So about a month ago I wrecked my F4i at Jennings in northern Florida. Got off the race line in turn 8 >>most crashes seem to occur at that turn<< ran off the edge, lost it and low-sided into the dirt.

No damage to me other than a stiff neck. No serious damage to the bike, but a lot of cosmetic stuff that will be $1100 before I'm done. Lessons learned: Be wary of pushing fast laps right after lunch. Arousal and alertness are down. When you get off the line, dial it back, reset and then push it back up. I just tried to gut it out and carry on and paid the price. A better rider than me might have saved it, but we all have our weaknesses. The tab so far:

Broken upper fairing: $275 used (it's $500 new)
Broken right side fairing: $140 used
Broken Double-Bubble windshield: $90
Turn signals: $30
Broken upper stay bracket: $60
Paint work: $400

Other lessons: I have Shogun frame sliders and it always looked to melike they weren't quite long enough. A couple of people commented on that. And they weren't. They dug into the dirt and provided very little protection. Another half inch might have made a difference.

I have toyed with replacing the stalk-type stock turn signals with aftermarket flush signals. I didn't do this because this is primarily a street bike and the stalk-type signals are more conspicous. Had I had the flush signals, the stalk wouldn't have torn off and destroyed the upper fairing mount and maybe the windshield, too. Next time, for the track, I'll remove the stock turn signals.

It goes without saying that the Alpinestars leathers and armored gloves and Shoei helmet paid for themselves.

Paul

 

Glad to hear that you're alright.

You're right about the turn signals, I let my bike down going about 50mph the other day and my flush mount on the side that slid didnt even rip off, although it had some plastic melt/scrape off it. It definately took a hard hit and the marker filament of the amber bulb inside of it blew out. The bulb is only a week old which bothered me some..[:'(]

 

The important thing is you're OK. Do you have any pictures of the crash damage?

 

Don't you take off your signals and mirror for the track? It's an easy job and would save some of the parts in case of the crash.

 

I should have snapped some pix, but didn't. To be truthful, for all the damage, it wasn't very photogenic, except for the trashed windshield. Not much left of it.

Paul

 

I didn't remove the turn signals because I didn't feel like fussing with the wiring. You need splice in plugs to make them easily removable and I was too lazy to do it. Next time I will.

Jennings, I think, is typical of many tracks. They want the mirrors off, the license place removed and all the lights and lenses taped. Removal of kickstand and safety wiring of filters, caps, brakes and other items is optional, as is turn signal removal. They also require non-glycol coolant, but for all of this stuff, you do your own teching.

I did do the all the safety wiring because I found it quick and easy. Each time I go, I safety wire a couple of more items. Can't hurt, even for street riding.

Paul

 

I feel your pain bro.
There's an article around here about using plastic weld. May save you a buck or two. Has definitely helped me.

 

Lesson here is get some cheap track bodywork! Don't let this discourage you either, always push the limits on the track

 

probably the other lesson that other people can learn from this, that if you are going to crash, this is the right place to do it [sm=exactly.gif]

 

If there are minor breaks then plastic weld will do the trick. For holes or anything major get 3M Duramix 4040.