Trackday review
 

So just did Palm Beach International Raceway, Feb 20, 2011. Had a great time, met some other F4i owners. Thirdgenlxi (200k + on his F4i) was out there although didn't have a chance to meet him.

Figured I'd give some highlights.

First the track. Super smooth and flowing. Way less technical than Homestead which made it great for gaining confidence in the corners. Still has one pretty bitchin' straight where you're almost/pretty much redlining a 600 as you brake. The event coordinators, control riders and everything are TOP NOTCH. If you're in South Florida....hell if you're in Florida period, you have to get to one of these events. There's a reason they keep selling out.

Now the parts.

Ohlins steering damper was amazing. Set it to 8 clicks from minimum. Sure it was nice to alleviate the minor headshake from hard accel/pulling back into the seat too early, but for me, most notably, was mid corner stability. It was like set it and forget it.

Swapped to an R1 throttle (with a bit of dremeling/sanding) which is a 1/5 and didn't have to regrip the throttle to get it wide open. The difference was hardly noticeable so I didn't really have to adjust to it or anything. Def. worth doing and cost $10.

Ran a Conti Race Attack soft @ 28 PSI front and a Michelin Pilot Road 2 @ 29 PSI rear. Started around 31/33 and worked my way down.

Everything else is pretty much stock.

Here's a couple pics I'll put more up tomorrow.
http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/8...4667511428.jpg
http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/9444/21438273.png
http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/5562/22678800.png

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49...6/DSC_0100.jpghttp://img822.imageshack.us/img822/5467/35806337.png

Moved to Track Techniques temporarily while I figure out if it belongs better here or Sights & Sounds (depends on your update).

Aww man no one's ever gonna see it here. I was hoping the guy with the other f4i and thirdgenlxi would chime in with their pics/vids as well. We're Novices this doesn't belong in a how-to. =(

sadface on the move

I moved it here because trackdays aren't F4i specific. There are people like woot and randyjoy who have extensive track experience that may be able to comment on the track, your positioning in the photos and your bike's settings provided they see the post. And there are other people who may be on the fence about doing a track day who may want to ask you about your experience specifically provided they see it.

I could have moved it to Sights & Sounds too, remember? ;)

haha what if we rename the title to F4i trackday review since there will be at least 3 members with photos from the board and they will be the only bikes posted.

or maybe leave it there for a day or two and then move it (so they can see it)?

Maybe you could give a review of how the f4i fared against some newer bikes or larger cc bikes you may have encountered at the track? Any tips for a F4i owner who might be thinking of doing their first track day would be another question i would have.

madman, can u tell me how to swap to the r1 throttle, or point me to a post about it? this sounds like a great idea. i have a 01 track only f4i.
u said u lowered the tire preasure through the day.
how do u tell when the tire pressue is too high?

I dunno too much but the only real way to know if your pressures are good would be to check your temps with a probe and or check hot/cold psi. Honestly I just kept dropping the pressure a psi or two and was looking for physical signs of overheating. To me it looked like the tires were not warming up enough at first judging by the wear. Once they started to pick up a little rubber and got fuzzy I was pretty happy. The rear being a ST tire I was being particularly careful with its pressure.

Best deal is to just ask people at the track though. Always tons of people/pros who know what they're doing and are happy to help.

As for the throttle mod, look in the f4i main forum, there is currently a thread.

I have no experience with Conti and minimal with the Pilot Road 2; that said, if you get some different Michelins in the future (like Power Ones, Pures, or 2CTs), here's some tips that may help. They should check and set cold. With Michelins Pilot Powers the low pressures tend to make the sidewalls collapse and the handling spongy. Everybody at track days used to say "30/30", but that is back when all the tires were so similar. With new technologies, you really need to get someone who knows the particular brand. I'm a Michelin contract rider, so I know the Michelin track stuff, but will freely admit that any other brand you should talk to the rep.

With the exception of Power Ones, all the Michelins like around 32-37 psi rear - and that is from the national race reps and the big race schools. The variance depends on the particular tire and ambient temps.

At a novice trackday, you should see only a slight increase in temperature when hot, maybe 3 or 4 psi or so. Street compound tires will not increase as much as race compound tires. As you progress up to intermediate and advanced levels, you may see greater increases, but the tire pressures cold are different on the tires you really need to go that quick.

We use a very narrow adjustment range (1 or 2 psi from cold initial setting), and on some tire compounds we have a set psi we set cold and always use it.

And again, my last disclaimer: this is Michelin info. Other tire manufacturers have different settings and recommendations.