Really enjoyed the last weekend of the season -- got the reffing done on Saturday with only one bad crash (rider is OK), and the hit the track on Sunday. Was happy with how the comfort level came back -- made some good passess, picked up speed pretty quickly, and also didn't surrender spots other than to bigger bikes on the straights. Even caught and out-dragged an SV650 -- of course, not in a race situation, but it seems that the bike has some decent speed compared to its competition, even with stock gearing. Was a very windy day, and the fairingless bike ran well. In fact, the mono, with its full fairing, was being tossed around quite a bit -- more likely due to its weight than anything else. Got to the point on the mono where I wasn't even braking for turn 1 -- just pop out of the bubble, downshift once, and hold on. Handled pretty good! Again, some chatter and sliding through turn five on the little bike. Not sure if that's due to the tires (the street-based 2CT michelins) or to the suspension. Need more time to sort it out. Did 4 sessions on the ex and 2 on the mono.
Had the bikes loaded on the trailer a few days prior -- school had started up and I was spending some long hours -- did not want to wait until Thursday night to load up, in case I was delayed...
Trailer held up OK, but I'm keeping a close eye on it -- its covered lots of miles over the past 11 years, and has hauled more than just bikes. Might be time to get something slightly bigger -- no extra room on the deck for anything!
No shots of me "in action" that I've seen, so I can show you tire wear -- fascinating!!! The michelin slicks were awesome! Not sure how old the tires were, and while they were sliding a bit out of turn 9 (asphalt, not concrete), everything was controllable. Nice wear pattern, no cold tearing despite the lack of tire warmers and the cold ambient temps.
Of course, for me to be battling at the front, I need to find 4 seconds somewhere...! Next year!
I wondered about the bellypan in right turns -- while it did touch down, it acted as a gauge (along with my knee) as to what the suspension was doing at the back. I need to get faster through turn 4 -- there is a bump right as you turn in that upsets the bike -- the bump carries across the entire width of the track, except for a 1' spot roughly 3' out from the inside. On a clean lap, you go for that spot -- otherwise, you grin and bear it. Pegs and levers were fine -- no contact.
So now its time to get the bikes ready for winter storage -- I've removed the Cool-Aid from the ex and replaced it with glycol -- gonna do the same with the mono, although its running straight water. Winter plans include a rear swingarm swap on the ex, and a shock rebuild/revalve -- the machine is running perfectly otherwise. I've built a stand that will hold up the rear of the bike while leaving the swingarm free to be removed. With the mono, my 1 gal alloy tank has arrived, as well as the carburetor. Gonna test fit the FCR, then clean it up and jet it for the DRZ. Mounting the tank will take some work, but I've got a few ideas. Off to get some pink foam insulation today. As usual, stay tuned.
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