Track Time preperations, exercises…

[Buffalo Bill]

I used to race cars but, I haven't ridden a sport bike on a race track yet. I'm getting my '93 GSX750F and myself ready to get out there next spring.
The bike I'm keeping stock and I hope to keep my own body, factory stock, with all OEM components as well.
I have found some routes to practice my body positions and cornering skills, but I try to just go through those roads just a few times a week, in order not to alarm the residents.
On a lonely, straight and flat country road, I just marked off a quarter mile before an intersection with another road. This is for practicing acceleration out of a corner and braking before a corner. A 30 to 40 MPH rolling start in 3rd gear, accelerate up and shift on the torque curve until it's time to brake then decelerate down to 40 or 30 MPH for a corner.
The first time out it was scary and humbling winding up to the max MPH before braking down again.
It'll take me some repetitions to get easy with it. And there are cars now and then, so I slow down because I don't want folks to figure out what I'm doin'.
Bill

[Flyboy]

Sounds like you having a bunch of fun getting ready for race season, I am officially jealous of you.
You will see with practice, you get faster and faster, as long as you learn from your mistakes and don't keep making them over again.
Do you not have a track nearby that you can use on off days, that would be the first prize, slip the watch gaurd a couple a bucks and a dozen beers, that is what we used to do.
Or maybe a parking lot, or one of those bike tracks where you do your drivers licence practice and test?

Remember we live in the information age, never before has information been so freely available, there is no reason not to have reams of video, for you to go home and study, over and over and over to see where your strong points are, and where you loosing time, so you can sort it out.
Just remember, just because you feel like you are going faster, does not always mean you are, the truth lies in the stopwatch, it is the only thing to messure your progress against.
So go have fun, and post plenty youtube vids.......

[Buffalo Bill]

Thnaks…

Hey Flyboy, (always liked the DC-3).
Yes, making the same mistakes over and over. Or having misconceptions about what to practice.
Yesterday I visited the nearest track (Gingerman) because the STT (http://www.sportbiketracktime.biz/Index.aspx) was hosting a track day there, and chatted with the Midwest director about getting started. He was very casual and invited me to ride the next day. But my gear is not quite complete.
I sat in on the novice riders meeting and watched their riding session. It was a slow and easy, follow the leader thing, but they were going to be turned loose later.
I chatted with an instructor as we watched the Advanced group ride and came away with a very good impression.
This was the last track day of the season at the Gingerman, and it was a cold and windy afternoon of only 50ºF or 10ºC.
Bill

[Flyboy]

Ah, damn, you now take me back so many years, growing up, always wanting to be a motorcycle racer, my heros were the likes of Giacomo Agostini on his 500 MV Augusta, Mike Hailwood, on his Honda RC171 350 and RC181 500cc four-cylinder bikes and a 1963 Gilera 250cc four.
Mick Grant's 1000cc Suzuki works endurance racer, thought to be one of only four made.
Jim Redman, who I still know very well to this day, he used to race the 250cc six cylinder Honda at Isle of Mann TT, he lives about 3 hours drive from my place.
Later yars, the likes of Randy Mamola, Fast Freddie, Kevin Schwantz, Barry Sheene, These were the Knights, and damn, we all wanted to be like them.
Unfortunately my motorcycle racing career was short lived, no sponsor, no race, plain and simple, and I was doing it on a shoestring budget, at best.
But we enjoyed every bit of it.
Did a lot better in 4 wheels though, although was doomed to the same financial fate.
The more I read stories like yours, Bill, the more I see a new track bike taking shape in the garage.....mmmmmm, now where can I pick up a nice little RD350LC.
Hey, if the track is closing for season, perfect time to use it for yourself.
"wicked plan "
How about a few pic of the bike you going to be racing???
Ok, I will admit and come out the closet........yes I do have a DVD copy of Silver Dream Racer, with David Essex.....in fact I am off to crack a beer and watch it right now

[Redman]

Gingerman...?

This place

http://www.gingermanraceway.com/

?

Hey, that is in South Haven

Hey, I have been trying to think of someplace or some event for west Michigan GSers to have a get-to-gether at.
Hum....

THis what you are talking about? Test and Tune?
Maybe we can spectate.
(by "we" I mean everybody but you, and we spectate and watch you)

EVENING TEST & TUNE

April - May WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY
June - August TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY
September WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY
5:30 - 8:30 P.M.
$60.00 PER DRIVER
MOTORCYCLES ALLOWED WEDNESDAY EVENINGS ONLY

.

[Buffalo Bill]

Gingerman, and Grattan Raceway

Hey Dave,
There's more than a few things to see at these tracks and they do make a nice destination for a bike ride.
There's also Grattan Raceway northwest of Grand Rapids: http://www.grattanraceway.com/
Check the season schedule for each. Test and tune is probably not the most exciting choice for spectating…
Bill
Hey Flyboy, you must have a copy of this one:

I view the race sequences over and again just for tips and kicks…

[Buffalo Bill]

Making some progress…

I'm getting used to taking the bike up from 40-50 to 100-120 mph, and then braking back down to 50 or 40, then back up again. That looks to match the road tracks I will be riding.
There are no corners on my public roads that compare to track corners, but I have found some 25-30 mph corners where I can at least practice my body positions. It seems a racer had better keep moving and repositioning himself constantly for all the road conditions during the ride.
I use driveways, tree shadows and bridges as imaginary corners.
The roads around me are so bumpy that I keep the bike at about 60 mph until i get close to a bridge, I then down shift to 4th and accelerate up to 80 in a crouch, then sit upright for air braking, I brake down to corner speed then let the brake off, then build speed up as I would out of a corner. I'm working on making that transition smooth.
There is that one country road that is remote and smooth enough to take the bike up to it's max, so far I touched 120 mph before air braking back down again. I used about 1200 ft to go from 50 in 3rd up to 120 in 5th and back down to 50 mph.
I put tape on the tach to mark the rpm from which the engine begins to make good power (6000rpm) and the torque peak (9500). I keep the engine in between those marks for these exercises.
The speedometer becomes a distraction as I check the speed, I think I'll tape it over when I get on the track, so I don't look at it.
The rear brake faded away to nothing as I was testing it's usefulness. It came back after it cooled down. I'll have to find out why it faded. I'm saving all the detail work for when the weather gets bad.
Bill

[MikeJ]

Ok, I will admit and come out the closet........yes I do have a DVD copy of Silver Dream Racer, with David Essex.....in fact I am off to crack a beer and watch it right now

Thanks for the hot movie tip, Flyboy. I'll add that one to my Netflix queue and see if I can find it to buy somewhere. Have you seen "V-Four Victory?" One of my favorites, including the first-person (helmet-cam) circuit of the Isle of Man course at racing speed. Gads, it's almost like being there.

For a fictional treatment, I also recommend "Race for Glory" (1989, not yet available on DVD, but you can find a VHS copy around) which focuses on a realistic (to me) depiction of the struggles of privateer racers against the factory teams. Great riding scenes and also a fairly decent and suspenseful plot (I won't tell you who wins the Big Race, whether it's our hero, or the Golden Boy from Japan Inc.)