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$Lindz$ builds some shit for the track

46K views 197 replies 55 participants last post by  Bcamos 
#1 · (Edited)
I don't have awesome pictures of the whole build process but whatever. Wasn't really thinking about a thread but I'm bored and going stir crazy as I wait on parts, so here goes. Haha.


Chapter 1: A Cautionary Tale of Being a *****ing Idiot.


Bought the bike last November. This was the first day I picked it up. Dude had dropped it a few times and didn't really take care of it like he should have, but whatever. Swooped it for a good price. 2007 in that ulgy-ass period red.





Then I couldn't wait to ride it, despite the old ass OEM Pilot Sports and (as I found out later) leaking front forks. Rear stepped out on me and I lost it... lowside into flip crash bang boom in the run-off. Here it is after my handiwork:








OOPS!

Here's how that feels:
http://youtu.be/Y_exermAXkU


Leaving mementos on the Tree of Shame...
 
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#63 ·
Well, it seems I have been misinformed and mistaken. Thanks, I didn't know the compounds were the same between the slicks and DOT tires. I knew the US and UK N-Tec compounds were different. I guess I got lax with the nomenclature too, most of my friends call the slicks simply N-Tecs and the DOT 211 GP-As... well, GP-As.
 
#64 ·
Chapter 10: Steering with the rear.

So today is Dec 3rd (well, I guess it's technically the 4th since it's past midnight) and as predicted, I was able to get out to Chuckwalla and rip around a little bit.

Chuckwalla's asphalt is SO smoooooth. It's really nice. I wish it had at least 1 long straight though. As it is, every straight is JUST short of being awesome. It's still a real fun track and everything but yeah I dunno. It's like, a bunch of awesome turn complexes linked with short straights. I guess that's kinda the style for weekend-warrior-style dudes who are afraid to go real fast so it make sense (people LOVE this track). I did enjoy a lot of the elevation change and shit. That was awesome.

In bike-damage news: It was pouring rain on Saturday when I was loading up and as I was throttling the bike up the ramp into Brian's truck the cold race tire said 'f**k you' to the wet aluminum ramp, slid out, kicked the ramp and fell. I had to bail and couldn't save the bike from tumbling off the tailgate/ramp and ended up with a bent clutch lever and some smashed fairings. www.hahgay.com I hate loading shit by myself. Also I guess I need to be way more careful when dealing with rain and ramps and shit. Anyways: ain't care. Bent the clutch lever back, kicked myself for being retarded, wish the damage was from something cool, that's all.

And then on Monday (today) at the track I was braking real hard from like 130mph and my fairing touched my dumb way-too-flexible Hotbodies front fender, I guess.... pushed it into the tire which caused to to rip off the mounting bolts and fly past my head as a projectile in the braking zone. FACK. Tech looked at the bike and there was no other damage so I was able to finish off the day sans front fender.

On the ride report: Shit feels great. I was able to loft the rear under brakes a lot, getting real late and real aggressive with the braking, and also I got much more comfortable braking pretty hard while the bike was at good lean angle... which always kinda f**ked with me (considering you're taught for ages to get your braking done in a straight line.)

Then by the end of the day, coming out of the banked Turn 13 "Bowl" at full lean and full throttle, the bike was totally steering with the rear tire. LOVE THIS OHLINS. Rear shock compressed real nicely and as I was coming onto the straight and standing the bike up, it kept turning right, full compressed on the rear shock, leaned over and lofting the front wheel. I had to hang off to the left a ton and then bring myself into a tuck to get the front down (I didn't lift during any of this because umm... it was f**king awesome). Of course it wasn't like... front 3 feet in the air. More like 3 inches (if that) but the bars would go all crossed up since the wheel was off the ground until I got them back down. Here's how that felt: FCCCCKKKK YEAH.

But, I really want a quick shifter now. I mis-shifted so many f**king times because this track had a lot of kinks-onto-straights or right-lefts, left-rights and I was moving around so much that coming off the gas to shift and then getting back on it while throwing my weight around was hurting the **** out of my right arm/wrist.

Note the purple zipties holding the fairings together on the left side...





 
#66 ·
I'm feeling a lot more confident on the R6. Still a ways to go, I wish I was at the track more regularly so I don't have to spend the first couple of sessions getting back into the swing of things. Had a nice little dice-out with some Scandinavian dude on a Gixxer 750 during the last 2 sessions of the day. It was awesome, we were pushing like hell and it really made me ride the bike better.


OUT HUNTING






 
#68 ·
Haha me too! Luckily I think there are some events I'll get to soon... in January. Hah! Suck it, winter!

