leg so a replacement must be found. RD was also blowing out the new Q3’s as well but I was hesitant to try those as I wanted something to last a little bit longer for street riding so I opted for the presumed longer lasting PP3’s from Michelin. I won’t be able to give a review on how these tires perform until the Spring time which I will dream of through the hark of winter so look out for that.


Keeping the same 120/180 profiles because my street bike’s geometry is set up already for this tire size. Although it was set up for Ohlins and Bridgestone R10s, I am interested to see how they perform with Penske 20MM & stock rear shock as a daily ridden.


They are said that this new compound is to last a lot longer than its predecessor, I hope this to be factual as I plan to put many upon many miles of street riding next season.


New compound ratio was created for this new rendition. The sides are softer so hopefully that means more edge grip and feel while the center is of a harder compound for longevity.

Essentials are what I also needed to buy for the upcoming race season, which really means I need to get things to prep my bike for the technical rules. First order of business is safety wiring and that entails drilling holes through bolts you don’t want to get loose when on track. I’ve seen people do this by placing the bolts in a vice and drilling, this is done through some disdain to be honest. I thought there has to be a better way so enter the Moto-D Safety Wire Drilling Guide. This looks like it will make drilling those said holes to be much easier, safer and faster. At $34.99 it wasn’t a bad deal.


They even included a little drill bit!

I wanted to make the safety wiring look professional so I headed over to Kurvey Girl. Before you get any ideas this isn’t a website that would get you into trouble at work, but rather a go to place for all the bolts, nuts, fasteners so on and so forth for bikes. Hell she even stock parts! I wanted to get some safety pins/clips so it’ll have that professional aura to it. Her clips package was great at $10 not to mention FAST service. Also I didn’t want to keep continuously safety wiring over and over if I needed to get something off the bike, these clips will make it that much easier. I won’t be wiring until my suspension gets refreshed but it is good to have the parts now.


Large pins, medium pins, small pins, all kinds of pins!

Last on my purchase was a tool set. Yes, I know, 27 years old and never bothered to owning my own set of tools. Blasphemy I would say. But I definitely needed one, preferably a complete set, so that when I am at the track next season I won’t be fretting over a socket wrench or open headed one, all will be there. Home Depot was running a special on a Husky 230 piece mechanics tool set for $99. Yes $99. I immediately went there, found my tool box and was more than happy to hand over my credit card. It feels beefy and heavy to be honest, and I am more than happy with that! Anyone needs work done they can call me now!



That's all for now. I did place an order for a rear axle holder to make changing the rear tires a bit easier. Should be here any day now.

Next up is pulling the Ohlins and sending them off to be refresh, while that is happening I will be drilling the bolts to spec up for the safety wire tech regulations.
 
#10 ·
Nice!
 
#14 ·
I was torn between this and the Craftsmen toolset but man $99 is a steal in my books!

yo man, swap the rearsets already!!
:321 HAVE YOU SEEN THE SHOP LATELY?! So many other bikes in there I can barely move!

Cant wait to see the finished product I love these track bike builds.
Thank you! Swapping out the Ohlins for a refresh and transfer soon! Then the safety wiring begins! I want to say I used STG's race bike prep vids as a reference to what I needed to do for the upcoming season :lmao
 
#15 ·
Let us know how that safety wire jig works. I've always used a punch and just drilled the bolts while they were on the bike.
 
#16 ·
The deliveryman was kind enough over the last couple of days between Christmas and New Years to deliver a multitude of packages to my door. Who doesn’t love it when they see the delivery truck coming up the hill and around the corner from their home? I surely still get excited.

I was waiting from a few packages to help further crash proof my motorcycle; look for a blog post at a later date on how to crash proof your own bike, for the upcoming race season. I forgot how busy the delivery season could be during the holidays, so I had to order early and wait a couple of extra days to get them even though it’s winter. With this in mind an order for new hand and feet controls were placed!

The few of many boxes to come during the race build.


Currently my race bike is decked out with the best OEM handlebars Yamaha can offer! But let’s us be honest here, one low side and you will have more of a problem on your hands, literally, than you had bargain for. Woodcraft makes amazing, affordable units for R6 not to mention a multitude of other makes and models. I run these on my street bike, which survived two low sides on the right and each time they have held up beautifully. Well worth the investment not only on the durability but also the price on the replacement bars, coming in at $10-15 a bar its about 50% cheaper than other brands. Woodcraft is a local, to MA, company so why not support local business!

