Racebike maintainence??

[GixerJockey]

What does everyone do between race weekends as far as maintaining your machines? I'm especially curious to hear from those of you that also use your race machine for frequent track days.

Mild to wild... watcha got?

[13]

Wirelessly posted (my phone: Mozilla/4.1 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; ) 400x240 LGE VX10000)

Change oil, tires. Inspect everything. Coolant, brakes, nuts, bolts, safety wire.This is usually done the night before the next event.

[Kurlon]

Cover with a tarp after unhooking trailer.
Uncover and hook trailer up when I'm ready to head south to NHMS.

In all seriousness, I check my oil, go over the bike visually and with my hands, poking and prodding, plus look at the one or two lil issues I noted at the track, like this time it was converting my belly pan to dzus fasteners so I don't have to take the rearsets off to remove it, and flushing my front and rear brake as the fluid had juuuust started to take on a tint. My GS is easy on the oil, I expect I can go a full season without changing it and it won't really bother it.

[Kitt]

I stepped back to oil change every other weekend... Brake fluid flush every other weekend. Full look-over of coolant, and critical bolts.

done.

[seth399]

I drain my engine oil and tranny oil and put new stuff in, Clean oil filter, check over bolts. Check coolant repeatedly. Wipe down with a rag/cleaner to keep her fresh

This week I am adding a rebuild to waterpump as long as my frickin parts get here...they are on a plane right now.

[Pittenger5]

Change oil. Clean the Noel juice off of it. Fix whatever I broke that weekend. Thats about it.

[Jim]

how about thinking how to get faster

[Pittenger5]

how about thinking how to get faster

Nah, Id rather spend the time thinking about chroming my frame.

[seth399]

[daviid]

Oil & Filter Change every other weekend
Brake Fluids after 4 race weekends
Rebuild Brake calipers after brake pad change
Suspension at beginning of season. Sometimes mid-season as well
Grease axles once a weekend
scotchbrite the rotors every other weekend

i think thats about it

[GixerJockey]

how about thinking how to get faster

How about you stay out of any thread with "racebike" in the title?

[BMFR6]

i'm going to throw it out there that it's a good thing to do the suspension mid-season. you will notice a difference.

[smf]

Grease axles once a weekend

modern bike tires rotate on the bearings, the axle is static and the wheel doesn't rotate on it. how does this help?

btw, i do almost nothing between races: when i get up to the track on a friday night i plug in the battery charger (total loss system), wipe her down, check the chain, check the front brake and give her a quick once over.

oil gets changed once, maybe twice a season, at most. brake fluid is changed when then stop grabbing in a frightening way.

occasionally i also totally f-up my geometry by screwing with suspension. i wouldn't recommend doing this though. it's doesn't help

[Kurlon]

modern bike tires rotate on the bearings, the axle is static and the wheel doesn't rotate on it. how does this help?

Makes the axle much easier to remove/install when the time does come. Case in point, I need to do the same to both of mine... I'll be using a mallet to 'assist' them out when I get around to it.

[butcher bergs]

What does everyone do between race weekends as far as maintaining your machines?

Fill fuel tank, change oil, check condition of brakes, check all other fluid levels, check chain tension, perform any repairs or improvements, check all fasteners as well as any safety wired components.

[Doc]

modern bike tires rotate on the bearings, the axle is static and the wheel doesn't rotate on it. how does this help?

btw, i do almost nothing between races: when i get up to the track on a friday night i plug in the battery charger (total loss system), wipe her down, check the chain, check the front brake and give her a quick once over.

oil gets changed once, maybe twice a season, at most. brake fluid is changed when then stop grabbing in a frightening way.

Learned it form him

[smf]

Makes the axle much easier to remove/install when the time does come. Case in point, I need to do the same to both of mine... I'll be using a mallet to 'assist' them out when I get around to it.

good point. i guess i'm a little lucky with my setup

[Degsy]

Wow, lots and lots of dirty air filters out there i guess.

[Degsy]

modern bike tires rotate on the bearings, the axle is static and the wheel doesn't rotate on it. how does this help?

The wheels rotate on the bearings. The tires don't touch the bearings

The bearings are not a friction fit on the axle. You really should lube the axle with waterproof grease, if only to keep corrosion away. One day you WILL get a stuck axle and you will remember this thread.

[butcher bergs]

Wow, lots and lots of dirty air filters out there i guess.

Off season.

[Kurlon]

Wow, lots and lots of dirty air filters out there i guess.

Asthmatic field mice breathe heavier than my GS, and I've the same filter surface area as a Superbike, with a tiny inlet... I have to blow in it just to change the AIR in the air box periodically, there isn't enough flow to draw dirt in.

[butcher bergs]

It can't be that bad, can it?

[Sheppo]

There is a lot that surprises me here.
I have never had a race bike, but a race car. Following what I did for weekly maintenance on my car my bike maint would look like this.
Each time,
clean air filter
check all bolts/nuts
chain tension, clean and lube
check tires, change as needed
battery on tender
Every other time,
Oil and filter change
Every 4 races,
Brake fluid change/check pads
mid season,
Suspension
Now obviously a crash or off track excursion would mean a whole different strategy.

[BMFR6]

Wow, lots and lots of dirty air filters out there i guess.

bikes have air filters? hmm, weird.
maybe most people go with the K&N motto, the dirtier it is, the better it works?

[Kurlon]

bikes have air filters? hmm, weird.
maybe most people go with the K&N motto, the dirtier it is, the better it works?

In many cases, a 'dirty' K&N will work better than a clean K&N. K&Ns on many bikes flow too well, creating excess turbulence in the airbox, which costs you midrange/partial throttle power. Sure, you may gain a bit on top... but at least at Loudon a solid midrange seems like a better goal vs blowing everything for a killer peak number. Now, there is a point of diminishing returns, followed by rapid losses, but perfectly clean may not be the ideal spot on that curve depending on your bike.