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northwind · 19-10-04, 04:05 PM

For future reference, here is a sign that your trackday is not going to according to plan: Everyone else is discussing fitting wets, and the only thing you can do about the dodgy weather is turn on your heated grips

Knockhill was wet today... It stayed dry for the morning session, but the track was stone cold and soaked wet, and there were so few bikes it wasn't drying up fast. But, as sole representative of SV honour, I couldn't chicken out...

And it was great! Hardly any bikes out, and i got into a not-especially-titanic fight with a GPZ900 and a Gixxer 400 (we were all exactly the same speed, but the fight was settled after about 10 laps when the Gixxer popped and the GPZ carried on at Duffus and explored new territory... And along the way made an absolute monkey out of a guy on a 636 who kept on complaining about how his Rennsports were no good in the wet, by overtaking him 5 times in 2 laps on sports touring tyres.

I'd been around maybe 40 times and the track was drying, just starting to pick up the pace (1 minute 16 I made it, 5 seconds off my best previous (dry) time)...And along the way made an absolute monkey out of a guy on a 636 who kept on complaining about how his Rennsports were no good in the wet, by overtaking him 5 times in 2 laps on sports touring tyres.

And I found myself a wet patch on a a dryish line, locked the front end, almost saved it but then went over the other way onto the right. I think this was exactly where Careless Chucka had his moment, braking into the hairpin, going down from about 80 to not very much at all, and the bike must have slid for about 30 metres before ending up in the gravel. I had a great view!

So I slid along on my back, thinking vaguely about how quiet it suddenly was and trying not to scratch my Arai (I didn't) and mulling over how surprisingly painless a crash from 60 mph can be, then legged it over, picked up the bike, and:

Let's have a big hand for the R&Gs, everybody! Ground a huge lump out of them, lost the brake lever (it stayed on till the gravel, would have been fine otherwise), not a mark on the frame, tank, bodywork or can... Ground the tip off the rear brake as well. The only downer is the right hand pillion peg, which I put on to protect the can (it did) must have caught, as it's twisted up by about 45 degrees and bent the subframe with it. There's a wee crack in the pillion peg mount but it might straighten out.

And it started again first try

Wigan finally appeared about a minute before I managed to throw it down the track, and got out for a little while in the afternoon session before the heavens opened and it all went a bit rubbish... Riding home was no fun at all. But y'know, despite the damage, I had a great day and I'd do it again.

19-10-04, 04:05 PM	#1
northwind Moderator Mega Poster Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: In the garage where I belong Posts: 17,083	Whoops! For future reference, here is a sign that your trackday is not going to according to plan: Everyone else is discussing fitting wets, and the only thing you can do about the dodgy weather is turn on your heated grips Knockhill was wet today... It stayed dry for the morning session, but the track was stone cold and soaked wet, and there were so few bikes it wasn't drying up fast. But, as sole representative of SV honour, I couldn't chicken out... And it was great! Hardly any bikes out, and i got into a not-especially-titanic fight with a GPZ900 and a Gixxer 400 (we were all exactly the same speed, but the fight was settled after about 10 laps when the Gixxer popped and the GPZ carried on at Duffus and explored new territory... And along the way made an absolute monkey out of a guy on a 636 who kept on complaining about how his Rennsports were no good in the wet, by overtaking him 5 times in 2 laps on sports touring tyres. I'd been around maybe 40 times and the track was drying, just starting to pick up the pace (1 minute 16 I made it, 5 seconds off my best previous (dry) time)...And along the way made an absolute monkey out of a guy on a 636 who kept on complaining about how his Rennsports were no good in the wet, by overtaking him 5 times in 2 laps on sports touring tyres. And I found myself a wet patch on a a dryish line, locked the front end, almost saved it but then went over the other way onto the right. I think this was exactly where Careless Chucka had his moment, braking into the hairpin, going down from about 80 to not very much at all, and the bike must have slid for about 30 metres before ending up in the gravel. I had a great view! So I slid along on my back, thinking vaguely about how quiet it suddenly was and trying not to scratch my Arai (I didn't) and mulling over how surprisingly painless a crash from 60 mph can be, then legged it over, picked up the bike, and: Let's have a big hand for the R&Gs, everybody! Ground a huge lump out of them, lost the brake lever (it stayed on till the gravel, would have been fine otherwise), not a mark on the frame, tank, bodywork or can... Ground the tip off the rear brake as well. The only downer is the right hand pillion peg, which I put on to protect the can (it did) must have caught, as it's twisted up by about 45 degrees and bent the subframe with it. There's a wee crack in the pillion peg mount but it might straighten out. And it started again first try Wigan finally appeared about a minute before I managed to throw it down the track, and got out for a little while in the afternoon session before the heavens opened and it all went a bit rubbish... Riding home was no fun at all. But y'know, despite the damage, I had a great day and I'd do it again. __________________ "We are the angry mob, we read the papers every day We like what we like, we hate what we hate But we're oh so easily swayed"