You can always depend on American made and local companies to come through with the best products.


Sticking to the theme of hand controls I opted for a quicker throttle ratchet system than the current OEM unit. Don’t get me wrong the OEM does its job but on long front straights I would like the ability to ratchet the throttle with a shorter throw to WOT than what I have now. Pro Motion REV2 unit was ordered up because this kit includes a variety of throttle ratios that can be changed out on the fly to suit the track you are at. It also adds in the extra bling factor if you will!

Pro Motion's REV2 Throttle kit.


Unboxing. Very neatly packaged.


Adding bling to the hand controls is never a bad thing.


50, 45, 40, 35 variable ratios to find a perfect setup at each track.


I had ordered a set of Renthal soft compound grips before I had known that the Pro Motion throttle kit came with their own. So why did I choose the Renthal soft? Well it was simple, I run them on my street bike and the soft compounds helped alleviate the vibration numbness one gets when on track for a whole session.

Grips that will stand up to most low sides. Soft compounds so it'll be easier on the hand numbness.


I mentioned before that Woodcrafts make great products for any type of bikes but when it comes down to their rearsets I must say there is something left to be desired with me. The one on my bike sadly is in standard shift pattern, which I would’ve preferred to be in GP pattern. Normally you can switch the knuckle on the linkage 180 degrees and be done with it but sadly again you can’t with the Woodcrafts unless you buy a different linkage. Another problem it had was the range of adjustability, or the lack thereof.

Enter Vortex V2 rearsets. I, again like a broken record, run them on my street bike and again they have held up to a crash a lot better than anything else I have encountered. Not to mention the VAST range of adjustability it provides. Every part on this rearset, in the event of a crash, is completely replaceable. It was a no brainer here and of course black was the color of choice.

Riders Discount was running a blowout special on the remaining V2's so I had to put in an order. It was a perfect trade for my current Woodcrafts for these.


Much wider range of adjustability can be found with the V2 Vortex rearsets than most others.


Until the next time the deliveryman comes upon the hill these will have to suffice the need to update my bike to full race trim. Next up is installing them but let’s hope for a less packed shop the next time I stop by!
 
#17 ·
I have been holding off the most tedious task of this race build up until now, pulling, refreshing and swapping one bike’s suspension to the other. Let’s not kid ourselves with the weather being in the teens as of late that this task was all becoming less and less appealing to me. Not to mention the shop isn’t centrally heated so I had to the swap in my snowboarding gear, trying to retain as much feelings in my fingers and toes as possible.

I had enlisted the help of Sam in both the removal of the rear shock, something I still haven’t learned to do, as well as setting up the race bike’s suspension when I was to get them back from refresh. Asking him was a no brainer because aside from actual suspension tech gurus he was the next best thing. Knowing suspension settings and simple installs was crucial in this part of the race build.


Twice the bike isn't twice the fun, just twice the work!

Pulling the forks was simple, something I can do, and so I took a task to that first, waiting for Sam to awake from his beauty sleep. Once he showed up I had gotten my street bike’s Ohlins R&T forks out already and we started on the Penske 20mm forks from my race. This is when we realized that the previous owner instead of using safety wires on the pinch bolts of the forks opted for Loctite. No wonder I had such a hard time pulling them alone.


Last time the Ohlins TTX will be sitting on Bella.


Sam putting in work as I supervise.

Once off we promptly put them back on my street bike and let Sam do his magic on setting them up. Hand controls back on the new cockpit minus the view of the Ohlins I had weren’t bad. With the forks set we moves towards he removal of the TTX MarkII Ohlins. There was a slight hiccup removing it because the sleeve in the dog bone wouldn’t come out. Much WD40 later, and MUCH MUCH later, they were out and in goes the stock shock. The Ohlins was now joining their fork brethren on a cutting table waiting refreshing.


Forks and shock on a cooking table ready for operation.

I also got the chance to install the Zero Gravity DB clear screen I have bought. The current one was a cut, Puig I suppose, dark windscreen that really makes it hard to see when you’re tucked on a front straight. With that problem in mind I did opt for a clear DB.


