[nf343vr]

Somebody, and I don't remember who, posted that comment on a thread a while back. Seems if it involves a motorcycle and going as fast as you can, even if it is as short as a 1/5 mile oval, it has to be good.

So, this is where I have been all winter.

The highlights: The motor is tilted forward 15 degrees to allow room for a 2 into 1 intake and a single 38mm Mikuni, also created room to move the swingarm pivot forward. After a completely new rectangular swingarm riding on 4 sealed ball bearings the pivot was able to be attached to the spine tube as well as the side frame tubes to increase stiffness. Hand fabricated 65mm offset triple clamps (thanks to Frank and Matt C. for setting me up with the aluminum and rotary table), gold valving, progressive springs, Red Wing Hammerheads provide the suspension. Wiesco 707 kit, radical exhaust porting, better springs all around, 1 5/8 2 into 2 exhaust, Compufire ignition on the motor. Plus 100 or so other mods and here it is.

It rips!! Going to race it Sat night May 10th in Winchendon MA if all goes well. Never raced dirt before, should be fun.

Any advice for a newbie flat track racer??

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/...obucket.com/albums/nn292/nf343vr/IMG_0408.jpg

See you at the track.

 

[bfd]

Kevin
that turned out great!
Can't wait to hear it run
Good luck on saturday

 

[JAM614]

Nice work Kevin!
Hope you don't fully convert to the dirt.

 

[joe c]

FUCK!!! Gorgous bike man. nice nice job. I was just talking about building a tt500 flat tracker with bucky. hes got one in his garage. Its actualy in perfect shape.

Tips.

well, fr will have to chime in here since hes the big bike guru.

ease the rearbrake to set the slide. now i can get the back end sliding just buy shutting the throttle on the 120.
you may be able to also. the experts i know who run crf450's say
they ride the rear around the 1/8 mile
tracks all of the way. if youre doing a 1/5 mile, id doubt it. will
that be 3rd gear all of the way around? or
2nd.

steer with the rear on the exit.

weight/ass forward. pay attention to how you are on the bike. makes a
huge difference

outside elbow high and your hand can almost be on the end of the
throttle tube.

inside arm straight

heres the biggest thing i learned, make sure your ass crack is on the
outside edge of the seat and push down. that
will almost automatically get you into the correct position.

like road racing, look through the corner and stay off the cusion. use
the entire line.

dont jump the start, starting form the penelty line sucks

dont waste time. you only have 4 6 or 8 laps to get to the top few
spots. you gotta go for it off the start and dont leave room
on the inside unless you want your foot run over or want to
be pushed into the boards

ask around about tire pressures. youll probablt run a lower pressure than youd think.

make sure youre there early. if youve never been, ask how practice runs. there will be chutes you line up into and
the rounds go very very fast. youll only have a few. do them all. youll need it. run with the woman if you have
to or can but dont miss a round

its like football on wheels. youre going to love it. its tons and tons
of fun.

AND IT ONLY LOOKS SIMPLE!!!!

there is more traction than you think.

an mostly, have fun! youre going to suck at it at first. youll be lucky to make the semis probably. but stick with it. ive had more fun dirt track racing and learned more from it than i ever thought. i cant wait til july for the outdoors just 10 mins form my house. its a blast.

let us know how it goes.!

i never thought thered end up being so many dirt trackers here. now i want to build a big single! take it to mid o.

heres a really shitty video my g-friend shot last summer. i have the white helmet. (77) running in mid pack behind mike bell for a few laps. thats chris marshall (66) behind me with the red mamola helmet. and our buddy sean in the yellow get up. mike bell actually kicks a hay bale out on the last lap and i hit it. thats how sean gets by. we were running basically stockers. I had a pipe, an chris had a 120 kit. yes, thats frank nye kicking ass. hes probably got 14 hp out of the suzuki. he comes in from california to run with us. hes the owner of engines only. that little fucker is fast. the big guy in the tie is Mike Bell. not the one you find online, not the super famous ex motocrosser, but they competed against each other back int he 70s. this mike bell won a few national championships too. hes not that fast, but hes so freaking big hes hard to get around. and he loves to bump.

jc

 

[joe c]

and check out the indoor vids. thats really fun.

jc

 

[FR]

Kevin, that's a sweet looking bike. I think you'll dig the track. Last time I raced there (2 years ago) it was just about perfect, pretty smooth, good traction and multiple line choices.
As far as advice goes, how much practice have you had on the bike? Is the gearing sorted for that track? It's a really good idea to have a couple rear sprockets to choose from and some extra chain links so you can get that set up right. When you make changes to the rear, go 2 teeth at a time.
If it really is your first race, I'd concentrate on just the basics, form and consistency, and have a good time. I'd suggest entering two classes, Open Am and either Vintage or Senior "B" if you're old enough (30+). Running in two classes gets you a decent amount of track time and enough time between events to make changes and rest. If you try to do three classes it just gets too busy, and if you only enter one class it takes a long time to build your skills and confidence.
Good luck, wish I was racin'. Maybe later this season.

