25 Apr Mt Lemmon ride

We made it to the mountain again. Five people showed up at the link-up point this morning, none of whom were from any of my internet forums. All had come because I had put flyers on 60-someodd bikes all over post, and one was only there to advertise his bike for sale. He bugged out right when we got started. His loss.

So here's the breakout: Me leading on the Superhawk, followed by a guy and his daughter on his Road King. Next we have a BMW R1200RT, then a V-max, and finally Amanda on the Ducati. Motley assortment, to say the least. All we needed was a dual-sport, a scooter, and somebody on a dirtbike with lights. Ride to the mountain was uneventful, and everybody seemed to do fine at the reasonable pace I was setting. Got to the Tucson link-up point, and none of the Superhawk peeps from Phoenix made it down, which was a shame. After a slight detour for a couple of riders (the bathroom at the Circle K had been clogged by a drunk...), we were off. Immediately got stuck behind a couple of retards as soon as we hit the mountain, but when they pulled in for the "use the park, not just the road" pay-station, we scooted past.

The ride up was straightforward, with only a few mobile chicanes, most of which pulled over for everybody else to get by after I would bomb past them... Yes, I realize you're doing the speed limit on the straight bits, but when you're doing 20 in the corners, pull the hell over. Yeesh. I had the side-mount for the camera bolted up and got some decent footage on the way up. The 'hawk isn't exactly vibe-free, so I got into some weird oscillation waves at certain RPM ranges. Overall it was decent footage though.

Here we are, in the main parking lot up in Summerhaven:


The Mt Lemmon Cafe was CLOSED! They had a sign posted that there was a chili-cookoff to benefit the Fire Dept up at the ski resort, so we rolled on up the road. Everyone though discretion the better part of valor, and abstained from the chili, substituting regular hotdogs instead. We left the Harley rider and his daughter there, as they were going to stay and ride the ski lift up to the very top of the mountain. We decided to stop at the main overlook on the way back down and were off again. Since our most ground-clearance-challenged bike had left the pack, and everybody knew where we were stopping, I turned up the wick a little bit on the way back down.

This is why you need to visit Mt Lemmon if you're ever in Tucson:


The view is quite impressive, especially since there is so much flat nothing surrounding the mountain. At the scenic overlook something else rather scenic joined our little group:


For those not in the know, that's a Ducati 900 Supersport, which an older gentleman was piloting. We all commented on how nice a day it was to be out riding, generally stood around a bit, and then got geared up to leave. The Duc 900 left out a bit ahead of us, and I was having a little trouble getting my camera started. This of course meant that I had lost some ground on the Duc, and being the "lets play" type of rider that I am, I figured I'd try to reel him in. The BMW rider commented when we got to the bottom that I "opened it up in a few corners, and when he got to a straight section, I was a quarter-mile away...". I've got to hand it to him, he was riding the crap outta that big Beemer, but a couple of sport-twins just would not be denied...

This is my first attempt at YouTube, and as such, I'm working on getting the embedded player to work here on the blog. If this works, you should see a Youtube window you can click to view the video.




If that didn't work, just click here to view the full-size 640x480 .wmv file I already uploaded.

Oh, and all the way down the mountain I kept hearing my RiderCoach instructor from the ERC I took last Wednesday: "Chest down, point your elbow, chest over first and your butt will follow..." A couple of corners I felt it work right, in that in order to look 'through' the turn I only had to look 'up' instead of 'up and over my shoulder' since my chest was already pointed in the right direction. Wow.

Put to good use

Got some old carbon-fiber and titanium external fixator fiddlybits taking up space in your desk? Put them to some good use:


Here's a still shot from the result:

Onboard Video upgrade

GoPro Hero Wide footage, after editing for length in Windows Movie Maker. I haven't fiddled with the output settings on Adobe Premiere Pro enough to get it coming out right yet. Raw file is about 33megs per minute, WMV edited file is about 11 megs per minute, and Divx ends up being about 9.2, with basically no loss in quality. I'm hoping to be able to get it down in the same range with Adobe after tweaking the settings, but who knows. At least the angle and mount point were pretty easy.

170-degrees of wide-angle goodness:

Need to go to rehab...

Hi, my name is Jim, and I'm a track addict. I think the only solution is more speed. A total of 6 sessions today, over which I managed to knock some 20 seconds off my lap times. To keep this all straight in my head, I'm going to go with rundown, AAR, and then photos.

I did my first ever trackday at Arroyo Seco Motorplex in Akela, NM (20 miles east of Deming) today. We drove out last night and stayed in the Motel 6 there in Deming so we wouldn't have to try and drive 3 hours this morning and then hit the track. We were the first ones there, so early in fact that we couldn't find anyone at the track and therefore made a run across the road for extra snackies. Back over to Arroyo at 0800, and Roger was out and about. As an aside, he owns and operates the track there, and is a great help to new track riders. I will most definitely be trying to link him up with the new sportbike riders here on Fort Huachuca, as he is a great asset. Got the first pit selection, and after being quickly convinced (by the bystanders and the WIND) that the ez-up awning was a bad idea, we took it back down and got the pit settled.

