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Categories: all aviation bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater Wed, 15 Sep 2010
Thoughts on racing the Ninja 250
My race-day report earlier didn't really address some of the Ninja 250-specific stuff I was pondering. The bike acquitted itself pretty well. The suspension upgrades (.95 kg/mm springs in front, '08 stock shock in back, cranked to full preload) were definitely worthwhile, although I really need a stronger spring in back. The back end was wallowing a little bit -- not a lot, but enough that I was aware of it. The front springs are so stiff that even at full preload (a poor-man's stiffer spring), the rear shock was a bit mushy feeling. Damping was fine on both ends, or at least I wasn't aware of it. Unfortunately, I don't think the '08 shock can be resprung, so if I want to solve the problem, I'll need to find another way of doing it. The stainless steel braided front brake line was definitely worthwhile, and I'm sure most of the bikes that make it out next year will sport them by the second session. I already knew this, but it was nice to see on the track too. Between the suspension and the SS line, my bike was the most race-ready of those that went out. Tim had BT-003 tires on his (cheetah!) '09 bike, which was to his advantage when the track was dry, but left him behind me (a position he never sees, except while passing me, normally) for the first damp-track practice session. He said his tires were "like ice" on the wet track. Phil, running GT501s and stock suspension, said that my form was good enough around turn 2 that I was pulling away from him in the practice (and I was going pretty slowly, in my own estimation, not trusting my tires too far). The BT45s I had on were fine, but I noticed particularly in the entrance to turn 3 that I was chirping the rear tire every time I downshifted. It's not a big deal, as I never have to downshift while leaned over very far, but I have a feeling that the relatively hard center compound on the BT45s is contributing to that. I'd like to put stickier tires on the bike, and I've emailed Pirelli (requesting the advice of their experts, according to the web form I filled out) asking their opinion of the MT75 vs. the Sport Demon. I'd rather go with the MT75 if they're equivalent or better, as the smaller tires will be better handling, and will noticeably reduce rotating, unsprung mass. Interestingly, after my rides on Sunday, I was able to clearly see the line seperating the hard center and soft side compounds on the rear tire. I found myself holding back through turn 2 (where I feel like I'm getting pretty good, with the new pavement, and as my crash there recedes a bit into history), unsure of the grip my tires would actually have. I know I wasn't pushing them too hard, and I can go further there, but allowing myself to do it is a real challenge. I still pussy-footed through turn 3 and 4, and as always, I know I can go faster through there. I know how to do it, I know what the good line is, and I just can't get myself to actually do it. This isn't a Ninja vs. CL issue, it's just me. Having the greater power of the Ninja was very pleasing to me. I didn't even take out my airbox snorkel (something I think everyone else did), and I was doing well down the straight. If I follow through with my plans to get a Muzzy exhaust (single-sided, therefore lighter, and theoretically flows better) and yank out the airbox, I should be able to add a little bit to top-end power, at the expense of midrange. It's a compromise I'd never make on a street bike, but for a race bike, it looks pretty attractive. I'm going to get the bike down to a dyno before I make any changes, and see what happens with and without the snorkel, then take further dyno runs to figure out jetting, and see what kind of gains I actually make (I don't expect much -- I honestly just want to get the weight reduction; one ninja250.org forum poster said the stock system weighs 20 or so lbs, and the Muzzy weighs 5.5). The Ninja 250 is a much physically larger bike than the CL175. I always knew I fit on it better, but it was pretty dramatic how clear that was when I immediately leapt from the Ninja to the CL on Sunday. The CL felt weedy and insubstantial, where the Ninja had felt solid and reassuring, at least as far as my physical contact-points went. The Ninja was obviously suffering a bit from weight: where the CL175 feels stiff and solid on its suspension primarily because it weighs very little, the Ninja felt like the forks were flexing a bit. I may build myself a fork brace to try out, but I can't see spending the $100+ the commercial braces seem to command. I think I'm going to get some of that Stomp Grip stuff (nubbly grip tape that goes where your knees hit the tank, to give something to hold on to), as I think it might help increase my confidence in hanging further off the bike, and will probably help me relax my arms a little bit in some situations. It's a relatively cheap investment, and seems worth trying. I have grip tape on my street Ninja, and like the effect, although it's really just a friction tape, where the Stomp Grip is actually sizeable nubs sticking out. I've never bothered on the CL, because the tank is so skinny I can't really grab it with my knees. Overall, I was very pleased with the Ninja 250 racing experience. Sure, I came in last, but I was up against dramatically more skilled riders. I was on a bike I enjoyed much more, and it definitely seems like it's worth pursuing for next year. Posted at 00:11 permanent link category: /motorcycle Tue, 14 Sep 2010Pictures like this are why you take a ton of pictures at a fast-paced event like motorcycle racing. Most of them are crap, but this one turned out really well:
