Panici's R6 x2 - Street & Track

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Jump forward a few years

I was ready for something more modern.
In the summer of 2009, I found a lightly modified 2005 R6 in the beautiful Deep Purplish Blue Metallic colour, and fell in love. Removing the fairings after purchase revealed some light damage, but nothing that needed to be repaired.

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First Wash (May 2009)

















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Went out for a cruise + photoshoot with my friend Kevin's E36 M3 a few weeks later.

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Later that summer

I had a relatively major crash (in terms of injury).

Luckily I had bought and was wearing full gear at this point, or it would have been much worse.
I was wearing an oversized Shoei X-11 (local shop sold me a Medium instead of sizing me properly in a Small. I didn't know any better at the time). As a result, I don't remember the crash at all.
I would later learn that the tires which came on the bike were old and very hard. This was most likely the cause of this particular highside crash.

Although being young on a 600cc motorcycle doesn't help matters even if it's not your first bike. Newer tires would have raised the overall grip but I'm sure I would have binned it eventually.

I broke my left arm, my left wrist, and had surgery on my right thumb UCL. This resulted in me being in casts for both arms/hands for the rest of the summer. On top of that, I fractured my jaw.
Luckily I didn't need to have it wired shut, but I was on a liquid diet for a few months. Just barely got the casts off in time to start my first year of University that September. Although I was emaciated from the lack of solid food.

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The bike got off with relatively light damage, considering how banged up I was.
Replacement used case covers, a LH clip on, and some used fairings were all bought from members here on R6-Forum.
I also bought a used replacement gas tank (unfortunately I didn't think to keep the old one as a spare. D'oh!).
Replaced the helmet with a (properly sized) Small Shoei X-11 in the same pattern.
Later I replaced the rear swing arm with a used (known straight) one for good measure.


Here are a few pictures of the damage, taken over the christmas break in early 2010.



















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Fast forward a few months (Summer of 2010)

I bought a used solo cowl and some R6-Fourm reservoir socks.
I removed the rear tire hugger, and passenger pegs. Then I made a custom exhaust hanger out of a spare footpeg bracket.

Pictures of the above mods with some of the vintage bikes!

















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Track Bodywork

Wanting to visit the track for the first time, I set my new-ish street bodywork safely aside.
I found a (relatively) local set of Armor Bodies Superbike Bodywork here on R6-Forum.
I removed the previous owner's racing numbers, and some of the decals.

I then bought some new seat foam, and put on some ebay shorty black adjustable brake and clutch levers.
A new set of Bridgestone BT-003RS tyres and I was ready to get my feet wet on a closed course.
























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September 25, 2010 - My First Trackday

Made a trip to Toronto Motorsports Park (TMP) in Cayuga.
It took me the first two sessions to learn the track and get the gremlins out of my system from my last crash. I was really stiff on the bike until about the third session.

I was still basically the slowest guy there, but considering I was only 1 of 2 guys who had never tracked before, I didn't feel bad.

Unfortunately it's hard to get corner pictures at this track, so the pics I have aren't that great.

I did get my suspension set-up trackside by some knowledgable folk.
The bike felt much better after that.

I managed to drag my right toe slider twice. The first time was because I had the ball of my foot on the end of the peg, but i'm not sure what happened the second time. Perhaps the factory foot pegs are too low for my foot size?
I favoured leaning to my right side, evident by the chicken strips afterwards. Left still has some unused rubber, but right I at least touched the edge slightly.

I was hoping for some pictures of me in the corners so I could see my BP and figure out where to improve, but no such luck this time.


Here is one of my laps of the last session. Sorry about the shake. (This was well before I owned a GoPro)
Camera was literally ziptied on as the session was starting, so I didn't really care at that point, just wanted to get on the track.

























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May 2011

Received 3 Pre-ordered trackdays for 2011 as a chirstmas present from my parents.
Decided to make the R6 track only for this year, to avoid paying Ontario's crazy insurance costs.

Removed all decals from the track bodywork.
Note: Anti-draft tail panel and windshield are not installed in these pictures.







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I then added my own design, starting with some Kenny Roberts stripes.
It looks good from 5 feet away. Heat with cheap vinyl made them wrinkle. At least they look good in pictures!
I also put some black "YAMAHA" decals on the belly. They only show up in the sun/reflections.














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Renthal 50mm Clipons + Renthal Hard Grips


I decided to drop the fork tubes down through the triple clamp, so I proceeded to take the front end apart.
All was well until I tried to put the forks back up into position. Up to this point I had kept the front wheel on, but there was no way I was getting the forks back into position with the wheel on. So brakes and the wheel came off.

Got everything buttoned back up, forks back to proper height.
I ended up snapping the little ratchet mechanism for the clutch. I was trying to bend it to clearance the clipon bracket. I was able to bend it to at least hold the clutch adjuster from spinning.

