| Author | Message | ||
     Dsergison |
wow. you really need to try this. I rode my 2001 X1 with NESBA at Blackhawk Farms yeaterday. my impressions are: #1 wow, many of those guys are SERIOUS. double decker semi trailers, professional mechanics, tire warmers, the whole nine yards! I think those were mostly racers using it as an early season practice day. #2 Dang can that Buell turn. It felt at times like I could have been riding no-handed. effortless and rock solid. I'm a total novice and in the beginner class you can't pass in the corners. That is both good and bad. Good for me, bad for my Buell. Good for me because I couldn't get in over my head. Bad for my Buell because IT REALLY WANTED to. I could hear it whispering in my ear! #3 stone stock x1's can't make a pass on a stone stock litre bike in a straight. #4 X1's handle pretty good off-road, balding dunlops and all! (I got pinched off the straight by a guy who had no idea I was next to him) It takes 870 feet of grass and 30 feet of thicket to get it hauled down from 90 or so mph. - and steered back on the track. #5 The people are really cool. I met Todd who lived a couple miles away and who was there for his first day too. And we met Herrnon and Sandy who are 50 something and travel alot. Herrnon just started track racing 2 years ago. Great pit partners. My Day ended in the afternoon when my unmercifully flogged engine (shift when you hear the rev limiter!) blew the gasket out of the cam cover right in front of the belt. Was riding my best session of the day then a couple of turns felt really bad and I thought I must have a flat tire so I got off the track in the pit lane and saw my whole right side of the bike was oiled. I don't know why yet but I have it apart and a section of the gasket was just gone. Too Much Fun Dan | ||
| Ingemar |
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| Benm2 |
Take a picture of your wallet now. Now that you're developing a track habit, you can use it and the "after" pictures for a slimfast promo! Glad you had fun, and kept rubber side down. Your off roading adventure sounds puckery, and an oiled rear tire sound equally just as bad. Hope you got your money's worth before the engine went! | ||
| Prs |
Got my first track day coming up May 8 at Pocono. I think I got everything covered as far as gear, etc. but can you give me any advice in general?? I'm taking the ART basic class (mandatory) which is fine by me. I just want to come home a better rider. | ||
| Jeremyh |
i say good luck to anyone riding a v-twin buell trying to catch a Jap. Litre bike on the straights. Top speed is a definate killer. | ||
| Sportsman |
Real short straights  Hey Ben, I have a set of rain tires (used once) mounted up on millenium wheels if you're intrested. I'm pretty much done and am filtering out stuff I'm not going to use. | ||
| Cyclonemick |
Stoplight to Stoplight I smoked an 03 R6! The guy couldn't believe it. | ||
| Koz5150 |
37 days till my first trackday..... I can't wait! | ||
| Benm2 |
Advice? My two cents, assuming you're taking the Buell: 1. Change your front brake fluid. Make sure you've got good meat on the front & rear pads. 2. Increase your rear preload 3. Safety wire your oil filter & transmission drain plugs 4. Make sure your throttle return spring is working well 5. If you're trailering, remove the blinkers at least. You'll have to tape any other lights, so you might want to remove them too. They'll let you tape the lights with blue painters tape if you leave them, but I'd buy my own roll if that's the case. Preference-wise, the REAL 3M stuff is the best. Duct tape residue is difficult to remove. 6. Make sure that handlebar mounts, footpeg bolts, and axle bolts are torqued. 7. The stock M2 pegs might start touching down early. Be prepared! 8. Spare handlebars, brake & clutch levers wouldn't hurt. 9. Make sure engine & primary fluid are topped up. Bring extra engine oil. 10. Bring gas, the highest octane you can find, like Sunoco 94. 11. Warm clothes, just in case. Pocono can get windy. 12. Canopy, if you've got one. Chair for sure. 13. Rear wheel stand, if you've got one. I'd remove the sidestand, but that may be overkill. You may want to consider bypassing the sidestand switch if you haven't already. 14. Good tires. 15. Water, gatorade, snacks, etc. The track's in the middle of nowhere. Sometimes the cafeteria's open. 16. Always run with the tank set to "reserve". Check your gas every time you go out. 17. Remove extra keys from the ignition key. Consider zip-tying it to the dash. Other things: 1. Everyone takes great pleasure in passing Buells on the straights. 2. Some litre bike riders are ALL throttle, and will pass you every chance they get, even if they corner like senior citizens. 3. Keep space between you and the rider in front of you, especially in ART basic & the white group. Strange things happen with first-timers. The first few laps of ART will be very VERY slow, but sometimes this causes chain-reaction braking. Lastly, have fun!!!!!! | ||
| Jeremyh |
stop lights on a race track? i was talking about a race straight. of course your going to beat an R6 from light to light in the city. you have like 80% of your torque from like 2000 rpm's. by the time the R6 even gets to his torque you are already in second gear and to the light. FYI i screw around with Jap. 600's in town all the time. I get tired of all that squidish sushi thinking it don't stink like fish. | ||
| Lake_bueller |
BTW....if you bypass the sidestand switch, you will be required to remove or zip-tie your sidestand. They'll check that at tech. Good call on the reserve thing! I didn't think of doing that. My S1W will flat out die if I don't switch to reserve within the first nanosecond. Something about those Mikuni carbs  | ||
| Prs |
Benm2, thanks for the tips. I guess I should have mentioned I'll be hitting the track with my R1.  I wouldn't mind doing it on the M2 though. I don't much care about the straights. I just want to become a better rider in the twisties. I do okay but the guy I ride most with has done many track days and is so incredibly smooth and fluid in the turns and THAT'S what I want to be. He has taught me a lot. Again thanks for all the tips about chairs, food, water, etc. I'd have over looked that. |
