Track Day Broadford 30th May

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JasonL
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Track Day Broadford 30th May

Post by JasonL »

Finally got the EXUP out on a track!

It was wet in the morning and I only had slicks so couldn't get out in the first few sessions, but it was almost dry by about midday and I got out in 4 sessions for the day which was enough.

So, what do I think about this bike.....I like it. Compared to the VFR it seems to do just about everything better....its so stable and planted, so unfussed, it steers, it holds a line in a corner! I like how compact it feels for a big bike, the closeness to the steering head. Even with a full tank it didn't feel like the truck I thought it might; there were a few areas where it did feel a bit porky over the VFR but not enough to really matter.

Only negatives are a warped disc and duff brake pads, it smelt like a goods train after every braking area. It's pretty highly geared, plus with the broad grunt makes for 4 gear changes a lap at Broadford, brilliant!and its running very rich, so felt quite woolly. It has less feedback than the VFR, less feel, but that could be a function of Broadford in the cold and Michelins which I hadn't run on the front before. Overall it felt like I could do the same times as I can on the VFR with much less effort plus there is much more potential with the EXUP, weight to get off, gearing, jetting and so on.

I'll let Spook tell his own TL track day tale except to say that when I was standing in the line to sign on, he was wheeling his bike in from the side to the scrutineering bay - I knew it was him by the impaling pike that hove into view - I thought, this'll be interesting! But he appeased the scrutineer somehow...

Big Jon
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Post by Big Jon »

Yamaha better at the track than a Honda? I think everyone here's surprised that you're surprised! :poke

JasonL
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Post by JasonL »

Ha! you got me.

hotcam
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Post by hotcam »

Excellent!

I ran 15/47 sprockets at broadford last time (stock is 17/47).
Which Michelins did you have?
-------
'95 FZR1040 '09 FZ1-S
"And they had a machine, a dream of a machine, with wheels and gears and perfect in every respect, and they lived on it..." -Stanislaw Lem, "Cyberiad"

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Post by Mike_SS »

Good stuff Jason a nice steady start for the FZR and it didn't break down :)
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1992 FZR1000 Race/Track Bike

sbutler
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Post by sbutler »

Slip the rotors over to get them true'd. I had the same trouble with the brembo's, but for some reason, it stopped the slight shudder at high speeds, but made it come in at low speed with light braking??
Go figure?. I didnt worry about it, because the only time I felt it was slowing down & comming into the pits under very light braking.
High speed above 80Ks didnt feel a thing. :?

Glad the shake down was all good. How did you like the power?? :banana
PS::: EBC HH pads are great..
96 GSXR 750 racer gone
90 GSXR 750 racer gone
ZRX 1200 Roady to enjoy.
Retired TeamExup racer.

hotcam
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Post by hotcam »

sbutler wrote:PS::: EBC HH pads are great..
I second this. Best pads I've ever had, won't go to anything else except
the new version EBC super-whatchamacallit.
-------
'95 FZR1040 '09 FZ1-S
"And they had a machine, a dream of a machine, with wheels and gears and perfect in every respect, and they lived on it..." -Stanislaw Lem, "Cyberiad"

JasonL
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Post by JasonL »

Cam, they are Michelin Pilot slicks, the back is a 180/67 which I like the taller profile of. I bought it for $50 off a mate and it had done maybe 30 laps on a 600, I then ran it all 2008 on the VFR, and it's still ok! past its best of course and the EXUP will soon use the remainder up. The front is a 120/60 I think, it felt good. Compounds are medium. Seems you just can't get Michelin slicks anymore though, Gardener was the importer but nobody seems to be able to get them. Dunno what the front sprocket is but the back is a 45, so I'm guessing the front must be a 16. I was pulling about 10 in 4th on the back straight before braking.