Custom cut screen with not the best holes and lineup of bolts.


You can see the problem when on a straight. You can barely see in front in tuck.


It was here that I found another problem the previous owner had created. I notice the holes in the bodywork did not line up with the new windscreen. The holes he had drilled were completely off from both the suggested drill holes from the bodywork maker and the previous windscreen weren’t really lined up with the correct lines of the OEM R6.


New holes vs the old ones.


Had to make the holes bigger to even be aligned in some cases.

Power drill in hand I got to work on drilling and making the holes bigger. Note to self that fiberglass is very itchy. New holes done I realigned the windscreen and bolted it down. Stepping away from it the bike definitely looks a lot better.


Bigger and better. Will be able to channel winds much more efficient.


You can now clearly see!

Numb fingers and aching knees later the street bike’s suspension was set and in the meantime I will take the Ohlins down to GMD Boston to have them refreshed. Unfortunately that could take a few weeks considering all the racers now are getting their suspension bits in order. Until then a few more miscellaneous part will be installed onto the race bike and hopefully it comes along some more!

Stay tuned!
 
#18 ·
After finishing the pull of the forks I made an appointment with Pete at GMD Computrack Boston to drop them off for their refresh the following Saturday (they do Saturday drop off/pick-ups which saves a world of hassle!) Although it was a pretty good drive to get to GMD Boston there isn’t anyone else who I trust to refresh my setup. They have data logs of everything you ever got done through them so it was breeze for him to look up the specs of both my forks and shocks as I have gotten them set up through him in the past. Now the wait for them to be done begins!

In the meantime I headed back to my shop to start putting together the bunch of parts I had laying around. First up were the Vortex V2 rear sets I had acquired. These had parts that are more readily available than their first versions, which I run on my street bike, but also a folding toe peg that the V1 didn’t have. It took a while to put them together; the pain in the ass was the lock collar for the pin that holds the spring to actuate the folding toe peg. Think of it as Lego for racers.

Clutch side is always almost easier than the brake side. I opted for GP shifting pattern as I am completely used to it and riding STD pattern is foreign to me now. I notice how much longer the shift rod on the CF Motorsports (my guess here, couldn’t tell with the engraving on them) rear sets (Woodcrafts) were a lot longer so I had to grab the OEM rod from my old rear sets. A few tweaks in the length of the rod and viola the clutch side was done. Note that I am most likely going to run a quick shifter on the bike, either Annitori or Bazzaz, so the stock rod will be replaced eventually.


Upside to this WC rear set was the long shift rod being out of the way of the oil filter.


The downside was this was a STD shift unit. Switching to GP shift meant a $50 knuckle and nil adjustable points.


Although the rod now is back in the way of the filter I have set it to my much preferred GP pattern.


Ample adjustable points later I am a happy camper with the switch.

Brake side rear set was a more tedious process as I have already noticed how much the Yoshimura TRC exhaust that came with the bike didn’t sit as flushed against the swingarm. The V2 rear set comes with an exhaust bracket, meant to be mounted to the backside of the rear set, to be joined with the exhaust hanger bracket, but this wasn’t the case here. Since the exhaust didn’t sit flush I had to take that rear set bracket and lock it in between the rear set mounting point, on the outside, and the brake lever. It was VERY close in proximity but the resolved the issue of having to mount the exhaust to the rear set itself. Not the cleanest of installs but at the moment everything links up right.


Stock heel plate was used for the WC rear set brake side, but altogether really I didn’t mind it.


But again the lack of being adjustable to cried for the need to change them out. You can see the WC bracket is BEHIND the exhaust bracket.


Vortex supplied heel plate to make it look much cleaner.


Notice the almost razor edge on the foot pegs. You don’t want your calf to get in front of that! Here you can see the Vortex bracket in FRONT of the exhaust bracket.


You cant tell from this angle, but the exhaust is about 1 finger width away from sitting flush with the swingarm. I had to mount the exhaust bracket supplied by Vortex on the OUTSIDE of the rear set instead of behind it like it should. All that to accommodate a more than protruding Yoshimura TRC system.

