any new minitwinners out there?

ok, yep a 5/6mm with nyloc nut is fine but be careful with the hole drilling, take off fairing, care around the fork stanchions (dont want to scratch or chip) and you must leave enough material for strength if you drill the tabs.

Correct, no slipper clutches allowed as they were not fitted to the bike when suzuki produced it. Only changes allowed are rear suspension unit, front suspension internals, Brakes disc and pads etc check out the minitwin regs on the classes regs info at Bemsee

As for dog tags the ACU demand Name, date of birth etc but sensible racers include blood group, next of kin, emergency number etc go to a company like this:

http://www.peagrave.co.uk/tag1.html

As for costs (hang on to your seats here), on average including race fees, tyres, fuel etc minitwinners can expect to part with around £ 230 race fees, £250 for tyres, £50 - 100 fuel (distance dependent), £50 food, Damage (variable) ++accomodation if not camping etc making a total of £600 ish if you take the budget approach and dont crash every five minutes! Don't don't don't skimp on tyres as you will find the bike letting go more and your eventual bills will increase through damage. Plus you will feel really ****ed off to not finish, maybe the next race too and then start at the back yet again if you eventually get back on the grid. Going home having parted with £600 for nothing is not a nice feeling especially with 250 miles to drive! Done it.

As for race numbers, you can request a number from the club upon registration for the race weekend (get entries in early as entry numbers are restricted to 40 per class on the grid) but it is best to request a range of numbers which will then guide the club to allocate you one for the whole season. Dont stick stickers on the bike too early and have spare sets available in case of fairing damage and **** ups by the club admin - yes it can happen although most meetings have spares outlets too (A&R, Rod Harwin). Lots of companies available for these on ebay but ACU demand certain sizes - read regs which you will get when the ACU info arrives with license.

Dont forget to have a transponder too. Costs 250 with charger (look on ebay for AMB Tranx 260 transponder) or buy new elsewhere. You can hire these at circuits for about 25 per weekend.

And we havent even talked about suspension, tyre pressures or how to approach your first race!

coxxy

What about tyres coxxy? Any recommendations on that front? Been Looking at Diablo Supercorsas...

Thanks

Coxxy, have you tested different rear shock lengths ? if so what length did you settle with ?

Tyres:

There are lots to choose from but the consensus in minitwins seems to fall with Pirelli although some go for the Michelin Powers. Look at the race positions on the Bemsee minitwin results sheets to see where the tyres finish! Both attract tyre prizes but as most of the front runners are on Pirellis it is more competitive, as there are more riding them! The Pirelli Diablo Supercorsas are not cheap but the following reviews and our own use of them seem to confirm their high worth in tyre choice.

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/545/88...es-Review.aspx

http://www.superbike.co.uk/racing/bs...ws_128726.html

Unfortunately I understand that Pirelli are due to increase their prices again next year and I dont think you will get much change out of 280 squid per pair fitted- so shop around. But remember, cheap tyres, worn out tyres or underperforming tyres are economically unsound. You may crash more, bend more, and get hurt more, costing even more than a nice new set of hot sticky rubbers! As for tyre pressures (in the dry) we use 29 Front and 26 Rear cold. You will get advice from lots of others who may advise slightly more but we have found these work for us. Dont forget good quality tyre warmers. There are many available but anything less than 180 per pair is again a false economy. The best value to buy are Diamonds at around 180+ and HWW, which are our choice for next season, at 250+! Go on ebay, we bought three diamond tyre warmers second hand for about 80 last season and they all worked and gave good heat consistency across the whole tyre profile - probably worth investing in a second 'skin' to insulate over the warmers on a cold day too. We found cheaper tyre warmers leave overheated patches in certain areas and they eventually burn out anyway especially if left on, off the tyre. Diamonds can withstand this treatment. Invest in a good quality (digital) tyre gauge and footpump. Dont buy the cheap chinese footpumps they dont last.

Buying tyres from off circuit sources can get the price down but they still have to be fitted and balanced too - you also need to be sure these are NEW tyres and not older stock. Take your self bought tyres to a tyre changer at the circuit and you will be lower down his priority list if he is busy. Charges are between 5 - 10 each tyre change. A good relationship with these guys is essential. Dont forget they will pump up your new tyres on the rim - to get them on - to around 40psi! It is your job to set the pressures yourself. When handing them in take off spacers and drive hub & rear sprocket. Always check that the hub to bearing spacer is replaced and intact when offering up the hub into the cush drives. Always check the tyre is on the right way round, arrow on side wall in direction of rotation.

