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race prep

10K views 54 replies 10 participants last post by  flysaab 
#1 ·


Getting ready for the first round of our club race season up here in Manitoba, Canada.



Yep, MotoGP fanboy, me.
 
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#31 ·
Thanks to Ricky Ricardo my tribute to Nicky Hayden is complete. Hoping to do it justice at Phillip Island in August
 

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#32 ·
Round 3 report

A short update, although I plan to add some photos and some video again... Another good weekend, with great weather and some good racing. First, my plan to add a Dynojet Quickshifter to my rearsets was a fail. Despite installing it as per DJs suggestions (I bought the model they recommended and they signed off on the photos I sent), the bike would not shift gear at WOT. So after the first practice session I removed it and went back to the stock shift rod. It was not cutting out the ignition to allow it to slot into a higher gear, no matter how hard I tried. Not sure where to go next, but I might just stick with the stock (ish) setup. Practice went well, turning some more 1:06s, but unfortunately not a string of them in a row. The class champ was slower in practice, but I think he might have been sandbagging a bit. The end result was that in race one, I was 3rd going into turn one, but passed a Ducati 900SS around the outside and set off after the leader. I never really got that close, and ended up in 2nd, 8 secs adrift.
Sunday had us set up for 3 races on the day. I did some thinking about where I could go faster, and with the help of one of the club's other riders who watched, I was gaining time in corner entry, but waiting too long to get on the gas in the exit, and was getting gapped. I'm still running the stock suspension, and it starts to pump madly out of our faster turns -- the slicks gripped, but I was worried about losing the front and or rear. Race 2 saw me far closer (again going into turn 1 in 3rd), losing out on the top spot by 0.4 seconds.
The next race was the cracker -- a better start gave me some more momentum and I was closer to the top guy in the first 2 laps. I passed for the lead early, and then lost it back on the straight (riding into a headwind with no fairing doesn't help). I then made a fairly aggressive pass into turn 3 on the last lap and it stuck (I stood him up) and held on for the win (by less than half a second!) Pretty thrilled and while there was no contact, I went to shake hands with the guy I passed and he was OK with it. Getting on the gas earlier certainly helped, and the rear slick didn't give up on me. The last race was another close fought 2nd, but I was all over the back of the leader the whole race. I haven't seen the lap times posted, but I think we went slower overall as he was taking defensive lines in every corner, and there are few spots where a pass on the outside makes sense.
The KTM is a real blast to ride on the track. I am still debating a suspension upgrade, as our track is so bumpy the softness might be an advantage. However over even 10 laps the performance really falls off, so if I could get something with similar spring rates but better compliance, that might be the answer. After 2.5 weekends, the rear I think is cooked, while the front still has some life in it. I am now consistently in the 1:06 bracket, and stringing together 6-7 laps at this pace. I don't lose a lot of ground on the straights to SVs, but I certainly don't gain any. The long drive home from the track had me debating installing the rally cam; perhaps it would add a few hp. Of course I could also lose 20 lbs and get the same benefit. The bike also hasn't been dynoed, so despite the PCV working "well" and leaving me with nicely browned spark plugs, maybe there is some power to be found there?
Its funny, the other riders say I look "goofy" on the bike, and the track photographer says I'm hard to photograph as he can't tell if I am riding hard or on my in lap -- in the corner I am bolt upright, but then he sees me on the racing line dragging the bellypan, and he's too late to snap a good pic. Anyway, a good weekend overall and I hope to upload some media shortly.
 
#35 ·
A short update, although I plan to add some photos and some video again... Another good weekend, with great weather and some good racing. First, my plan to add a Dynojet Quickshifter to my rearsets was a fail.

Sunday had us set up for 3 races on the day. I did some thinking about where I could go faster,

I then made a fairly aggressive pass into turn 3 on the last lap and it stuck (I stood him up) and held on for the win (by less than half a second!) Pretty thrilled and while there was no contact, I went to shake hands with the guy I passed and he was OK with it.

