03boltintheplains
Member
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2009
- Messages
- 16
Hello everyone,
Next summer (I live in SD so this season is just about done for me) I plan on doing some track days with my xb9r. First I'm obviously going to take a school, which has a seemingly comprehensive checklist of what I need as far as gear and bike maintenance, so I've got my shopping/work cut out for me there.
"We strongly recommend that you safety wire the oil filter, oil drain plug, and oil fill cap as well as drain any Ethylene Glycol
fluid from your cooling system and replace it with a mixture of distilled water and Water Wetter or other race approved
coolant. This is a good idea whether you ride at the track or on the street. Imagine if you are out on a group ride with your
friends and someone near the front of a group begins to leak oil or anti-freeze on the road surface in front of you.
Safety Wire is Your Friend!
• Your motorcycle must be clean with no dripping or leaking fluids.
• You must remove or completely tape mirrors. We want you watching what's in front of you, not worrying about
what's behind you.
• You must completely tape over your headlight.
• You must tape over or remove your turn signals.
• Your tail light must be disconnected and completely taped or removed. We want you using your own brake
markers, not reacting to someone’s brake light.
• Make sure all nuts and bolts are tight and secure.
• Your tires must be in good condition with plenty of tread left, no flat spots, no cracks, no cord showing.
• Set tire pressure. Tire pressures used in track riding are much lower than pressures for street riding. Check with
your tire dealer to determine what pressure they recommend for your tires when used at the track.
• Chain is in good condition, lubed, and of proper tension.
• The throttle must be self-closing.
• Front brakes must be in good working order with at least 50% of life left on the pads.
• Wheel weights must be taped. Use duct tape on these.
• License Plate removed. This is a flat piece of metal with sharp edges, and that’s a bad thing at the track."
What is meant by safety wiring the oil fill cap, filter, and drain plug?
Other than buying gear, the site has a separate list of necessary gear, is there anything that I should do that isn't covered in here?
Finally, I'm concerned about the appropriateness of my tires... Right now I have Michelin Pilot Road Sport Touring tires (older single compound)and they have yet to fail me for grip -barely any chicken strips to speak of- but from autocrossing my car I know that racing does a lot more to a tire than I can/will on the street and I'm wondering if they're up to snuff for a first timer or if I should buy something sportier for next year. I know with car racing it is somewhat beneficial to learn on a less grippy tire because a real sticky tire will only hide your flaws, is the same true with racing on a bike or do you want as much grip as possible for the sake of staying upright?
If they're going to need to be replaced, do you guys have any recommendations for a tire that would be used predominantly for street use with the occasional track day? In my first two years of riding I've averaged about 4,400 mi a season.
Thanks guys!
Edit: Any tips on which suit / boots or is it not terribly vital as long as it comes with proper protection?
Next summer (I live in SD so this season is just about done for me) I plan on doing some track days with my xb9r. First I'm obviously going to take a school, which has a seemingly comprehensive checklist of what I need as far as gear and bike maintenance, so I've got my shopping/work cut out for me there.
"We strongly recommend that you safety wire the oil filter, oil drain plug, and oil fill cap as well as drain any Ethylene Glycol
fluid from your cooling system and replace it with a mixture of distilled water and Water Wetter or other race approved
coolant. This is a good idea whether you ride at the track or on the street. Imagine if you are out on a group ride with your
friends and someone near the front of a group begins to leak oil or anti-freeze on the road surface in front of you.
Safety Wire is Your Friend!
• Your motorcycle must be clean with no dripping or leaking fluids.
• You must remove or completely tape mirrors. We want you watching what's in front of you, not worrying about
what's behind you.
• You must completely tape over your headlight.
• You must tape over or remove your turn signals.
• Your tail light must be disconnected and completely taped or removed. We want you using your own brake
markers, not reacting to someone’s brake light.
• Make sure all nuts and bolts are tight and secure.
• Your tires must be in good condition with plenty of tread left, no flat spots, no cracks, no cord showing.
• Set tire pressure. Tire pressures used in track riding are much lower than pressures for street riding. Check with
your tire dealer to determine what pressure they recommend for your tires when used at the track.
• Chain is in good condition, lubed, and of proper tension.
• The throttle must be self-closing.
• Front brakes must be in good working order with at least 50% of life left on the pads.
• Wheel weights must be taped. Use duct tape on these.
• License Plate removed. This is a flat piece of metal with sharp edges, and that’s a bad thing at the track."
What is meant by safety wiring the oil fill cap, filter, and drain plug?
Other than buying gear, the site has a separate list of necessary gear, is there anything that I should do that isn't covered in here?
Finally, I'm concerned about the appropriateness of my tires... Right now I have Michelin Pilot Road Sport Touring tires (older single compound)and they have yet to fail me for grip -barely any chicken strips to speak of- but from autocrossing my car I know that racing does a lot more to a tire than I can/will on the street and I'm wondering if they're up to snuff for a first timer or if I should buy something sportier for next year. I know with car racing it is somewhat beneficial to learn on a less grippy tire because a real sticky tire will only hide your flaws, is the same true with racing on a bike or do you want as much grip as possible for the sake of staying upright?
If they're going to need to be replaced, do you guys have any recommendations for a tire that would be used predominantly for street use with the occasional track day? In my first two years of riding I've averaged about 4,400 mi a season.
Thanks guys!
Edit: Any tips on which suit / boots or is it not terribly vital as long as it comes with proper protection?