A new set of tyres can last a whole weekend espcially if you are a novice and not really screwing them on full throttle all the time. Turn up at testing (friday) on a decent set of used rubbers. Get to know the circuit on the Friday taking it easy and building up the pace - if you crash you will have work to do fixing it leaving you in a state to get through scrutineering friday night or saturday morning - this often dominoes into a poor weekend!. On Friday night put the wheels into the tyre bay for changing. Ask for the most suitable grades ie SC1's soft or SC2's harder depending on circuit surface - ask. Scrub them in during practice on saturday morning taking it easy in the first few laps. Do your best in qualifying but dont crash, dont miss the first race! Keep an eye on the tyres - always check your warmers are actually still on and reset the pressures again on the sunday morning prior to practice. By the end of the weekend your tyres could still be useable for the next test or trackday. You basically want new tyres on for the first race day. If you need new tyres for the test day, we fit them, then have them changed for another new set on the saturday as at the end of the weekend you have tyres for the next test day and the next trackday and so on. Used tyres can be sold off at the end of the season, crash damage just costs more and ****es you off!

These are some of the things we have learned in our first full year in minitwins at Bemsee - there is lots more so ask away, any club racer will have their own ideas that works for them. We finished 6th in our first minitwin season, made pole position several times, crashed a bit in the beginning but less at the end, but won a few trophies coming second twice at the fastest place of all: Thruxton. Next year the aim is to win outright. And stay on!

Sam Cox
#31 Bemsee minitwinner
SDC Performance
Cougar Leathers

Hey guys, I am Having a struggle finding some supplier for fairings for the SV650 K5 Model

Any ideas what the rules are regards how close to original it has to look? And then i suppose, Any suggestions? ie GSXR, Triumph etc!

And isee a few guys asking the question regards Rasing/lowering bike, If i buy my Shock From maxton can the height issue be sorted out with fitting a new shock?

many more questions to follow no doubt

you can fit any fairing you like to race in minitwins. As long as it is secure and incorporates an ACU legal catch tray underneath you will find scrutineers are not really bothered by GSXR or R6 fairings being fitted if one wishes to be a bit flash! You have to decide whether you are prepared to spend time and money ensuring the fairing does its job to seat the rider, protect the rider and ensure a good airflow where it is required ie through the rad and into the airbox.
Go to BB plastics: http://www.bbplastics.co.uk/

you will find really nicely tailored fairings here that are light and well fitted to do a great job on an SV, either injected or carby. Beware cheap and nasty - dare I say foreign - copies of the real thing that are heavy, poorly fitting and badly finished.

Bikes should have their suspension settings checked and set up for each rider in full kit. There are expected dynamic and static settings which a good suspension engineer will understand and any money spent on this area is money well spent. Go see MCT or any number of well known engineers for an initial pre season check up. With a set of recorded data you can then see how the bike feels and make small adjustments to ensure the bike is neither diving too much into the corners, is too rigid or is trying to wheelie on full throttle. Its a good idea to read up on suspension art and science throughout the winter but hey! we only have 72BHP to put on the track and providing the basics are achieved, novices will find the SV a fairly forgiving and obliging road bike turned tracky.

Just for info. my Curvy came fitted with a Triumph 675 fairing and it looks ok, i should point out that the seat unit is from a GSXR.

after only being able do one round this year i am tempted to give it ago next year again, its looks a good class

hi coxxy, i was a the rookie in your garage at the centenary meeting, i only managed to do 2 rounds due to cash, but have built up a new bike ready for a full season nxt year. cant wait to get out there. if your planning any trackdays before the season starts let me know, it would be gd to see how much you loose me by.

HI Coxxy I'm going to have a go at Minitwins next year with NG, thought about Bemsee but too much traveling from Yorkshire.Looking forwards to Brands though did it back in the 80's on a LC on the GP circuit mega.Bought a k4, got to pull all the road gear off yet and get it sorted but not going to get time till after christmas now.