Next up will be removing the steering dampner, gas tank and throttle bottle assemblies to install the clip-on and throttle kit while I wait for the suspension to be finished. It’s only passing mid-January and I can already smell the race gas burning at the first round! Makes the winter months pass by sooner with progression of this build.
 
#19 ·
Spent my morning heading on down I495 south towards Bellingham to meet at the GMD Computrack Boston compound and let me tell you what a mission this was! Driving wasn’t as bad as the waking up at 7:30AM on a weekend during 0 degree New England weather but it had to be done! Today was the racer’s meeting, pit lane reporter annunciations, suspension pick up/drop off and of course a few words from local race hero Eric Woods from Woodcraft Technologies himself!

Having been to GMD before I knew the layout of the shop pretty good but of course with some new faces who’s never been a shop tour was in order. Pete, owner of GMD Computrack Boston, showed us around, explained to us what it is he and his staff do on the grounds, areas in which strip downs, parts clean up, rebuilds and chassis straightening took place. This is immensely helpful to everyone involved in this years racing efforts as we will be at the forefront of promoting the brand and services for GMD.

Pete also went into details about the backend portion of the business, how things work from the online store to shipping and even expansion. A lot of background information on him as a past racer to the present was also mentioned, giving more depth into what we were about to embark on for the season. Hopefully it’ll be a success and he can expand his shop sooner than he had intended!


A quick tour around the place to know the ins and outs of how GMD operates.

As I opened the door I can see a multitude of people already hammering over the doughnuts and coffee as it was only still 9:30 on the clock, coffee still good right? Eyes fell upon me and I felt like a deer in headlights, everyone was probably thinking ‘who is this kid?’ Maybe it was just the awkwardness in my own mind because it will be my first year racing novice amongst the small handful of other racers there in the same class. Many of the faces were familiar to me as I have seen them plenty of times around the track day paddock so the transition to seeing them, and them seeing me in the racing paddock can turn into a ‘Hey man great last lap!’ in no time.

I forgot to mention that along with racing this year I will be working with GMD Boston, as well as two others, as their pit lane reporter during the LRRS rounds. That means practice, interview, race, interview, race, post race interview! A lot on my plate for one weekend of racing but this will not only give me a chance to help a local business grow but will also help my skill set grow as well. The meet and greet for the pit lane reporters went off pretty well with introductions and what are expected of both the reporters and the sponsored riders.

We will be incorporating social media outlets from Twitter, Google+, Facebook, YouTube all the way to LinkedIn, Reddit and the likes and coupled with Google Analytics hope to drive more traffic to GMD. Videos from suspension settings, new customer reviews, sponsored riders race weekend resorts, how-to’s and blog posts to name a few are what you can expect from the reporters this season. The goal is to showcase content that will the every day rider all the way to the top expert race finisher a better if not complete understanding of how suspension works, what they should do to optimize their packages and how your race pace correlates to your suspension setup. Providing not only a parts retailer to the area but more importantly having a fully licensed and trained service staff on hand at the customer’s disposal is more important than just slapping in a cartridge kit and riding away.

Last we got to hear from special guest speaker Eric Woods who stopped by to pick up both of his race bikes for the season. If you are in the motorcycle industry either as a dealer, service depot or even every day rider than you know about Woodcrafts. They are not only becoming or rather already are a premier parts manufacturers, producing everything from tire warmers to race stands to clip-ons and engine cases to name a few, but it is always great to see a racer turn his passion and racing career into something more. Eric shed great words of wisdom when it comes to seeking sponsorship for your racing program, more of which I will write a blog post on, which I listened to intently of course, to how suspension is vital to any racer’s race pace and touching last on racing etiquette as we are of course racers and to-be.


Talking about race sponsorship, suspension settings and racing etiquette. Be wise to just soak it all in!


Like these gents, all ears. Notice the multitude of Dunkin Donuts, you know you’re in NE.


I tried not to be creepy and grab a photo of E. Woods. I got a handshake though, that counts for something right?!

Of course it’s been three weeks since my suspension has been taken out so it was fitting that before I left I picked up my forks and shock. I had GMD rebuild them after two seasons of track days and 5,000 street miles later. I wouldn’t trust a rebuild to just anyone else, local or not, as I have a long standing dealing with Pete and GMD all the way back to servicing the forks on my 2005 CBR 600RR in 2009. Not only do they do top notch work but they go as far as keeping all the parts they take out from your stuff and give it back to you in a little zip lock bag! Customer service is bar none as well, maybe that’s why I like giving them my business along with many referrals. You can go there with the intention of picking up your parts but stay for an hour or two talking bout bikes, racing to even every day life, its a good change in the business structure of things if I say so myself.


