the bb trackday thread.
Discussion
Had a great day yesterday, nice to meet StuB. I saw lincsblokey on track but didn't find him in the paddock, he looked like he was going well anyway. Also saw curlie's bike out.
First couple of sessions I was all over the shop, I felt like I was in the fast group the way others were flying past, but this was only my first time out on it since September (also less than a year since I started riding) so I just eased myself back in.
A few sessions in and I was starting to loosen up a bit but I didn't have much confidence in the front end. I was unsure of spending £50 for a full day's work on suspension set up as I was worried that I wouldn't know what feedback to give, but turns out I had loads of preload on the front so only using half the travel. After a few tweeks by Parkitt it was night and day, had much more feel from the front and that gave me a lot more confidence.
I felt beaten up at the end of it, and that was without falling off!
Need to work on body position as I'm carrying too much weight through my arms and tensing up that's transferring to the bars. As I've got long legs I'm struggling to brace my outside arm on the tank during a turn, there's not enough room on the tank above my knee and it just feels awkward. Hopefully the rearsets I have on order will allow me enough movement to sort that.
Generally the day went well, managed to avoid any scrapes (including the knee sliders!) but last session I had a front end slide at the left hander before the mountain so backed it off after that. I'm sure you more experienced TD'ers deal with that all the time but it rattled me a little and no point binning it after a good day.
I didn't bother with an instructor, I wanted to just get comfortable back on the bike first, but will definitely ask for one at croft now that I have a bit more confidence. I can see this is going to get expensive.....
First couple of sessions I was all over the shop, I felt like I was in the fast group the way others were flying past, but this was only my first time out on it since September (also less than a year since I started riding) so I just eased myself back in.
A few sessions in and I was starting to loosen up a bit but I didn't have much confidence in the front end. I was unsure of spending £50 for a full day's work on suspension set up as I was worried that I wouldn't know what feedback to give, but turns out I had loads of preload on the front so only using half the travel. After a few tweeks by Parkitt it was night and day, had much more feel from the front and that gave me a lot more confidence.
I felt beaten up at the end of it, and that was without falling off!
Need to work on body position as I'm carrying too much weight through my arms and tensing up that's transferring to the bars. As I've got long legs I'm struggling to brace my outside arm on the tank during a turn, there's not enough room on the tank above my knee and it just feels awkward. Hopefully the rearsets I have on order will allow me enough movement to sort that.
Generally the day went well, managed to avoid any scrapes (including the knee sliders!) but last session I had a front end slide at the left hander before the mountain so backed it off after that. I'm sure you more experienced TD'ers deal with that all the time but it rattled me a little and no point binning it after a good day.
I didn't bother with an instructor, I wanted to just get comfortable back on the bike first, but will definitely ask for one at croft now that I have a bit more confidence. I can see this is going to get expensive.....
Edited by clen666 on Sunday 8th March 08:58
clen666 said:
Had a great day yesterday, nice to meet StuB. I saw lincsblokey on track but didn't find him in the paddock, he looked like he was going well anyway. Also saw curlie's bike out.
First couple of sessions I was all over the shop, I felt like I was in the fast group the way others were flying past, but this was only my first time out on it since September (also less than a year since I started riding) so I just eased myself back in.
A few sessions in and I was starting to loosen up a bit but I didn't have much confidence in the front end. I was unsure of spending £50 for a full day's work on suspension set up as I was worried that I wouldn't know what feedback to give, but turns out I had loads of preload on the front so only using half the travel. After a few tweeks by Parkitt it was night and day, had much more feel from the front and that gave me a lot more confidence.
I felt beaten up at the end of it, and that was without falling off!
Need to work on body position as I'm carrying too much weight through my arms and tensing up that's transferring to the bars. As I've got long legs I'm struggling to brace my outside arm on the tank during a turn, there's not enough room on the tank above my knee and it just feels awkward. Hopefully the rearsets I have on order will allow me enough movement to sort that.
Generally the day went well, managed to avoid any scrapes (including the knee sliders!) but last session I had a front end slide at the left hander before the mountain so backed it off after that. I'm sure you more experienced TD'ers deal with that all the time but it rattled me a little and no point binning it after a good day.
I didn't bother with an instructor, I wanted to just get comfortable back on the bike first, but will definitely ask for one at croft now that I have a bit more confidence. I can see this is going to get expensive.....
"Had a great day yesterday .."First couple of sessions I was all over the shop, I felt like I was in the fast group the way others were flying past, but this was only my first time out on it since September (also less than a year since I started riding) so I just eased myself back in.
A few sessions in and I was starting to loosen up a bit but I didn't have much confidence in the front end. I was unsure of spending £50 for a full day's work on suspension set up as I was worried that I wouldn't know what feedback to give, but turns out I had loads of preload on the front so only using half the travel. After a few tweeks by Parkitt it was night and day, had much more feel from the front and that gave me a lot more confidence.
