Taking the F4 to the track
#11
10-12-2009, 12:50 PM
Nice thorough report woot. Congrats on a great trackday. Where's the graph on your excitement level??? 
Just joking, its obvious from your report what a great time you had. Glad you enjoyed it.
When I take my 2000 F4 to trackdays, I always get comments on how well I run. The past few trackdays I've done w/ it, its been the oldest bike in the bunch...but not the slowest by any means! ;-) You're definitely right about it not being the bike but rider too.
On a side note, after I did the split-seat conversion on my old F4, I found that I liked it that much more on the track. Maybe its just perception but I could get off the bike easier & like the seating position much better. Either way, its still much fun to take the old bike around the track...its no slouch, even for its age.
The F4's may be oldies, but they're goodies!
Just joking, its obvious from your report what a great time you had. Glad you enjoyed it. When I take my 2000 F4 to trackdays, I always get comments on how well I run. The past few trackdays I've done w/ it, its been the oldest bike in the bunch...but not the slowest by any means! ;-) You're definitely right about it not being the bike but rider too.
On a side note, after I did the split-seat conversion on my old F4, I found that I liked it that much more on the track. Maybe its just perception but I could get off the bike easier & like the seating position much better. Either way, its still much fun to take the old bike around the track...its no slouch, even for its age.
The F4's may be oldies, but they're goodies!
Last edited by gotcbr; 10-12-2009 at 12:51 PM. Reason: sp
#13
10-12-2009, 04:06 PM
Official Welcome Crew Junkie
Excellent write-up...interesting to hear you are going to do some racing next year....are you going to use the F4 as strictly a race bike or is it going to pull double duty as a streetbike too?
Looking at the pics,those Michelins Pilot powers are shagged! What psi?I'm assuming the track surface is quite abrasive too.
ALot of people use Pilot Powers when I'm at the track (autobahn,Road America),even the Advanced guys and their tires dont look ANYTHing like that!
I think the track surface has something to do with that to be honest.....
Keep us abreast on any changes you make to the bike ie. front springs,etc. to get it ready for racing next year.
Good luck!
Looking at the pics,those Michelins Pilot powers are shagged! What psi?I'm assuming the track surface is quite abrasive too.
ALot of people use Pilot Powers when I'm at the track (autobahn,Road America),even the Advanced guys and their tires dont look ANYTHing like that!
I think the track surface has something to do with that to be honest.....
Keep us abreast on any changes you make to the bike ie. front springs,etc. to get it ready for racing next year.
Good luck!
#14
10-12-2009, 04:49 PM
I'm not sure if it will serve double duty. To do track days I can run OEM style track plastics, but to race I'll need to use the Airtech ones with the solid lower (oil containment). I will also need to remove all the hardware for the licence plate bracket, side stand etc. Basically - the more I do on the track the less it works on the street.
The full airtech set is ~$500 and requires drilling and painting. It will also replace all the tail plastics with a nice one piece unit and a foam seat.
In some ways it would be nice - but - I have to remember the only class I can really run it in is sportsman, and the only value is what I put on it as no one will pay top dollar for an old race bike. I have no intention on selling it - but - I have to keep in mind what I'd like to do. If I want to run 600 or open, I'd need a different bike. In which case I might put this one back on the street, so what's the point in going too far?
What I might do is keep my eyes open for another F4 (and decide which to make the track bike) or find a cheap commuter bike for the road. I might even scout out the junk yards for an F4 (F4i at the right price, but part swap becomes an issue).
The Pilots were good - but I've switched to Corsa SC1 front and SC2 rear. The rear lasted the full day and doesn't look half as shagged as the SC1 rear did (it went egg shaped). I'm running 30-32 psi - I've tried lower and didn't feel any better. I might even go up another psi or two.
I think the track surface is part of it - the other part is I'm not running warmers so the first few laps are probably eating them up. I know you're meant to bring them to temp with a few easier laps, but I find I can run 5-10 seconds off my normal lap times safely (brake earlier, throttle later)... so in a way I'm hurting them more, but I'm bringing them to temp faster. (The most sliding I've had was on the last few laps of a session - I slid the front end down a hill in one session - that was spooky!)
This track is pretty tight and pretty rough - type of track if you can run it well then you should be ok on other tracks. If I had the money I'd go to California mid-winter and do one of the big name schools - for the learning experience, and to see where I fit.
I was talking at the track and the consensus was the stockers are .8~ on the front - I'll probably be looking for ~1 - will do the math and find out. Supposedly the front is re-valved but that's a mystery to investigate.
On the rear I considered buying a top of the line penske, but I will try buying just a spring and see what I can do with that.