I had brought my new Bridgstones for mounting, and after getting them set and the Superhawk buttoned back up, it was time for tech and rollout. The atmosphere was very relaxed, and although I was the only first-timer there, it was not at all intimidating. I spent the first couple of laps getting some heat in the new tires, and getting them completely scuffed in. The 016's are a rounder profile than the Michelins I had previously run, and though they don't turn in as quickly, I found them more comfortable and stable while leaned over. Two sessions on the 'hawk and I was beginning to sort out the lines on about 3/4 of the track.

The next session was on the CBR, and it was an entirely different animal. No guts in the low revs, but pulled like a freight train up in the powerband. Unfortunately, I had not checked the tire pressure, and they were LOW. It felt iffy under braking, and the rear wasn't working right. After I came in, Roger helped me set the sag on the bike (rear was squatted too much) and reminded me to check my tires, which I then found to be at 10 lbs. It's painfully obvious from the photos below, but on the track I just figured it was me not being used to it yet. Oops.

Did some back to back CBR and Hawk runs, and they both act very differently. The VTR is easier to ride moderately fast, but the front brakes are woefully lacking in initial bite, which means you have to grab way more brake than on the CBR. In the 'hawk's defense, the F4i is fitted with an aftermarket Brembo front master cylinder, which has significantly more braking power than the stock brakes for either bike. Lap set number 5 was cut short by some rain, which shut everything down for about an hour and a half.

Rain finally quit around 3pm, and I was ready for another go. Back on the CBR, and now I had the lap timer up and running with some help from one of the other racers (he loaned me his IR beacon so I could set it at the start-finish and get times). Bike was all set up and settled in, so after 2 laps getting heat in the tires (Pirelli Supercorsa DOT Race tires), I put my head down and tried to run some fast laps. Now I wasn't fast compared to the lap record (a 1:06.70 done by a pro on an AMA-spec literbike) I did manage to post a 1:26.03. Good enough to have one of the guys who rides there semi-regularly ask if it was really my first trackday.


Sustain:

- Bringing the trailer was the right idea. Big empty space closed off from the sun and wind, plenty of storage for spare gear.

-Bringing the toolbox, generator, air compressor, cooler, etc, was also a good idea. Cold drinks after lapping hard were really nice. The tools being there help ward off that Murphy bastard... If you don't have it, you'll need it, and all that jazz.

-Staying overnight locally is a big help. Whether it's at the Motel 6, or eventually in a toy-hauler camper, not having to drive 3 hours then ride is a big plus.


Improve:

-PCIs!!! Basic checks before rolling out! Tire pressure! Did you bring extra fuel (race-gas is expensive!). These things will bite you in the ass.

-I need to work on my conditioning. Even though by the end I had relaxed and managed a 12 lap stint, the first couple sessions had me panting like a dog in August.

-Bring spare memory cards for the camera, and keep the boss happier about shooting photos. If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. I managed to not get shot in the face today, which goes in the win column in my book, since it was my first go at this. Live and learn.

Enough babbling, here are the pictures:

Floating hawk:


Amanda gets creative with the macro lens:


Note the tires...


Dragging knee on the Superhawk:


Decent body positioning for my first trackday: (this was the corner I constantly apexed too early)


Which leads of course to more decent positioning:


The photographer for today's shoot was my lovely and talented wife Amanda. She got some really good ones, and I think I could be convinced to supply her with a wide-angle lens (as requested) before doing more action shots like these, as the tighter shots are almost too tight when she was shooting from near trackside. As always, I would like to thank her for putting up with my pathetic self, and for facilitating the continuance of my adrenaline addiction.

New(ish) Hotness

Bit the bullet and bought a track bike today. Trackday numero uno is weekend after next, and so I'll get the Superhawk out to get warmed up and in the groove, then bring out the new track-only weapon to try and go seriously fast. Entirely different animal than the 996 V-twin Superhawk though.

2001 CBR600F4i:


I'll probably end up losing the Ohlins damper, as I prefer the dual settings available on the Scotts damper on the Superhawk, and can switch back and forth when I'm doing trackdays with just two bolts. The CBR is completely set up for the track, to include a lap timer, PowerCommander, Brembo front master cylinder, Woodcraft rearsets, fiberglass bodywork, Double Bubble windscreen, tank grip pads, frame sliders, swingarm spools, EBC race brake pads, and an Ohlins remote reservoir rear shock. For the "non-bike-geek" amongst you, that means "pimped out". Should be a real runner.

Inside the cockpit:


What this also means, is that I've given up any claim on the Ducati being 'our' bike, and it's now "Amanda's Monster". Such is life. T-minus 9 days until the trackday, it's all good.

In other "new hotness" news, I finally got the lower rail to complete the Knight's Armament quad-rail (I had the 3-rail upper already) for my M-4gery. Here she is, all decked out: