Moving on to new stuff...

Three new components installed here: Vortex billet clip-ons, CRG short, adjustable, billet levers, and Renthal's new kevlar superbike grips.



The new clip-ons look MUCH better than stock, but the important factors are that they are a little over 1 lb. lighter than OEM, for the pair, and that they put the bars at a slight degree downward, compared to stock. I think it is 7 degrees - at any rate, it gets me just a touch lower, but it's not noticeable as far as increased strees on the wrists.

These grips are FANTASTIC!! They are a much harder compound than the previous Renthals I used, but I've been riding for a few weeks with them, and they are no less comfortable, and I like the firmer feel. Also, they definitely seem "tougher" - I don't think these are going to wear anywhere near as fast as anything I've tried before. The one downside, is that the color you see is all they have - not the prettiest, but I'm fine with it... how they perform is far more important.

One thing about the Vortex clip-ons that's a bit of a "gotcha", is that the clamp portion that holds the actual handlebar, is not as low profile as other clip-ons, so it prevents you from mounting the OEM rectangular master cylinder, as the M/C usually sits really close to the clip-on.
To resolve this, I bought an additional clamp piece for the master cylinder flipped it around, got longer bolts, and used it as a spacer, to push the master cylinder roughly 1/2 inch further forward, thus clearing the clip-on... this would pose a problem with lever reach, but since the sweet new CRG levers are adjustable, I was able to get them set perfectly.

If you look close at the master cylinder clamps in this pic, you can see the additional clamp turned around to act as a spacer.



The CRG levers, by the way, are awesome! The shorter length makes it easier for me to two-finger brake while blipping the throttle for downshifts, and on the clutch side, the length, plus the ability to adjust the lever pull, gives me a better launch setup, as I can better two-finger the clutch, and have a better grip on the bar with my other fingers, for race launches.

The off-setting of the master cylinder is working fine for now, but it is only temporary.

 

Looks good. I have woodcrafts on my bike and run into a bit of issue with teh m/c and the plastic dash surround. when I drop the tubes in the triple. Any such issues with the Vortex that you can see?

Looks like you polished up the top clamp to match the clip ons as well lol, nice touch.

 

Looking good. Those grips aren't too bad looking. And like you said it's for function not beauty.

 

Thankfully, even with the 7 degree downward slant, with the clip-ons mounted at the very same angle as the OEM setup, the only issue from lock to lock is that the M/C does slightly touch the gauge bezel, and the brake lines and throttle cables being pulled a little tight. BUT, this is because of the additional half inch forward that I've had to move the master cylinder... that issue will be addressed soon, with a new master cylinder.
My triples are in the factory location on the fork uppers, but that shouldn't have any affect either way, as when you raise the forks in the triple, everything attached to the frame moves as one unit, so your clearances shouldn't be affected - if you're having clearnance issues, it could be that your clip-ons aren't mounted at the same angle as the OEM were, maybe?

Thanks. It's actually just a brush finish, but as soon as I procure a more powerful bench grinder (mine's only 1/2 hp ), I'll get a polishing wheel and actually give it a true polish.

 

Are you going to make it out and race this year? I am not sure where you are located, but WERA V7 is the place for you and that bike.

 

Absolutely, that's where it's been going for a while, but 2013 will be the first season where I'm finally going to be able to contest more than just 2 events, though still not as many as I'd like... I really thought next year was going to be my first season where I hit ALL the rounds in my series, but I'm still too poor!! It's frustrating.

Agreed, but unfortunately, not possible.

My location, sadly, is right smack in the middle of the country, in Kansas. Being centrally located should be a good thing, but with the sad state of affairs in motorcycle racing, when you factor in the economy's affects, it actually sucks, with CCS already having ditched the "Great Plains" region, and the "Midwest" series getting worse too. The average distance to any possible WERA round from home, is a 17 hour trip... not happening. Living in the South, Florida, Northeast, or California, would be more ideal for national series stuff.

Location-wise, CMRA is PERFECT, but it's really competitive, and those guys are super-fast... I won't be running there until I'm in A Superbikes and/or A Superstock (my F2 is really just a temporary racing fix until I can afford to build a newer machine, or I totally luck out, and get some kind of backing... yeah, RIGHT!) I don't know if they have much turn out for the "Classic" category.

MCRA is my org. It's a small club series in the midwest, and even it is hurting. Last year there were either 7 or 8 rounds at 3 venues, one about 10 hours from me (Putnam Park), one at about 7 hours away (Gateway Motorsports Park), and one just over 2 hours from me (Heartland Park Topeka) - perfect, right? Well, this year, there's only 5 rounds, none of which are at HPT . That's really sad, as HPT is not only a short distance, but it's an awesome track - the best of the three, by far... I mean, the AMA has been there for Pete's sake!! Don't get me wrong, though it is very unfortunate, the MCRA decision makers have to do this, as HPT is not helping to address safety concerns, and for MCRA to take it all on alone is not financially possible. The problems in racing are all about STUPID MONEY!!!!

And, it's the same for me... if I had money, it just wouldn't matter ... I'd be racing as much as my vacation time would allow.
It's honestly starting to wear me down, and I get outright mad sometimes, as I've been looking forward to doing this for soooooooo long, and now the options are getting less plentiful by the friggin' year!

I don't mean to "whine" about it - let's just call it "venting" - but sometimes I get really frustrated, and full of regret, since I gave this "dream" up in the early '90's, when I should have stuck it out.
Hind-sight is 20/20, and you only live once... two very sad truths!!

All this said, I HOPE to make 3, if not 4 MCRA rounds in 2013, and contest the full season in 2014, with maybe a couple of forays into V7 MW/HW in 2014 as well... if I win the lottery, I'll see you at everything!!

 

You can turn some very fast times on a F2, and it is a great bike. I know it is not a modern liter bike, but it is very capable if set up correctly. I actually went faster at VIR on my F2 than I did on my GSXR 1000 during the same weekend. Now, I was racing the F2 regularly, and they are two totally different bikes.

Just get the F2 out there and get as much seat time as you can. Plain and simple.

 

Agreed... on all counts, and I am actually not surprised at all with what you said about your running at VIR. You would think, that running the F2 against newer machines, would be like bringing a rubber knife to a gunfight, but the F2 IS a formidible weapon on the track. At my first event last season, and the first time in 21 years on that track, or any other track with the F2, for that matter, my times were putting me mid-pack to upper mid-pack in MCRA's AM GT class, which is essentially GT Unlimited rules with CCS.

That was just after my first day out on that bike, I will definitely bring those times down, with getting my personal weight right where it ought to be, the further improvements made to the bike, and of course, just doing more laps and perfecting my lines on the track.
As I mentioned before, they are not returning to HPT in 2013, barring a miracle, so I have two new tracks to learn, but I'll just do what I did with HPT: study the track map, and watch countless videos of onboard laps, which as you know, are available in droves for any track in the world, pretty much.

 

I mentioned before that using the offset mounting of the OEM master cylinder was only temporary, and that has now been addressed.
I installed a 900RR master cylinder, which resolves the issue of clearance with the Vortex clip-ons, since the reservoir is positioned up and back, on a bracket.



It resolves the issue, looks good, and weighs just a little less than the original.

 

Yes, Hit the lottery! Go to all the race weekends. Thats exactly what I would do. During the mid 90's, when I raced CCS, I could only afford 3 to 6 race weekends a year. And only if they were far enough apart to get a paycheck or 2. Now, 20 years later, making a whole lot more money, I go to as many track day weekends as my wife "lets" me. Anyway, love your bike JNS. Good luck with the racing.