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14-11-2005, 09:14pm
The following is an extract of what BirdoPrey from the Suzukihayabusa.org site wrote about how to make a pass.
I found it a great read when I was first starting and I reread it every now and then to remind me of what I am suppose to be doing as I am still very much the student!
One thing I would like to ad to all this though is that I try to do the same sequence from staging to finish line to firstly overcome nerves and secondly to try and evaluate where I can improve.
Hope this helps!!
<b>Lets make a pass....</b>
Make sure the bike is fully warmed up. Not just the coolant temp. My bike picks up 2-3 mph when warm vs the temp guage just starting to read in the middle. I found out by accident. Now, its always fully warm...
I bypass the waterbox all together to keep any water off my tires. I stand up to get my weight off the seat and start spinning the rear. I rock the bike side to side a couple of times and then start easing off the front brake as i ease back into the seat. Kind of a rolling burnout for a 5' or so. Once the tire starts to "grab" (you will feel it) I pull in the clutch and chop the throttle. I used to use the dry hop to guage my launch. I get my butt foreward to the tank and crouch down behind the shield as low as I can and still be able to see. My right hand grabs the throttle high and my right elbow is in the air(makes getting WOT easier). My left hand is on the clutch and left elbow is about level (close to where it will be once i'm moving). The reason I do this is to that my arm does'nt move as i'm trying to modulate the clutch. If my elbow was up, I would prolly drop it on the launch and it might affect my left hand or my "feel" for the clutch. It may not make any difference, but its what I do. I set my rpm's at 3k-4K and hold it steady. My legs are back and almost straight with just my toes touching the ground. My weight is on the bike, not my toes. I ease the clutch out til the bike just starts to wanna move, then I ease it back in just enough to keep it from moving (the clutch is not loaded). This will quicken your reaction times and from what I've found, makes your initial launch a little more aggressive. I quickly let out on the clutch just enough to make the bike jump forward while adding enough throttle to keep the bikes rpm from dropping. I don't mean move quickly, I mean JUMP. I try to bring the front off the ground in about 5' or so. You don't want it snaping off the ground, you want the bike to jump FOREWARD. Now I go up to the line and just barely turn the first light on. Once its on, I pull my shield down (not completely shut, so I can still breath!), get in my launch position, and then set my launch rpm. Once its steady, I ease the clutch out to barely move the bike foreward enough to turn the second light on. I ease the clutch back in enough to keep me still. When the lights come down I let the clutch out quickly and the bike jumps. From there I hang on to the clutch and feed throttle. From watching videos of my, it looks like I'm going WOT, but I'm not. I am getting there quickly though.
If the front is on the ground, your not aggressive enough. I kept trying til I could lift it and then I started to try to control the front (still working on that one!!!). Don't try to let the clutch out too fast or you'll wheelie or bogg. If you bogg, apply more throttle quicker. If the front comes up, don't "pull" the clutch in. Just try to hold it where it is. The front will start to come back down. As it does start adding throttle, don't let out the clutch faster. If you have to let off the throttle because of a wheelie, the pass is blown. Try again.
Eventually you will be able to feel the front as it lifts and you will be able to ease it back down nice and smooth with out hurting your times. I've noticed that most people bogg right when the clutch is let completely out, at the "end of the clutch" so to speak. Think "smooth". When I do it right I don't even realize when the clutch is out til I notice my hand is not even on the clutch lever (its an inch or so off of it.) anymore.
I still think I'm letting the clutch out! Once the clutch is out, I pinn the throttle (if there is any left!). ON my good passes (with the bike strapped and lowered), I don't have the clutch out til way past the 60'. I usually have my feet up at or around the 60' and i'm in full tuck. Once I hit second gear, I slide my butt back to the hump and try my best to "become one" with the bike and I start chanting to the wind, " I'm not here, I'm not here...". Well, I don't really, but you get the idea...
I weigh 178-180 suited. I've tried to shift from 10K on the tach to an indicated 11K(redline). I've not noticed much of a difference. I usually shift at redline.
Keep working with what you have. I've seen too many get frustrated and change something. That leads to more frustration. Everytime i change something, I have to re-learn how to launch.
I hope some of this babbling helps. I'm sure the REAL racers can explain it much better than i and they ride better than i do. I'm still work'n at it.
Birdoprey
9.995 @ 142(1.771 60')Totally stk.
9.482 @ 144.89(1.523 60')Strapped, lowered, 16/40, BMC, Stk cans removed. Stk arm, and everything else
9.251 @ 152.69(1.547 60'). A&J dry shot. All else same as above
Now TURBOCHARGED
<i>Edited by: aBUSa at: 15/11/05 12:07 am
</i>
I found it a great read when I was first starting and I reread it every now and then to remind me of what I am suppose to be doing as I am still very much the student!
