Hey guys and gals,

I just went to the darkside for my drag bike and bought a GSXR SRAD 600 which has been stage 3 tuned apparently (i'm yet to look at the motor but for £300 I wasn't that bothered!) Now on my island they do what we call the sprint which is a 1/4 mile drag 3-4 times a year.

I've read that to avoid it lifting off the line i'm required to strap the front down and extend the swing arm. Now extending the swing arm, from what i've read looks easy enough, however i'm not sure about the front end and strapping it down, can anyone shed some light on this?

Ta

Tris

 

A front strap(about $25) looks like a tie-down strap but instead of hooks on each end you have a small plate with a mounting hole. You place the strap over the top of the frame or triple tree and run the ends down and mount them to the upper caliper mount bolt. Now you are able to pull the front end down to lower the front of the bike. The strap will not allow the forks to extend so it helps to prevent wheelies when launching a bike. Its a cheap way to improve drag racing times.

 

Aaah now it makes sense, thanks bud. I'll get shopping

 

My son races mx and over the years he has used "hole shot" devices. Exactly the same principle. (Try a race start on a race mapped on a 450 ktm!!....it blows my cbr900rrs into the weeds initially ! ) It locks the front end down probably at least 2-3 inches from its usuall position. I always believed he was using these when he had had poor starts and didnt think they were the nescisarily (?) the way foward (for him anyway). The fast getaway proceedure is a case of getting everything right at the perfect second. I could tell by watching him seconds before the start whether he was going to make it a good start. Hole shot device on or not. It was more of a confidence thing for him as far as I was concerned. Best of luck mate and enjoy.

 

I just googled the Holeshot devices, it says they release the forks after your launch. I've not dragged as yet but isn't it better if they stay compressed so the front won't shoot up when you give it the guns in the next gear?

 

For drag racing you want the bike to stay as low as possible during the entire run. Lowering the bike reduces drag which improves your time.

 

Your right, I was just giving my experience on different ways of getting off the line fast. Mx holeshot devices release once the front wheel encounters something the forks are required to deal with. You would not want to do an entire moto with your front suspension locked. Sure theres plenty of fun coming your way dragging mate.

 

Thanks guys, I'll strap it to make sure it stays there, not rode it as yet but according to the PO it's got a considerable amount of kick