Second Track Day In The Books.

That worked. Thanks for sharing. That looks like a bunch of fun. I can't tell by the video, but how fast were you going on average around the corners?
 
About 140-155 mph on the straight, 60-85 in the corners maybe? A lap for a low level pro is about 1:35. I was lapping at 2:45, slow in comparison but not bad for the 2nd time at the track on a bike with the limitations of the Busa. The Busa actually handles pretty well on a track but it's just no match for the physics advantages real sportbikes have. Their limits are obviously much, much higher in the turns. I did frustrate a few people though. There was a guy on a Ducati 749 who chased me the entire session. He would get ahead through the turns and I would motor right by again on the straight to do it all over again on the next lap.
 
Room for improvement . Simple line changes / later on brakes earlier on throttle will help greatly . I notice many mid corner bobbling in the camera as if you are tipping in/back out . Were your tires new or used for your day out ?
 
New tires. Part of that is inexperience and part is a bit of throttle problems. I think I need the injectors balances and the throttle bodies synced. The roll on response was jerky and it made for some interesting moments especially when in a low gear in corners. My throttle control will get better with practice but some of that was setup. The movement on the video is a bit over dramatic because of the camera location too. It is amazing how much that changes the video. I had a camera on the back of the bike and the bottom too. The camera on the bottom looks like it is going 900 mph and not leaning at all. The one on the back looks like I'm going 20 mph. The one I made the YouTube from was on the left mirror mount. The original video was wide screen but when I cropped it it looks like I'm going 15% faster - just from cropping it. Funny thing is this felt super fast when I was riding! I was amazed at the difference in the angles.
 
When you have time watch these . FJR1300 40 minutes long push mountain Rd Arkansas minute 18 or 19 I decided to leave .


This one is while raining in the mountains ( Rock house Rd Eureka springs )

 
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He would get ahead through the turns and I would motor right by again on the straight to do it all over again on the next lap.
Yeah I'm sure he was pissed. I would have been too. Lol. I would like to do this one day. But first I have to conquer this standing mile thing. The I would do the track thing.
 
Well I'm not a wild risk taker frankly. I ride the street and track at way less than I can to allow for "issues". I never ride fast in the rain, not ever. Cars can't see as well and it's more difficult to read the road surface in the rain. On the track I ride at about 75% and in areas where I feel comfortable or want to improve a skill I might push it to 85-90% but I always try to make sure my skill will last the ride!
 
Im hoping to get to the track this summer for some fun , ive been on my local on my past bikes , at our track on fridays you pay $150 (i think) for the day bring what ya got,track gets shared with cars so its 1/2 hr for them then us, you need a spotter also - can be anyone on track or watching, sign a waiver and your off :laugh:

What pressures do you run and do you do a couple of laps to warm up tyres before fanging ?

Cheers
 
Arch: Glad you had a great time, TD's are ADDICTIVE.

I noticed you are using almost 4 gears, and not allowing the big dog to breathe....I can't see how high you are allowing it to rev, but keeping the revs in the top 25% of the available range gives you more control, and uses the engine to help in braking. When I first started riding, I kept shifting at about 6000 RPM...now, I shift at the rev limiter....Yes, the engine is made to run that way...I don't know how big VIR is, but I'll bet I'd run it in either 2 or three gears...
 
I started with 30/30 psi. I have a TPMS so when the tires go up 4 psi they are good to go. This takes 2 laps on a PC 89 degree day. But frankly at my skill level I don't need to wait for them to heat up. I do however push the my limits when they get to 4-6 psi up. If you are a better rider you can go lower on the pressures but for me I lose braking stability if the pressure is too low.

Sky you are exactly right! I talked to my coach at lunch and he said the exact same thing you did. After lunch I started running most of the track in third gear and keeping the revs above 7-8K. Much smoother. There are a couple turns that go to 2, one is a steep climb up hill.

So did I get a Knee down? Maybe. There was one turn that was really fast and I scuffed my puck. But the coach told me that this isn't about getting a knee down and it was about body position, lines and hand control. I got much faster really quick by focusing on this stuff.
 
Congrats on a successful second outing! Great vid! I've had a camera on one track day so far, and the video is turning out to be an excellent learning tool.
 
I started with 30/30 psi. I have a TPMS so when the tires go up 4 psi they are good to go. This takes 2 laps on a PC 89 degree day. But frankly at my skill level I don't need to wait for them to heat up. I do however push the my limits when they get to 4-6 psi up. If you are a better rider you can go lower on the pressures but for me I lose braking stability if the pressure is too low.

Sky you are exactly right! I talked to my coach at lunch and he said the exact same thing you did. After lunch I started running most of the track in third gear and keeping the revs above 7-8K. Much smoother. There are a couple turns that go to 2, one is a steep climb up hill.

So did I get a Knee down? Maybe. There was one turn that was really fast and I scuffed my puck. But the coach told me that this isn't about getting a knee down and it was about body position, lines and hand control. I got much faster really quick by focusing on this stuff.

In the tighter turns, 2nd gear would totally be appropriate, but in that long straight where you changed gears 3x...you could have done all of that in one gear, and enjoyed the acceleration.

Tire pressure: Depending on the tire (race vs. street tires), at the speed you are currently riding, 30/30 cold is perfectly acceptable. Dunlop Q3's are perfect at this pressure, and they will normally heat to about 33 also just fine. I WOULD NOT recommend lowering the cold temp. Until you are riding mid I pace, a couple pounds pressure difference will not be noticeable. What you DO NOT want to do is go out there and run them at 40...HOT 31 rear 33 front is a really good benchmark pressure for a Q3...

Lastly, touching your knee is a rite of passage :) One of these days Arch you need to bring the big girl down to Barber :)
 
Hey Wille, I thought you looked familar at the riders meeting. I should had said hello just got side tracked with other things. Glad you enjoyed yourself at the Track. I was there just Monday for North Course. Hope you can make it out Oct 5 for Grand Course it's a BLAST!!
 
Hey Wille, I thought you looked familar at the riders meeting. I should had said hello just got side tracked with other things. Glad you enjoyed yourself at the Track. I was there just Monday for North Course. Hope you can make it out Oct 5 for Grand Course it's a BLAST!!

Hey loomis! Sorry I missed you. Dont know if I'll make Oct but I'll be around. Would love to make it out to Barbar too!
 
Thanks for sharing! I agree working on your lines and keeping the RPMs up will be a big plus. Have fun and stay safe!
 
So a question for the TD junkies: How far is it safe to take the Busa on the track. I was in the novice group at VIR and there were some pretty slow people out there. I think I was not really pushing the Busa to the limit, specifically in braking as well as the shifting issues already mentioned. I was lapping in the 2:40's (a pro lap is 1:35 for a 600). I think 2:00's are within my reach with a little improvement. I just wonder how far will be too far for the Busa? While the Busa (properly prepared and setup) is a decent turning bike, it's obvious on the track that physics is not your friend.

I really don't have a speed goal. As I told my coach I brought the Busa to the track because I want to ride this bike better, mainly to be safer on the street. What I saw in this last track day is that the Busa's limits are very high and I was nowhere near pushing the bike into being unsafe. I only had the rear end slip once and that was because I was too low in the gears and poured on too much throttle while laid over.
 
Excited for ya Willie, it's addicting and soooo much fun. It will make you a better rider on the street too!
 
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