One thing I would like to ad to all this though is that I try to do the same sequence from staging to finish line to firstly overcome nerves and secondly to try and evaluate where I can improve.
Hope this helps!!
<b>Lets make a pass....</b>
Make sure the bike is fully warmed up. Not just the coolant temp. My bike picks up 2-3 mph when warm vs the temp guage just starting to read in the middle. I found out by accident. Now, its always fully warm...
I bypass the waterbox all together to keep any water off my tires. I stand up to get my weight off the seat and start spinning the rear. I rock the bike side to side a couple of times and then start easing off the front brake as i ease back into the seat. Kind of a rolling burnout for a 5' or so. Once the tire starts to "grab" (you will feel it) I pull in the clutch and chop the throttle. I used to use the dry hop to guage my launch. I get my butt foreward to the tank and crouch down behind the shield as low as I can and still be able to see. My right hand grabs the throttle high and my right elbow is in the air(makes getting WOT easier). My left hand is on the clutch and left elbow is about level (close to where it will be once i'm moving). The reason I do this is to that my arm does'nt move as i'm trying to modulate the clutch. If my elbow was up, I would prolly drop it on the launch and it might affect my left hand or my "feel" for the clutch. It may not make any difference, but its what I do. I set my rpm's at 3k-4K and hold it steady. My legs are back and almost straight with just my toes touching the ground. My weight is on the bike, not my toes. I ease the clutch out til the bike just starts to wanna move, then I ease it back in just enough to keep it from moving (the clutch is not loaded). This will quicken your reaction times and from what I've found, makes your initial launch a little more aggressive. I quickly let out on the clutch just enough to make the bike jump forward while adding enough throttle to keep the bikes rpm from dropping. I don't mean move quickly, I mean JUMP. I try to bring the front off the ground in about 5' or so. You don't want it snaping off the ground, you want the bike to jump FOREWARD. Now I go up to the line and just barely turn the first light on. Once its on, I pull my shield down (not completely shut, so I can still breath!), get in my launch position, and then set my launch rpm. Once its steady, I ease the clutch out to barely move the bike foreward enough to turn the second light on. I ease the clutch back in enough to keep me still. When the lights come down I let the clutch out quickly and the bike jumps. From there I hang on to the clutch and feed throttle. From watching videos of my, it looks like I'm going WOT, but I'm not. I am getting there quickly though.
If the front is on the ground, your not aggressive enough. I kept trying til I could lift it and then I started to try to control the front (still working on that one!!!). Don't try to let the clutch out too fast or you'll wheelie or bogg. If you bogg, apply more throttle quicker. If the front comes up, don't "pull" the clutch in. Just try to hold it where it is. The front will start to come back down. As it does start adding throttle, don't let out the clutch faster. If you have to let off the throttle because of a wheelie, the pass is blown. Try again.
Eventually you will be able to feel the front as it lifts and you will be able to ease it back down nice and smooth with out hurting your times. I've noticed that most people bogg right when the clutch is let completely out, at the "end of the clutch" so to speak. Think "smooth". When I do it right I don't even realize when the clutch is out til I notice my hand is not even on the clutch lever (its an inch or so off of it.) anymore.
I still think I'm letting the clutch out! Once the clutch is out, I pinn the throttle (if there is any left!). ON my good passes (with the bike strapped and lowered), I don't have the clutch out til way past the 60'. I usually have my feet up at or around the 60' and i'm in full tuck. Once I hit second gear, I slide my butt back to the hump and try my best to "become one" with the bike and I start chanting to the wind, " I'm not here, I'm not here...". Well, I don't really, but you get the idea...
I weigh 178-180 suited. I've tried to shift from 10K on the tach to an indicated 11K(redline). I've not noticed much of a difference. I usually shift at redline.
Keep working with what you have. I've seen too many get frustrated and change something. That leads to more frustration. Everytime i change something, I have to re-learn how to launch.
I hope some of this babbling helps. I'm sure the REAL racers can explain it much better than i and they ride better than i do. I'm still work'n at it.
Birdoprey
9.995 @ 142(1.771 60')Totally stk.
9.482 @ 144.89(1.523 60')Strapped, lowered, 16/40, BMC, Stk cans removed. Stk arm, and everything else
9.251 @ 152.69(1.547 60'). A&J dry shot. All else same as above
Now TURBOCHARGED
<i>Edited by: aBUSa at: 15/11/05 12:07 am
</i>