I felt beaten up at the end of it, and that was without falling off!
Need to work on body position as I'm carrying too much weight through my arms and tensing up that's transferring to the bars. As I've got long legs I'm struggling to brace my outside arm on the tank during a turn, there's not enough room on the tank above my knee and it just feels awkward. Hopefully the rearsets I have on order will allow me enough movement to sort that.
Generally the day went well, managed to avoid any scrapes (including the knee sliders!) but last session I had a front end slide at the left hander before the mountain so backed it off after that. I'm sure you more experienced TD'ers deal with that all the time but it rattled me a little and no point binning it after a good day.
I didn't bother with an instructor, I wanted to just get comfortable back on the bike first, but will definitely ask for one at croft now that I have a bit more confidence. I can see this is going to get expensive.....
Edited by clen666 on Sunday 8th March 08:58
Pretty damned good way to open a TD report thread , really glad you enjoyed yourself, sounds like you did it your way, the right way, without pushing too far too early Graeme , and , most importantly , you actually showed huge common sense and insight in getting your suspension set up for YOU ....
The best and cheapest £40 /£50 anyone can ever spend on a bike they own and actually intend riding it to the best of their , and its', potential.....
The difference in a bike's handling and rideability, from appalling and semi-unrideable, to sublime and feeling perfect, can all be about the basic set-up: static sag, basic attitude of the bike, correct preload front and rear for weight of rider in kit, and the fundamentals of compression and rebound, totally transform a bike , along with correct tyre pressure monitoring, you're on your way ....
It's truly bizarre to see so many bikes in a paddock rolling around the circuit ,unable to hold a line or "pogo-ing"on and off the brakes and throttle,with fancy lightweight wheels, blingy master-cylinders, full exhaust systems, sticky tyres.....and often no thought given to the suspension, not bolt-on, just set-up by someone who knows what they are doing , professional or otherwise ....basics.
You will enjoy the next even more having popped your cherry !!! See you soon ,G.
Couldn't agree more on the suspension ... never fails to amaze me how much stick I get for the first thing I do on buying any bike is to have the suspension setup for myself.
It is also usually the people who are happy to spend hundreds of pounds in fancy exhausts and bling but won't spend £50 on having the suspension setup properly... Because I quote 'it feels fine to me on standard settings' which on a Japanese bike tend to be setup for 10 stone Japanese riders not 15 stone of beefcake
It is also usually the people who are happy to spend hundreds of pounds in fancy exhausts and bling but won't spend £50 on having the suspension setup properly... Because I quote 'it feels fine to me on standard settings' which on a Japanese bike tend to be setup for 10 stone Japanese riders not 15 stone of beefcake
LoonR1 said:
Fleegle said:
Oh ballcocks. Have I got to faff about with one of those?
YepIt doesn't have to be wired into the loom, so it can just be recharged separately, but it does have to have a switch on the bars so you can turn it off or on as needs be.
Lincsblokey said:
LoonR1 said:
Fleegle said:
Oh ballcocks. Have I got to faff about with one of those?
YepIt doesn't have to be wired into the loom, so it can just be recharged separately, but it does have to have a switch on the bars so you can turn it off or on as needs be.
clen666 said:
Had a great day yesterday, nice to meet StuB. I saw lincsblokey on track but didn't find him in the paddock, he looked like he was going well anyway. Also saw curlie's bike out.
First couple of sessions I was all over the shop, I felt like I was in the fast group the way others were flying past, but this was only my first time out on it since September (also less than a year since I started riding) so I just eased myself back in.
A few sessions in and I was starting to loosen up a bit but I didn't have much confidence in the front end. I was unsure of spending £50 for a full day's work on suspension set up as I was worried that I wouldn't know what feedback to give, but turns out I had loads of preload on the front so only using half the travel. After a few tweeks by Parkitt it was night and day, had much more feel from the front and that gave me a lot more confidence.
I felt beaten up at the end of it, and that was without falling off!
Need to work on body position as I'm carrying too much weight through my arms and tensing up that's transferring to the bars. As I've got long legs I'm struggling to brace my outside arm on the tank during a turn, there's not enough room on the tank above my knee and it just feels awkward. Hopefully the rearsets I have on order will allow me enough movement to sort that.
Generally the day went well, managed to avoid any scrapes (including the knee sliders!) but last session I had a front end slide at the left hander before the mountain so backed it off after that. I'm sure you more experienced TD'ers deal with that all the time but it rattled me a little and no point binning it after a good day.
I didn't bother with an instructor, I wanted to just get comfortable back on the bike first, but will definitely ask for one at croft now that I have a bit more confidence. I can see this is going to get expensive.....