I had to remove the guide/brake res mount to clear the RH clipon. Now i've just ziptied the cables up so they don't rub on the fairing stay.

I made a custom mount for the brake fluid reservoir. Ended up using a mountain bike reflector mount, part of an MTB speedo mount, and some spare hardware. Used some trial and error to get it sitting straight without stressing the line.

















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Dish soap and water in a spray bottle made quick work of the Renthal Hard Grips. Using a little heat and elbow grease they slide right on, and then dry as if they were glued on.







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Found a few problems when checking for steering clearance.

First off, the throttle tubes were hitting the ram air covers, so I knew I had to rotate them out of the way.
The cables weren't long enough, so I had to take apart the entire RH clipon, remove the throttle cables, and feed everything through behind the fork tube.

Then, the brake line was hitting the ram air cover at close to full RH lock.
I hammered a socket on the steering stop, which makes it stop just before the line hits.



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Also deleted my LH fan, as it was broken anyways. (Didn't spin up with the RH one. The drive motor is bad)



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Tonight I got my used Woodcraft cut sliders mounted and cut a hole in my track fairings for them. Not the cleanest job, but good enough for track.
And I pulled my chain guard and horn.



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Custom Shark fin / Toe guard.


I printed out a picture of the GYTR guard, used some trial and error with sizing of the image, and eventually printed out a template.
I then traced it onto a cutting board from Canadian Tire ($5), and cut it out with a band saw. Followed with some sanding to clean it up.
While I was at Canadian Tire, I picked up some Stainless Steel mounting hardware.













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AGG Racing Smog Block Off Plates.

Followed the install posted here:
How-to: completely remove AIS

The only points of my install that differed from his:
-I didn't remove the tank, propping it gave me enough room.
-I didn't have a cap, so I used duct tape and a ziptie
-My reed plates didn't "gently pop off", I had to use a pair of needle nose vice grips to get them off.

Measured weight:
Stock AIS system: 552g (1.2 lbs)
Agg blockoff plates: 92g (0.2 lbs)
Total weight savings: 460g (1.0 lbs)

Started the bike afterwords to make sure there was no vacuum leaks.
I wasn't able to test it on the road, but I did notice less popping from the exhaust on the overrun.

Also, if you rev it around 8K a few times, it shoots fire out of the exhaust (Probably because I have an aftermarket pipe and no PCIII).
I guess removing the extra airflow from the AIS was enough to richen up the exhaust to the point of flame.

NOTE: According to AGG, I should have used the original gaskets or some RTV to help seal the plates. It's not crucial (not a high pressure system) but he recommends it.
Next time I have the airbox off i'll put the gaskets in.










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May 19th, 2011

Swapped my street and track windshields, wanted something with more visibility for the track. (My original track windshield is painted white for racing numbers)





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Here's a few pics with the bike in it's current state.
Last week I put down a black pinstripe between the blue and white portions of the fairings. I think it visually ties them into the stripes nicely.







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Trackday #2 - May 21, 2011

I seem to have my BP down now.
I think I did alright for my 2nd trackday ever.

Need more practice finding the racing line, hopefully I can get a tow from one of the more seasoned guys next time to see where i'm going wrong.

Definitely going to pick up a sunshade/canopy for next time. Also if I can find a CHEAP pitbike that would be much better then walking to the washroom from the end of the pits!

Bike ran great, and I even pulled an unexpected power wheelie in full tuck, pulling out onto the straight. Before I realized what was happening, I had grabbed 2nd gear and the front end dropped.

SLR camera settings were incorrect unfortunately, so a lot of the pictures didn't turn out. Not my fault there. I tried to fix them up best I could in photoshop.
Trying to find out about the track photographer, who was on the track for a few sessions.

I shot some video with the little budget camera that was in a thread on here. Didn't turn out too well due to engine vibrations. Will try it as a helmet cam next time.
Video from the pits:

Onboard partial session


































EDIT: Bought the pictures from the track photographer.












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AGG's blockoff plates make the bike shoot fire!










Video here:

I installed a set of AGG blockoff plates, which remove the factory Air Injection System (AIS) also known as the air pump.

This system puts fresh air into the exhaust to help with emissions.

Anyways, with this system removed, fuel can build up in the exhaust if the bike is revved just right (around 8K in my case). The result is flames

Also note, I discovered this by accident, and had to replicate it on video. I don't normally freerev the bike hard like this, nor will I in the future just to "shoot flames".

Also, ignore the LEDs, they are on there temporarily.

Click to expand...

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Walk around in track spec

Bike is ready for my next trackday. (Slightly dusty though)

Steering damper is off for transport (doesn't fit with the ''canyon dancer'' used to strap the bike down)

The keen observer will also notice the missing zipties needed to hold the windshield to the fairing stay. (they go where the mirrors are located on the street bodywork.)

