Thinking About Running The FJR on Local Road Course

[Twigg]

"No overtaking on the inside" is a strictly enforced rule both at Brands Hatch and Silverstone. You WILL be Black Flagged if you try that without the marshals telling you it's allowed. In the Formula Fords (Four wheels, open) they also imposed a rev limit that rose steadily through the day. They do know if you exceed it simply by the lap times. First session was a 4000 rpm limit in a car that red-lined at 9000. We were up to 7000 by the end of the day. It's fast and furious

There is no real reason to worry about a Track Day on your own bike. The track is vastly safer than the roads you ride on every day, and while "going fast" is part of the fun, learning to better use your bike, at your own pace, is the major part.

Track riding is less risky, not more, although the point about insurance is well made.

 

[ForJimsRedemption]

Big Sky - No knee for me! (at least for now) And just watching the last couple times, I think your prediction is Spot On! I know they don't stand a chance coming off the corners into the straight aways.

dsmack - Spokane Raceway. I am not sure if you have been out there. I live out by the Air force base so I am close enough I can hear the engines at the events. It is pretty decent and the county has put in some money and opened it up to being rented. Code Racing sponsors the "Test and Tune" event. I have went the last two times just to watch and met the other riders. Very low key and fun group of guys. I expect to run the next event the July 29th (next wed 5:30). All hinges on if the leather I ordered FIT. You should come on out and check it out. It would be good to meet another FJR owner in person.

gixxerjasen - I think that ship sailed the day I bought the FJR... scratch that... the day I test drove the FJR.

Twigg - Thanks for the heads up. This is much more relaxed as it is just some test laps. The guys don't even pass on corners and it is understood that slower drivers just let other by on the straight away. I share your thoughts with it being safer. You and everyone else in this thread has been very helpful to getting me out there and seeing what it is about WHILE getting over the idea I am driving without insurance at over 125mph.

Thanks!!

 

[CA G-Man]

Big Sky, I have much respect for you but I have to question this one little piece of advice:

If you have an older retired helmet, you might want to use that instead of risking your new $800 Shuberth or whatever.

It seems to me that if I’m going to be riding close to my limits at high speed I’m going to want the best protection for my head that I have available, not some brittle old, ill-fitting, past-its-prime (or whatever other reason for retirement) helmet.

 

[gixxerjasen]

I will say this. When you get bitten by the bug, and you will, before you go whole hog into getting set up for racing/track days, look into Mini racing. MUCH cheaper to do for sure, and every bit as much fun...if not more, than the big bikes. I had a friend let me borrow a bike for a weekend and as soon as things settle I think I'll have a mini of my own to race. Bikes are cheap, tires last a season, falls are slower, but the racing is as heated as it can get and it's a freaking hoot. Check my blog over here for my writeup on my weekend racing a Grom -> https://www.leanangle.com/2014/05/racing-grom.html

Smaller bikes going slower on smaller tracks feels just like the big track.

 

[Big Sky]

CA G-Man, in hindsight, I wonder why no one else took me to task on that statement. You objection is a valid one, even if I further qualify my remark. I was in a mindset of "minimize $$$ damage in case of a get off." My "retired" helmet is a good Arai that is now about 10 years old. Brittle, ill fitting? I think not. Past its prime? Yes. I suppose that is why it now resides on the shelf. I wouldn't really be fearful of it letting me down in crash, and I'd rather replace it than my new Arai, however if the integrity of my face and skull was really in question, I would have to go with the newer helmet and $$$ be damned. Point to G-Man.

I too am looking forward to Jim's report.

 

[SunRider]

The Snell 2010 standard calls for less energy to be transfered to the brain than the 2005 standard.

I would go with an ECE or DOT rated helmet before using a 2005 Snell helmet.

There was a well documented technical 'discussion' on this issue before Snell relented,

and changed from a two impact-same spot scenario to the more accepted one impact per location lower energy scenario.

 

[ForJimsRedemption]

CA G-Man - Good point. I did not catch it but the track requires snell85 cert. anyway (car track). gixxerjasen - Nice blog and video!! Grom is awesome and I would love to do that. I will have to check in to it and see if they offer something like that around here. Doubt it. BTW: Leathers came and fit perfectly. More importantly they are super thick, padded and look like they will keep my body parts of the road! Need to be broke in... "I am gumby dammit". LOL

 

[ForJimsRedemption]

SunRider - I have a Bell RS-1 , DOT and Snell m2010 cert. Thanks

 

[Bugnatr]

Along with starting on a full tank I always brought my own fuel.(extra 5 gal.) Your mileage will drop-a lot! The tracks I have been to are really, really proud of their fuel and no reason to pay their "at the track" prices.

 

[wheatonFJR]

I will say this. When you get bitten by the bug, and you will, before you go whole hog into getting set up for racing/track days, look into Mini racing. MUCH cheaper to do for sure, and every bit as much fun...if not more, than the big bikes. I had a friend let me borrow a bike for a weekend and as soon as things settle I think I'll have a mini of my own to race. Bikes are cheap, tires last a season, falls are slower, but the racing is as heated as it can get and it's a freaking hoot. Check my blog over here for my writeup on my weekend racing a Grom -> https://www.leanangle.com/2014/05/racing-grom.htmlSmaller bikes going slower on smaller tracks feels just like the big track.

Nice read. Now THAT'S pulling a gixxerjasen!

 

[wheatonFJR]

BTW: Leathers came and fit perfectly. More importantly they are super thick, padded and look like they will keep my body parts of the road! Need to be broke in... "I am gumby dammit". LOL

 

[gixxerjasen]

The Grom was a hoot but there's a whole bunch of cheaper bikes to pick up and go riding. Point is, most people dismiss the mini racing as not real racing and the organizations struggle to keep enough people showing up to run the races. It's cheap as all get out compared to racing big bikes and a total hoot. Plus, it keeps the competition down. Heck, I came in first place in the Grom class my first time out! (Yes, I was the only Grom.) There was a kid who went home with a stack of plaques as he was cleaning up. Mind you, he was pretty fast.

