Qwestion For Motard Guys

[lrrs428]

Turn 1, 4th gear and shift to 3rd at the apex of T1a? Or 3rd gear T1 through exit into T2? I primarily go into T1 in 3rd and exit T2 hit and 4th but I have been experimenting with entering T1 in 4th and hitting 3rd at the apex of T1a. Thoughts?

[Chippertheripper]

I think thats what the ex cats do.

[xsiliconkid]

either works where
1. you carry a gear all the way to exit of T2 (higher gear entry into T1) or
2. you need to upshift at T1a (lower gear into T1)

I think point 1is a better option, even if the drive into 1a and T2 is a little soft. As your corner speed picks you are coming into the power.

[Awesome]

Unless you're heavy on the gas, not having as much power at the rear wheel will tend to overload wash the front. Shift points depend on your bike, your gearing, and your speed. The rule of thumb (just like beating a woman) is to choose the correct gear for the optimal drive out of the corner.

[OreoGaborio]

Well I don't ride a motard, so feel free to ignore this if you want.... but I know back when I was on the EX there was a time where I would grab only 1 downshift into T1, then another downshift as I was changing direction between 1A and 2.

This allowed me to carry more speed further into T1 and get a better entry. Then a good drive out of 2.

Now that I'm on a different bike and my riding has progressed (plus the track has changed so that T1 is tighter and T2 is more open), I don't need that extra downshift.

Moral of the story: It's a balance between corner entry and corner exit. If you absolutely need to be two gears lower coming out of T2 than you were entering T1 to get a good drive, figure out what works best for you... If dropping two gears into T1 hurts your entry, try grabbing another gear as you make the flip between 1A and 2.

Ultimately, try and strive for better cornerspeed in 2 so you don't NEED to grab that extra downshift. Now that T1 is tighter and T2 is a little more open, the cornerspeeds should be pretty similar.

[lrrs428]

Thanks Pete, That's what I was trying out was down 1 gear into T1 and down another gear for the T1a flip for some juice coming out of T2. I suppose if I can manage to keep up corner speed through T1, T1a then being in fourth gear out of T2 wouldn't feel so sluggish. Ill work on that the first weekend.

[lrrs428]

After this we must discuss T9 and Exit of T10, another area I would like to get advise on. My goal for the year is a 20 flat, currently at a 22.6 managed to drop 4 sec last year I am hoping for 2.6 this year.

[Pittenger5]

I think I only dropped 1 gear into 1, but then again, I was on a 4speed, so my info means nothing to you.

[Paul_E_D]

I would stretch to use the one downshift only. Your speed in 2 *should* be very close to your speed in 1. So unless your bogging out of 1, you shouldn't be bogging out of 2. I would make the 1a downshift only if balked or I made a mistake and knew I couldn't pull the gear.

[lrrs428]

So your saying stay in fourth all the way through?

[Pittenger5]

No, 3rd, I cant remember if I drop it to 2nd at any point, but I dont think so

[Paul_E_D]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (webOS/1.4.5; U; en-US) AppleWebKit/532.2 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/1.0 Safari/532.2 Pre/1.0)

practice that way until you can do it and get good drive. Watch your laptimes as you get better at it. If it's costing you time or positions in a race scenario, use the extra downshift.

[lrrs428]

ill try that thanks