Triumphrat

Will · 09-03-2006

Trackdays are rides, more or less, so here is the writeup.

I finally got track plastic for the 675, as well as a short throw throttle. Since Monday is Labor Day, and the track day was on a Sunday, I spent Saturday messing with the bike. It didn't start out too well, since my glasses got picked up by accident Saturday morning. They will come back, since I know where they disappeared from (long story), but it was a problem to not have them right before a track day. I wore my contacts, but glasses don't dry out, so I like them better for track days. It turned out that the short throw throttle requires a new cable, and installing a throttle cable on a 675 require dismantling the throttle bodies. I am just not that ambitious. Putting the race plastic on was fairly straight forward, except that there were the inevitable fit problems that had to be finagled around. And the camera quit working, so I have no pictures of the disassembled bike. Oh, well. That got all the bad stuff out of the way before hitting the track, so that is OK.

At about 3:30 Saturday afternoon, Jake came by and we prepped his bike and loaded both bikes in the van. The van never ceases to amaze me with its ability to swallow more and more stuff. We were more organized this time around, and there was lots of room left over after everything was loaded. A $300 Chevy van has to be God's gift to track junkies! It has even quit burning oil. How can that be?

We got off to a really early start on Sunday, and one of Jake's neighbors' car alarm didn't much care for the van. We were already up and headed out, but he had to come down to see why his alarm was yowling. Serves him right for having a car alarm at all, let alone one that goes off when a van loaded with bikes drives by. It isn't like the van is all that loud, either.

The trip down to the track during the early morning was a pleasant trip. Being up before most people is always refreshing, even if being bleary eyed is part of the deal. We got down in time to be some of the first through tech and registration, so I had plenty of time to pull off the wheels and get new tires. The OEM rear was already long gone, but the OEM front didn't collect a nail, and it was well cooked. The rear that was on the bike had been through two trackdays already. It was probably OK, but the vendor had Michelins, and it was a Pirelli. I bought two new tires, just to make sure they matched. As it turns out, I cannot recommend Pilot Powers highly enough. They were great all day, and with the suspension tuning that got done the last time out, they wore really well. They look like fine rubber sandpaper all the way across the surface which is just what you want to see.

The first session out, I just took it easy since the tires were brand new and the track was still cold. That didn't keep me from passing a bunch of people. The 675 makes that really easy to do. I was having a good time running around the outside of people, but my friend Bennett, who is extremely fast, mentioned that the lines I was taking were putting me onto some really sketchy pavement. The marbles out there explained why the front end felt fairly vague, even with good new tires. Once I changed likes, the tires felt a whole lot better.

My brother Peter broght his stopwatch to the track, and timed me during the morning. I was really pleased to find that I was consistently faster than my previous best lap time. When I had a clear track, I was turning laps around 1:46.5. In traffic, I was consistently around 1:48. The fastest I had ever been clocked before was a 1:50 on the TT600. The lap record is 1:26 or so, and novice racers are often below 1:40, so it isn't all that impressive. It is gratifying to see improved times, though.

Jake was feeling stuffed in the Beginning group, and got promoted at the end of the day. He chose to stay in the Beginning group, since a whole lot of riders cleared out after lunch. He was going very fast on his 675. Paul was there as well. It was great to see him, and it turns out that he has gotten really fast, too. He had been promoted from the Beginning group to the Intermediate group. Near the end of the day, he got around me and I followed him for a lap. He really looked great. Insert all the usual bench racing excuses about being tired and that is how he got by. Actually, the fact is that he is probably just as fast as I am now. I did get him on the throttle out of a slow speed chicane, just to make sure he knows that yellow is indeed faster than graphite. He even mentioned it. Never mind that the track plastic is gel coat white.

Between being busy all day on Saturday, and the hot day, I started fading badly toward the end of the day. I don't think I drank enough water on Saturday, and it just didn't matter how much water I drank on Sunday, I stayed a little dehydrated. Note to self- drink lots of water for a week before a track day. Well always, but especially then.

The only sour note on the whole day was a rider on a Ducati who didn't know what he was doing, but did like to cut people off and do dangerous things when he thought he was going to be passed. I got around him a number of times, but he really made me work at it, and did stupid things. His lines were inconsistent, and he was an irritating corner camper who used his horsepower advantage to make it very difficult to pass him. I took him on the brakes several times, but he started trying to block in corners. What an idiot! It is a track day for fun, not MotoGP. He was on full race tires, too, but he sure didn't need them. I noticed that another rider was in a heated, finger pointing argument with him at the end of the day. We were all discussing what a pain in the butt he was, and hoping that he would just go away and leave us all alone.

