| Author | Message | ||
     Duggram |
Finished up my Starlane Athon mount and wiring. The mount is simple strap aluminum bent to fit the fairing mounts. The unit is mounted so that the only surface touching any part of the bike is the rubber mount on the back. When in the riding position you can still see part of the neutral light. There are three settings on the Athon for power source. I used the auto on setting so that I don't have to worry about turning it on. The Athon doesn't start recording till you're moving, so no harm done (remember these are smart and designed for race tracks). It's permanently mounted because the unit transfers it's data by Bluetooth to my laptop. These babies are slick!  BTW suggestions appreciated! | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Is there a beacon that you have to deploy or does it work with a signal from the track? | ||
| Duggram |
It works completely from GPS. It tells you speeds on any part of the track, where you are accelerating and decelerating, gives four split times, and allows you to figure your best lap (one where you would make no mistakes). I'm still new to it and learning. The Starlane Web site is down right now but it's a good read when you can get there. If you're interested I'm sure Pete at Grand Stand Designs can help you. That's where I got mine. (Message edited by duggram on June 24, 2009) | ||
| Jdugger |
A couple of guys here have them, and the software that comes with the unit is impressive, I must admit. I am still highly suspicious of the accuracy of any GPS based device, though. In a sport where consistency is measured in single inches and times in thousandths of a second, using GPS, with it's "best case" accuracy of around 10 feet, seems counter-productive. What did you pay for yours, if I may ask? When I looked into this device it was closer to $800, and that's a lot of coin for someone that's just riding to get better, and where the diagnostics are sure neat, but not really necessary. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
I was wondering about the accuracy of the GPS-based device too. | ||
| Duggram |
J, list is 799. I agree it's expensive but when I got it I was a little flush and it didn't hurt. GPS accuracy is much greater now and is down to 8 to 12 inches when using certain algorithms. The reason I even considered it was seeing some AMA pros using it. I also remember comments about Shawn using one. I'm sure the $ would be better spent on suspension and track time. But now I will definitely be making the most of my track time. (Message edited by duggram on June 24, 2009) | ||
| Jdugger |
> I'm sure the $ would be better spent on suspension and track time. But now I will definitely be making the most of my track time. Well, doesn't just everything in this sport ultimately come down to "rider"? Although, as far as money-well-spent goes, good tires and suspension upgrades probably do more for my comfort level and enjoyment of riding at the track than any other thing. If you haven't rebuilt your forks and shocks yet, that's probably something to consider. It made an enormous difference to me. I ain't racing, just riding, so as much as I'd love to see where and how I'm doing what... you know, $800 buys a couple sets of tires!  I've been using a Go-Pro camera to do a lot of my "data collection". Facing forward, you can see your lines and laptimes well enough. I got a wide angle one and positioned it backwards so I could watch my throttle and braking in relation to lean angle and corner entry, and that's told me a lot, too. (Mostly that I'm slow and my skills suck!) It's an additional, and interesting perspective, and cost a good bit less than the starlane will to get set up. | ||
| Duggram |
I am very fortunate to have a great sponsor. I always have tires and safety equipment (new helmets, leathers, boots, etc.). I too have the GoPro and I think you're right, it does a good job of providing feedback as well. | ||
| Jdugger |
My tire costs are really the primary expense here. If I could get a good cut in that, I'd be a lot better off. I'm not racing, though, so there's nothing to sponsor. | ||
| Duggram |
If I were better at racing I could make tire money. Then I would have money for things like new glass and paint. But then if I were better at racing I wouldn't need so much new glass and paint. | ||
| Jdugger |
> But then if I were better at racing I wouldn't need so much new glass and paint. LOL! Right now I'm running about 10 seconds behind a competitive, but not podium, CMRA novice pace at my local track. I'm pretty sure I can close 5 of that this year, and perhaps the balance next year. And, you know what, that's probably going to be fast enough. I've been taking a fairly conservative approach to increasing my speed. little bit by little bit, always trying to ride within my skills and not push so hard I really raise the odds of throwing down. I tend to focus on the skills that will let me get my laptimes down without increasing the risks drastically. It's slower progress, but I'm not in a competitive situation, so as long as I'm improving, I'm OK with it. There are racers that are fast and crash a lot. And, there are racers that are fast and don't crash that much at all. I'd certainly like to take some insipration from the latter group. Time will tell. |