Steve, I like the power, how could I not !! I also hope that being a Jap import it does have inlet restrictors, so another 12bhp available with an hours work and a stanley knife. Feels like it needs a new airfilter too, plus with the high gearing and smooth delivery it didn't feel too violent. In fact first time out it didn't feel really any faster than the VFR but by the later sessions I was beginning to realise it was hauling on the straights. I've just picked up a Marchesini rear with billet carrier so there's another few kg off it. I've run DP HH pads in the 400 and 750 so HH pads will be going in and will have to get the discs sorted, I really couldn't brake deeply at all. It's still got the stock lines. I'm conscious that with high gearing, dodgy brakes and running rich / restricted that it would have felt a lot more stable than otherwise - so when these things are addressed it will be more lively, but the VFR in comparison feels flighty, and as if it has a couple of hinges working in different planes....its as if the EXUP already has the same drive at 7000 off the corners than the VFR can ever muster, and as the VFR then tails off down the straight, the EXUP is just powering up. Having said all that I still don't think I'll be much quicker at a lot of tracks on it, just having a much easier time. We'll see. The suspension felty pretty good so I'm happy with the work done there.

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Re: Track Day Broadford 30th May

Post by spook »

JasonL wrote: I knew it was him by the impaling pike that hove into view - I thought, this'll be interesting! But he appeased the scrutineer somehow...
He said, what's that? I said, the front fairing mounts to it. He asked, where is it? I said, I haven't made it yet.

hotcam
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Post by hotcam »

Michelin are imported by GAS imports in Tullamarine. Don't know if they do the slicks though. I think they're steering everyone towards the Pilot One
instead.
haven't made it yet
LOL
-------
'95 FZR1040 '09 FZ1-S
"And they had a machine, a dream of a machine, with wheels and gears and perfect in every respect, and they lived on it..." -Stanislaw Lem, "Cyberiad"

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kiwi60
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Post by kiwi60 »

He said, what's that? I said, the front fairing mounts to it. He asked, where is it? I said, I haven't made it yet.
:funny

Good on ya spook :cheers
“I venture not to cross that finish line in a neat, tidy well ordered bundle, but to slide across it sideways in a shower of spark’s, leaking oil, hissing steam shouting ..Geronimo !!!!! “

2005 SV996R SOLD
1988 FZR750/1040 race bike SOLD
1988 FZR750/1000 - the next project CHANGING THE LOOK AGAIN, BUT STILL ON THE ROAD
Now he's got a KAWASAKI!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nope - Sold that one too
Dang - he’s got a Triumph now :o

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Post by JasonL »

Musing over the racing year just gone and the dilemma of not gelling with the FZR, and with another track day coming up on it, reading back through this post compared with how I was so much quicker on the VFR in an actual race situation, it has brought home two glaring points - firstly, how track days are a completely different ball game to what happens on race day and secondly, how much racing is a mind-game of confidence. Those shouldn't be earth-shattering revelations, but I guess the lesson is how easily we can deceive ourselves! Or myself anyway.... so I hope the two track days coming up over the next few weeks on the FZR will give me more time on it, which is what's needed above all. I guess I'm not someone who can jump on any old bike and start going quickly, which is also why I'm still rusted on to the VFR.

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Post by sbutler »

Jay dont stress over lap times. You have done a thousand on the VFR & you know it. The FZR is a different ballgame. I still havent come to grips with the 750T yet. I did a track day a couple of weeks ago, & it did help with getting some laps under my belt.

Would it help in race conditions? I doubt it.
Was I any faster than the last time I raced at the creek?? Slightly. I'll find out this weekend, Im racing the last round of the Honda RJays series at the creek.
Was I more at home on the bike? Yes for sure..

So dont get your skirt in a knot. Dont even take a lap time, just get comfortable on the FZR & the times will come. Unless there is something not right with the bike, that you dont know about, you will get faster with miles..
If your still having issues after the track day, PM or call me & tell me what its doing. If I can help I will.
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ZRX 1200 Roady to enjoy.
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stan
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Post by stan »

Hi Jason,

i was chatting to Spook over a few beers while on a recent trip to Melbourne, i mentioned that it took me three years of racing to realize that the only person i was racing against was me, me and the stopwatch, i wasn't racing this bloke or that bloke, it was a big turning point in my 5 years of racing. my focus changed and my times improved.

