Viper897 goes racing in 2016

[theducman]

No more pink grips Doug. I upgraded to a pink sprocket!! And yes we do put on a nice spread.

Sidenote, Doug will you be coming up to visit us this year?

[Viper897]

I will be sure to visit the center garages so we can all put a name to a face.

It won't be hard to spot me, just look for the novice with the bigger trailer than is needed with a Moto GP level of support equipment (minus all those people working on my bike).

I do like the smell of bacon, and race fuel. Honestly hard to say which smells better.

Got more of the wiring harness done last night. Its actually starting to come back together. As I have said earlier I will try to get some photos of progress up on here but check out my instagram @viper897 for more up to date stuff.

Thanks again to all the support, advice, and encouragement.

[nhbubba]

I bought and experimented with a 46T rear sprocket. The nice thing about the G1 SV is that parts are stupid cheap on fleabay. I picked up a whole carrier and had it mounted to swap in/out whenever I felt like it. Ran it a bunch in practice and just never gelled with that gearing. In the end I wound up going back to a 45T. Kind of remarkable how 1T in the rear can make that much of a difference.

The next big thing for me to work on was dropping a gear into 6 and catching an upshift on the exit. I knew I needed to learn to do this, but could never get it down. I think the 46T may have been more helpful there than anywhere else. Maybe out of 2 as well, my drives from 2 always sucked.

You've switched to GP shift, right? It really does help. I resisted that switch longer than I should have.

[Viper897]

I think I have a 46 in my box somewhere. I also have 3 or 4 carriers. Hard to remember what I have when theres a lot of stuff.

I have not gone to GP shift yet. there are some things that need to happen before I switch. Part of the wait is I want it on both bikes. I need new rearsets first on the street bike.

[theducman]

I run 15/46. I like the extra grunt coming off the corner.

[nhbubba]

Going GP for the track bike only isn't the worst idea ever. I find riding the track is way different than the street. Rarely on the track was I in need of a shift in a weird place. Usually its a fixed pattern and once you get the muscle memory down, it's down. Applies to all the controls; shifter, clutch, brakes. My track SV is setup GP and everything else I own is standard. Partly because most everything else I own can't be switched.

[Royrage]

Still looking around for a garage spot - I don't need much space (just one bike and a small toolbox and spares) and don't need a parking spot. I haul my bike in with a minivan and utility trailer so i can park that mess anywhere after i roll my bike off. Economy is key - my racing budget is already hurting, as I'm planning three races every LRRS weekend and possibly additional practice days on Fridays. Also, I'm quiet most of the time and pretty easy to get along with. As most people there, I'm willing to help out with repairs and changeovers if needed.

Thanks and cheers!

[Viper897]

I might try the 46 at some point, but not round 1.

GP shift will happen, might be round 2 before it happens though.

I don't have any room in the garage I found, but Im sure there are other places with empty spots.