Track Bike Update 2018

I treat my track bike the way any other MotoGP or MotoAmerica team would - constant updates through the season. We do it mostly for the same reasons - spending money and making it faster (except the second one doesn't apply to me). As the season winds down (it's October 2018 now), it's appropriate to give an update review. If you are ultra bored, you can take a look at the 2017 Track Bike Update Part 1 and Part 2. If you just refuse to sleep, you can go way back in time and have a look at the 2016 Track Season Review.

In January 2018, I decided to do a fork service. That took lots of parts and tools I didn't have. That gave me lots of opportunity for money spending. I had to get a fork spring compressor, but I couldn't bring myself to spring (get it??) the nearly $200 for one. So I made one. Also had to get a damping rod tool and some fork seal knockers. Both the latter came from Motion Pro (not my favorite tool maker). I also got some new OEM fork seals.

Here is one of the fork legs in my home made fork compressor. It's just like the Race Tech device and is held in the last USA made Yost Vise ever produced. I got it cheap on Amazon for a great deal. I love it. Note the red plastic jaws. I got those from Amazon also for $6.50. I also bought some aluminum inserts from Yost that have really weak magnets and barely hold on. You can see some miscellaneous tools to the left. My first knee sliders adorn the wall - I kept them for souveniers of my first knee touch down.

In February, I did a brake overhaul. The brakes are pretty good. But my buddy was showing off his Brembo RCS front brake master. It was like squeezing a brick - it gave about the same amount. The R6 comes with a Brembo front master and monobloc calipers. But I wanted it like a brick and figured I could harden them up. So I replaced all the seals, and bled the fluid again. It worked pretty good. More like really hard rubber than brick, but still pretty impressive. Here are all the hydraulic pieces and the new (right) and old (left) seals.

The naked bike with the forks and the brakes serviced. Looks cool like this but hard to get all the little tire clag out of the guts of the frame and my teeth. Note the bike still has the stock slip on with the EXUP in operation.

Not anymore. In March or so, I got an Akrapovic slip on to go on the MJS cheap header. It slipped right on and weighs about two pounds (the stock slip on tips the scales at about nine - notice how I used cool motojournalist lingo?). You can also see the Woodcraft rear brake master return spring and repositioned resevoir due to the Vortex rear sets. Those were 2017 additions.

I think it was April that I got this No-Mar tire changer - the Classic Model. I also bought the trailer hitch mount cause I didn't want a four foot high, permanent monument where the cars (or bikes) are supposed to go.

April (or May) also saw a gear change indicator. There it is right above the RPMometer. It is indispensible for telling me not to shift down one more time and accidently catch neutral resulting in no engine braking (and then rolling wide since I am a baby and afraid to catch another gear for fear of low siding). This is one I bought on Amazon for $40 and looks pretty much identical to the GIPro. It certainly is a cheap knock off. But for something that won't survive an upside down slide, I figured I'd be OK until it breaks. So far its worked fantastic (except when I accidently put it into some learning mode where it blinks U SUK repetitively until reset). I'm more worried about the AIM Solo (which still has the "like new" display film on it even after a couple years of use). The GoPro isn't normally mounted.

This is the DynoJet Quick Shift sensor. It's mounted at the top of the rods that replace the stock rod. I left the replacement rod longer than DynoJet suggested since I want the toe lever higher (which takes a longer rod). Plus the DynoJet guy (Chris) told me that the shift shaft lever and the toe lever need to be as parallel as possible. I started with the sensor plugged directly into the Bauce Racing flashed ECU (pin 21). But after trying it a few times, I decided I wanted some flexibility in the kill times. So I added the DynoJet quick shift expansion module (see below) and subtracted some bank account dollars.

After a track day in September, I noticed some odd coloration on the bottom right side of the scoot - sort of like corrosion. But it wiped right off. Turns out it was dried coolant. I tightened some hoses, went out again for a couple test laps and had same result. No serious leaks, but I did spot a drop or two. Not wanting to risk a catestrophic event for my competition (or me), I hung it up for the day. Reading a bit about R6 water leaks, I learned the water pump internal seals can degrade, allowing leaks into the crankcase (and oil as well) through a seep hole behind the seal. I bought some new seals and gaskets for the old water pump. But, to keep my track bike theme consistent, I bought a new factory water pump as I heard that the leak situation is pretty finicky. And I don't like spending trackside cheddar to look at my broken bike.

While dorking around with the clutch cable to get it out of the water pump's way, I noticed the handlebar end wasn't in such good shape. It was nice to spot this prior to another set of hours and dollars being spent at the track looking at a broken bike. A few more track dollars commited and a new OEM cable was on its way.

The new water pump and clutch cable all fitted and GBRacing covers reinstalled. Of course this was about four days after discovery of the clutch cable problem. But, in enough time to make the next track weekend.

So early October and the bike is at the track. But now, I get the word that my rear slick is shagged (another motoscoot term) and I won't pass tech for day two. So given there were only a couple of events left in the year, I sprung for another rear slick (Pirelli Superbike 180/60x17 SC2). With my buddy's help, I had the old wheel off and the new tire mounted on a spare wheel I carry (see trailer pic below) in about 10 minutes - record time for me.

Upon my return from that day, I decided I needed some adjustability in the Quick Shift kill times. So off with the clothes while I installed the new DynoJet Quick Shift expansion module. Apparently, it works on the other four injectors, the ones the base Power Commander V doesn't affect. So, with the PCV handling the cut commands and kill times and the Expansion Module handling the top four injectors, I'm all set. And, I got to dig the track pit deeper.

This is what the Quick Shift Expansion Module looks like after installation. It's the middle red and black box, right next to the AutoTune box. The main Power Commander V is in the foreground. This is all after the battery and fuel tank mount were reinstalled along with the tank. Neither of those messy white wires were part of the Quick Shift install. One is a wire coming from the speed sensor way up forward under the tank. The other is for 12V power which goes to one of those things (maybe the AutoTune box - it gets power from the red vampire tap connector in the middle). You can see the green and blue wires in the front of the PCV which come from the QEM via a sano heat shrink (white) tube over some extra black mesh wire cover to the other white heat shrink on the right side of the QEM.

This is pretty much what the bike looks like now, though this is an earlier picture. It does show the Zero Gravity Corsa wind screen. That screen is higher than stock or a double bubble. It makes a nice wind free area where an old dude like me can get into a tuck and enjoy the scenery at a liesurely pace.

This is the little scoot inside the track trailer. Note the extra set of wheels (gold ones were the stock wheels). The trailer set up has really helped (both in prep/pack time and in spending track dollars). The layout works great for stowing the Pit Bull stands to the left and the foldable tire rack which can unfold and put tires up out of the way (at least out of the way of my hips and legs - my head and shoulders disagree). I fabbed up mounts for the tire rack which I connect to the E-Track and remove if I really want to. Also, see the fuel and air tanks up front in the otherwise useless V-Nose. Then there is the tent canopy stowed standing up right next to the side door (towards the front of trailer to the right). The bike gets secured using the Pit Bull trailer restraint, another time saver and money sink. All that stuff is super easy to put away and lash down.

At the track in early October - after most of those updates (I did the DynoJet quick shift module after this). This was NCBike like I have never seen it before. I heard a couple hundred riders. The paddock roads were packed. I found this place down near the administrative building (good for late night bathroom visits). It was much denser up where people want to be. I set up next to a fire hydrant and then used the required emergency space for the tent. Had some nice across-the-street neighbors. But then again, its a track day - all neighbors are nice.

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