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trackday bikes scary!

What i have discovered at tech inspection:

Front tire 12 psi
Rear tire 48 psi
chain so loose it almost lifted off rear sprocket
chain so tight ( most common) it twanged
brake levers that come back to the grip
throttles that needed to be twisted back to close
loose footpegs
loose brake calipers
loose nuts and bolts
O yeah pipes falling off, oil leaks, and brake levers with sharp points
 
EDR said:
I was SHOCKED at how badly some of you guys take care of your bikes! I saw more chains that were either guitar string tight, so loose they would drag, kinked, dried up, rusty, etc.. then tires...ohhh why on earth would ANYONE wanna ride on some brands i saw?? touring tires really???

Then i saw blown forks seals...duct tape holding things together, etc.. i have to say i see this at every trackday i go to and its getting out of hand. You guys NEED to take better care of you shxt! it affects the others riding at the same time as you.

Chain maintenance cost you nothing to upkeep. WASH your bike before the event..then you might see a leak ahead of time or something else.

Take some pride guys. Its really sad how bad some of your guys (all trackdays/parts of the country) take care of your bikes! No one needs BST or Ohlins but for Christs sake...upkeep them. If you have worn or not the right type of tires, BUY SOME, steal your buddies, or borrow a set of take offs.

Think about it guys...an hour or two before the events goes a LONG ways. You take time off work and spend $150+ to do the event..why risk not being able to cause you never look at your bike??
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While I agree with you for the most part, I think you let a large group off the hook. Racers. Have you walked the pits at the races to see what passes for bike prep for some guys? It is indeed scary. Race tech may be a bit more through but after tech buys are wrenching on their bikes almost all day and who knows what gets put back right or wrong.

I'm gonna sound like an old fart but I think most modern bikes are just too damn good these days. Time was, a rider had to know every parts of his bike because at some point it all rattled loose eventually and you had to know or learn how to put it back together.
 
I need cRa1g to tell the story of they guy that showed up at a K@TT with the rusty chain!
 
EDR said:
I was SHOCKED at how badly some of you guys take care of your bikes... WASH your bike before the event..then you might see a leak ahead of time or something else.
Click to expand...

HUGE +1 on that. I hate it when people want to get new tires put on their bike and they hand me a wheel that looks like they went off road with. I don't think people understand that even a little amount of dirt can effect your wheel balance. Clean that shit off and your bikes will last longer
 
yella600rr said:
Which is better than "IN" a glass house.
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Ernie is not dumb enough to throw stones inside a glass house, but he sure is ornery enough to throw them at others from his door. GTFOML!!!
 
If tech doesn't catch a "problem" then it likely is just you being overly nit picky.

Maybe you should start a "tech school" where you teach professionals how to do their jobs?
 
Lazerus said:
Helps keep 'em from spinning ;)
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So does hair spray :p . I think the guy had a bit of a meth problem and too much safety wire. He put it around both ends of the grips on both bars. It's cool though, I think every bolt on my bike has a hole through it :laughing
 
I've seen a guy in front of me at a trackday with a loose handle bar...when asked about it, the rider said he knew and we shouldnt worry about it. There was an instructor for the trackday right there to hear (and laugh) at the whole thing.

I agree that tech should be a bit harder to pass. There are a lot of trackdays right before a AFM race weekend and i do not feel like racing on a track covered in some other guys oil/parts/handlebars...ect.

Think of it this way...consider cleaning your bike as weight reduction...makes you go faster:ride
 
At a minimum mandate the following:

1: No glycol coolant (Use water water or similar)
2. Safety wired drain plug and oil cap
 
I give all my students a "Pre-Ride" check sheet that goes over some basic items they can look at each day before they ride.

We also do a "Tech Check" at the Yamaha School each day before we ride to get riders used to looking over their bike.

Ken
 

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I am guessing this also depends greatly on who organized/is running the event. The too few I have been to had tech checks for things like tire condition and leaks.

Something like tires probly also depends on what people are trying to get out of the track day are they looking to improve their "road" skills in a controlled environment or are they looking to become the next Rossi?

The chain thing is simple, people may not be ignoring it, but simply have a different opinion of what is the correct slack to tightness. Even from shops I have gotten bikes back with what I would consider too tight or too loose a chain and that is supposedly from a professional. Even if I am wrong, which happens a lot, the disparity I have seen tells me there isn't agreement.

EDR said:
I was SHOCKED at how badly some of you guys take care of your bikes! I saw more chains that were either guitar string tight, so loose they would drag, kinked, dried up, rusty, etc.. then tires...ohhh why on earth would ANYONE wanna ride on some brands i saw?? touring tires really???

Then i saw blown forks seals...duct tape holding things together, etc.. i have to say i see this at every trackday i go to and its getting out of hand. You guys NEED to take better care of you shxt! it affects the others riding at the same time as you.

Chain maintenance cost you nothing to upkeep. WASH your bike before the event..then you might see a leak ahead of time or something else.

Take some pride guys. Its really sad how bad some of your guys (all trackdays/parts of the country) take care of your bikes! No one needs BST or Ohlins but for Christs sake...upkeep them. If you have worn or not the right type of tires, BUY SOME, steal your buddies, or borrow a set of take offs.

Think about it guys...an hour or two before the events goes a LONG ways. You take time off work and spend $150+ to do the event..why risk not being able to cause you never look at your bike??
Click to expand...
 
Think of it this way...consider cleaning your bike as weight reduction...makes you go faster:ride[/QUOTE said:
I like to wax my whole bike, wax my whole suit helmet gloves, and wax my chain!! That way im nascar quick!! Soon ill be on windtunnel with dave complain despain! ..Now all that is just for a track day.. A race weekend consists of waxing my chest so i can wear my cutoffs and waxing my ass so the transition from side to side is smooth and i can drop a knee without catching a dingle berry! :rofl
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SpikeVFR said:
The chain thing is simple, people may not be ignoring it, but simply have a different opinion of what is the correct slack to tightness. Even from shops I have gotten bikes back with what I would consider too tight or too loose a chain and that is supposedly from a professional. Even if I am wrong, which happens a lot, the disparity I have seen tells me there isn't agreement.
Click to expand...

Exactly. At tech I had the guy tell me my chain was a little too tight. It had 1" 1/2 of slack, which is exactly what the owner's manual calls for. While it may have been too tight for his standards, it's been fine on the tens of thousands of miles I've done on my bikes.
 
billswim said:
While I agree with you for the most part, I think you let a large group off the hook. Racers. Have you walked the pits at the races to see what passes for bike prep for some guys? It is indeed scary. Race tech may be a bit more through but after tech buys are wrenching on their bikes almost all day and who knows what gets put back right or wrong.

I'm gonna sound like an old fart but I think most modern bikes are just too damn good these days. Time was, a rider had to know every parts of his bike because at some point it all rattled loose eventually and you had to know or learn how to put it back together.
Click to expand...

NO, i 100% agree! I mean "trackday riders" as in ALL those that ride at a trackday and yes many are RACERS!! Trust me i get some huge POS in my shop (sorry Lenny) and its shocking they ride/race/go that fast on them. I know im overly judgmental and anal on bike setup, details, cleanliness, etc..hell my shop is cleaner than almost any house ive been too let alone other shops...but cleanliness is important.
 
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