Despite everything that sucks about LA, at least year-round track days in the SoCal area are a plus. Any of you NorCal dudes want to make the trek down? I'll arrange accommodations or whatever, just throw some bikes in a truck and hit the 5 (or 101).
 
#72 ·
Thanks, I think this shit is so much fun and I just want to portray that as best I can.

hit up chiefsmokedawg aka bauce racing. its been a while since ive bought mine but i remember it being a killer price. youll love that thing, just lay a finger on two on it and trail brake in deep with ease.
Local (well, he's in the valley a little more than an hour away) just hit me up and said he'll be down in LA tonight or tomorrow and will bring the MC with him. If it doesn't happen I'll hit up Chief. I forget that he can get, umm... everything.
 
#74 ·
Sick pics man, I'm just sitting here staring at how crazy your BP is. I'm super jelly of you south westerners out there. The last few days here have been warm but it's back to highs in the 50's and most sort of rain most of the time. Looking forward to your next update my friend.
 
#77 ·
Geez Bro, you're ripping it out there! I was out there too, but with the slow peeps. Wish I would've known you were out there, I would've had you teach me a few things :D

Sick pics!

:cheers
 
#79 ·
Haha awesome coincidence, you were in C group? My friend was in C with his silver SV650. First time out on the track (or really riding hard in general) and I was trying to watch and give him pointers. PM me or let me know the dates you're planning to go to the track, we could get a little caravan going.


I was just watching old rnickeymouse videos, and I recognized you in a few of them both when you crashed the r6 and when you were on your monster :laugh
Haha. Yeah man, the R6 crash was stupid/funny. I don't remember being on any vids with the monster, I never crashed it. I have barely ridden up there this year. It's way too risky and crowded lately. Oh well, I still cruise up on the Monster on a nice day every now and then.
 
#82 ·
Haha awesome coincidence, you were in C group? My friend was in C with his silver SV650. First time out on the track (or really riding hard in general) and I was trying to watch and give him pointers. PM me or let me know the dates you're planning to go to the track, we could get a little caravan going.
Si, I was in group C. One of the guys I pitted next to was telling me to try and get bumped. Though about it but I didn't feel ready. He started off in C since it was his first time at CVR but he said C group was extremely slow that day. Idk about him but it made me feel faster taking guys on the corners :flex::lmao

Don't have any planned yet but I'm def itching to get out there again! I'll definitely let you know when I'm getting ready to register.
:cheers
 
#78 ·
I was just watching old rnickeymouse videos, and I recognized you in a few of them both when you crashed the r6 and when you were on your monster :laugh
 
#85 · (Edited)
Chapter 11: On a Brisk Winter's Morning.

Today is Jan 20th, 2013. It was almost 80* in LA and almost 70* at WSIR. Last weekend was rather the opposite, with WSIR between 30-45*.

Despite my not having tire warmers I pressed on with the track day, fully aware that I would probably crash. I didn't care. I needed to ride. I needed to test parts, feel speed, exorcise demons, I don't know what it was but I needed it.

I stayed up all night installing my Annitori quickshifter and my block-off plates. I got 2 hours sleep and my friend came over about 7am to load up. It was cold as shit so we waited around for a few hours until the sun fully came out and headed up to the track. We should have just gotten drunk and watched National Geographic or something.

I pulled up on WSIR Streets and some dude recognized my helmet (he's in here somewhere, sorry I missed you after that dude) and we chatted for a second until my friend Javelin pulled up next to me. This kid rips, he rides AMA on an R6 and I've chased him around Big Willow before on a day that really progressed my riding.

Anyways, any hope for me taking it easy just went out the window, ****ing 17 y/o AMA rider is right behind me. I rip down the straight, fully tuck, LOVING the quickshifter. Go through turn 1 and get on the brakes pretty good since I know my tires are wicked cold. Tip in to turn 2 and crack on the gas and the rear spins up, immediately steps out on me and slams me into the ground. I thought I was going slow as shit too (I was!).

Broke my screen, bent the **** out of my brake lever, rashed my fairings and did some more work to my sliders. Whatever. Ain't care. Wish I didn't do it but oh well. That day ended up being nuts. I think there were over 15 crashes. Lots of carnage. The track never got warm, the ambient didn't go above 40-45* all day.

I also should have softened my suspension up a ton. I was delirious at 5am and just opened my notebook and put on the "Streets" setting, not thinking it should be a lot softer given the temperature.

I am also shopping for tire warmers now. Finally. At the advice of my teenage AMA racer lunatic friends. Who I have enlisted to train me to be a proper madman.

Yup.



[EDIT] I also hit my helmet on the ground (not very hard) but it still totally bummed me out. More mad about that than anything else that happened. Also rashed up the top of my right glove pretty good when I went down. Happy to report I only had a slightly bruised forearm and no other injuries. Its so worth it to invest in good gear!






