| Author | Message | ||
     Bloose |
This is a video from my Droid attached to my 1125R. 2nd lap didn't go as planned.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW0h26KVwuM | ||
| Buellrider66 |
Hope your OK, something sounded not right entering the corner. | ||
| Sl33py |
yikes. yeah i don't know much, but the engine last turn sounded no bueno! neutral or major malfunction? you ok? looked like a slow'ish (relative) low side. btw - what exhaust is that? sounds good! | ||
| Sl33py |
How'd the bike fare? Do you have any of the case savers (carbon/kevlar from EBr or TM) or GSD pucks (stator side slide - would love to see how they held up if you have either)? hope you are OK, and all is already fixed! | ||
| Bloose |
Major Malfunction? Yep, brain delayed letting the clutch out until I was leaned over into the turn! 100% my fault and 100% a total brain shut down. No case savers, pucks, or anything else. It was a pretty slow low side and the bike came out OK. I actually rode it off the track and re-teched immediately. The list of scuffed parts include, Bar end left side case (below the button) Left side case button Radiator pod Rear peg Very slight scuff at the rear of the swing arm I ordered the side pod, sanded the engine cover, and will replace the case button and the rear peg. Once that's done it will be as good as new. The Vanson Suit, Buell gloves, and Sidi boots all did their job and came out with some minor scuffs. I have a large bruise on my inner leg just above the knee. My ego has an even bigger bruise!  I rode the next session and the rest of the day and the next. The exhaust is the Barker setup with the quiet core removed and an Erik Buell Racing ECM. Very big difference in power! On the street I run with the Quiet core installed. Without it it's just a little too loud and I really don't need the power boost though even with the core in it's faster than stock. Very happy with the output with this setup and I'd highly recommend it. B | ||
| Bloose |
BTW, there are two other videos there from the same day, ones where I don't crash if anyone is interested. | ||
| Thefleshrocket |
I don't mean to sound like a dick (but I will anyway), but I hope that video was taken in the first session of the beginner group. That was 6 minutes of some of the worst track day riding I have ever seen--I don't think a single rider had good lines, good body position, decent throttle or brake control or any concept of braking markers or apexing. I have a buddy who has ridden with STT twice (he mostly rode with NESBA in "intermediate") and he said that the I group in STT was filled with squids galore--people who thought they were way better riders than they really were. There was terrible riding and crashes aplenty, so much so that he vowed to never go back. | ||
| Sl33py |
B - glad you fared well and the bike looks like was pretty minor. i'll take luck when i can get it too... check out the GSD puck vs replacing your OEM one. not sure on price diff, but definitely more protection - maybe enough to save the case next time? i always have respect for guys who can post up their mistakes and own them. ego's are pretty painful when bruised, but it sounds like you have a good sense of humor about it. well done! TFR - if you can't say anything nice... seriously though - when you are a newb where the hell are you supposed to learn except with the other new riders? at least they are trying to learn and doing it on the track. squids too. any constructive critique for B - besides to remember the clutch *before* the turn? hehehe. | ||
| Bloose |
I've been to quite a few track days. I've attended days put on by NESBA, Buell Inside Pass (STT I believe), STT of course, and Track Addix. There have been crashes at every one of them, including NESBA. Intermediate is just that, not advanced. When riding in Intermediate you should not expect perfect lines, perfect body position, etc. Also, this was very early in the day and the first lap people are usually riding in a pretty relaxed state warming up their tires. That said, watching the video I was also surprised at the poor body position people had. That didn't make them slow or unpredictable it just makes them slower than they could be. Another thing I've found is that you always feel your hanging off the bike way more than you actually are. Having someone follow you with a video camera is about the only decent way to determine what your actually doing. One last point. I don't always take the perfect line or the best line. Sometimes I try different things to see how they work for me. I generally try to turn in as late as possible to make my exit as straight as possible. I feel that a little extra brake coming in is more than made up for by harder acceleration going out. Is it right? Is it wrong? He11 I don't know. The most important thing is I'm out there having fun and there are no cages to run me down or cops waiting to give me a ticket. My goal is to have the most fun possible without ruining anyone elses fun in the process. Peace brother, B | ||
| Mountainstorm |
Road America. I'm jealous. Sorry about your mishap. | ||
| Bloose |
Thanks! After 7 years of trackdays it had to happen at some point. Being that it was a mistake on my part that caused the crash instead of riding past my limit it allowed the crash to be very mild and minor. | ||
