Motorcycles BS Thread 2.0

hells ya man glad to see everything is still going well!

 

I already built the little Snap Kits!





The little cars are HotWheel size but are way more detailed and some have functioning lights and doors!





I got this Celica for ~$7:



Also the Tamiya Factory store is a cool place to visit if you're into RC:

 

FYI (@50Buck as well) If you pull the 30amp abs fuse you will turn off the linked brake function. I have a fused relay in place of the 30amp fuse that I have wired to a momentary push button that "pulls the fuse" by opening the circuit. Allows me to turn linked brakes/abs off on the fly if I want. Simply cycle the ignition and abs works no problem.

Guys its banter like this that gets threads shut down and people kicked out. Move on.

 

Shawnee cycle. Ran by a bunch of morons

 

@gixxerphil Just catching up on the thread a bit - so sorry to see you're injured. I hope you get better and back on the bike quickly!

 

Dude that's so damn cool! Love models and hot wheel type stuff!

Fair Fair

Oh ya I hate them... They are probably one of the worst dealers in our area tbh....

 

Another track day done!

I went by myself this time so I decided to borrow a friend's roof top tent and camp at the track. I liked the RTT (but not sure I'd get one just due to the bulk), but sleeping outside is so much nicer than a motel room with the AC blasting (I hate AC, it closes up my sinuses). Camping at the track was awesome. There were so many people there it felt like a little city. Plus there's a shower and wifi so it's basically a free motel.



Bike wise, from last track day I removed the kick stand, switched to GP shift and removed the lights and put some fiberglass fairings on (you can kind of see the fairings here):



Anyways, this track day was crazy crowded. There were a couple of red flags in our sessions and plenty of sketchy riding. I myself made a few sketchy passes out of frustration from faster bikes passing on straights and slowing down in corners. I was able to slightly improve on my 2:20.95 from the last track day to a 2:20.32, but knew that if I had a clear track, I could break the 2:20 barrier. I had been practicing getting my chest and elbow down lower and was feeling more confident in corners.

Finally in the last two sessions there were a lot less people and I was able to push much harder. Second to last session the photographer was at a long left hander and I wanted to try and get my elbow down for a shot. I got lucky with this picture:



The last session I went out with someone on an R3 who normally rides in A group, but switched to B after lunch. He was able to chase me around (and vice versa) and got my time down to a 2:18.95:



I've been pushing pretty hard and had a few close calls - had the front try and tuck once and on the long left hander where the picture was taken, the bike started sliding and shaking while leaned all the way over. I was able to save it by slowly closing the throttle partway and it settled, but I thought for sure it was going to slide out. I guess I forgot about it pretty quickly, though, because I think that was the 3rd lap in the picture above (so I got my PB after that). Key is to be smoother, and I think I need to focus on picking up time on the brakes (brake later and harder than I am currently), and getting my chest and shoulder down even lower more consistently around all corners of the track.

Regarding the bike mods - GP shift is the way to go. I think being able to upshift at the proper times helped me get another 6-7 mph out of the front straight. I had to actually get in to 6th gear going down the main straight now, since I could drive out of the last corner a lot harder and shift at redline, instead of either short shifting and falling out of the powerband or banging off the limiter. Removing the kick stand is definitely a hard core choice - can't ride the bike anywhere there's not a stand nearby (aka no more riding to the bathroom), need to struggle to get the bike on the stand with helmet + gloves on after coming back in from the session, etc. I don't mind it since I don't have to deal with it every day, but I certainly wouldn't do it to a street bike (obviously).

Overall, a fun day. Not sure if I'm going to go for a PB for the last two days. Also, I found out that the Ninja 400 and also a stock R3 will pull away from my bike. I could probably drop another second or two if I were on one of those, to be honest.

 

Sounds like a you problem.

 

RTTs are kinda cool. Overrated though.

How much are track days out there? And which bike are you on?

 

Yeah, with the setup/dismantling time I could just pitch a normal tent that doesn't weigh 150 lb and takes up a giant amount of room in the garage or cost $1k+.

Track days at Thunderhill are ~$220-250/day. I'm on a 2023 KTM RC 390. It's been a great bike to learn on.

 

100% that's why I sold both RTTs I had.

That's pretty reasonable. Small bikes would be fun. Also hated when bigger bikes would be slow in the corners. I never got far enough into it to do more than a couple days.

 

i guess im odd then lol i love having a rtt and miss having one tbh. ive never been a big fan of ground tents but will use them when i need to.

 

dude...saw this on IG over the weekend...my deepest condolences can't imagine the pain you're in. hope it heals quick

hell to the fuck yea! wasn't that long ago you were singing my praises but here you are getting an elbow down already lol. Can imagine how great that felt. Glad you didn't end up tucking the front!

Kickstand removal is def a hardcore choice, I haven't done it to either of mine lol. But I also don't use warmers yet so they're rarely on stands at the track. And I still ride em on the street here and there.

I'm pumped for you though haha. guess i'm gonna have to make a trip to thunderhill one day

 

I love my GFC even more than the RTT i had. i can definitely do a ground tent but it just ain't the same anymore, call me bougie or a princess or whatever IDGAF haha. it's especially nice for the track but also just day to day. secured bed, easy setup/takedown, and so on.

 

you know you don't have to respond to people who aren't talking to you? which...speak of irony lol

Boohoo, you're in Seattle, that's not the flex you think it is. I'm in San Diego and I wouldn't pay what he's asking for his bike when I can ride literally year round and do, but he's free to ask what he wants for his possessions, just as people can have their opinions regardless of their status or location, just as users are free to comment on this public forum.

Let's all just get along and enjoy our shared passion for motorcycles.

 

Yokomo! Lots of RC out there in the downtime?

And GP shift, that is just changing from up to upshift to down to upshift? How does that necessarily affect your laptimes / ability to shift at the proper times?

 

id love a gfc but the cost is what turns me away since i could get a true camper for roooughly the same cost on the used market. plus ya know the gf has asked for a bathroom lmao so gotta keep her happy!

i will ground camp also its just not the same so i feel you on that haha! that gfc has got to be the best thing for track days thou! just gotta get your self one of those massive batwing awnings that would make it amazing!

 

hells ya man! that one great pic of you thou!

also love that subi! that thing looks awesome!

 

haha yeah the cost was a bit hard to stomach for sure. but for my purposes, worth it, as I have nowhere to store a camper and that doesn't seem like it'll change anytime soon. the bathroom issue is certainly still an obstacle at times.

Yeah it's clutch for the track. I have an OVS 270 awning and also bring a pretty large EZ-UP...so as long as the ambient temp doesn't rise too much i'm golden!

 

From my own perspective, I found it helps a lot coming out of corners. Much quicker and easier to upshift by pressing your toe down, then having to move your foot forward, under the lever, then pull up. Especially when leaned over in a left hand turn where you may have to worry about clearance. pair it with a quickshifter and your upshifts become much faster in general.

Ultimately I think it's a personal preference though. I don't think it's a significant enough difference to make or break someone's riding, personally. Maybe at pro levels