Click to expand...

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Trackday #3 - June 16, 2011 (5PM to Dusk)

The track evening didn't start until 6PM when the rest of the marshals showed up. Apparently the marshals are supplied by TMP (track), not Turn2 (track org), so I wasn't too mad.

I was the first rider out on the track, and it started POURING half way through my FIRST lap. Despite running at a snails pace, I lowsided going into T10 (as all of the oils came out of the track surface).

[Picture of TMP]
(FYI we run the full track. Yellow, blue & red)

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I was going super slow, and was unhurt. As for the bike, the swingarm slider/spool sheared off, and rashed up my swingarm. Clutch lever took a little damage. Also my new case cover was ground down. Could have been much worse. Frame sliders saved my bodywork.







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Also one of my gloves took a bit of a hit. Suit has a few more scuffs.

According to Mike who was marshaling in T11 [The only marshal who showed up on time!], it looked like I just lost the rear end. He thought too much rear brake, but I wasn't even using it, so it must of been that throttle opening point that always seems to jerk in the low gears. Also Mike gave me my broken spool back at the end of the day.

I got right back up and was riding again. Spun up the rear tire in 1st on the front straight once, that was fun

The track dried up, and I really think I improved. Able to get knee down on the RH bends, still need more work for the LH bends (Cayuga is a very right biased track). I focused more on corner dynamics, and it definitely helped. I was running a lot quicker then my last day.

It was open track from 6-9PM, and even though we were an hour short, I still got more track time in then in a regular day. The guys running advanced pace seemed to pass nicely, I never really felt startled by them.

It was a PITA packing, setting up and tearing down all by myself. That's the only problem with Thursday, it's hard to get a pit crew together.

Turn2 seemed to run the session very well. They are very friendly people, and did a nice job of making the day enjoyable.

Also note, they [Turn2 tech] didn't require a ziptied kickstand. That saved me, because my spool sheared off on my first lap of the day.

I had a great time, and I will be going to another Thursday session with Turn2.

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Cliffs:
-Doing a TD without a pitcrew sucks.
-Day started at 6PM
-I crashed first lap in the rain.
-Got back up and ran more KM then in a normal TD.
-Turn2 is great
-Open track rocks!

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More pictures:
Clutch lever nicked



Rear tire wear ~350KM on track (3 trackdays)



Dirty bike needs a bath



Finally got that right knee down
Next up, left knee puck!





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EDIT: Gave the bike a good wash. Still have to touch up swingarm and case cover.
New frame slider pucks and spool sliders on order.

















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Trackday #4 - June 26, 2011

This was definitely my best/most fun trackday yet. Big thanks to Dave Buckland who happened to be beside me in pit lane, and also Wally who was on the other side of me. Nothing like being shown the ropes by some guys who clearly know what they are doing.


Story time - My lesson in traction:
I started the day with 29F/28R cold pressures on my BT-003RS, and was doing fine (or so I thought). I was discussing tires with Dave. He was insisting that my pressures were way too high.

He then offered the use of his 2nd set of warmers and we set the tires hot @ 30F/25R.

I'm still a slow newbie, but I could tell these tires were sticking like glue. I even went into the first corner much too hot and off-line after a pass (by an entire gear!, same revs in 3rd instead of 2nd), and the tires stayed planted.

Dave basically coached me for the rest of the day, coaching me with bike setup, body position, and corner lines. By the end of the day, I was able to get around a lot of people in beginner group. I definitely wouldn't have had near as much fun/progress without his help.

Looks like a set of warmers are going to be my next purchase.
The extra safety margin tire warmers give me will be worth the price. One crash avoided and they basically pay for themselves.
Not to mention no warmup laps. :fact


















NOTE:
Dead photobucket images to attempt retrieval from archive HDDs:

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Trackday #5 - July 17, 2011

I had a good day. Ran my quickest so far and kept the rubber side down. Had my buddy with me to help with the stands and warmers.
My canopy bent in the wind and we had to take it down.

Earlier in the day, we helped Kent (who was beside me in the pits) set up his canopy, and when mine blew away, he let us stay under his for the rest of the day.

It was hot, but since they only ran two groups (instead of the usual 3), I was able to take ~4 sessions off throughout the day and ended up doing the same distance as a regular TD (~150km).

No issues with the mixed groups for me.
The only thing I saw that was sketchy, was when a rider passed me and another person in front of me, in the straight before turn 6 and IN turn 6.
He clearly was in over his head, and the rider in front of me had to basically dodge the bad pass. Shook his head after and I wish he could have seen my agreement from behind him.

Again I had problems with my terrible video camera. Because of the order I pressed the buttons when turning it off, it cut all my afternoon clips down to 6seconds. I still have a few from the morning.
Too bad, because I ran some fast (for me) laps at the end of the day, that I wanted to time using the video.