I pulled in early during the last session, because my legs were worn out, and I was suffering from brain fade. Best to pull in and let the last few laps go than crash and ruin a great day. Jake is signed up for another trackday this coming Friday, and I am pretty sure Paul will be there, too. My friend Eric will have his 675 at the track on Friday as well. He is as fast as Bennett, so Triumph will be very well represented. I was disappointed that Jason didn't make it, but his bike got backed into by a truck a few weeks ago, and I don't think it is back together again yet. The great thing about being signed up for another trackday in less than a week, and Monday being a holiday, is that I can slack off now and leave all the unpacking and reconfiguring for later. The bike might just say in the van all week. That is pure luxury!

Now, I am sitting here with a beer, bench racing with you all. Thanks for listening! :razz:

burgessa23 · 09-03-2006

great post!!
I'd love to go out with you guys sometime. I haven't been on a track since I lived in S.F.

this post makes me miss it BAADD!!

btw I'm getting a bolt-on pipe soon

Will · 09-06-2006

Come down on Friday. I am trying to be a bad influence. :-D

Teach · 09-13-2006

Time for a report on a UK Track Day. Silverstone GP Circuit, 3.2 Miles, 17 bends, home of the British Grand Prix, for £105! Result.
Once booked, set to reading all I could on TrackDay set up and prep, which was as follows:-
Step One.
Checked pads, Track days eat them! Standard pads, coped really well.
Changed brake fluid, easy job, something often over-looked.
Checked oil, had done full oil and filter change less than 500 miles ago.
Chain cleaned and lubed, tension set.
Adjusted suspension, needed adjustment there, as front preload too soft. Went to one ring showing.
Checked how to remove mirrors, good thing too, needed a slim socket which I would not normally have with me.
Get tape, cable ties, pressure gauge, baby wipes( great for cleaning bug splattered visors!), tools, drinks etc together.
Step Two.
Turn up, book in, attend briefing, start getting excited and nervous.
Step Three.
Have one of the best days of my life!!!
Have numerous moments with bigger bikes, that almost get off and push round the corners and then p**s off down the straights!
See 3 bikes end up in pits in bits! All totalled, including a brand new ZX10R!
Come round one corner to find a rider lying unconscious in middle of track!
Everyone has got to do one, Silverstone Gp and Focused Events were really great, lining up next one now, still buzzing from Monday!.
Really easy to go fast on a big bike, much more fun and involving to do one on a smaller machine, go on, you know it makes sense! :-D :-D :-D

Will · 09-13-2006

Sounds like more crashes than are really necessary, but I agree that smaller bikes are a whole lot more fun on trackdays than fire breathing liter bikes. I did quite a few trackdays on a TT600, and it is a really great bike to take to the track. It isn't the best racing bike, but it has to be one of the most underrated trackday machines ever. It handles well, it stops well, and it has enough power to be a complete blast without having so much that you end up in a hedge if you make a small mistake with the throttle.

Oh, yeah, and don't do one unless you want to be hopelessly hooked- they are more addictive than nicotine laced with crack!

[ This message was edited by: Will on 2006-09-13 10:47 ]

Gootch · 09-13-2006

Dang, this made me realize I haven't been out to Pacific Raceways since last Sept. I had a different experience (ride the CBR to the track in a rain storm, tape it up - have tape fall off, re-tape, ride in rain all day, lose the back end twice, ride back to mom's in Auburn in rain storm, get flat tire.) Who is putting on the Friday track day? I would actually like to go there when it is dry (of course, the weather reports show Friday to be dodgy).
Tod

Will · 09-14-2006

It was Adrenaline Freaks last Friday. They have another one in October, around the 15th. That seems pretty iffy to me. Kieth Code has a couple days at Pacific in early October, too. That would be great, but I don't think the budget will stretch that far.

Gootch · 09-14-2006

I realized it was last Friday after I posted. Thanks for answering anyway. How's the track holding up? Some of it seemd to be getting pretty broken up last year.

Will · 09-18-2006

It really wasn't too bad, at least on the Triumph. I didn't notice the nasty dip in turn 1 if you get the line wrong, or the nasty dip in 7. I hit the one in turn 7 on the TT600 a couple of years ago and ended up dragging everything but my elbow, with both front and rear tires sliding. It was quite an experience, and only the hand of God or something kept me from falling off. Turn 8 is just as nasty as ever if you get too far inside. There are the usual marbles outside, but that is to be expected pretty much everywhere. The outside line is clean enough to pass without any problems. The big pothole in 2 that was beginning to come apart has been fixed again. The patch is concrete, but it doesn't get slick or make a big bump, so no problems. This is all making it sound like a really nasty place to ride, but it is fine. It isn't billiard smooth, but it sure beats just about every public road in Western Washington!