pmeysemb
Well-known member
UPDATE: One of the photographers at this event finally got around to posting his pictures so I incorporated them into a short (5min) video clip along with some of the video I took that day - hopefully, these give a feel for a track day! IMO, the videos are the coolest part.
You can find them here on my personal page:
https://gisdata.nrri.umn.edu/pers/pm/FJR/trackday_pics.htm
By the way, my first time playing around with the video editing software so go easy on the skillz
Also, the two different sized versions are in windows media format; hope that works for most.
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Got back from my first track day last night at Road America (near Sheboygan, WI) and thought I'd do a report: (kind of long but worth every byte )
Off the top:
*about 100 to 120 riders I figure - I think about 55-60 in the beginner group
some "only's" to start out:
the only sport tourer there that I saw
the only shaft drive bike on the track
the only textile suit (Aerostich) on the track (never before have I seen so many leathers)
the only rider (as far as I could tell) to actually ride to and away from the track - "ride what ya brung"
NESBA, I think, may run there track days a bit differently than others I have heard about in that these are mostly set up to get experienced riders out on the track, with the thought that they can still let new and potential track riders see what it is like. I felt a bit out of place on the FJR and would really like to try a real sport bike for one of these days.
My biggest concern, throughout the day, was how hard I was thrashing my ride home! We were doing approximately 3 and 1/2 minute laps on this 4.1 mile track and I was wringing every thing I could out of every turn. Turn 14 launches you up the hill to the finish line straight and for the last couple sessions at least we were hitting about 140 before shutting down into turn one (the liter class bikes were hitting 160 at this point). Likewisel turn 3 gets you into another long straightaway maybe up to 120-130 before shutting down hard again for the downhill sharp left hander. I locked up a couple of times into this one and had to use the run off bumps once or twice. The trickiest part for the FJR is turn 11 chicane which is 2nd gear hard left then immediate hard right.
I only scraped a peg once the whole day, although I really upped the susp preload both front and rear. The Dunlop 208's (32psi front and 35 rear) I was using were perfect for the day on the FJR. I would definitely use them again. Oil was 20-50 with a can of STP added. Slip-ons may have added to track presence and they really snarl at redline!
I also put new sintered pads on last weekend and they worked great, especially with how slowly some riders were setting up for the tight turns. Getting the beast from 5th to 2nd, it is amazing how well the FJR brakes are!
By the last few sessions, I figured out that I didn't always have to start near the rear and as the rider congestion eased, I really started to get a feel for the correct apex line and was hanging off like crazy. That number 9 "carousel" turn is the perfect 3rd gear sweeper for the FJR because it gives you enough time to balance that fine line of traction and lean - my favorite turn on the track.
I figure we got about 30 to 35 complete laps in with one session shortened to just one lap because of a crash. I think there were 4 crashes, with the most serious occurring in the advanced group (his bike looked like it was crunched pretty bad).
I got a few comments from other riders about their surprise how hard the FJR pulls in the straights. The 600 track bikes would fly through the turns but I could reel them in the long straights. Also, one of control riders mentioned that my lines were getting better with each session considering the weight I had to push around. I did notice that none of the other riders wanted to trade bikes for a session though
I have another level of respect for the FJR after yesterday and the abuse I gave it: ride about 400 miles to the track, ride about 35 full on laps, most at wide open trottle and hitting redline quite often, and then packing up and riding another 400 miles home fully loaded. Sounds pretty tough to me. I would surely do this again some day, but only if I can be sure at least one more FJR (or two?) is there with me. There's gotta be one or two FJR's around here somewhere that need a good thrashing!
All in all, I felt that I was not too bad an ambassador for the FJR's track abilities at the end of the day as I headed home all loaded up for touring...
I put a few pics on my personal site here: https://gisdata.nrri.umn.edu/pers/pm/FJR/trackday_pics.htm .
Paul
Duluth
('05 FJR, 27k, "now with track time!" :yahoo: )
You can find them here on my personal page:
https://gisdata.nrri.umn.edu/pers/pm/FJR/trackday_pics.htm
By the way, my first time playing around with the video editing software so go easy on the skillz
Also, the two different sized versions are in windows media format; hope that works for most.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Got back from my first track day last night at Road America (near Sheboygan, WI) and thought I'd do a report: (kind of long but worth every byte
)Off the top:
*about 100 to 120 riders I figure - I think about 55-60 in the beginner group
some "only's" to start out:
the only sport tourer there that I saw
the only shaft drive bike on the track
the only textile suit (Aerostich) on the track (never before have I seen so many leathers)
the only rider (as far as I could tell) to actually ride to and away from the track - "ride what ya brung"
NESBA, I think, may run there track days a bit differently than others I have heard about in that these are mostly set up to get experienced riders out on the track, with the thought that they can still let new and potential track riders see what it is like. I felt a bit out of place on the FJR and would really like to try a real sport bike for one of these days.
My biggest concern, throughout the day, was how hard I was thrashing my ride home! We were doing approximately 3 and 1/2 minute laps on this 4.1 mile track and I was wringing every thing I could out of every turn. Turn 14 launches you up the hill to the finish line straight and for the last couple sessions at least we were hitting about 140 before shutting down into turn one (the liter class bikes were hitting 160 at this point). Likewisel turn 3 gets you into another long straightaway maybe up to 120-130 before shutting down hard again for the downhill sharp left hander. I locked up a couple of times into this one and had to use the run off bumps once or twice. The trickiest part for the FJR is turn 11 chicane which is 2nd gear hard left then immediate hard right.
I only scraped a peg once the whole day, although I really upped the susp preload both front and rear. The Dunlop 208's (32psi front and 35 rear) I was using were perfect for the day on the FJR. I would definitely use them again. Oil was 20-50 with a can of STP added. Slip-ons may have added to track presence and they really snarl at redline!
I also put new sintered pads on last weekend and they worked great, especially with how slowly some riders were setting up for the tight turns. Getting the beast from 5th to 2nd, it is amazing how well the FJR brakes are!
By the last few sessions, I figured out that I didn't always have to start near the rear and as the rider congestion eased, I really started to get a feel for the correct apex line and was hanging off like crazy. That number 9 "carousel" turn is the perfect 3rd gear sweeper for the FJR because it gives you enough time to balance that fine line of traction and lean - my favorite turn on the track.
I figure we got about 30 to 35 complete laps in with one session shortened to just one lap because of a crash. I think there were 4 crashes, with the most serious occurring in the advanced group (his bike looked like it was crunched pretty bad).
I got a few comments from other riders about their surprise how hard the FJR pulls in the straights. The 600 track bikes would fly through the turns but I could reel them in the long straights. Also, one of control riders mentioned that my lines were getting better with each session considering the weight I had to push around. I did notice that none of the other riders wanted to trade bikes for a session though
I have another level of respect for the FJR after yesterday and the abuse I gave it: ride about 400 miles to the track, ride about 35 full on laps, most at wide open trottle and hitting redline quite often, and then packing up and riding another 400 miles home fully loaded. Sounds pretty tough to me. I would surely do this again some day, but only if I can be sure at least one more FJR (or two?) is there with me. There's gotta be one or two FJR's around here somewhere that need a good thrashing!
All in all, I felt that I was not too bad an ambassador for the FJR's track abilities at the end of the day as I headed home all loaded up for touring...
I put a few pics on my personal site here: https://gisdata.nrri.umn.edu/pers/pm/FJR/trackday_pics.htm .
Paul
Duluth
('05 FJR, 27k, "now with track time!" :yahoo: )
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