Posted at 08:54 permanent link category: /motorcycle Mon, 13 Sep 2010I have pictures brewing for this story too, they're just not ready yet. So, I've been prepping this Ninja 250 for the track, and this last weekend was the time to do it. I took Friday off, and finished bike prep by installing the new stainless steel braided front brake line. This is an absolutely necessary modification, in my mind -- I'll skip the exhaust and the pod filters and whatnot, but the two changes every Ninja 250 needs for me are suspension and brakes. I got my friend Jesse's trailer loaded up (thanks for the loan, Jesse!), and all my stuff packed into the truck in plenty of time, and had a leisurely evening, including impromptu dinner with a friend. Mmm, indian food. Saturday morning came nice and early, and I was out of bed around 5:30 (I don't honestly remember, it was so early that things like clocks didn't make a lot of sense yet). Pack food, final check, lock and unlock the door several times as I remember things. Finally, around 6:40, I rolled out. 20 minutes later, rolling down I-5 southbound toward the track, I was passing under the West Seattle bridge when I noticed what I first thought was a hockey stick, slowly and gracefully pirouetting in my lane. It was travelling about the same speed as traffic, so it had obviously been dropped by a vehicle just in front of me. Traffic wasn't heavy, but there was enough traffic around that I couldn't quickly change lanes, and there was this delighful Jersey barrier (ie, solid concrete wall) to my right. As it got closer, it resolved itself for what it really was: about 8 feet of 1-1/2 inch iron pipe. There was nothing for it, and as I overtook it, it passed under my left tires. There was a big bump, but no apparent damage, so I put it out of my mind. Going up the hill after that, I noticed a truck to my right, exactly pacing me. This kind of thing annoys me, particularly when my truck is suddenly acting underpowered, and I feel a strong urge to pull over just in case, having recently run over a very solid-looking piece of iron in the road. He eventually pulled forward, and I saw that it was my friend Mark, also on his way to the track. I offered him a weak smile and a wave, and he pulled away. About a mile later, I was looking in the rear view mirror, and noticed something black spinning away from my lane. I thought to myself, "I hope that's not from my truck, I don't want to lose anything." I'd tied everything in pretty well, though, so I wasn't worried. I looked in the mirror a few seconds later, and saw several more black things spinning off, and realized I had a problem. I pulled off the road as quickly as I could, and took a look back at the trailer, and the small cloud of burnt-rubber smoke coming from the left tire -- it was completely shredded. The wheel had a huge dent, and it had obviously deflated the tire within a second or two of hitting that pipe. After far too long sitting there dithering on what I should do, I finally detached the trailer, and locked it and the bikes to the guard rail (thankful that I'd remembered to bring along a long cable just in case), and headed south, to the Harbor Freight store. Jesse's trailer is from HF, and I figured they'd probably have a spare wheel. Of course, it was 7:30 in the morning when I got there, and they don't open until 8:30. Arg! The rider's meeting (mandatory) is at 8:30. Looked like I wouldn't be doing any racing that day. HF fortunately opened a bit early, and I was rolling northward to retrieve my (hopefully not already stolen) trailer full of motorcycles from the side of I-5 by 8:25. I couldn't see them as I passed where they should have been on my way north, and the last few minutes of my trip were quite tense. Turns out there had been some strategically placed shrubs blocking my view, and the trailer and bikes were still exactly where I'd left them. After an inordinately long digging-around period, I located all the pieces of my jack, and jacked up the trailer. Then I jacked it back down, loosened the lug nuts, and jacked it back up. The new wheel went on with no problems (fortunately I spotted in the store that I'd first grabbed the right wheel with the wrong number of lug nuts), and I was quickly on my way to the track, only about 2 hours behind schedule. Equally fortunately, I had my full tool kit with me, so the fact that I needed