First time on the dragstrip!

[patrino]

@stetracer is correct; engine is an air-cooled GS1150.

More photos here, taken by my friend Ned: https://link.shutterfly.com/szFLvNUXAhb

[grcamna2]

@stetracer is correct; engine is an air-cooled GS1150.

More photos here, taken by my friend Ned: https://link.shutterfly.com/szFLvNUXAhb

Hot machine,I hope that you get your air shifter sorted too !

[patrino]

Air shifter was sorted a couple weeks ago! (I was between jobs for a bit, so had limited access to a computer ... so not many posts). Turned out the 30-year-old handlebar switch broke. I ordered a new one from Pingel, and it's sorted now. (Mostly ... during a pass last Friday the threaded 'cup' in which the button sits unthreaded itself, stopping me from pushing the button. Some loctite ought to take care of that.)

Showing a photo here of some slick machine work from local Ron Black (https://www.rb-designs.com/). Ron has been my go-to for machine work for over ten years ... his work helped me win the 250 Vintage roadrace championship way back in 2013. He specializes in two-strokes but does lots of great four-stroke work too.

The cool two-piece cast clutch cover @rapidray set me up with doesn't come with a way to check the oil level. I thought about drilling and tapping an M6 hole in the cover (the same way you check tranny fluid level on some old two-strokes), but figured I'd 'class it up' a bit. I ordered an OEM sight glass and Ron set me up!

IMG_0138.jpg

[patrino]

Made it down to Woodburn last weekend for my first-ever bracket race. I got eliminated the first round, but am still excited because the bike and I set a couple personal bests: highest top speed, lowest E.T. and lowest sixty-foot time. Happy with the results.

Only a couple small changes to the bike since my last night at PIR:
* dropped the mains a size
* switched to leaner needles
* replaced the battery with a lithium-ion unit (saves 2+ pounds)

Of course the track was different too (the launch area was sticky as $#!+).

My competitor was a water-cooled Jixxer 1100 that he "ran dry" - no radiator, water, etc. Crazy!

Thinking about next steps, and wondering if I can get the bike into the eights. Looking into swapping the stock GS wheel (albeit with one disc removed) for something lighter. I know a couple roadracers with Honda RS125s, going to hit them up for a front wheel.

Also looking into alternate fuels. VP's U4.4 seems really straightforward, and again, a few roadracing buddies are familiar with it. But E85 ethanol is WAY cheaper and seems to deliver at least as much bang. Biggest cost seems to be converting the fuel lines over; need to look into the cost there and do some back-of-the napkin #s.

I'm 04S:


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[steve murdoch]

He dials a 9.20 and runs a 9.206?
Not his first time at the track. haha.

Congrats on the personal bests.

[patrino]

He dials a 9.20 and runs a 9.206?
Not his first time at the track. haha.

Yeah, I noticed that last night.

[dorkburger]

Glad its going well. Thanks for the updates.

[storm 64]

He dials a 9.20 and runs a 9.206?
Not his first time at the track. haha.

Congrats on the personal bests.

You almost pushed him out the back door.👍 Get your motorcycle running consistent, then work on your reaction time.
I am considering giving up the motorcycle touring and getting back to the Dragway. Reading your post are very encouraging. 👍

[patrino]

I picked up an Innovation brand air/fuel ratio sensor from a friend today. He originally got it for tuning his race car but has since moved to a different setup. Racing down at Woodburn last month, talking with Jack from Dark Side Performance, he thinks the bike can run in the 8s. I don't know if he was pulling my leg or not but shoot, I need a goal so why not see what we can do?

Planning on taking a couple paths in parallel:
1. bracing the chassis to make it more rigid. I'd planned to do this earlier but my friend the TiG wizard got busy on a house project. He's freed up again so I need to track him down.
2. more weight loss. Lightweight front wheel, etc. I found a few machines with compatible axle sizes (15mm). RS125 wheels are wicked expensive, so they're out, but I think there are other options.
3. new fuels. I've been looking into VP's U4.4, plus E85. Pros and cons to each (these are the 'back of the napkin' bits I mentioned earlier):

VP U4.4 Pros:
* supposed to yield ~5% more horsepower
* only requires an upjet of ~2 sizes, well within the range of what I have, so no jet purchase required
* no need to change float valves, etc.
VP U4.4 Cons:
* ~$22 per gallon
* only comes in five gallon pails, and doesn't keep that well, so I'll wind up with a lot of extra gas that I'm reluctant to put in my truck, other motorcycles, etc. (I suppose I could install new maps in my fuel-injected bikes to use up the remainder, but that seems like more hassle than it's worth). Maybe I could just mix a little bit at a time in my truck's tank ...

E85 Pros
* Only ~$3 per gallon
* Available a gallon at a time; minimal 'leftover' fuel
* Supposed to yield ~5%+ more horsepower
* Engine runs cooler
* More gains to be had with raising the compression and advancing the ignition
E85 Cons
* Probably requires a lot of brass ... at least ~12 new mains, possibly needles, possibly float valves
* More tuning required (raising the compression and advancing the ignition)

I figure either way having the AFR / Lambda electronic package will help with the tuning. I used them a long time ago to tune bikes, but all of my tuning recently has been 'seat of the pants'. I'm trying to shorten the learning curve, plus it's kind of fun to use a new tool. Correlating my 'seat of the pants' dyno with the AFR sensor will be kind of interesting.

Anyone have any luck tuning with E85?

[Rob S.]

Funny, I think: How many of us would be overjoyed to shave 20 or 30 lbs from the bike, but never consider losing a few from ourselves? Came home from rehab a year ago down 20, now I'm up 20. 40 lbs in a year was easy to gain once I was without the hospital food.

[patrino]

@Rob S. - you speak truth!

Most racers won't think twice spending hundreds (thousands!?) of dollars on fancy titanium / magnesium / etc. bits, to shave a few pounds, but seem to forget about saving weight (and $?!) by losing a few pounds ourselves!

Every spring when you pull the race leathers out of the closet, there's always the question ... are they going to fit?

[steve murdoch]

Another thing about amateur drag racing that frequently surprised me was the guy that spent huge coin on his bike and would come to the line wearing minimal protection.
Barely pass the safety requirements but not worried about a high speed get-off.

Those leathers do shrink!