Here's the pictures from my day. No on track photographer this time.



































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Trackday #6 - August 25, 2011

My day went pretty well. Took me a while to get up to pace, as there were CBR125s crashing left and right from the Intro to track session (put on by an Ontario track org Racer5). The puddles in the exit of corner 1 for the first few sessions didn't help either. I was also sore the entire day, after straining my back earlier this week.

I moved up to intermediate group after lunch, and got a solid session in before it started raining. Missed some time there, but stuck around and ran my quickest of the day after the track dried up again.

Had some fun with Hugh (YellowDuck) [Who was on a Ducati SportClassic 1000 with slicks] as he moved up to intermediate with me. Showed me a few spots where I was taking it way too slow.
I was reeling him in on the straights. With shorter gearing the R6 would have been faster then his 1000cc bike.

My best time was a 1:30.9

Even though I did 1/3 less miles then a normal TD for me, I still had fun. Thanks to the Fawaz and the Racer5 guys for another enjoyable day.





















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Trackday #7 - June 2, 2012

First Trackday of the year!

Unfortunately the morning was freezing. I literally sat in my jeep with the heat on to stop shivering.
At least after a few sessions the rain let up and the on track puddles dried.

Couldn't keep heat in the tires either, and I felt them slip a few times. It warmed up a little in the afternoon, and I put in two good sessions. The day was run as "open track", as only 10 riders showed up.

I'm on pace from the end of last year according to my buddy timing my laps from the pits, which I was very happy to hear, considering I only had a few good sessions.
Ran a best time of 1:31.20, with an average time of 1:34.00 .




I had a friend's GoPro mounted on the bike, but the battery died before I could get a good session in.







New (White) Yamaha Decal on the lower fairings.






New Stompgrips. They were literally flapping in the wind by the end of the day. I guess the adhesive didn't work properly.





Oh, and our pits got messed up by the wind AGAIN. Looks like I need to invest in a better EZ-UP.


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Trackday #8 - June 15, 2012

I didn't bother with pictures this time, as they would be all very similar to previous shots.

I ran into foot/toe scraping issues again, even with my balls on the pegs and hard up against the inside / heel guards.

Ran a new personal best time of 1:29.80, even though this was the 8th track day on this set of BT-003 RS tyres. I should have replaced them at this point.



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Trackday #9 - August 6, 2012

I crashed twice. Both due to me stupidly trying to stretch a few more trackdays out of my 3 year old set of BT003RS. I've learned my lesson there.

I figured when they let go I'd get some kind of audible warning or at least a manageable slide, but no such luck, both times they let go suddenly.
First crash was the rear, and I was confused as to why I went down. Second was the front tyre, lowsided right as I entered Turn 1 at TMP (the fastest corner at the track).

After I had parted ways with the bike, it caught the edge of the track, and flipped. This twisted my subframe, bent my front fairing stay, crushed my gas tank, and bent my controls.





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First crash of the day.


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Fast Forward Two Years - May 23, 2014


What I've done (since the last post):

• Had my leathers sewn and patched back together, zipper replaced.
• (Mostly) Straightened the subframe with a large lever. (floorjack handle)
• Bent my gas tank back into a (hopefully) usable shape with some wood and a hammer.
• Straightened my front fairing stay
• Took apart bar controls. Renthal clipon bar is bent. Adjusted it as best I could to minimize effect of the bend. Will buy a replacement when funds allow.
• Adjusted shorty clutch lever to minimize effect of bend. Will replace when funds allow.
• Rotated both clipons forward, I've heard good things about this on the forums.
• (Re)Stuck on my stomp grips. Used some spray adhesive because I no longer care how this gas tank looks. Hopefully they stay put.
• Swapped frame sliders (fresh material to grind down now!)
• Changed oil (and filter) with fresh Motul Semi-synth
• Filled with distilled water and water-wetter
• Charged battery and installed
• Put bodywork back on
• Ordered set of Pirelli Diablo Superbike Pro Slicks

What's left to do:

• Brake fluid flush and change (front and rear)
• Wash bike
• Lube chain
• Get slicks mounted to rims and install

Non-critical list of things, AKA the backburner list:

• Make sure frame and forks measure out straight
• New renthal bar
• New shorty black clutch lever
• New (armored) case cover(s)
• Clean (and oil) air filter
• Adjust valves
• New spark plugs
• Find better condition gas tank
• Patch up fiberglass bodywork (tail section mostly)
• Front fork rebuild and respring
• Rear shock rebuild
• Steering damper rebuild

I haven't had the bike checked to see if the frame and forks are straight. As long as the bike rides properly/straight (fingers crossed) that's good enough for me, and I'll be finding this out shortly at my next track day.



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