a 21mm socket for the trailer lug nuts didn't even phase me. I got to the track around 9:15, and even the front gate folks had heard rumors of my misfortune. She admonished me for missing the rider's meeting, and I said, "I know, my trailer tire blew up." "Oh, that was you!" By the time I was ready to start unpacking (having quickly zipped over to registration to pay my moneys), the slow practice session was getting called. I hadn't even rolled a bike off the trailer, much less had a chance to get out my leathers (not for lack of trying: my fellow racers had offered to get my bikes unloaded, but were stymied by the cable lock I'd left looped between the bikes -- thanks for the effort!). Oh well, I'd be in time for the one race of the day, a make-up race from the first session, where Claude Jinks had passed away while racing, which had cancelled the rest of those races. I ran in that race, turning in a mediocre 2:17, just like the last time I'd been out. I missed the majority of the races this season, due to a number of different complications in my life. Then it was time to lower the canopy over the bikes, and head out. I promised the theater folks that I'd be back to Seattle by 1, and still hadn't left the track at 1:10, procrastinating while hanging out with my racing friends. I don't get to see them enough. Eventually, I did make it to the theater, and we got some stuff done. Sunday morning came too early, although I was able to get up at 6:30 instead of 5:30, since I didn't really have to do any setup. At the rider's meeting, Tim, #220, rolled his Ninja 250 (an '09, the cheetah bastard!) up, and Phil Cook (#217) and I did the same. Tim and Phil gave a little speech about the Cheapskate Cup class, encouraging others to join in the fun. I have a feeling next year is going to see a few more 250s out on the track. The schedule on Sunday was a bit mental. 9:40, practice. 11:40, 250 race. 1:10, 250 race. 1:40, 160 race (back to back). 3:40, 160 race. The weather forecast was for rain, and we did get a bit of a misty rain, starting at the rider's meeting, and ending during the practice session before ours. So, the track was distinctly damp when we went out for our practice. Of course, I took the 250, as I'd never had it on the track before, and wanted a chance to sort out any bugs before the 11:40 race. It ran well, and nothing obviously needed attention, although the track was wet enough that none of us were able to go very fast. I got one of the best compliments I've ever had: Phil said my form through turn 2 was really good, and that he was unable to keep up with me. Granted, he was on a 250 with stock suspension and brand new (therefore slippery) tires. Tim (who is hella-fast) was behind me for the first few laps, and although I was worried about holding him up, he said I was fine. Apparently his race-compound BT-003 tires were "like ice" on the wet track. Score one for running BT-45 sport-touring tires on the track! He actually had the back end step out in turn 7, to such an extent that the corner worker thought he was going down (we ended up red-flagged at turn 7 after #87 crashed in turn 5 -- no injuries, but he flung a lot of gravel onto the track that needed to be cleaned up). The first race at 11:40 was a 250 race, and it turned out pretty well for me. We were riding with a couple of other classes of bikes, some of which were considerably more powerful than us. I didn't have any problems with that, and I was only lapped twice (turning a 10 lap race into an 8 lapper for me). My times were pretty good: 2:12 worst lap (the first) and 2:05 at my best. 2:12, for reference, is the fastest I've ever gone on my 175. I'm sure it's all down to higher straightaway speeds and more power exiting corners, but it was pretty cool to see that 2:05 sitting on the timing sheet. The next race, at 1:10, was a bit sketchier. I did almost exactly the same, performance-wise, but had two incidents that made me question the sanity of what I was doing. The first was in turn 6. This is in the middle of a series of closely-connected turns. Right at the apex of 6, as I'm at maximum lean, there's suddenly a motorcycle beside me. On the inside. He passes me safely, but by doing so where he did, he put himself where I needed to be at the next moment. The only choice I had was to straighten the bike, aim for the wall, and pray I could stop in time. I did, leaving a heavily-gouged trail in the dirt leading up to the embankment, but I was deeply unhappy about it. I suppose a better rider probably could have saved that better than I did, but it looked to me like trying to stay on the track would just have me crashing. The second incident in that race was coming around the bus stop (turn 10). I was entering it as I always do, when I heard the throaty rumble of one of the faster bikes getting close. I figured he'd pass me into the bus stop, which is fine. When I looked back, though, I saw a line of five of those fast guys lined up, packed close together. Remembering that I'm their problem, and not vice versa (as long as I'm in front of them), I