Snapchat opportunity :)


Let people know where you get serviced at!


My race bike’s new setup swapped over from the twin street bike. Cant wait to go full gas!


Top in the game and it isn’t for no reason

With my suspension components in hand and hand and with the list of things the reporters need to do I said my goodbyes and headed for the door. Now comes the parts of many and time is in a crunch. My race bike will now get put back together starting with the suspension, then comes the safety wire and remainder of the parts install. Let’s not forget there is Lo-Riderz season starter meeting today too! The ball is getting rolled on in many fronts, best be the one doing the roll and not get wrapped in its path!
 
#20 ·
Another snowy weekend, what is this three weeks in a row now? Instead of just sitting at home I grabbed all my motorcycle parts and ventured back to my shop to install them, rather not wasting time and least get something productive in. I placed an order a couple of weeks ago to TJ at RidersDiscount.com for a Cox radiator guard and Woodcraft front and rear axle sliders. They took a while to arrive mainly because of the storms we have been getting but once they were here all I needed was just a day off to get them on.

The installs were all fairly simple and easy to perform with just hand tools so it didn’t take me much time whatsoever. First to go on was the Cox radiator guard figuring it would take the longest of the bunch. I bought a guard instead of making my own like some of my friends because I wanted something precise fitting and it didn’t hurt the eyes when you look at it neither. I opted for the black one, more stealth in my opinion.


Fitment was on point. It is held with two zip ties on the top portion while the bottom is held in place through the existing radiator support bracket.


Stealth look to make it seem like it’s not even there.

I also spent this time adding in the GB Racing clutch cover that I also got from TJ. Already having the engine covers from Woodcraft was great but they didn’t a clutch cover and I wanted added protection. I run the GB Racing covers on my street bike so figured it be a good fit. You just need to remove three bolts and place the cover and reinstall using the longer bolts they supplied you with.


These covers are cheap and great. Made from high quality materials you can see the fitment is very snug.


Two covers, one job, save your engine from a crash.

I got around to putting my forks back on to the bike during the interim of my last posting after getting them back from Pete over at GMD Computrack. Now that the front is rolling again I also added in the Woodcraft clip ons I had laying around too. Hopefully this combo will allow me to adjust the ergos on the bike to be more race oriented without having to worry about daily ride ability like I had when they were set up on my street bike pulling double duties.


Much cleaner cockpit then when I originally picked the bike up last September. Who can’t love the sight of Ohlins through the triples?


Clip ons add for more range of ergo adjustments as well as easier and cheaper replacements in case of a spill.

With the expensive front end in place I wanted to protect the fork tubes so that is why I picked up axle sliders from Woodcraft. There are a lot of axle sliders in the market but most are replacements for the axles themselves but not these babies. They simply, on one side, slip right into the axle via an exact fitted nut onto which the actual sliders are pinned on. On the other side, at least for the front, it replaces the axle nut completely, but you still retain your axles.

On the front of the Yamaha R6’s axle is a little rubber plug that you must remove. The instructions say a pick is the easiest way to remove it, but I found that this was quite difficult to perform. Armed with a drill and equally large drill bit I just went to town and it came out with ease.


What was lodged in the front axle.


A drill bit large enough to put a hole in your fingers and a few minutes later viola.

The front took me literally minutes to put on:


Notice the pins holding the sliders in place.


These pins are easily safety wire-able if the tech inspect really wants you too.

The rear sliders are about the same difficulty in install terms but on the one side of my axle it was pretty warped and you would need to sand it down to make the nuts fit perfectly. I opted to just hold off until I swap tires to actually do this because I intend on just swapping the axles from my street bike over to the race bike.

All the updates for now until this storm passes. Next is putting on the rear shock and most likely the throttle kit. Placed an order for two front/four rear Bridgestone R10 tires for the season so once they are here off goes the slicks and on goes the DOT race rubbbbbbber. Hopefully by then it’ll stop snowing!
 