 
#86 ·
Woodcraft sliders held up insanely well.
 
#92 ·
Chapter 12: Legends.

A few weeks ago I went to Streets and met up with my friend Austin DeHaven who helped me on bars/rearset position and setup as well as give me general riding help and feedback on the bike. It was awesome, and he was backing my bike in every lap. He was getting me more comfortable with threshold braking with the rear stepping out. So much commitment needed and trust that the bike isn't gonna just dump you and you ride the front grip into the corner and tip in with the rear wagging.

No pictures from riding this day for whatever reason.



Then, this Sunday I went with some friends to Buttonwillow.



It ended up being a pain getting everything sorted to haul the bikes out there but it was worth it... I worked all day on suspension stuff with DAVE MOSS!!!! Holy hell, seriously what an awesome dude.

He set the bike up totally differently than the previous tuner (well of course it was at different tracks, but his theories and techniques were totally different, etc.) Previous tuner had compression and rebound very close to "full stiff" with not much preload up front.

So yeah, Dave Moss was like wtf is this. Your shit is way too stiff. It still feels good to you because it's a TTX and will blow off any excess pressure built up but right now all your grip is coming from the tires. I want to get you grip from your suspension and your chassis, etc. We ended up doing a bunch of things: Dropped the forks into the triple a few mm to lower the front end slightly. Raised rear ride height (I need shims already) and ended up running way different compression and rebound settings than before. I did like the way the bike felt before so we worked on getting me that a similar feeling, but now it's a lot more supple.

Needless to say this was such an awesome opportunity/experience.

I also ran in A Group from the get-go. Most everyone in the group were WERA or AFM racers because in a week they have a Buttonwillow round in the AFM series. I desperately need tire warmers! Trying to keep pace in the first 2 laps of a session had my rear sliding all over the place. I also got ****ing SCHOOLED by some amazing riders and pushed like hell, finally holding my own against those guys by the end of the day. I had a lot of dudes come up to me in the pits and shoot the shit about how hard it was to get past and coach me a bit on how to get faster here or there.


I also changed up my BP and riding style a little bit. Well, I think it was both a product of how Dave set up the bike and feedback I got about how or what I should improve on. Top was my "normal" which is pretty open into the corner.




And bottom is what I ended up doing for most of the day. Lower and more tucked, moved a lot more forward on the bike (hold maaaa dick basically on tank). Gives better feel for the front end and lets the rear rotate and wiggle about without your body also doing that.




I'm still beat. It was such a fun (hard) day. I had more than a few excursions off track through the dirt in 3rd and 4th gear from blown braking zones of misjudged exit lines.





3 track days so far in 2 months... 2013 is looking to be a good year. Going to try and do my first races in spring as well. I need to keep pushing. Feels great to make progress both as a rider and on the machine.
 
#93 ·
Sweet pics man...looks like you got it down. If you don't mind me asking...what were the changes you made to the bars and rearsets? Did you move the bars out/in? Rearsets higher or lower? What were you trying to achieve in changing settings?

I am interested in this because these are the two things I am going to tinker with this season. Trying to get a more agressive set up. Obviously it's what feels right for the rider. Just gauging on what positions you moved to...to make you feel more comfortable with your riding style.
 
#94 ·
I actually ended up moving the rearsets back to where I had them before, haha. But yeah just like you said, trying different positions to see what's best. I'm 6'2" so I don't like them super high up, it cramps my knees and shit.

With the bars, I had them pulled back a bit too much so Austin pushed them forward a bunch to open up my position, get my elbows out and weight forward, and give more leverage so I don't have to grip the bars to much while turning. The downside (for me) is that I need all the aero help I can get and on the straight this "feels" a bit worse. Obviously that's not a huge deal, I've just adjusted the position I have in the tuck because it's so much more important to have an easier time while turning. Just wanted to note the "negative" aspect of the change.

I also played around with bar position at Bumpywillow, and like Dave Moss says: keep a log book and database of everything. Don't be afraid to make changes based on the track or conditions, etc. Do whatever is necessary.
 
#96 ·
Hmmm I don't have a pic with the bars moved. Basically when holding the bars now, they "force" your elbows out. That adds frontal area and drag, so when in the tuck now I have to kinda squeeze my elbows in and just keep a loose grip on the bars with a few fingers (index, middle, thumb).
 
#99 ·
I know exactly what you mean, after getting my clip ons I set my angle to almost stock which wasn't exactly comfortable in the turns. I pushed them way out one day and it really allowed me to get comfortable on the bike in the turns and just loosen up all together.

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