| Thefleshrocket |
Bloose, I completely understand--a track day isn't a race, it's a "learning environment", so people may not be trying to perform their best and may spend time experimenting. That's all well and good. I guess my main beef with a lot of track day organizations is that they let riders pick what class they want to ride in. That would be fine if people were honest with themselves about their abilities, but in many cases, they aren't. Even if seasoned riders are out for their first session of the day, they don't let all of their practiced skills fly out the window--they will certainly ride more cautiously while the tires warm up, but they won't be all over the place taking lines that look like they've never been near a track in their entire lives, or using body positions that just plain don't look right. Practically every rider that I saw in your video looked like they should have been back in the paddock, getting the "first time to the track" rundown before being set out in a couple of closely moderated beginner sessions. I used to ride with NESBA (I say "used to" because we had a disagreement about their billing and I ended up filing a dispute with my credit card company--so I'm probably not welcome at NESBA events any more) and all riders who haven't ridden with NESBA before start in beginner. Riders can be bumped to intermediate (and then advanced) after their riding has been closely evaluated by a control rider. I did probably half a dozen track days with NESBA in beginner before being bumped to intermediate. Being bumped wasn't just about speed--I was running rings around just about everyone else in beginner--but also about lines, body position, braking markers, etc. (I'm not bragging--speed is relative. The control riders are ridiculously faster/better riders than I am.) The riders in NESBA intermediate are all a pretty skilled bunch--they're generally a lot faster than the beginner guys but are still a little rough around the edges. There are still occasional crashes (at the TDs I've been to) but nothing excessive. I can't comment on the advanced group as I haven't ridden with them, but they seem to be an even more highly skilled group. I actually haven't been back to the track since '09 (having a baby made day-and-a-half getaways a little hard) but after watching your video, I definitely want to go back. Not intermediate with STT, though. LOL I ride at Putnam Park and there is at least one club besides STT that rides there. I'm going to give them a shot, hopefully on their August 7th TD. Anyway, I don't mean to sound like I'm passing judgment on you--I mostly watched the other riders in your video rather than concentrating on your riding. (Also, I had the sound muted since my wife was trying to sleep next to me, so I couldn't really tell what your throttle position was.) I just kept thinking to myself "okay, this guy is going to run wide--this is where I'd apex a little later and take him on the inside while exiting" or stuff like that. Keep doing the TDs and keep becoming a better and safer rider! | ||
| Two_seasons |
IMHO, I think you need to stay on the gas longer and let that slipper clutch work for you. If you let the RPM's come down some more as you reach your apex, you won't come out of the corner already having to shift up. My $0.02 worth  | ||
| Jules |
Shame about the crash but glad it was a mild one and easily fixed... You're doing well if it's just one crash in 7 years. | ||
| Xb9er |
glad your ok. If your going to go down its best to do it like you did, when your low, so the repairs are minor and not to costly. | ||
| Thefleshrocket |
Two_seasons, the 1125 does NOT have a slipper clutch. If it did, the rear wheel wouldn't have lost traction like it did Bloose engaged the clutch with the RPMs too low relative to rear tire speed. | ||
| Blake |
Cool video. Wish it didn't end like that though. Will check the others. | ||
| Northernyankee |
Two_seasons, the 1125 does NOT have a slipper clutch. If it did, the rear wheel wouldn't have lost traction like it did Bloose engaged the clutch with the RPMs too low relative to rear tire speed. thefleshrocket the 1125r does in fact have a slipper clutch. http://badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/290431/ 290556.html Quoted from there "Hydraulic Vacuum Assist (HVA) Slipper Action". Its not the ramp style that others have but it is a slipper. And it wouldn't have mattered what type of slipper, he would have gone down anyways. Letting out a clutch a high leans angle slipper or not is a recipe for losing traction at the rear wheel. And to the OP good on you for not letting your ego get in the way. My last crash at the track was due to my own mistake also. It was the second lap out and I tucked the front because I passed a guy on a short straight and the tires weren't fully up to temp yet and I got overly aggressive. As long as you learn from your mistakes its all good. } | ||
| Jdugger |
I'll take Two_season's approach and say that the "slipper" in the 1125r is nothing more than pure marketecture. In no way does it provide any slip action at all unless you are absolutely ham-fisted about your riding. For all practical purposes, the 1125r does not have a slipper clutch. | ||
