I think we spent more time talking than working and I left Steve late afternoon and headed for Brands.
For the bin!
With just myself in the van, there was a lot less setting up to do and I had soon settled down for the night at the bottom of the paddock, hooked up to power, heater on, I slept like a log!
With a wet sky the next morning, the first job was a quick switch to wets, a good check over the bike for any last minute issues before venturing out on a wet track. The first time I had ridden a bike since the last visit here back in September and with the promise of a lighter, more powerful bike, I gingerly ventured out for session 1. I built the speed slowly but could straight away feel the benefit of the winter improvements.
In the top 10.... if only for a short time!After finishing the session with the bike coming to a halt at the bottom of the hill at Graham Hill bend, it soon became clear the problem was a weak battery which limited the amount of sessions between charges. Three sessions was the limit for the day with the last one being cancelled. The last two were a dry affair and gave me a chance to test the new found speed to it's full. The result being much better drive out of the corners but with no new front end yet, stopping and getting into the turns was still a problem.
It was the same story as last year; get a good start but then go backwards under braking.
In one race a good start was rewarded with 8th place on lap 1 from a 14th spot on the grid.
One race was ruined by a loose rear wheel nut, which could have been a real disaster and was a big lesson! The weekend saw me finish 14th twice, one 13th place and a final wet race position of 11th, which I was really pleased with as I began to get my head around how far the bike can really be pushed in the wet.
I was beginning to enjoy the challenge of a wet track.A wet race on day 1 was a complete mess with the rain destroying the running of the motor. I suspect that the water is getting in through the intake and the bare intake stacks need encasing inside an empty airbox. I finished in the points in this race to my great surprise.
I've decided not to go into detailed race reporting, taken on advice. It is very time consuming for a start and I'm not sure it's really that interesting. Let me know if you disagree!
If anything particularly interesting or amazing happens though, I will be sure to include it.
So in conclusion, the bike is better, but still needs work. We have lost around 10 to 12 kg out of the motor, wiring, ditching the starter, generator and associated internals, freeing up the crank and increasing drive but with no detectable bhp increase.
Steve has breathed his magic on the bike over the winter. It was a real pleasure to have him around in the paddock. The voice of experience is invaluable and very much appreciated.Further mods which should be in place for the next meeting include; A different exhaust pipe which should increase power by around 7bhp, including some carb adjustments to suit.
Extra weight loss coming from the new front end, probably about 2 or 3 kg here and the added bonus of a better handling bike and greatly improved braking ability.
We have replaced the standard FZ radiator for a much bigger YZF item, since Brands, which has been modified to fit and should greatly improve cooling. My new temp gauge has arrived and new hosing.All this messing will make the bike very close to the power to weight limit and very possibly over. If this is the case we will have to add some weight but the advantage here being it can be placed in an area of choice which will affect the weight distribution. where exactly and to what effect is something I will have to learn about.
I was briefly disappointed to not get into the top 10. I am confident that the developments will help make this goal a reality for the rest of the season. There are some very tough racers to contend with this year which will make it even more of a challenge. I look forward to it though and I will do my best.
I will soon be writing about some of the other stuff that was going on in the paddock over the weekend. I met a few new faces and was pleasantly surprised to find I would be sharing the track with a very special FZ from days gone by.
The next meeting at the Snetterton circuit will be interesting. In theory the FZ should go well there as she is fast out of corners and has a good top speed along the fast straights. A much improved bike will be a help.
Gyles and his new MGS01 Moto Guzzi will be making it's, and his, first outing of the season.
I am looking forward to seeing them both!
