Ducati Monster Forum

As much fun as flogging a big dirt bike (690 Enduro) on street tires around a track's been - it's just not built for those sorts of shens...

So I'd been watching WERA classifieds and other for a while. I missed out on a great deal on bike put together by Dave Moss, but then something good and local to boot!

Got me a farkled up Triumph 675 (Since I just can't be normal an do a J inline4)
She's an well looked after 07 with:
• Bazzaz ZFI/TC with quick shifter and custom tuned map
• Full Remus titanium exahaust
• Yoyodyne Slipper clutch
• SAI delete
• Keyless ignition
• Rizoma brake lever guard
• T3 racing lock stop plates
• Manual cam chain tensioner
• Triumph Race Support oil cooler (replacement for stock heat exchanger)
• Penske 8987 triple clicker rear shock set for 175lb rider
• Traxxion fork valves and springs set for 175lb rider
(both shock and forks serviced and fluids changed @start of season)
• Lightweight Alien Motion battery
• Attack Rear sets (currently GP shift)
• Sato Gear shift rod stabilizer (firms up shifting)
• Yoyodyne front fairing stay
• Renthal clip ons
• CRG levers
• GB racing covers
• Vesah RJL brake pads (only 3 track days old)
• Renthal front and rear sprockets 15/47
• DID EVR 520 chain
• GPR V4 steering damper
• Captive rear brake bracket (for easier rear wheel changes)
• ¼ turn gas cap
• Tech Spec tank grips

Oh yeah  [evil]

Pics or it didn't happen.

paint it 80's neon like for real grins!

Not exactly a glama shot... but it's real

(https://scontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1375133_10151737078738843_38686763_n.jpg)


Plasti Dips Blaze yellow perhaps?
http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Plasti_Dip_Blaze (http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Plasti_Dip_Blaze)

New fairings are some place on the to-do list. The current ones are serviceable but a bit rough

Looks nice! I've learned to love triples, so I would have no issues rocking one for the track.

perfect!!!

Nice score with all the extras. [thumbsup]

Nice!  [thumbsup]

When I was shopping for a bike the 675 and 749 were on the top of my list.

Sweet!

jealous!

I'll let you look at it  ;D
You can look at the side when I pass you
You can look at the back as I disappear in the distance

Good god it's got a lot of lights...
Was twiddling the dash yesterday. Coming from a pre immobilizer monster and roided out drit bike... not used to so much blinking at me.

Nice! I've always liked the undertail exhaust of that gen daytona.

Not sure how anyone behind me's gonna like it though  [evil]  it's not subtile.

Aaaaand the modding has begun. not much to do really, but I did luck into a cheap as chips Genuine Triumph racing CF fender. Granted, it's got a bit of damage... but so's the rest of the bike.

cool   [thumbsup]

modding.. you mentioned 'currently gp shift'.. you're not gonna change it back are you?

I'm gonna give GP the old college try.

If plans work out, I might squeak in one more TD here before things in this area shut down until spring. If so, I figure to self demote to the slow group in the beginning (maybe whole day who knows) and start the shake down/learning/adjustment to fit me process at a more 'civil' speed

Good choice.

You already know about corner speed from flogging the motard around. I can tell you from experience your biggest problem will most likely be over braking into those same corners due to the speeds you'll attain on the straights.

It takes a while to get used to. ;)

Over? I was more thinking under and coming in too hot. Though it doesn't have the tip top speed, I'd stick that motard deep in before the real brakes came on - lots of passing bigger bikes that let up earlier on that bike.

That was my experience.

I had ridden the track for years on my M900 and 750 SS and when I first got the 996 it was a completely different experience because of the speed when approaching the corner.

Maybe it won't work that way for you, but you'd be the first I knew of that it didn't work that way.

It took me a while to trust the fact the bike could do what I couldn't. :P

I get 'cha - I was thinking over braking, like lifting the rear or something, more than just braking past the speed that the bike could hang the turn (with a fast rider) and coming in too gingerly.

Yeah - there will be some of the for sure! Some will be planned at first. Whole new to me bike with more power and more weight than SuMo and a rather different body position... then there's GP shifting etc etc. So I plan on taking it easy to start off and get settled in.

At least it's got a nice slipper - so a brain fart shift in the wrong direction won't be as bad as it could be.

I could have used a slipper a couple of times...never got too serious though.

Re: the GP shift...both my bikes have it and I still brain fart things occasionally.  [bang] [bang] [bang] [laugh]

You'll learn to appreciate the benefits I think.

Kinda wished the SuMo could have it. At the track I take it to most, the bulk of the turns are Lefts with a couple left -lefts that make for some extra fancy footwork for the required upshift and hope I'm not gonna dig a toe into the tarmac

Loudon is a left hand track also.

The ability to shift easily when leaned over does come in handy for just the reason you mentioned.

for whatever reason, back before i even had a track bike, as soon as i started thinking about GP shift i started shifting wrong on my regular-shift bike.  personally i think GP makes way more sense. 

..maybe it's an unconscious thing connected to watching racing: braking and downshifting = click up, go fast = economical little click down

My one catch is that of my bikes I cannot change the SuMo shift pattern. The shifter lever, like most (all?) dirt bikes is connected right to the shifter shaft - no linkage or anything that can be flipped or tiwddled.

