Track day on standard NX4

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coxylaad
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Re: Track day on standard NX4

Post by coxylaad » Thu May 30, 2019 10:34 pm

looking forward to hearing the regular write ups!

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Racer-unk
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Re: Track day on standard NX4

Post by Racer-unk » Mon Jul 01, 2019 9:46 am

Went out on Saturday for the unofficial free practice day before this coming weekend races.
First session, went out on a green track, only 5 riders on the track, of which one a new member and a Youngster whom transferred from a 150 to his new 400 Kawasaki.
Tried gearing down one gear instead of two for the first turn after the straight. That works well if you turn in well, but it's going to cost me much more for knee sliders, as the extra entry speed, means the knee is down for a long long time....daunting at first.

Tried hard to attack the left hander and not running wide. Slow on the straight as the bike was bogging down.
Really enjoy the session, and had to pass the new slow guys...safely. (However I watched the guys for a few laps as i was leaving midday to go play bowls ..... :roll: ... the youngster had already picked up so much pace on that 400 by the third session, that come race day I'd be surprised to finish ahead of him).
Got complemented by the fastest rider (youngster) in our regular racing group and he said that i was really hauling it out there.
Second session was all about hanging about looking for somebody to chase.....fast in the corners and bogging anywhere and everywhere there was a bit of a straight. still had a bit of fun though.

Well I though what Brain commented about the bogging, and that it was not jetting.... and decided it must be fuel filter. Checked at home... and it was quite blocked by a bit of flash-rust from the body-shop work and my spray job. anyway, I hope that being sorted, I wont have the damn bogging on full throttle and should post a few good laps.....Saturday will tell.... just got to loosen up these stiff legs. The faster you get, the fitter you need to be.

Entries not looking so good for this race...money tight these days and some politics also keeping some guys away until there is a shake-up in the committee or some people lose the chips on their shoulders....

all's well that ends well.... [-o<

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Racer-unk
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Re: Track day on standard NX4

Post by Racer-unk » Wed Jul 10, 2019 2:10 pm

Missed race day due to high blood pressure and not feeling all that great. Hopefully I can do the free track day on the 21st.

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Re: Track day on standard NX4

Post by cobbadiggabuddyblooo » Thu Jul 11, 2019 2:22 pm

Your forgiven mate. But don’t make a habit of it... :lol: :lol:
laughter is the best medicine

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Racer-unk
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Re: Track day on standard NX4

Post by Racer-unk » Sun Oct 13, 2019 7:34 pm

last race was July..last practice was August.

Yesterday armed with my 6 new inlet valves and a clutch that does not slip, I probably had my best ever race day. Beat my previous fastest by half a second or more.
Surprisingly, despite my complete lack of racing fitness or any fitness for that matter, I was consistent for most of the day. Maybe rider of the day....find out Wednesday night.

Well things have changed...the faster I get the faster most others are getting.
Reason....all the SVs are gone and now all those riders are on ER6 bikes.
Bar the 3 that are serious race bikes, the others are no slouches either.
They not really faster than me, but turn better than I do. Some work to be done on my side.

What please me most is that the damn 750 Suzukis no longer just pull away from me on the fast bits, but they have to work hard to get past me...for now that is.

Whats next......service rear shock...this week. Measure fork length and see if i can steal a 5mm drop in the front.
Failing that, I am still on 176 dogbones (170 was too short) Somewhere I read 172 is max. I might try this but only after I ride and set up the rear shock after the service.
Determine exhaust length...maybe shorten or lengthen by up to a cm. (no cutting just moving the can about) I will elaborate once I determine exactly if it works.

Still have not been on the dyno. I need bigger mains (bike runs better at 85-90% throttle than full, even at high revs.

The rest should just wait for next year.
All's well that ends well......

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Tarwetijger
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Re: Track day on standard NX4

Post by Tarwetijger » Sun Oct 13, 2019 7:58 pm

Racer-unk wrote: Well things have changed...the faster I get the faster most others are getting.
Reason....all the SVs are gone and now all those riders are on ER6 bikes.
Really, why?
From motospecs.co.za
SV 650S - 2004 - 645cc - 73 hp @ 8800 rpm, 64Nm, 171/189 kg
ER-6F - 2009 - 649cc - 72 bhp @ 8500 rpm, 66Nm, 178/200 kg

That is hardly an upgrade, right? :?:

Either way, nice these guys race that kind of bikes. I merely see modern 600/1000 bikes.
Failing that, I am still on 176 dogbones (170 was too short) Somewhere I read 172 is max
Where did you read that? Why is that the max?
I just noticed by coincidence that my ohlins rear shock is 1 cm shorter than stock. Not good. So i'm considering shorter dogbones.
The rest should just wait for next year.
All's well that ends well......
You should also get yourself a nice cam, so we can join your adventures. :D

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Racer-unk
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Re: Track day on standard NX4

Post by Racer-unk » Mon Oct 14, 2019 2:11 pm

Just forgot when last I actually Raced....I missed the July race as well......
Reason why ER6 bikes are quicker here, is that they turn so damn quickly on a tight track
Most of the ER6 bikes are brought in from Cape Town where they have a healthy class for them and they are quite well sorted by the time they ship to my track.

My bike is a self discovery cash strapped slow development project in the making....hence I am still struggling with these guys.

PS: we have/had some quick SVs here, but the fast ER6s piss on them. Our fastest one has a chassis and motor built by one of the dudes that builds them for IOM.
It is ridiculously fast for a 650.
This past race day the nearest a SV got to the track was still on the trailer. Rest are in retirement or for sale.