FR

 

[nf343vr]

Thanks for the great advice. Sounds easy, not!! Just one question, is it like ski racing? That is if you are waiting to turn until you get to the gate you are already too late?

Thanks to all who replied.

 

[nf343vr]

By the way, that is my 22 year old son Craig in the "before" picture.

 

[ROSKO]

This might be up your alley: the Jay Springsteen / Woody Kyle Dirt Track School is taking place this June 26th in Harpursville, NY. Get some pointers from 3-time GNChamp Jay Springsteen and some tuning tips from dirt track guru Woody Kyle. You get to ride your own bike and then apply what you have learned the following two days racing the Larry Weiss Memorial. Contact Peg @ Metro Racing for more info, I can get you the address if need be.

 

[champ]

kevin, very nice............good on ya!! kick up some dirt and make us proud!!!

love the red frame and the pipes.

 

[bcr]

Kevin, that is a bad ass bike you got there. Great job. I'm predicting a serious case of permagrin for Sat night. See if you can borrow or fab up a hot shoe. It'll make a big difference. Have a blast, I'll see you later in the season.
cheers, bcr

 

[FR]

quote:Originally posted by nf343vr

Thanks for the great advice. Sounds easy, not!! Just one question, is it like ski racing? That is if you are waiting to turn until you get to the gate you are already too late?

Thanks to all who replied.

Well, here's the thing, I/we can talk about it and give advise etcetera but it probably won't mean much until you've actually gone out and run on the track. Other than the basics that JoeC mentioned, body position and where to focus, you probably won't remember what we've said 'cause you'll be too busy "drinking out of a fire hose". At least the first few sessions.
There are some similarities to other racing events, most often the optimum line is established by everyone else, so when in doubt, try to stay on that line. As you get more comfortable you may want to experiment with different line selection, but you have to be able to control the bike first.
When you're not racing or wrenching, watch the other riders on the track, you can learn a lot by observing when they do what they do.
If you're used to road racing, a common mistake when you ride flat track is to try to lean in with the bike. Doesn't work, which is why Joe's suggestion of keeping your body line (ass crack) lined up on the outside edge of the seat is important. You want the bike under you with your weight centered over the rear tire on corner exit.
And if you have the time and money, you'll get your money's worth if you do the training session that Rosco mentioned, best bang for the buck out there. Sign up today. Really.


FR

 

[joe c]

yes, and dont even try it with out a shoe. it makes all the difference in the world. make something out of a stop sign if you have to. it takes some time, but make sure you have something if you dont already. you actually can ride without a shoe, but a shoe makes it about 10x easier!

frs right. things go fast your first few times out. youll just be trying to figure out how to get into the corner the right way the first session. your brain will be soley occupied with trying to just make it around the track. but after you get over that, form's the key. and be sure to take a few minutes and watch the fast guys. its amazing how well they ride.

fortunately we know one the experts, and he wathced a few of our rounds. so it was easy to have him tell us the biggest of our mistakes and what to do to correct them.

have fun!

jc

 

[nf343vr]

Thanks again for the advice. Tonights project will be fabbing up a hot shoe. I think I do have an old traffic sign around somewhere.

I will let you all know how it goes.

 

[joe c]

sorry for not posting the vid. im an idiot!

j

 

[joe c]

Me Me!! It was Me!!!


" yep
simple racing for simple people
go fast, turn left.


jc"

I was an inspiration!!!!

 

[bcr]

How'd it go man? Hope you had a good run, 4-5 beers, 600mg ibuprofen, and a safe ride home. I can't wait to get out there.
cheers, bcr

 

[joe c]

really! post up!

jc

 

[nf343vr]

So, The bike went great, I was slow, I have a grin on that you could not remove with dynamite, and I have muscles hurting I never knew I had. Excellent time!
All the advice you guys posted was great, I kept tying to keep my left arm straight, my left foot forward rather than trailing and my butt crack over the outer edge of the seat. When I did I could really feel the difference, the problem was I had to keep reminding myself to do it. Did not come real naturally
In the Vintage Main I had a great wheel to wheel battle with a guy on an old Bultaco, or maybe it was a Can-Am (Bombardier?) motor in some trick frame. Anyway it was fun.
In the Dinasuar (over 47?, strange # I think) Main, some rider named Smitty, who knows some USCRA folks and is friends with Dave E, took a hard fall. He just looped it on his own and did not come in contact with anyone although he was right in the middle of the pack. He did refuse the bus ride to a medical facility, but looked like he should have gone, hope he is OK.
I cannot make it to the Vintage Celebration at NHMS due to family commiments. Will try to be at Jolly Roger on the 24th though.
Thanks again for the excellent advice.
Kevin

 

[joe c]

Cool. It really is alot of fun. And like anything else you think you might be half way good at, you dont realize how much you suck until you do it. BUt excellent. Sounds like youll be back out at it again.

yeah its not natural. Ive found most things relating to motorcycle racing arent for me. And dirt track racing is really backwards. Counter intuitive. But once you start to feel it coming on, its really great fun. And ive realized once I learned how to ride around, its alot of fun.

cool, keep us posted. our outdoor season starts in july. i cant wait!

jc