Oh yea, that's the downside of racing mini's. You can't have an ego. First of all, you look ridiculous sitting on a mini, not very cool at all. Then, when you get your arse handed to you by an eight year old...well, you just gotta take it in stride.

Have fun out there, enjoy the big heavy piggy on the track. Make sure you learn something and you improve. Remember that track days are learning opportunities and not races. Keep your head, don't be stupid, and remember the stuff I said before and your chances of bringing your new leathers and bike home as shiny as they started the day will be very high.

 

[900gc]

Speaking of helmets; When I used to race, the rules did not allow helmets older than 5 years to be used, no poly shell helmets and no DOT only cert.

Most, if not all, track day hosts allow any full face street legal helmet but I have run into the 5 year old rule before at track days and they did look at the mfg. date during tech (though this is not a universal rule). If folks were not aware, the date of mfg. is on the tag in the liner.

It is debatable whether a helmet actually becomes less protective after 5 years, but materials do deteriorate over time so at some point it would make sense to replace our helmets. I like the ECE and/or British spec. (the newest SNELL is more like them now) and personally replace my helmets every 5-6 years.

From the SNELL Foundation:

The five-year replacement recommendation is based on a consensus by both helmet manufacturers and the Snell Foundation. Glues, resins and other materials used in helmet production can affect liner materials. Hair oils, body fluids and cosmetics, as well as normal "wear and tear" all contribute to helmet degradation. Petroleum based products present in cleaners, paints, fuels and other commonly encountered materials may also degrade materials used in many helmets possibly degrading performance. Additionally, experience indicates there will be a noticeable improvement in the protective characteristic of helmets over a five-year period due to advances in materials, designs, production methods and the standards. Thus, the recommendation for five-year helmet replacement is a judgment call stemming from a prudent safety philosophy.

 

[ForJimsRedemption]

Post Ride Experience/Thoughts

First of all, LOTS of fun and thanks for the encouragement and sharing all your experiences. No problems and learned a ton. I do have GoPro video of the track ride and will post a link once I get it uploaded. However, I wanted to post some thoughts while the experience was fresh.

What I came out of the experience with regarding the FJR and going fast. The quicker you can stop, the better you can turn, and the quicker you accelerate the faster you are (duh). I was quickly schooled that the FJR being 200 Lbs more than the next heaviest bike, not to mention I had 30 lbs more than the 20 something old avg rider, on the track has a big disadvantage to start with. That said it came down mostly to the breaking and acceleration that handicapped the FJR on the track. The triples and racing bikes could stop twice as fast coming down from 125+ mph. They also were geared lower with a 6th gear that allowed them to out accelerate me AFTER 80mph. The big surprise was the turning. I think with practice the FJR could maneuver with the best of them. Mind you it will be more work. However, In Only 5 sessions of 20+ minutes each, my tires were scrubbed all the way to the sidewall lip. And, at the end, I was hanging with the bikes through most of the twisties.

Positives

- FUN

-learned a ton about FJR , racing, my limitations and other rides

-good perspective on FJR and my own skills

-improved riding skills exponentially

Negatives

-$$$ (leathers ($280) and fee($40)

-FJR driven hard... was it hard on her... I am not sure. Think she may have liked it.

-Tires - I think I burned off 500+ miles.

-Track Safety - this event was poorly organized and there were No rules. I being one of the slower ones on the track made this quite unnerving and at one point super dangerous. I almost got ran over by someone who I thought to be one of the more responsible riders. Luckily I maintained my line and he got around me without wrecking himself or the both of us. I also saw this poor guy wreck his brand new Ducati Corse. Luckily it looked like only his pride and wallet were hurt. Everyone felt his pain as he took the rode of shame home.

That said am I going to do it again... HELL YAH!!

And yes, I will be talking to a couple of the riders pre-race. Get some passing rules established.

 

[wheatonFJR]

I am glad you had a blast.

From an uninformed armchair bystander, I would think track rules would be laid down by the management...if they aren't enforcing them, I wouldn't expect the behaviour to change much.

 

[gixxerjasen]

Sounds like you learned a lot. Find a new trackday organization. Give that one some feedback. There should be defined groups and definitely some for noobs. There should also be passing rules per group (IE, no passing in turns and give X amount of space when passing)

Addicted? Told ya so.

 

[Sharif]

Glad you had a great time...though track days and racing are similar in that they occur on a track, but beyond that, diverge significantly.

 

[ionbeam]

Glad you had a good time, hope you can manage your new addiction

You did bring a claymore to a fencing class where everyone else had an epee. You were running your sport/tour against sport/track bikes yet you fared pretty well against more single focused bikes. When it came time to leave and TOUR home I'm sure the other bikes didn't come as close to touring as you came to sporting

Bad track management is unsafe and teaches bad habits. The Duc owner paid a price for someone not doing an appropriate job of babysitting a 'more money than skill' rider.

 

[ForJimsRedemption]

Video Link of event -

 

[Big Sky]

Like the video. Clearly an adrenalin rush for you combined with a great learning experience. I did my track days at the old Firebird in Phoenix where all was flat and runout was sans obstacles. Those barriers and berms I see at this facility are a little scarey. It was good to see you getting faster, more aggressive as you learned the track and improved your technique. Smooth is fast, eh? Judging from your tires, you have some room yet to grow your skills and techniques. Keep it up, have fun, be safe. Keep us posted.