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Guess I'll just jump into it.
Get up Saturday morning and throw my trickle charger on. AFter about 30 minutes, try to get it started and it won't turn over. I think I have a draw on the battery somewhere. Try to diagnose and find that the lead off the trickler charger had a blown fuse. Miss getting into tech and first practice session. Get a jump pack from Yknot and get it started to get into tech. Leaving tech, it wouldn't start again and went to go try to bump start it, but found that when I put it into first, bike off, it won't roll, even with the clutch pulled in. I knew I was having some clutch problems...after the classic I'm going to be tearing into it.
Get second practice session in, ended up in the 28's consistently. After practice, I bring it over to Peter Kates and get thoroughly shocked. I have never touched the front end since i bought this bike. He bounces the front and they said something I couldn't believe "How's it feel to ride a Hawk that actually has a front end on it?" He takes a little dampning out of the front, which fixed the wobble I was getting flipping between 7 and 8, and 11A and 12. Also told me to dial in another turn of pre-load in the rear with also helped me keep from bottoming out in 6. Also started out with tire warmers. Doc let me try his, and then Rick let me use a set of his for the race.
Race #8
Gridded up next to 6 in 3C. Got a decent start with a little bump. After the first lap, 6 and two of the Thunderbike guys were gone, out of my sight, and I had no one with me. My outlap was a 32, which is awful and I need to work on it. First race using warmers so its an adjustment. Good race, except for blowing T1 on the second lap. Came inside one of the thunderbike guys and just overshot the corner, 1A too but got back on line in 2. AFter that, it was an uneventful race. Like I said before, I had no one running with me but I was able to keep my laps consistent. 6 out of the 8 laps were within 1 second of eachother, my best being a 26.6. One lap I ran a low 28, but that was because I checked up on a yellow around T6. It was even starting to spit rain when we were out there and had like 3 laps with the debris/rain flag out. But, I am running DOT's so I just kept hammering and figured I would be fine.
I need to find 4 seconds somewhere on the track to keep up with 6, who ran a 22.6 this weekend and is consistent in the 23/24's. For some reason my line in T1/1A/2 sucked this weekend. Gino noticed it and gave me some input that I'll have to try at the classic.
Big thanks to P. Kates for helping with my suspension, made the front feel better, and the rear as well. Rick for letting me use his tire warmers, Bill for the jump pack, and Doc for the ride down. Scottie was nice enough to remind me Saturday evening that if I were running Conti's, I'd have already made enough money in contingency for half a set of tires this season...but I'll stick with my Pirelli's for now....I have no complaints with them and they have been great so far.
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Originally Posted by Pookie