#21 ·
The start of practice for Round One of the LRRS championships is less than 51 days away. What does this mean? Well to be frank it is now in the crunch time stages of prepping for the race season! Only downside is there is still 90+ inches of snow out on the ground with no foreseeable end in sight. In the last few weeks packages started arriving, parts started to get installed and finalization on sponsorship are now getting put in place.

My office is becoming sorts of receiving area for packages as of late. At one point it was overran with 25 jugs of Motul 300V oil, enough to run a small privateer team for the season! TJ over at RidersDiscount.com is always worth the call for your needs. Of course this is for the Lo-Riderz team with a few jugs for my race bike during the campaign. Another large order that has come in is this season’s race rubber: Bridgestone R10 DOT racing rubber. 12 full sets of it no less stacked high on a pallet was delivered to our good friend Woody over at DRT-Sport. I opted for two fronts and four rears in my own allocation for the season from Viets Performance. It seems like a lot but when you dwindle it down there are seven rounds in the series with a minimum of four races per weekend along with adding in the practices and occasional track days my allocation seem infinitesimal.


‘I would like 25 jugs of Motul please TJ’


What 12 sets of race rubber actually looks like.

The guy at my shop was gracious enough to install the last few bits of parts I had laying around. On went my Ohlins TTX MK2 rear shock, back from a fresh rebuild with Pete over at GMD. I couldn’t do this myself because let’s be honest the rear always gave me problems. With two sets of hands, a bike lift and a rear stand they were able to pop that sucker on and dialed in about fifteen minutes. I was shocked when I got the text saying they were done. Up next was the Rev2 Motion Pro throttle kit. My hands aren’t the biggest, toughest in the world so wringing out the throttle to completely open usually saw two motion of action to accomplish. With the Motion Pro Rev2 kit and the right ratios installed now I can wring out to 100% open with ¾ less effort. They did a clean job with the install and adding the black grips provided with the kit it looks incredible stealthy. One of the few last things to prep the bike is my most hated part, drilling and safety wiring. They manage to drill & wire my oil filler cap, dipstick, exhaust bracket and radiator cap. What are left are just the pinch, caliper and axle bolts, of course the harder ones to drill through. Say hello to buying a bunch of drills bits.


Want a shock done proper and installed in 15 minutes? Head to Lo-Riderz!


Motion Pro Rev2 kit on and installed.


Shortest ratio installed for the shortest crank possible.


Oil filler cap and dipstick safety drilled and wired to look pro.


Don’t forget the rad cap. No one likes coolant on the track.


You be surprised at how often an exhaust bolt rattles out of place. Wire it!

If you have been following my blog you would have seen a post on how to gain race sponsorship. I took my own advice and went out to gather as much sponsorship as I can that made sense to my race program. It was a tedious process of emails, phone calls and putting myself out there but it was a good learning experience as everything always is. You get to understand the concept of what you can offer to organizations in which you are seeking support from, how to take rejection and how to market yourself in a way that potential sponsors can see their return on investments met. I am glad to report back that I have secured a few meaningful sponsorship relationship in my endeavor and will present the reveal when have the bike finished and completed before the first round.

With the clock almost reaching midnight on this first race season I am both anxious and nervous to get it rolling. More parts are on their way, more space being at a premium but I am looking forward to getting them and going back to work. There is also another big surprise but will be revealed the sooner the season approaches. In the meantime there is still much more work to do be done to get ready!
 
#23 ·
It's almost April and the north east is still having a tough time breaking 35 degrees. Ugh. Race bike prep is on hold until warmer weather arrives (mainly for the coolant) but in the meantime I got a few of my friends to go racing and we have created the Team MSGRacing brand :)

Also used this time to prep the street bike for the season. Here's a quick 'through the gears' video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqqO5UI3l_M


Hopefully it gets warmer and more work can be done.
 
#24 ·
With all the season openers coming up, some rounds already finishing and the weather finally warming up I took one look at my calendar and realized that the first round of racing is less than a month away! You can ring the alarms as it is now officially crunch time!

During the time of the last countdown to this I have managed to form a team along with getting a few sponsors to help support our race program this season. With all the sponsor talk aside we still need to finish up the prep work on the bikes so they are within the legal rules of LRRS/CCS racing. This meant more hours drilling, mounting and installing new parts.