| Bloose |
I know for sure I get out of it way earlier than I need to. I guess this is one of those, I'm not racing so why push it sort of things. When I get off the throttle I come out of my tuck and sit up on the bike. First because I become a sail if you will and more importantly to signal to anyone behind me that I'm no longer accelerating. This way they don't get caught off guard and know it's a good time to pass if they'd like to. Again, I'm all about the fun. The only reason I want to learn to ride better is to increase my fun level. 2 years ago I signed up for "A" with STT because they were sold out of "I" spots. I know this is a big time no-no but I figured if I was a fish out of water I'd call it quits for the weekend and not complain about it, I was the one who made the decision to go into a class I likely didn't belong in. In the first session I got with a control rider and told them what was going on and they followed me around and said I was fine to stay in "A" for the weekend. The point of this is, I had the absolute greatest time riding that weekend! I would do my best to go out in the last group to stay out of others way. The cool thing was you didn't have a huge range of skill levels out there. No parking it in the corners, and you had some great people to follow. Talk about a great learning experience. I'd love to ride "A" all the time but it's that being honest with yourself thing. I'd say I'm maybe 60% of the way there but not 100%. One complaint I do have about the "I" group with STT is not others skill levels but others ego levels! I have no problem with my need to work around others riding skill. What I do have a problem with is the person your showing a tire to, the person parking it in front of you entering turns, doing their best to not let you pass. I love it when I'm passed. That gives me a faster rider to follow and try to learn from. Part of the reason I like the 1125 on the track so much more than the XB's is because now at least I don't have all the ricers flying by on the straights only to be in my way later in the turns. But now with the 1125 when coming to traffic you still end up with riders who feel getting passed is like giving up some of their manhood. This is all part of the track day experience though. Learning not only how to ride fast but to do so with other things going on around you. Personally I've had my issues with NESBA and though I wouldn't say I wont ride with them, I do prefer STT. But that's just me. B | ||
| Bloose |
Correct! Traction control maybe could have fixed this maybe, but this was a dumb mistake and I shouldn't have made it. I did though and I have no one to blame but myself. Good thing I'm not too hard on myself. I've made plenty of mistakes when riding. Picking the wrong gear, missing a shift, taking a bad line etc. Up until now I've been able to shake my head and think, what the heck are you doing. This time I got to do the same thing but while watching my bike lay out on the track for 5 minutes. B | ||
| Northernyankee |
TC wouldn't have mattered either, most systems of TC cut fuel or spark and some do both if it senses or predicts wheel spin. Your situation was in was reality a wheel "lock up", maybe not fully but partially due to engine braking. So a TC would actually need to rev up the engine to keep the wheel spinning at the proper speed, and there isn't a system that I know ofthat does that. Your only hope would have been to keep clutch in until you got to the meat of the tire. Or if you had a TC system rev the shit out of it as you let the clutch out and hope the TC can figure it out. | ||
| Northernyankee |
I'll take Two_season's approach and say that the "slipper" in the 1125r is nothing more than pure marketecture. In no way does it provide any slip action at all unless you are absolutely ham-fisted about your riding. As I said it's not the ramp style that most bike have, but it is a form of "slipper". But you are right you have to really be ham fisted to get it to kick in. I have never had it kick in on mine but then again I have a Gixxer 750 that does my track duties, so the 1125 lives on the streets. } | ||
| Bloose |
You're right there was likely nothing that could have saved me from myself here. B | ||
| Dannybuell |
Two_seasons - After I read your post "you won't come out of the corner already having to shift up." I recalled an article I read in a car magazine 40 years ago. The race driver was having trouble qualifying at a high speed track in Germany, Nurburgring. The teams senior race driver encouraged his team mate to enter the corners in the next higher gear. The kid went on to dominate the sport. Your advice is worth repeating. A production based Ferrari breaking a record at Nurburgring. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJj8atDGBzk | ||
| Fresnobuell |
The teams senior race driver encouraged his team mate to enter the corners in the next higher gear. Your RPM also naturally go up in a turn as you get on the smaller part of the tire...obviously not an issue with 4 wheelers, but worth noting with bikes.} | ||
| Dannybuell |
Frenobuell I did not know that, strengthens the argument too! That Ferrari up shifted well after exiting every turn. |