This winter will see the biggest improvement to the bike's handling - I'm back on my training regiment. I broke a few ribs early spring - and I never got back to the gym. I turned into a bag of potatoes... dropping quite a few pounds will help the bikes suspension and power/weight ratio a lot!
The full airtech set is ~$500 and requires drilling and painting. It will also replace all the tail plastics with a nice one piece unit and a foam seat.
In some ways it would be nice - but - I have to remember the only class I can really run it in is sportsman, and the only value is what I put on it as no one will pay top dollar for an old race bike. I have no intention on selling it - but - I have to keep in mind what I'd like to do. If I want to run 600 or open, I'd need a different bike. In which case I might put this one back on the street, so what's the point in going too far?
What I might do is keep my eyes open for another F4 (and decide which to make the track bike) or find a cheap commuter bike for the road. I might even scout out the junk yards for an F4 (F4i at the right price, but part swap becomes an issue).
The Pilots were good - but I've switched to Corsa SC1 front and SC2 rear. The rear lasted the full day and doesn't look half as shagged as the SC1 rear did (it went egg shaped). I'm running 30-32 psi - I've tried lower and didn't feel any better. I might even go up another psi or two.
I think the track surface is part of it - the other part is I'm not running warmers so the first few laps are probably eating them up. I know you're meant to bring them to temp with a few easier laps, but I find I can run 5-10 seconds off my normal lap times safely (brake earlier, throttle later)... so in a way I'm hurting them more, but I'm bringing them to temp faster. (The most sliding I've had was on the last few laps of a session - I slid the front end down a hill in one session - that was spooky!)
This track is pretty tight and pretty rough - type of track if you can run it well then you should be ok on other tracks. If I had the money I'd go to California mid-winter and do one of the big name schools - for the learning experience, and to see where I fit.
I was talking at the track and the consensus was the stockers are .8~ on the front - I'll probably be looking for ~1 - will do the math and find out. Supposedly the front is re-valved but that's a mystery to investigate.
On the rear I considered buying a top of the line penske, but I will try buying just a spring and see what I can do with that.
This winter will see the biggest improvement to the bike's handling - I'm back on my training regiment. I broke a few ribs early spring - and I never got back to the gym. I turned into a bag of potatoes... dropping quite a few pounds will help the bikes suspension and power/weight ratio a lot!
#16
01-14-2010, 08:06 PM
So right now the build up is in progress. I picked up some parts to redo the fork shim stacks... and will be ordering springs and new compression clickers.
I'm still looking to purchase a new rear shock - if I find a used one I'll have to valve/spring it... we'll see.
Tire warmers, new boots, gloves and knee sliders have been purchased.
Waiting seems to be taking a long time - but - at the same time I'd like a few more weeks to save money for the next batch of spending on a lap timer, licence fees, some more tires, entrance fees... and maybe even a 1-on-1 school this spring.
It's very exciting - and I can hardly wait to test the bike out... it's going to be a whole new bike.
Taking the plunge!
I'm still looking to purchase a new rear shock - if I find a used one I'll have to valve/spring it... we'll see.
Tire warmers, new boots, gloves and knee sliders have been purchased.
Waiting seems to be taking a long time - but - at the same time I'd like a few more weeks to save money for the next batch of spending on a lap timer, licence fees, some more tires, entrance fees... and maybe even a 1-on-1 school this spring.
It's very exciting - and I can hardly wait to test the bike out... it's going to be a whole new bike.
Taking the plunge!
#17
01-18-2010, 12:50 AM
Senior Member
woot- when i opened this up i thought " why do i wanna read all this guys details of his own ride?' and was gonna skim the pictures honestly... but then i got drawn in! i totally apreciate your writing down the experience and what it felt like and what you learned! im still intimidated by the track- ive never been on one- but now im really wanting to! it seems possible
thanks .
thanks .
#18
01-18-2010, 05:35 PM
You should go for it - the schools are great and will teach you a lot. Go into trying to learn and NOT trying to go fast. The biggest mistake you can make is trying to go fast -- it's an easy way to crash, and you won't learn as much as if you go and try to learn the skills required - weight transfer, clutch control, throttle control, smooth braking and smooth lines through the corner. You nail those down and you'll be near race pace.
#20
01-19-2010, 10:51 AM
...Go into trying to learn and NOT trying to go fast. The biggest mistake you can make is trying to go fast -- it's an easy way to crash, and you won't learn as much as if you go and try to learn the skills required - weight transfer, clutch control, throttle control, smooth braking and smooth lines through the corner. You nail those down and you'll be near race pace.