went through as I normally would. One of them ended up jumping the curb. No damage, but that was a lot of disaster potential packed together right there. I'm just a slow vintage rider, guys, I don't do the "grr, gonna getcha!" thing. Tim was saying later in the day that they want to re-arrange how races are grouped together to avoid that kind of dramatic speed differential in the future. Apparently these guys have never had to deal with slower bikes on the track before, and they didn't handle it as gracefully as they could have. I guess everyone on a 250 in that race had a few sketchy moments too. Possibly the most heart-pounding moment of that race was actually the fact that I had to roll into my pit, park the 250, and leap on the 175 and head out again. I did it in very short order, and just made it for the whistle releasing bikes to the track entrance. My first turn into 2 on the vintage bike was pretty clench-inducing: the 175 is definitely not like the 250. It turns in a lot quicker. I nearly threw it onto the ground, and had to quickly readjust my riding reflexes. Fortunately, that was just the tire warm up lap, and I was alright for the race. My knees were definitely feeling it, though, and the smaller frame on the 175 felt a lot less comfortable than the big, more-modern 250. My quads were pretty sore by the end of the day. The last race of the day was the final vintage heat. I did fine, just doing another 2:17 best lap. I'd actually managed a 2:15 in the first race on the 175 (although I felt like I was faster than that, coming straight off the Ninja). Nothing notable to report, although it was nice to have another vintage race where I wasn't immediately lapped by a big bike. That's because they weren't there, but I'll take what I can get. The day wrapped up with packing all my stuff up, taking a few pictures, and heading out. I was home by six-something, and returned Jesse's trailer by 7:30. I think I was in bed by about 10. Much sleeping. I still don't feel caught up on sleep, but I'm better than I've been on some past weekends. In all, I had a good weekend. I wish the races had been spread out over both days more than they were, but this wasn't too unusual. The 250 racing is actually quite exciting: I feel like I fit on the bike a lot better, and I don't spend any time worrying about what's going to fall off or fail. It's a 2005. It only has 12k miles on it. Once I sorted out the cam chain tensioner and tightened down all the engine mount bolts, it was fine. I'll probably still be going over it and applying many drops of thread locker this winter, but it was solid. Of course, I'm already pondering upgrades to the Ninja. On the short list are different tires, clip-on handlebars, and a single-sided exhaust (mostly to lose weight off the bike -- it'd also be nice to have a louder exhaust note; I couldn't hear the engine very well, which made it harder to judge shifts). I'm sure Tim and others will show up next year with beautiful, blinged-out bikes that will put mine to shame, but I've gotten used to losing that contest, too. Posted at 12:53 permanent link category: /motorcycle Wed, 08 Sep 2010The track Ninja 250 is almost ready. I got the number plates on last night:
All that remains (to be legal) is the belly pan. I'd also like to get the front brake line replaced, but that's a secondary concern, and I'll only worry about it once I have the belly pan sorted out. Almost there! Of course, it looks like Saturday's weather might be acceptable, and Sunday's will probably be rainy. Not that you can trust any forecast greater than one day out around here, but things are certainly moist today, and it doesn't inspire me with confidence for the immediate future. Good thing I've got BT45s on the bike, I guess. They're supposed to be really good rain tires. Posted at 11:34 permanent link category: /motorcycle Thu, 02 Sep 2010The pre-08 Ninja 250 comes with some of the weakest suspension springs I've ever encountered. It feels like a goofy toy bike when I sit on it. I decided that, although it's "against the rules" of the Cheapskate Cup (which I'm never going to win anyway, so no one really cares), I would change out my suspension a bit. I've done it with every other Ninja 250 I've owned, and it was impossible to imagine taking this thing to the track without doing it. The first thing I did was look through the Ninja250.org FAQ section on rear suspension. This is definitely where to start. I liked the look of the 08 rear shock upgrade, so I poked around on Ebay. Within minutes, I'd won a 2008 rear shock for a grand total of $26 shipped to me. Deal. Gotta love all the racers upgrading their new shiny Ninjas. Of course, all was not beer and skittles -- I immediately got an email from the seller, saying they were going to be on vacation for the next week, a fact which was not called out in the auction anywhere. Not pleased about that. However, they did ship it promptly the next week, and despite the shock's best efforts to escape, it was still in the box. (Seriously, people, it's a heavy, linear spike. Don't just throw