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Title: Non-Monster Trackbikes all spruced up Post by: mostrobelle on April 12, 2009, 01:47:15 PM Enzo has been painting and wrenching half the winter getting ready for our trackday season to start. It kicks off tomorrow. I'll let him post up photos of his bike, but I think I'll post up mine.
Been messing around with little things all winter: repainting with my E, making a new gauge cluster bracket with dad, tuning up the bike with BicycleMech1 off of BARF. Spddrcr on BARF did the decals for me. (My number is 101, because #100 Neil Hodgson is my favorite racer--so I took the number right after. ;D ...and it was an aesthetic thing.) Here's a before: (http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o131/etoile_polaire/031607%20Laguna%20Seca/bike01.jpg) And this is what it looks like as of a few minutes ago: (http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o131/etoile_polaire/041209%20FZR%20Painted/2009_04120150.jpg) (http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o131/etoile_polaire/041209%20FZR%20Painted/2009_04120152.jpg) There's still some stuff that's a little rough around the edges, but it's a track bike and my skills and budget are limited. Overall I'm pleasantly surprised and extremely pleased with the results. It was a lot of superficial stuff, but it makes me feel more confident riding with a bike that looks like I actually take care of it--because I do! Now let's cross our fingers that the new paint doesn't attract asphalt. [cheeky] Title: Re: Non-Monster Trackbikes all spruced up Post by: ROBsS4R on April 12, 2009, 02:11:44 PM Very Pro Like [thumbsup] [bow_down] Title: Re: Non-Monster Trackbikes all spruced up Post by: damianS4RS on April 12, 2009, 02:29:57 PM Nicely done!
Title: Re: Non-Monster Trackbikes all spruced up Post by: sally101 on April 12, 2009, 04:09:51 PM Looks cool.. What's the logic behind rotating the tach 90 degrees?
Title: Re: Non-Monster Trackbikes all spruced up Post by: desmoquattro on April 12, 2009, 04:31:09 PM Very nice!
Title: Re: Non-Monster Trackbikes all spruced up Post by: remy on April 12, 2009, 04:56:51 PM Looks cool.. What's the logic behind rotating the tach 90 degrees? Still looking forward rather than at the center of your console when it gets near redline? I'm curious too. Title: Re: Non-Monster Trackbikes all spruced up Post by: somegirl on April 12, 2009, 05:39:56 PM Looks great! [thumbsup]
Title: Re: Non-Monster Trackbikes all spruced up Post by: mostrobelle on April 12, 2009, 05:40:34 PM The tach: It was dad's idea--12 o'clock is redline. Makes it really easy to see from your peripheral vision.
Title: Re: Non-Monster Trackbikes all spruced up Post by: Popeye the Sailor on April 12, 2009, 05:57:59 PM The tach: It was dad's idea--12 o'clock is redline. Makes it really easy to see from your peripheral vision. I just figured at redline it'd match your temp gauge :P Title: Re: Non-Monster Trackbikes all spruced up Post by: mostrobelle on April 12, 2009, 07:07:46 PM I just figured at redline it'd match your temp gauge :P I only have to check the temp gauge once a lap, even on the hottest days, and I can do that down the front straight. Redline is something that happens a little more frequently and it often happens around corners--I'd rather keep my eyes on the turn, not the tach. ;D Title: Re: Non-Monster Trackbikes all spruced up Post by: Desmostro on April 12, 2009, 08:10:46 PM I seen it wit my own eyes. It's real pretty.
Nice job guys! [thumbsup] Show the white on white 101 on the front. Super cool. You guys couldn't get far from your designer blood. ha ha nice [thumbsup] Title: Re: Non-Monster Trackbikes all spruced up Post by: tigre on April 12, 2009, 08:17:17 PM Looks nicer than mine. :)
A not-to-be-named DMF'er had the nerve to walk up and ask "are those your 'practice plastics'?". Grrrr.... [bang] Title: Re: Non-Monster Trackbikes all spruced up Post by: mostrobelle on April 12, 2009, 08:44:30 PM I seen it wit my own eyes. It's real pretty. Nice job guys! [thumbsup] Show the white on white 101 on the front. Super cool. You guys couldn't get far from your designer blood. ha ha nice [thumbsup] The white-on-white was sort of an accident--my decal guy didn't make enough black numbers for me. He did it for free, so I didn't have the heart to ask for more. I was going for a super-modern "Japanese-y" look. Looks nicer than mine. :) A not-to-be-named DMF'er had the nerve to walk up and ask "are those your 'practice plastics'?". Grrrr.... [bang] [laugh] I'm sure that's just because he's used to seeing our stuff looking soooooo scrungy in comparison to yours. We both feel a little weird to be riding track bikes that look so nice. This is certainly a first for me. I finally decided that I was tired of the tech guys always looking for a reason to keep me off the tarmac. Now that I'm pretty like the other bikes perhaps life will be a little easier. [cheeky] We'll see how it goes tomorrow! [thumbsup] Title: Re: Non-Monster Trackbikes all spruced up Post by: Spidey on April 13, 2009, 10:53:49 AM Looks good, 'belle. I really like the numbers. [thumbsup] Hope you're having fun at Sears today.
BTW, you don't need to check your tach in your peripheral vision. You have more enough time to look down. Besides, you should get to the point where you can tell where you are in teh revs just by the sound of the engine. Title: Re: Non-Monster Trackbikes all spruced up Post by: Popeye the Sailor on April 13, 2009, 11:53:01 AM Besides, you should get to the point where you can tell where you are in teh revs just by the sound of the engine. Well, on most bikes the engine sounding like it's about to grenade is a sign you're pushing it too hard. On the fizzer, it's just a sign that it's actually running. So, maybe not the best method. Crashing never looked so good-nice job, H. Title: Re: Non-Monster Trackbikes all spruced up Post by: enzo on April 14, 2009, 11:37:51 AM Looks nicer than mine. :) A not-to-be-named DMF'er had the nerve to walk up and ask "are those your 'practice plastics'?". Grrrr.... [bang] Tee hee. Mah bad. If I had as many track miles as you, I guarantee you my bike would look worse. Title: Re: Non-Monster Trackbikes all spruced up Post by: gojira on April 14, 2009, 11:49:50 AM Looking cool! [thumbsup] Title: Re: Non-Monster Trackbikes all spruced up Post by: jimboecv on April 14, 2009, 12:20:27 PM Wow!
Title: Re: Non-Monster Trackbikes all spruced up Post by: DanTheMan on April 14, 2009, 01:26:34 PM Now let's cross our fingers that the new paint doesn't attract asphalt. [cheeky] I never had good luck with that. Everytime i painted or fixed previous damage, i hit the dirt. So i just stopped. Looks good Title: Re: Non-Monster Trackbikes all spruced up Post by: ducati_tim on April 14, 2009, 04:19:49 PM That is real pretty! I dig the black icon/logo/thingy too [thumbsup]
Title: Re: Non-Monster Trackbikes all spruced up Post by: enzo on April 14, 2009, 05:32:18 PM Survived the track day with only bugs and leather touching the new paint. Phwew.
But we didn't get off that easy. During the first session, the belle's rear sproket nuts decided to back out, even though I torqued them to spec (yet another reason why I think torque specs are BS), and several folks as well as the manual said locktite was not necesary. The nut ground a deep circle into her swingarm around the axle as it backed out, so the bike was retired after one session. Bummer, but we're happy there wasn't a major failure. From now on, locktite goes on those nuts (no jokes pleeze). The belle rode my bike and moved to B-, so the day wasn't lost for her, and I got to start each session with hot tires, which was pretty cool. |