Monkey's trackday diaries-13th June-Brands Hatch Indy

Originally Posted by Blue_SV650S

Its not a good thing!! ... I have never seen you ride, but chances are that if you modified you riding style/body position, you would be asking a lot less from the bike/tyres for the same speed. How ‘fast’ would you say you are compared to the rest of your group (and what group do you go in?).

I'm probably one of the slowest round the track in Novice group but apparantly I do ok in the corners. Not good at overtaking at all.

Secondly, is your bike a pleasure bike or a workhorse? Proper track rubber won’t take too kindly to being used daily. That’s not to say it won’t work on the road*, but you will loose out on the track ...

Purely for pleasure although I use it probably 6 times a year to visit the folks which is a 230 mile round trip to Lincolnshire up the A1 which is why I got the Z6s/

I suggest you buy a spare set of wheels and put track/race rubber on them swapping them back and forth for trackdays only. A set of wheels is quite expensive, but they will hold their value and you will have the best of both worlds Its also cheaper than finding yourself on ya bum through out using a road tyre on track!!!
* I use my track castoffs on the road to get that final bit of wear from them before admitting they are now truly dead and throwing them away! They 'work' fine (althoguh the 70 section front is a bit of a pain at slow speed).

No way can I afford to do that! Reckon what I should do is use the tyres I got and sort out my hang off method, then when they've gone get some sports rubber. Reckon the thing that influenced my choice the most was Bike magazine's tyre pullout from a few months back. Maybe I'll get Michelin tyres with the dual compound?!

If you are one of the slower riders in the novice group, then sports-touring tyres will be ample. You probably wouldn't work track compound tyres enough to get/keep the heat into them they need, certainly to get the best benefit, so better off with road tyres at this point anyway!

So sounds like concentrating on honing your 'style' to get the bike leaning less for the same corner speed is the order of the day

When you get to the point where you are holding your own in inters, then consider better rubber, but with road use considered too, it sounds like road rubber (as long as they have plenty of life in them) makes more sense at this point!

Do you back the pressures off at all for the track? And do you have any photos we can analyse??

Yeah I done the tyre pressures as recommended by the tyre man-1 psi up on sports tyres both ends. Only pics I have are of second track day where I was absolutely pants so no point. Think I might be going wrong with the amount of space I put between me and the tank. Will try and not move backwards next time. Think we're doing Mallory Park next in August. That got some nice tight bends?

Originally Posted by teriyakimonkey

...

Stick them up anyway, its always good to see action photos!! You have already said you are no god (at the mo ), so its not like we will take the piddle or anything and if you want to reduce stress on the tyres, it will allow us to give tips/pointers where you can improve for you to consider next time

Mallory has one VERY tight bend!!

Originally Posted by teriyakimonkey

That got some nice tight bends?

it's got the tightest hairpin in the country, but that's not what you need for good cornering/kneedown. Gerrards on the other hand is the longest right-hander in the country & definitely a good knee-down candidate. it's also long enough that you can enter it not-so-fast & get settled, then build up your speed - & lean - through it

I wouldn't worry too much about your tyres .. how to put this .. they're a lot better at cornering than you are get some jack-up plates or rearsets if you want, get some thicker sliders, hang off the bike, relax, look though the corner & not at your kneeslider, go faster, & stick you knee out (out - not forward) & you'll get that skkkkrrrtttchhhh soon enough

Yep, Mallory has a great selection of corners of all different types.

Another excuse to post a pic of me at Gerrards (On Pirelli Diablo Stradas, and before I had my suspension work done):

Originally Posted by weazelz

get some jack-up plates or rearsets if you want,

Oh. Oh very dear. I didn't tell you I've got the lower Buell pegs on. Might that be the reason I couldn't lose my sliders their virginity? (PLEAS SAY YES AND I'LL FIND THE ORIGINALS!!!)

Regarding the tight corners, I do like Druids cos it's uniform. Finishes the same as it starts with no messing around.

Nice one Tim. Hopefully come August time I'll be able to post a pic of me like that! Oh yeah, I've dropped the yellow novice bib thing in case they do get a good pic!

Originally Posted by teriyakimonkey

Oh. Oh very dear. I didn't tell you I've got the lower Buell pegs on. Might that be the reason I couldn't lose my sliders their virginity? (PLEAS SAY YES AND I'LL FIND THE ORIGINALS!!!)

yes. go and find the originals

Regarding the tight corners, I do like Druids cos it's uniform. Finishes the same as it starts with no messing around.

well ... there's tight, & then there's *tight* at the Mallory hairpin:



see that white line on the track? well, that's the corner

Bloody nora! The nice people down there seem to have mislayed a lump of shiny concrete on the apex too! Is that the bus stop? So the reason for my dismay is the low buell pegs in your opinion? Fitted them cos of my height. My legs literally don't fit within the tank indents without them! Definately wouldn't fit a curvy. Sat on one after I'd ordered my bike and worried. Sat on a thunder..something I think and it seemed massive! Done a lovely job with them low pegs too. Had to scour the Earth to get a gear linkage rod long enough to be comfortable. Got a brand new one for an old CBR600F for less than 4 quid in the end. Old pegs back on it is then and might have to up the dose of cod liver oil. Legs felt it after Brands. Could hardly walk for two days. Didn't realise it would be so physically demanding.