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Re: Track day on standard NX4

Post by coxylaad » Sun Oct 27, 2019 11:59 am

do you think its a weight difference thing?

the trx engine is a heavy old lump. 15kg heavier than an MT09 engine I believe. Id imagine the er6 and sv lumps are pretty lightweight

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Racer-unk
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Re: Track day on standard NX4

Post by Racer-unk » Wed Nov 13, 2019 10:00 am

Talking to my mates that have raced both....the ER is faster, but some still prefer the handling of the SV. They have all switched to ERs, even though they still have the SVs as spare race bikes. But it's horses for courses I presume.

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Racer-unk
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Re: Track day on standard NX4

Post by Racer-unk » Wed Nov 13, 2019 10:58 am

went out on track Saturday with my refreshed rear shock and new brake discs to bed in.
Took it easy because it took three laps to trust the brakes.
However I had to come in due to rear shock setting....was on full fast rebound....was a tad scary to ride.
Adjusted and went out again. did two sessions with rebound fixed but compression on minimum....was totally rideable, but a bit wallowy at times...nothing that scared me.
For last session I gave it a fair bit on Comp and things went very stable.....however now too rigid and I need to soften up just a tad...not good for the tyres if too rigid....
Was fun to feel the differences...keeps one informed and able to make a decision.

Lastly,....so this new youngster rocks up for practice......teenager....national rider on 400 Kawa, first time on the track.
First two sessions I catch , pass and stay ahead of him.....Third I pass , get repassed and dont pass him again.
Last session he is in a different league and tells me how to fix the section of the track I struggle with....... :oops:

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dandywarhol
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Re: Track day on standard NX4

Post by dandywarhol » Fri Nov 15, 2019 6:10 pm

coxylaad wrote:do you think its a weight difference thing?

the trx engine is a heavy old lump. 15kg heavier than an MT09 engine I believe. Id imagine the er6 and sv lumps are pretty lightweight
You'll have heard how much Ryan Farquar and Co tunes these Ers? :shock: 122.46 lap at the TT from Dunlop this year! :shock:

Sounds to me you could do with a suspension specialist to help you racer-unk
1996 TRX 850, blue, Ohlins 46HRCLS, Race Tech Gold Valves, 0.90 springs, Venom pipes, R6 brakes............
1974 Yamaha RD250A, Candy Blue
1998 Yamaha SZR660, blue of course
1967 Yamaha TD1C 250, Blue and white

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Re: Track day on standard NX4

Post by Gollum » Sun Nov 24, 2019 10:43 pm

trixynut wrote:I had an MZ1000 which is the faired version, not the SF which is the street fighter.

It was a fine bike, loved its exclusivity/rarity. Good build quality, powerful enough and comfy, but to be honest It was pretty porky.

Having also owned an Aprilia Falco SL1000 too, this was a far superior bike if you want a 1000cc v twin sports-tourer. Plus parts are easier to get, servicing is easier and they are a lot cheaper.
Sorry to hijack the thread, but I took Trixie to Cadwell late October for her first foray on a closed circuit and knew immediately that I needed more. 70ish BHP versus even just 100-120 BHP see's you passing onto the straight but passed back before you're even halfway down, to bikes (riders) 15-20 secs a lap down on your times. GREAT chassis (with minimal mods to brakes and suspension), which could handle a 1000cc engine easily, but a bit lacking in STOMP with the 850 motor. no problem on the road. I drive an old K11 micra and, like the TRX, it's something that gives you a rewarding journey, without pushing the legally posted limits TOO hard ;)
I love my TRX.. it's my second one (a momentarily 'blind' driver killed my first one, and almost had me). So, she'll always be my road ride (or one of them at least), but I'm looking at something for the track between £2K and £3K... and the Falco was ticking lots of boxes. I've also been considering the VTR1000 (not SP) as a bigger bore Vee, and also ZX-7R/GSXR SRAD as inline four alternatives... I'd value any informed opinions - as a spirited road rider, TRX lover, and overdue (but not incompetent) track day junkie.


ps. how do I post pics from my hard drive?!

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dicky
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Re: Track day on standard NX4

Post by dicky » Mon Nov 25, 2019 7:31 am

Posting pics directly to the forum is currently broken (among other things).
If you use a picture hosting site then that can probably be linked to your post.

The Falco is grouse. I bought one new in 2000 and it still makes me grin like and idiot when I crank it up out of corners.
You do need to change the rear shock to the Mille unit (at a minimum) as the original Sachs is a complete piece of shit.
Changing the ECU chip to a Gabro Racing one will transform the bike in much the same way as fitting an Ignitech to the TRX.

Also, Epic lurking mate!
dicky
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coxylaad
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Re: Track day on standard NX4

Post by coxylaad » Mon Nov 25, 2019 2:09 pm

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I took Trixie to Cadwell late October for her first foray on a closed circuit and knew immediately that I needed more. 70ish BHP versus even just 100-120 BHP see's you passing onto the straight but passed back before you're even halfway down, to bikes (riders) 15-20 secs a lap down on your times. GREAT chassis (with minimal mods to brakes and suspension), which could handle a 1000cc engine easily, but a bit lacking in STOMP with the 850 motor.
that is the age old adage - not enough power but the chassis is great. As soon as you find more power to put through the chassis it transforms into spaghetti :lol:

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Re: Track day on standard NX4

Post by trixynut » Tue Nov 26, 2019 1:48 pm

Gollum,

I did plenty of track days on my TRX all across the UK and loved them all and how the bike performed.

It put out about 90bhp with FCRs and a pipe, and had some minor suspension tuning so nothing too wild.

There was always some guy on a GSZXCBRRRR1000 who whizzed past on the straight, but thats not the point. I was there to have a good day, get the most out the bike and go as quick as I could to the max of my ability, not to race.

If you want to always be "winning" like Trump, spend £10k on a superbike and hope your skill level matches it.

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