Its funny, the other riders say I look "goofy" on the bike,

Anyway, a good weekend overall and I hope to upload some media shortly.
Great write-up and good video......
Too bad about the Quickshifter...............
I like your analytical approach to racing, a lot of racers just hope for the best...
You didn't run the guy off the track...no contact....it's racing....
The pic attached to post 27 shows your riding posture, and the ergonomics of the 690 make you ride it like a supermoto rather than a sportbike...nothing goofy about that.....
 
#36 ·
You boys need to come to the UK for circuits!
Wouldn't it be great if we all had the time and the money to tour the world enjoying track days in each country........:laugh2:

Lots of excellent tracks in the U.S. In Canada, there are a few, but with a smaller population, and 4 or 5 months of winter, it must be difficult to operate a racetrack profitably.

BTW, that entry chute onto the Cadwell track seems to put you right on the racing line as you get up to speed. Big responsibility for the marshall. Is it different on a race day?
 
#39 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by marmaduke
The KTM is a real blast to ride on the track. I am still debating a suspension upgrade, as our track is so bumpy the softness might be an advantage. However over even 10 laps the performance really falls off,
Do you mean the heat build up in the suspension because of prolonged use ?
 
#41 ·
I think so, although I am no suspension expert. The track is bumpy, so both the front and rear are worked super hard. If I could keep the shock oil from cavitating (purely a theory) and leave the spring rates alone, I might be in better shape on the track...
 
#40 ·
Great vid Marm and the pass in question was spot on. He didnt leave too much of an opening but you took it, nicely done. The stock suspension will always struggle a bit under the stress of the extra grip provided by the race tyres unless you are a 50kg spider monkey.
 
#44 ·
Nope, I'm thinking I'll bounce my way through the rest of this season, and pick myself up a Nitron R1 over the winter. I have one already for my Yamaha R1, and have sent an email to Nitron UK to see if they can modify it to suit the Katoom. I've read about other boutique shock makers who do that -- it might have been Maxton who offered that, however.
 
#49 ·
Had another decent weekend this past two days at Round 4. A bit of a mixed bag of a weekend, with fewer practice sessions, but I joined an endurance team in the late afternoon on Saturday to compete. The overview:
My main goal this weekend was to try to lap the track within the 1:05 bracket. I had been somewhat close last round, with a 1:06:3 -- but as we know from racing, those fractional seconds are hard to find, and then the trick is to do them consistently so you get consistently faster. I had switched a few things for the first part of Saturday's practices. With my 42 tooth rear sprocket, I had some great drive coming out of corners, but there were 2 places on the track where I was tapped in 5th gear, bouncing off the limiter -- it made no sense to upshift or short-shift, and the thought of doing that lap after lap on the during my endurance stint had me concerned. I had ordered a 41 rear awhile ago, but its been back-ordered. A rare size that no one stocks, so I put the 40 on the rear for the first practice. As expected, it didn't hit the limiter, but there were trade-offs everywhere else. I decided to go back to the 42 after the first practice. I did do a high 1:06 with the taller gearing, but I didn't like how the bike ran elsewhere on the track. Practice 2 was better, but again the lap times weren't where I wanted them to be. A pity, as for once the wind wasn't blowing very hard which would be a help for a bike with no fairing. Race 1 was a bit of a disappointment. Didn't get a great start and got stuck behind a Ducati for a few laps. When I got by, the leader was gone, having put in a few 1:05s himself. I crossed the line in 2nd, but a distance behind the leader. The grid was a bit fuller this weekend as well, and a few of us came around on some novice riders, so the issue of lapped traffic might play in my favour (or not) in the future.
The endurance race was neat. I was teamed up with a few other guys from my end of the province; one on a zx10, and the other on a zx6. It was a short 90 minute endurance race just to test the concept with some new facility rules (regarding track ingress and egress), and the plans worked out well. There was a handicap system based on bike displacement, so having a wee 690 on the team wasn't going to be a huge liability. In the end, we placed 4th. My 30 minute stint was the last one, and I got off the bike not too tired. So no money, but we won some beer (!) for our troubles. Good fun all around!
Sunday was going to be our typical schedule with 2 practice sessions and 3 sprint races. Frustratingly, my lap timer seemed to give out on me. Its a cheap Chinese GPS system (go figure) but has been working fairly well up to now. So I had no feedback on my lap times during practice, and I must admit I peek on occasion during races as well. A check of the lap times after the session revealed no elusive 1:05s.
Races 2, 3, and 4 all ended up with similar results. I placed 2nd in each. I did get agonizingly close to my lap time goal -- a 1:06:193 in race 2, but at least a consistent string of 1:06 lap times. The winner did do a few 1:05s. They were all very close races -- the winning margin in race 2 was 4.5 seconds; race 3 was 0.233 seconds, and race 4 -- 0.132 seconds! I actually turned the fastest lap of the race in races 3 and 4... but like they say on MotoGP on TV, its one thing to catch someone, its another to pass. I'm going to post some videos, and if they turn out I think you will see how defensive a line the leader takes into turn 3 -- he's no dummy -- that's my favorite (only?) place to pass on a less powerful bike, so he's going to take that option away. I tried some moves on the outside, but the track is bumpy out there, and while you can keep it upright, I don't have the cojones to get on the throttle soon enough to beat him to turn 4.
Anyway, some fun, close racing! Unfortunately it might be my last weekend out this year and work responsibilities might get in the way of me attending the final round. Championship-wise, I am realistically out of the running for the overall -- not surprising, as while I've gotten faster, I've been beaten into 2nd or lower far more times than I've won. It has been a real blast on the 690, however! Even in standard spec suspension-wise, once you get your head around the handling, they make great race bikes, which can really embarrass bigger machines.
 