it in a box with some loosely crumpled newspaper. Every used shock I've bought has arrived with several holes in the box where the shock tried to escape during shipping.) But it did arrive, and in perfectly functional condition. The installation (I'd forgotten) is almost desperately simple: remove two bolts, pull the old shock, put the new one in with the two bolts, done. Takes 10-15 minutes. I set it on the heaviest preload, knowing that it was going to go head to head with a seriously stiff front end. It felt ridiculously firm with the old front springs, but it was clearly a huge improvement, even for me. I started in on the front forks, but discovered after I'd pulled them apart that I didn't have any (so I thought) 20 weight fork oil. Of course, by the time it was time to give up for the night and go to bed, I discovered that I did have some 20 weight fork oil. Ah well, the next day would work. Today being the next day, I got everything reinstalled. I am using .95 kg/mm springs from Sonic, which seems pretty hefty to me (my street bike only has .75 kg/mm springs, but this was what their calculator said I should use for racing). It all went back together pretty easily, and the first time I sat on the bike, it was clear I'd made a huge difference. Someone guessed at one point that the stock front springs in a Ninja 250 are .44 kg/mm. I more than doubled the spring rate, if that's true. It's clear I made a dramatic change. The front springs are slightly but noticeably stronger than the rear spring now. It's not bad, and shouldn't cause any real problems, but I'd like to get them closer together for next year. I'll probably look into either replacing this shock's spring (if that's possible, which is unlikely) or upgrading to a better shock. I strongly suspect that with the resurgence caused by the remodel in 08 (which takes the same specs, shock-wise), there's a wide variety of rear shocks available to choose from now. (Interesting side-note: when I went to look for rear shock information just now, it was amusing to see that most rear-shock knowledge available online is traceable directly back to an article I wrote in 2006.) Anyway, I'm definitely happy with the mods, and I'll probably be all excited about getting a better rear shock in there after I go ride it, mostly for the better spring rate. Posted at 22:54 permanent link category: /motorcycle Out of curiosity, I decided to check out a different kind of glasses frame. The glasses I've been wearing for the last few years are cool, and I like them, but they're comparatively spendy now that my insurance has basically punted on paying anything for frames (side note: VSP is an awful provider, and my preferred optometrist had to drop them after too many gross experiences, and their compensation fell too low; I don't have any other choice through my employer, though, and prefer to have insurance for emergency coverage). So, my old glasses cross the line at $150 just for the frames. I found something that's close, but, as you can see below, a bit more... cartoony: the Titmus 70F prescription safety glass frame. Aw yeah.
I'm not committed to using them, but they're $27, vs the $150 for my old frames (which are dying and need to be replaced soon). Plus, as you can plainly see, the new ones are ANSI rated as safety glasses, a bonus for working in the shop, or riding a bicycle. I can even get side-shields for them, if I want to go all-out safety nerd. I'm actually kind of disappointed they didn't come with side-shields (the copy on the website was ambiguous). I'm not convinced I like the look, but it's different, and a hell of a lot cheaper... Posted at 13:49 permanent link category: /misc Wed, 01 Sep 2010I was able to replace the rear engine mounting bolts on my new track-only Ninja 250 last night. I fired it up for its hopefully-last road ride, and was very pleased to find that the vibration that had so worried me was completely gone. Isn't it amazing what properly tightened engine mounting bolts will do? With that problem positively fixed, I brought the bike back to the garage, and started stripping it of road parts in earnest. It was surprisingly easy to take off all the street parts and reduce it to a much more visually spare motorcycle. All those missing pieces only really take off a few pounds, but hey, that's a few pounds, and less stuff to break. Hopefully the number plates will arrive soon, and I can get it all tarted up in racing drag. I've got my belly pan ready to install ($1.99 at Goodwill, but I had to visit four thrift stores before I found a 9x13 brownie pan). Fork springs and brake line are in but not yet installed. I hope to see the rear shock soon (and probably won't do any suspension work at all until I have everything here -- the bike would be horribly unbalanced with only forks updated). Frankly, it's starting to look like a race bike!
Posted at 14:46 permanent link category: /motorcycle Categories: all aviation gadgets misc motorcycle theater Written by Ian Johnston. Software is Blosxom. Questions? Please mail me at reaper at obairlann dot net. |
