| Author | Message | ||
     Boogiman1981 |
don't really have any 'good' video but there were/are a couple of pro photogs there so will likely be ordering shots from them. I went to Jennings GP in Jennings, Fl this weekend. Sat i observed and sunday i participated. well i have much to learn. but we all knew that already, lol. had a lot of fun. because i didn't ride saturday i missed a lot of the classroom time they do for the weekend so note to self don't be cheap pay up for both days. the facilities are sparse but not spartan. the track surface is standard pebbled asphalt. there are many gouges in certain areas. nothing that made me feel unsafe at the slower speeds i am able to attain right now. the track is 2 miles and has 14 turns. basically no banking to speak of. as a novice even on the sunday we started in the classroom after having the bikes 'teched' mostly was reminders for the crew from saturday few new things for me and an assignment of a specific control rider to watch over me. first time out was only 2 laps one to see the track and be shown the line the second to demonstrate proper pitting. next session out was cut short due to a red flag same with third session. that was getting frustrating because it took/takes me 2-3 laps to get 'into' it and tires heated up....now i think each session is about 15ish minutes i'm pretty slow maybe 3min laps on a good one? pure guess there could go either way. the 'fast' guys are running 1:21-35.... i have a lot to learn. we have a lot of visual markers and helpers on this track which for me was amazingly helpful. 3...2....1...<or> rumble strips here and there to help you know where to get tight also meatballs to the tight side as well. once i figured out the meatballs(shoulda been in class saturday when they explained all this...) it got a loooooot easier. tires....due to a mistake on my part i had to run my Angel St's i was pretty concerned about that but it's what i had and they are sport tires so i dropped the pressures and went for it. they wore evenly didn't tear or shear. i figure i've got another 20-30mph before i 'have' to upgrade although i will be anyways because i want the margin that the softer tires give over the touring types. suspension. let's just say that the suspension needs to be refreshed and then set by someone with a clue.... brakes. because i was/am currently so slow i didn't use them much but when i did. i wasn't happy. although with som many things needing tweaking adjusting etc not sure if it was/is brakes or the concert of things that need tweaking. yes Jdug i know the brakes need work too just not sure if that's the primary issue for me at my skill level. no crashes for me but saw plenty esp in the novice class. few in intermediate and a few more in expert including one guy that i swear darn near needed wings! no people were hurt however a few bikes were no longer ride-able..... will work on getting videos uploaded to youtube and link back here asap | ||
| Boogiman1981 |
so no thoughts? | ||
| No_rice |
thoughts, you can run ALOT faster then you think on the stockish tires, but then again having stated your skill level is somewhat low maybe you wont want to... if your not sliding your not going fast enough! its all about confidence. i outpace alot of track riders on dedicated track bikes. i have never timed myself at a track(i dont really care, im just there for some fun), but people have timed me at black hawk multiple times and aparently in FULL street trim my 1125 will put down podium times, you just get comfortable with the bike and eventually both of you dance to the same beat. when your a$$ no longer tries to swallow the seat when the tires slide through the corners, your gaining ground. i finally upgraded to a more race oriented trackday tire and still ran stock brakes. there is nothing wrong with the stock brake setup, and street tires will hold longer then you ever imagine. put on race oriented tires and where i'd drift the bike through the corners before, it will stick longer and under more power before it starts to drift. anyway, ive only been to jennings once. honestly im not a huge fan of the track. like you said, its flat... and no land marks... its like your racing in a prairie field! but it was still fun to have run there. heres a vid i did with a pair of sunglasses with a camera in them. in advanced, at my first session ever at jennings. (Message edited by no_rice on November 15, 2011) | ||
| No_rice |
but then again having stated your skill level is somewhat low maybe you wont want to... i guess by that i mean, if what it takes for you to be confident on your bike is a different set of tires, then do it. if you dont trust your bike you wont trust yourself. but remember, the more "race" oriented the tire you run gets, the more aggressive you have to be on the bike for the tire to perform the way it should. as in, race type tires are ment to get HOT!!! if your not really working them, they dont get up to temp good enough and then you dont have the traction you think you will... then you slide... | ||
| Boogiman1981 |