#50 ·
Love your write ups Marm. As you said its easier to catch up to faster bikes in some cases but a hell of a lot harder to pass. I attached a couple of time sheets to show the closeness of the times at the Winton meeting. Dave Healey and Kristen Theile were my competition and as you can see there was nothing in it. The 1:11:667 was the Bears F5 lap record. The other sheet shows the various types of bikes in Bears, from 200 hp Beemers and Panis to 60 hp dukes and huskies. The next meeting at Phillip Island will have more F5 bikes on the grid. Ducati scrambler, Ducati 900 monster, Ducati 904 Supersport in a 748 frame, 2 x 690 2013 dukes and a 2016 SMC. 2 Huskies may make an appearance also.
 

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#54 ·
As much fun as I had racing the Duke 690, it was intended to be a stop-gap measure until I found another bike to race... it's a very expensive machine by my standards, and I was never at 10/10ths with it for fear of throwing it down the road for a trophy. I intend to keep it as a hooligan bike, for the street, but now that the season is over (I can't make round 5 and can't win the overall anyway), I'll be selling off some of the race bits. The MG biketec rearsets are already in the classifieds, and the front mask, rear seat cover/numberplate, crash bars (true KTM, not Chinese copies), bellypan, and spare set of wheels will follow soon. I might be tempted to sell the full Akra exhaust as well if someone is interested, but I don't plan on giving that away!

FWIW, I bought back my EX650 with a blown engine and a ton of spares; I've sold off some of the extras and currently have a bike with a titled frame, and newer low mileage 2014 engine which stands me about $1500 CAD. This includes a JRI triple adjustable shock, and front forks from a zx6r with G20 racetech cartridges. Nice stuff. I do plan on modeling like the Duke, with renthal bars and suspension set up on the softer side to deal with my bumpy track. It will be a heavier bike for sure, but with a tad more power and top end, I hope it will be (as) competitive. EX650 parts are become so cheap (I bought the engine for $400) it is a more affordable option!

I will keep on as a part of the forum and KTM fan, as well as update/share any experiences I've had with the bike as I continue to enjoy it on public roads.
 
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