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Safety Wire & Bike Prep Tips
- Thread starter caboose56
- Start date
These replies are cracking me up lol
I'm glad you're enjoying it.
I'd be happy to demo my caveman safety wiring skills. What takes the longest for me to do the safety wire is part way through the job I forget why I'm doing it and go kill a gopher for lunch. LOL
I'm glad you're enjoying it.
I'd like to watch your demonstration. I'd probably miss one or two bolts while doing my whole bike if we started at the same time
I'd like to watch your demonstration. I'd probably miss one or two bolts while doing my whole bike if we started at the same time
Probably, but I'm not a racer
For anyone using a Bazzaz or Power Commander unit on their bike..
Instead of having to remove the tail section or seat to access the electronics, connect the USB cable to the Bazzaz or PC and run it up to the front of the bike. I can access mine and connect with a USB extension cable without removing anything, it terminates next to the air duct below the left side handlebar. Mine follows the main wiring harness up the right side of the bike, between the airbox and the frame, over the rad, between the fork and frame, then under the air duct where the headlight would have been.
Instead of having to remove the tail section or seat to access the electronics, connect the USB cable to the Bazzaz or PC and run it up to the front of the bike. I can access mine and connect with a USB extension cable without removing anything, it terminates next to the air duct below the left side handlebar. Mine follows the main wiring harness up the right side of the bike, between the airbox and the frame, over the rad, between the fork and frame, then under the air duct where the headlight would have been.
Great idea. I want to back up the PC maps my bike has since it was tuned before I got it, but I don't want to take the tail off since it's a crappy eBay tail that's a real pain to remove and install. Next time I have it off I should run a wire out. Is the end safe from rain? Sounds like it's in a fairly sheltered spot but do you have a cap for it?
I have this setup as well for my Bazzaz - It is a great idea.
Dave I have shrink wrap around mine to protect it from water
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It's fairly protected but I had been thinking about some sort of weather proof cap to put on the end of the cable.
I had to order some USB/Serial adapter cables for work and each one came with a cap on the USB end so now I have 4 caps! Soon I'll have 8 more. That's convenient.
I saw someone write somewhere that safety wire won't keep a bolt from coming loose, all it does is keep the bolt from falling off the bike. I didn't quite understand that... if safety wiring is done properly it should definitely keep the bolt from coming loose. Would any one want to see some better pictures of what I mean?
Anyhow, here's another tip. Any regular trackday rider or racer has had tech stickers of some sort put on their fender. Those stickers are often a pain in the *** to remove. Solution? Prior to the race weekend put two strips of clear packing tape over the nose of the fender, after the race weekend just peel the packing tape off.
Someone else had asked me via PM how I work with with the spring clips.
This is what I use for my front calipers. One key to using these keeping the top and bottom caliper bolts in the same position all the time. If you mix them up the clocking of the through hole will likely change then the spring clips may not fit through properly. If you want to drill 3 holes per bolt or if you want to just not use the spring clips it's not an issue. When I remove the caliper I remove the top bolt last, pull the caliper off, then put the top bolt back in the caliper bracket so I don't mix them up.
I'll be back in the garage again today, I'll see if there are any other tips/tricks worth mentioning.
I saw someone write somewhere that safety wire won't keep a bolt from coming loose, all it does is keep the bolt from falling off the bike. I didn't quite understand that... if safety wiring is done properly it should definitely keep the bolt from coming loose. Would any one want to see some better pictures of what I mean?
Anyhow, here's another tip. Any regular trackday rider or racer has had tech stickers of some sort put on their fender. Those stickers are often a pain in the *** to remove. Solution? Prior to the race weekend put two strips of clear packing tape over the nose of the fender, after the race weekend just peel the packing tape off.
Someone else had asked me via PM how I work with with the spring clips.
This is what I use for my front calipers. One key to using these keeping the top and bottom caliper bolts in the same position all the time. If you mix them up the clocking of the through hole will likely change then the spring clips may not fit through properly. If you want to drill 3 holes per bolt or if you want to just not use the spring clips it's not an issue. When I remove the caliper I remove the top bolt last, pull the caliper off, then put the top bolt back in the caliper bracket so I don't mix them up.
I'll be back in the garage again today, I'll see if there are any other tips/tricks worth mentioning.
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Any requests? Does any one have any questions about how to manage a race weekend or season?
Today's Topic: Tire Management
Since I started racing in 2009 I have seen quite a few folks join the sport after me. Some of them have made it through more than a few seasons and are still in it but a lot have come and gone. Let's face it, racing isn't cheap. However, there are things you can do help spend wisely.