i think i got what you meant but thanks for clarifying that. and yeah i am not looking to go full race tires. but something softer than the Angel ST's the buell is wearing now i would think would have to be an improvement to a point. the angels from the looks(yeah i know looking isn't measuring) got pretty well warmed up. wasn't really watching speedo all that much but was pretty well tached out in 3rd for a lot of the last few laps i was out there. and when not running third was getting second right to the limit. which is another point i def can see the need/desire to change the gearing to suit a particular track. i know we all hear about it but now i see it myself. confidence is king for sure. as the day wore on i became more and more confident. i feel like my suspension needs to be setup right and i know it is in dire need of service 25k and nothing done yet. needs stiffer springs and probably thicker oil up front. maybe even valves. that's my opinion base on street riding and what seemed to be confirmed by my day on track. next time out i will hopefully be able to build some speed and start to need the brakes for setting corner entry speeds. when i was on them sunday which wasn't much i didn't care for the way the bike reacted much which i think has more to do with suspension than the brakes themselves, right? i def found it much easier to follow a slightly faster rider than to fly solo as i didn't have to work so hard searching for a line. there are very few landmarks tall enough to be looking far enough out. but the red dots arrows and rumble strips do help. | ||
| Hellraiser |
I like your write up. I'll add my 2 cents, which more than I normally get for an opinion.  I've never been happy with the front brakes on my bike, too inconsistent between brake applies and way too much free travel...sometimes. I find it even more irritating on the street where the time between brake applies can be quite long. I didn't want to sink $200 to $300 for radial master cylinder so I found a couple of alternatives. Choice one is a Radial Master off of a 2004 R1 or newer (I believe that an 05 and newer R6 is the same part). This is a cast 16mm Brembo unit and can be picked up off of eBay for ~$90. This brake has an external "pee cup" reservoir and a different type a brake lever. Choice two is a master off of a 2003? and newer Hayabusa. This unit also has a 16mm pump but it is not radial MC. It looks much like the unit off the 1125R with it's self contained fluid reservoir, additional bonus, even my aftermarket levers fit perfectly. I have found that my brakes are much more consistent with this setup, have quite a bit less free travel too. It does require a bit more finger pressure but not so much that you loose feedback. Still easy enough to do a stopie with two fingers. This is actually my preferred set up as I only do one or two track days a year. The bonus is that not too many people are looking for this master so I was able to pick mine up for $35 SHIPPED!! So half as much as new brake pads and 10X the improvement. | ||
| Boogiman1981 |
Looked into the m/c your talking about and as soon as funds allow I'm changing mine. I'm glad you liked the write up it seemed a little rambly to me | ||
| Redbuelljunkie |
Congratulations... now you're hooked. Ton Up Jacksonville has scheduled their first track day for 18 December 2011 at Roebling Road Raceway in Savannah, GA. We'd love for you to join us. | ||
| Boogiman1981 |
cost? trailer space? | ||
| Redbuelljunkie |
Two groups- experienced (non-instructional) $150 per rider, skill-building/novice (instructional) $250 per student. Training being provided by Frank Kinsey Racing School. Space is limited to 10 instructional students and 10-12 non-instructional riders. Guest trainer Dave Despain should be there for the instructional students. We're looking forward to a great day at the track, so let me know asap to reserve your spaces. http://www.kinseyracingschool.com/ http://www.roeblingroad.com/trackinformation.html | ||
| Boogiman1981 |
pics       | ||
| Thefleshrocket |
No_rice, the benefit of stickier tires, in my experience, isn't that a rider will necessarily be able to faster around the track simply by upgrading from street tires, it's that there is an extra safety net when the rider does something a little ham-fisted. Trail brake too deeply into a corner or get on the throttle too hard with a less grippy tire and you may be rewarded with a washed out front end or a high-side. Do that with stickier rubber and you may just get a little wiggle that's easily recoverable. I've crashed several times due to trail-braking too hard and each time was when running less-than-optimal tires. (Not blaming the tires--I'm the one that pulled the brake lever "too hard".) But I've never lost the front end with "good" tires, and there's been at least a couple times where the stickier rubber has definitely saved my bacon. | ||
| No_rice |
Yes it does leave a safety room for many.... unless you put those on then try to find their limitations...! I (knock on wood) have never crashed at the track. My thoughts are guess I haven't found my limits yet then. But I do regularly hang the rear out at hard tilt and full power, and on occasion have had full bike slide when the front washed. Luckily so far I have been knee on the ground and just rest all my weight on my knee and hoist the bike back up until the tires catch. The only way a person gets better is by riding and trying different setups, as you progress your personal limits do to. You also find out what works for you and what doesn't. The dumb ones just never give up pushing that limit farther  it also helps to not have a self preservation instinct.... lol! | ||
| Smoke |
hey!! i resemble that last statement!  i'm trying harder not to crash. worked this year at just getting more consistent and comfortable, raced more and crashed less! tim | ||
| Skntpig |
For those that don't visit the quickboard, here's my track video. It's my second time on the track in the last 11 years. Sorry I'm not on a Buell but it does feature my buddy on his 1125r. He's a little timid this time around as he fell off and lost two fingers in turn 8 in January there. I'm on a 97 Honda F3. She goes ok for a 600. We are planning on doing PBIR in West Palm (Old Moroso) soon. Watch how fast those cross-plane R1s are. They pull and pull. http://vimeo.com/32821760 | ||
| Boney95 |
Skntpig, Looks like you're rolling pretty well. My favorite part of your video starts at the 16:30 mark though. |