Sounds great clen, I too had my first one last week an had a great time, bit addictive though! First couple of sessions I was all over the shop, I felt like I was in the fast group the way others were flying past, but this was only my first time out on it since September (also less than a year since I started riding) so I just eased myself back in.
A few sessions in and I was starting to loosen up a bit but I didn't have much confidence in the front end. I was unsure of spending £50 for a full day's work on suspension set up as I was worried that I wouldn't know what feedback to give, but turns out I had loads of preload on the front so only using half the travel. After a few tweeks by Parkitt it was night and day, had much more feel from the front and that gave me a lot more confidence.
I felt beaten up at the end of it, and that was without falling off!
Need to work on body position as I'm carrying too much weight through my arms and tensing up that's transferring to the bars. As I've got long legs I'm struggling to brace my outside arm on the tank during a turn, there's not enough room on the tank above my knee and it just feels awkward. Hopefully the rearsets I have on order will allow me enough movement to sort that.
Generally the day went well, managed to avoid any scrapes (including the knee sliders!) but last session I had a front end slide at the left hander before the mountain so backed it off after that. I'm sure you more experienced TD'ers deal with that all the time but it rattled me a little and no point binning it after a good day.
I didn't bother with an instructor, I wanted to just get comfortable back on the bike first, but will definitely ask for one at croft now that I have a bit more confidence. I can see this is going to get expensive.....
Edited by clen666 on Sunday 8th March 08:58
Dave said it was very slippy out there in the first sessions.
Think I will get our bike set up next time too as we are similar weights and sizes (ish
)LoonR1 said:
hebegb said:
Correct - for Hottrax , only has to be able to be switched on by rider seated on machine, so reach around on-switch fine, no wiring to have to mess about with . Can be a simple battery powered self contained unit .
He said reach around. Fnarr fnarr Re:suspension ... This tyre was tearing-up slightly on the right hand side ,getting on the gas , predominantly a right handed track (Cartagena, last week ) ,after two sessions , (Dunlop KR108 ), good ambient and track temp and set after first session hot off track at prescribed pressure .... A little bit of appropriate suspension work and this is the tyre at the end of two full days, , 2 x 7 x 20 mins sessions... Pretty happy with the wear by the end of that ,cleaned up nicely would have been goosed in half day otherwise ..... Just a note , learn all you can about suspension/ tyre technology or spend a few quid with the suspension guy, ride a better and safer bike from that point onwards ....much much cheaper than multiple expensive and unnecessary tyres and the inherent changeovers......
Bloody sideways pics....sorry-!
Bloody sideways pics....sorry-!
HollywoodStig said:
StuB said:
What is the TD noise limit at Silverstone?
105db I think, it should pass seen a couple of them at Silverstone last year, loud but not stupidly so. Don't think I'll be the only one on an SL, should be a good day!I'd imagine the entry to becketts will be good, as will braking at the end of the back straight, with blind crests.
So, after reviewing the video evidence my time on track certainly felt a lot faster than it looks!
I will try and upload them for critique in due course.
Some of my lines were questionable to say the least, but I was aware of that at the time and tried to work on it lap by lap.
What I wasn't aware of is just how little I actually move about on the bike. I know it's been said before on here that it feels like you're moving a lot more than you actually are, but I wasn't aware of just how much difference there would be.
I wasn't thinking 'I must get my knee down' but once or twice going round Chris Curve I did make a conscious effort to stick my knee out, just to try and gauge how much further over I could go. A lot is the answer! Though after looking at the tyres I was using the majority of them, so again it's body position.
Overall, there is plenty to work on but most importantly I enjoyed it and looking forward to Croft more than ever now.
Oh, and are tyre warmers worth buying if I'm just running sports touring tyres?
I will try and upload them for critique in due course.
Some of my lines were questionable to say the least, but I was aware of that at the time and tried to work on it lap by lap.
What I wasn't aware of is just how little I actually move about on the bike. I know it's been said before on here that it feels like you're moving a lot more than you actually are, but I wasn't aware of just how much difference there would be.
I wasn't thinking 'I must get my knee down' but once or twice going round Chris Curve I did make a conscious effort to stick my knee out, just to try and gauge how much further over I could go. A lot is the answer! Though after looking at the tyres I was using the majority of them, so again it's body position.
Overall, there is plenty to work on but most importantly I enjoyed it and looking forward to Croft more than ever now.
Oh, and are tyre warmers worth buying if I'm just running sports touring tyres?
Edited by clen666 on Monday 9th March 13:03
clen666 said:
Oh, and are tyre warmers worth buying if I'm just running sports touring tyres?
Might also be worth looking at pads/brake fluid too before Croft.
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