How many sets of wheels do you need? Realistically, if you plan to take this sport seriously and are chasing points and championships, I would say that the ideal number is 3 full sets. One set for rains and two sets for dry tires. I believe the bare minimum is two sets, if you only have one set of wheels that's going to end up costing you a lot more in the long run. Personally I have 2 front wheels and 3 rears, with Dunlops I can get away with a single front wheel for a dry tire due to their longevity.
Ideally you want to mount up new (or newer) rubber before a race. If you're mounting up new rubber when your previous set is shagged, that might mean you do so on Saturday morning. If that's the case then come Sunday afternoon that new set already has 30+ laps on it. Not ideal. I'll try to explain how I deal with tire management... hopefully it makes sense.
Front:
The Dunlop slicks KR448 or KR106 last a long time. I don't often do front tire changes during a race weekend, in 2012 I did 9 race weekends on two front tires (KR106). I swap fronts at home between race weekends.
Rear:
Tire A is mounted up Sunday at lunch time so I have new rubber for Sunday afternoon. Between race weekends I will do a wheel change and mount up an older rear - Tire B - to start the next weekend's practice. I will also flip Tire A on the wheel depending on the next weekend's track configuration/direction. I will use Tire B for practice before qualifying (Friday and Sat AM). Tire A is re-mounted for qualifying on Saturday and practice Sunday AM. Tire B is then removed, retired, and replaced with a new rear for finals. Tire A becomes the practice tire for the following race weekend.
Race tire > Qualifying tire > Practice tire
It does take a bit of effort to keep track of which tires are which but in the long run it has enabled me to do what I do for considerably less than those I'm competitive with. I bought a No Mar tire changer back in 2010 and it has paid for itself numerous times over, if it is geographically convenient I would suggest splitting the cost of a No Mar with some other racers or trackday guys.
Today's Topic: Tire Management
Since I started racing in 2009 I have seen quite a few folks join the sport after me. Some of them have made it through more than a few seasons and are still in it but a lot have come and gone. Let's face it, racing isn't cheap. However, there are things you can do help spend wisely.
How many sets of wheels do you need? Realistically, if you plan to take this sport seriously and are chasing points and championships, I would say that the ideal number is 3 full sets. One set for rains and two sets for dry tires. I believe the bare minimum is two sets, if you only have one set of wheels that's going to end up costing you a lot more in the long run. Personally I have 2 front wheels and 3 rears, with Dunlops I can get away with a single front wheel for a dry tire due to their longevity.
Ideally you want to mount up new (or newer) rubber before a race. If you're mounting up new rubber when your previous set is shagged, that might mean you do so on Saturday morning. If that's the case then come Sunday afternoon that new set already has 30+ laps on it. Not ideal. I'll try to explain how I deal with tire management... hopefully it makes sense.
Front:
The Dunlop slicks KR448 or KR106 last a long time. I don't often do front tire changes during a race weekend, in 2012 I did 9 race weekends on two front tires (KR106). I swap fronts at home between race weekends.
Rear:
Tire A is mounted up Sunday at lunch time so I have new rubber for Sunday afternoon. Between race weekends I will do a wheel change and mount up an older rear - Tire B - to start the next weekend's practice. I will also flip Tire A on the wheel depending on the next weekend's track configuration/direction. I will use Tire B for practice before qualifying (Friday and Sat AM). Tire A is re-mounted for qualifying on Saturday and practice Sunday AM. Tire B is then removed, retired, and replaced with a new rear for finals. Tire A becomes the practice tire for the following race weekend.
Race tire > Qualifying tire > Practice tire
It does take a bit of effort to keep track of which tires are which but in the long run it has enabled me to do what I do for considerably less than those I'm competitive with. I bought a No Mar tire changer back in 2010 and it has paid for itself numerous times over, if it is geographically convenient I would suggest splitting the cost of a No Mar with some other racers or trackday guys.
How do you manage tire warmers
Example
Warmers On 1 hr before the Sat Morning practice, put them back on the wheel between sessions and turn them on etc
We have about a couple of hrs between the Open Spring and the Superbike race, do you put them on and turn them on or you let them cool off and back on an hr before the Superbike race?
Example
Warmers On 1 hr before the Sat Morning practice, put them back on the wheel between sessions and turn them on etc
We have about a couple of hrs between the Open Spring and the Superbike race, do you put them on and turn them on or you let them cool off and back on an hr before the Superbike race?
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