Freshly mounted Bridgestone RS10 DOT race tires.


I came from riding the 003R in Type 3 so the change to these were gradual.

We mounted the dry race tires, being Bridgestone R10 for my bike as well as the new RS10, street versions of these tires, for Dat’s Triumph. The temperature in our shop was not IDEAL to be mounting tires as the carcasses were still rigid from it being cold, curse you nature. With some force and ingenuity we manage to mount two sets in the span of 30 minutes, what you can finish with team work.


Switch to the Woodcraft CFM Rearsets.

If you notice my footwork has changed. I wanted to support a local company and managed to acquire Woodcraft CFM as a sponsor for this season so I swapped back to their rearsets. The problem with the one I had was that I was not a fan of the STD shift pattern so my first order of business was to call them and acquire the GP knuckle and longer rod. It didn’t hurt that they also sent me sponsor swag with my first order too.


SWAGGGGGGGG


Motoholders fairing stay.

I also swapped out the OEM fairing stay for a Motoholders unit. This is slimmer, stronger and overall will hold up better in the case of a spill than the OEM one. It was tough putting it on considering the intake outlet of the holder is A LOT narrower than my OEM unit, but it prove to be a snug fit, not having to worry about anything coming out.

While we wait for Dat’s fairings from Italy to come in (they came in the first shipment but was destroyed in shipping) and Chris’s bike to come back from geometry setup we have started an order with Chris Kruzel over at DrippinWet to create our individual personal decals for each rider. With it being full on season prep at the moment we hope to get them back in time for the first round. Speaking of decals we also secured a sponsor in the form of Signature Designz to create our number plates and sponsor decals. We are grateful for this sponsorship as they are a local company and working with local company only helps to prosper everyone involved!


Khanh Keo Kingphilavanh signature artwork.

One of my good friends also happen to be a very creative genius when it comes to the pen and paper in the realm of artwork. I commissioned two pieces, one of of Godzilla like creature eating a bowl of Pho, the other of a racer riding and holding of noodles in one hand. Why noodles? It is what I do for a living, a line cook, added to the many other jobs I hold but one I really like the most. I am glad that his creativeness far exceeded what I had for expectations. Cant wait to see the finished product. By the way I picked #3 & #5!
 
#25 ·
Hope you have better luck with the Motoholders fairing stay than I did. Mine snapped in two the very first time I crashed it.

I now just use the el cheapo chinese E-bay $30 OEM style fairing stays. Just easier to replace them each time they explode than spend $160+ on something that also breaks...
 
#27 ·
I guess I should rephrase my statement: I would carry a spare fairing stay, whether it's just a stock one or another aftermarket. Just my .02 cents.
 
#31 · (Edited)
In six days we will be loading the trailers and truck with what we hope will be everything we need in order to run a successful first round of the Loudon Road Race Series. It is officially now CRUNCH TIME!

To follow up on a few posts ago about how to drill bolts for safety wiring this post will show you what the end product of my labor has accomplished. Be warned that what follows may not be pretty!


As per regulation both exhaust bolts of the two outer ports must be safety drilled


I didn’t think I could managed this but with the help of a friend these bolts aren’t going anywhere.


Stahlbus oil drain kit was installed prior to my ownership. Once installed these things are permanent so you must safety wire them too. Luckily they make race cap versions for safety wire applications.


Front brake calipers are drilled, torqued and wired.


As is the rear calipers. Note these were much easier to do than the front. I marked where I wanted to drill before I took them off – makes it EASIER! Note the rear axle is drilled as well & wired to the axle block.


Front axle and pinch bolts are of no difference. I wired my Woodcraft front axle slider through the two front bolts making one easy pass.

Things seem to be coming to speed at a faster rate than I had planned but there are a few things left to be done at this point:

Safety wire oil filter
Drain coolant and fill with water wetter/distilled water
Grab decals and put them onto the body work
Put back on the body work
Drill hole in belly pan for wet weather racing

This is just what’s on the top of my head. I’m losing Saturday of this weekend so that leaves me with realistically SUNDAY to finish everything else I need to do. Crunch time indeed.

*going to rewire some of these on Sunday - realized some might not to be spec - busy busy Sunday
 
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