I also had a big focus on my fitness (F=MA!!!), both physical and mental, spending time in my shed sitting on my bike in the leathers going throught the motions of a lap of PI or broadford, checking my lap times in my head against my actual lap times. I was ALWAYS faster in my head in the shed, so that ment i had time to slow down my thoughts on track, which ment i could go faster!!!

stan
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Post by JasonL »

Thanks for the comments chaps, you're right.

Good luck at the Rjays meeting Steve, I'll be keen to hear how you get on.
I'm not timing anything on the track days, it'll just be laps and laps, not thinking too much about anything.

ps I don't own a skirt (not even a kilt)

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Post by ThomVis »

That's what I've been told (and believe), you first "battle" the bike, the track and yourself. Won those, and you're ready to race others on THAT track. All comes with miles, patience and a clear (open) mind.
JasonL wrote:ps I don't own a skirt (not even a kilt)
Thank you for that >wrong< mental picture :banana
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Post by Mike_SS »

I've been told plenty of times that the difference between my times and the faster guys earlier on was just down to doing laps. I guess I believe that up to a point. The point being where your skills and the bike's ability meet.

The more laps I did on my 'home' track the more I got to understand the behavior of the bike....things like "I want to get on the power more here but if I do I run wide". I didn't make any set up changes to the bike until I had done about 8 or 9 race weekends. This works out to 800 odd laps! This resulted in the single biggest drop in times, The key though is that without the laps under my belt I would not have had the understanding of where the bike could be improved. More 'skilled' riders would have sorted this out sooner or just rode around the problems...some may have not sorted it out at all.

The other really obvious thing I found was the old definition of insanity "...doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" is true. A couple of times I got stuck at or about the same lap times (and off the pace) and started getting frustrated. I had to force myself to try different things to change the results.

Good luck with the riding Jason. :)
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kiwi60
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Post by kiwi60 »

Hmm, it's interesting where this thread has lead.
"I want to get on the power more here but if I do I run wide".
That's exactly what I've been battling with, so I've taken the time to re-read "twist of the wrist 2" ad "performance riding techniques" and the answer is
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
counter steering :banana

I've got back into the habit of riding the race bike like a street bike and just leaning it into the corners, instead of flicking it in quickly and counter steering all the way round the corner to varing degrees to hold the line I want.

Yep, thats a very over simplified statement, and doesn't even begin to touch the track time needed to get into good habits again, plus there's a lot more riding technique that needs to be worked on to get the head in the right place again.

Stan, your 100% right - there's only one person your racing - the bloke inside your own helmet :)
“I venture not to cross that finish line in a neat, tidy well ordered bundle, but to slide across it sideways in a shower of spark’s, leaking oil, hissing steam shouting ..Geronimo !!!!! “

2005 SV996R SOLD
1988 FZR750/1040 race bike SOLD
1988 FZR750/1000 - the next project CHANGING THE LOOK AGAIN, BUT STILL ON THE ROAD
Now he's got a KAWASAKI!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nope - Sold that one too
Dang - he’s got a Triumph now :o

JasonL
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Post by JasonL »

ThomVis, being Scottish I am allowed to have a kilt although why anyone would is beyond me.

Mike - thanks and how's the recovery coming along??

Kiwi, maybe we over-analyse our riding, or is that under-analyse?? !! One thing I do know, which is critical for me anyway, is corner entry. Getting that right, and being able to carry speed in, then keeps mid corner speed up and allows getting on the gas to be more seamless - becuase you are already carrying the speed - rather than feeling like the need to jump on it hard because you've slowed up too mid mid corner. Let's put all our techniques and theories to the test at the Barry Sheene!

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Post by Big Jon »

The fine art of trail braking is my challenge, somedays it seems like I know what I'm doin', others I feel like a noob. I wish I could get consistent with that. :roll:

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