So it's probably just a mental leap and I'm over thinking it... but GP will be new to me.

picture yourself in full tuck flying up the front straight, powering down through the gears.  then sitting up, arms locked, yanking back on the shifter.. you'll get it  =)

675 is a great track bike.  have fun   [thumbsup]

Least on the 2011 675Rs I worked on at an endurance race, it was possible to buy a shift linkage setup for the Arrow rearsets out of the Triumph parts catalogue, which converted it to having the race rear sets with the road shift pattern. Owner didn't want to 'shift' to GP pattern.

Personally I like race pattern; and, having swapped rearsets on the fiancee's RGV250, I'm trying to suss out what length shift rod to make it into race pattern. If anything needs race pattern, it is a small-capacity 2 stroke ;). 675 less so but it's still nice.

It is a good shift pattern and I don't find it too hard to remember head down, gear down; head up, gear up.

Congrats bro......  [bow_down] [bow_down] [bow_down]

Now if you'd ever come to the track and play...  ;D


This bike has Attack rearsets. From the look of them it's just a mater of flipping one or two things to convert from one style to the other. But I'm going to give GP a go

Do it. Takes about a session to make sure you're 100% right, then it just works. Sometimes you can get away with flipping the shift arm but often you also need to lengthen the shift rod to make it work, otherwise you end up with the whole thing trying to rotate and you end up with being able to change up gears, then when you go to change down gears... it flips over and you can only change up gears. Ask me how I know this  [bang]

Well GP went just fine - until a bolt backed out and the lever disconnected from the linkage. Lucky for me the bolt didn't fall out, so only a spacer was lost and a couple washers let me finish up the day. As sorted out as the bike is.. the PO didn't loc tite the rear sets... oops

A buddies pro photog buddy showed up for some of the early sessions and got a few shots.
http://leediehrphotography.smugmug.com/Summit-Point-10-28-2013/n-Kpxrg/i-djcF553 (http://leediehrphotography.smugmug.com/Summit-Point-10-28-2013/n-Kpxrg/i-djcF553)
- Can post the image directly, deal

Awesome ride!

Got some video crunched. Lesson learned - find a new sport for the camera and make sure the group sticker isn't stuck dead center in the field of view.

Credit to the PO, the bike was well set up and had some suspension notes with it. Just found a recent sheet for the track I was running, adjusted a tiny bit and let her rip.

For a new (to me) bike and the first time running this track - it felt pretty good.

And the video...
Summit Main - 10 28 2103 - Session 5 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaJQ-lSBLvs#)

Looks like so much fun. Makes me miss my 06 a lot.

Your downshifts are making me cringe. Didn't I read you have a slipper?

Also, I'm hammered so don't mind me.

Cringe?

Don't fear, there's a yoyodyne slipper in there.

I just thought things would be smoother is all.

I've never ridden a bike with a slipper clutch so I have no idea what its supposed to be like.  I generally don't use the clutch on downshifting unless I want to drop more than one gear at a time in which case I just rev match it and off I go.

Go on expound - I know there's room for improvement in my riding.

This is my first 'proper' slipper - I might have been a bit ham fisting it cuz I could. Fwiw the bike was not upset or destabilized during any down shifts.

In looking back, I probably should have held off on that down shift before the tight section until the speed came down a bit as that was usually my harshest down shift.  But the bike stayed true even in the face of what migt have been an over aggressive down shift.

Nothing wrong with aggressive downshifts...I routinely break the rear loose, even with my slipper. It's OK as long as you can control it, it isn't unexpected, and you don't overrev the motor. It's more a byproduct of being hard on the brakes, and dropping a gear or two...hardly any weight on the rear tire.

Cool video Panda...looks like a pretty fun track. Hard to tell exactly what's going on, but generally I'd say stay on the gas longer and brake harder. You'll get better as you get more seat time on the bike though. Also, focus on your apexes...you missed most of them.

Used to getting the rear free a godo bit on the Sumo-- though didn't happen at all with the 675.

Wouldn't a slipper prevent over run of the engine? - unless it's wound too tight/ locked down?

Yeah - was definitely not pushing the time on gas, brake late nearly as much as i do with the Sumo nor carrying as much speed as i could have - just not used to what this bike will do yet, so I was backing off silly early in the morning. And just early in the afternoon.

I got *some* of those apexes... some...
And I didn't agree with the placement of a number of the apex cones... but I could be wrong there.

you will find those cones make much more sense as you pick up speed...the major problem ( if I had to guess) would be the way you rode the Katoom Sumo'd on the track was more of a squared off the corner point and shoot style which probably set you up with different brake markers in comparison.

Slipper will prevent it a bit...depends what you do though. You can overwhelm a slipper.

You did hit a few!  ;) Don't feel bad. I think consistently hitting apexes is one of the hardest things to do. To me it's the most amazing thing that GP riders do...hit every apex for 25-30 laps.  [bow_down]

Oh yeah... Range esses at Shenny were as close to a series of 90 degree turns as I could manage vs sweeping