04/04/06 First nice day in a little bit, decided to finally get the 748 and the Paul Smart out of the livingroom and into the garage. The Ducs make a pretty picture all together...

Rode the 748 a bit and the exhaust sounds very nice. Quite pleased with it. On a sad note, when moving it around after the ride I messed up with the sidestand and dropped it on the side. Feel really stupid now :( Only a couple minor scratches on the fairing and a shortened clutch lever, but still... Ah well. All the trackdays over the years and this is how I end up scratching it. So it goes. I do keep thinking of getting later-model 748/998 bodywork for it. The design is much cleaner without the vents and scoops and I've wanted to swap the fairing ever since the 998 came out. This might be a good excuse to finally do it? We'll see. No rush.

In the afternoon, went for a 50 mile ride on Skyline, taking the PS this time. Good roads, good weather, good company - glad to wrap up the day on a positive note.

04/17/06 The 17th trackday for this bike and the first two-wheeled track event for the year. The forecast has been iffy all along but I decided to go ahead and do it anyway. In the morning, the driveway was soaked but sun was breaking through the clouds so despite the chilly temperatures (high 40s overnight) it looked promising. The day before I figured out how to mount the GPS on the bike, inside the fairing and vertical so hopefully I can get some meaningful g info in the turns.

While going through tech it started drizzling again. Ugh. Another unpleasant surprise was that my Aerostitch suit would no longer be acceptable for the faster groups and I'll have to get actual leathers. I'd be allowed to run it this time though. Tech completed, I spotted a nice location to park the bike - what used to be a Wells Fargo ATM many years ago and is now a little kiosk of unknown function with a bench in front. Its most useful feature is that it has just enough awning in front to shelter a bike from rain. Cool.

First session was intermittent drizzle and it was quite chilly. Only one other bike was out there so I basically had the track to myself. Tires were cold and the back end wanted to step out in several spots so I took it easy with the best lap of a leisurely 1:28 and most around 1:30. Also, my visor was fogging over so I actually started thinking of pulling in early when the checkered flag came out and ended the session anyway. After checking the GPS data I was looking at the bike and noticed that the rear tire had pretty uneven wear on it on the right side. I took a picture of it and decided that it's getting replaced before the next trackday. I already have replacement tires that I bought over the winter, just need to get them on.

That would explain the backend twitchiness - PIR is mostly right turns which is how the tire got this way in the first place. Just as the next session was called to grid it started raining moderately but the pavement was still dry. I looked at the rain, looked at the tire and thought I should probably sit this one out. Then - ah, what the heck. Got on, pulled onto the track, accelerated down the straight. Turn 1 comes up, I brake a bit early for a conservative entry speed just in case and turn. Instantly the rear tire snaps sideways and before I even realize what's happening I'm merrily sliding behind the bike on my back, watching it shed pieces of fairing ahead of me. Damn. Well, the good news is that despite the organisers' concerns, the Aerostitch with all its armor does work quite well. A couple minor abrasion holes in the fabric but none on me. Just a bunch of mud from sliding through wet grass. It'll come out in the wash. The helmet never touches the ground so it's good. But I guess I'll need leathers anyway so repairing the abrasions in the suit may be a moot point.

After waiting until lunch break to go collect the bike from turn 1, Satya came out with his pickup to help me haul it home. The mud cleaned off it's now time to assess the damage and see what needs to be done. I have a personal policy of not posting crash pictures on the site and so I won't - it just looks like a crashed bike, not too interesting anyway. Nothing important is bent and it starts and runs fine. Guess I am definitely getting a new fairing now, huh.

As my friends know I'm fond of saying that whether or not you crash on a trackday is entirely up to you. And so was the case here - a series of choices, each unwisely increasing the risk until it caught up with me. I knew better but decided to do it anyway. GPS shows that I went down after starting the turn at 55 mph, 2 mph slower than in the previous session. I looked at saved data and normally I'm at 64-65 and accelerating in the same spot both on bikes and in cars so I was definitely taking it easy. Perhaps due to rain I should have backed off more than that. The track surface wasn't wet yet, just damp. The tire was cold. And it was unevenly worn. Going slower may have helped, or maybe I just hit a slick spot that would have taken me down at a speed 10 mph lower too. What I really should have done is just sat the session out like I was going to. This is a reminder that every time I make a knowingly risky choice I should picture myself standing there next to my trashed machine (or worse, not standing) and ask myself if it's really worth it. Over the years in the previous 20 or so trackdays on this bike and others I have been lucky (I did nearly highside the 748 in the wet once but the fact that I was able to save it I guess made that lesson not stick). In all, as far as lessons go it's a cheap one. It better stick though.

05/17/06 Ah, the process of resurrection. Humpty-dumpty (the new official name of this beast) is well on the way to being whole again. All the crashed parts are gone, insurance settlement check cleared, a whole lot of e-bay auctions won. Not all is smooth of corse. In fact hardly any of it is. Bought a replacement gas tank with assurances it's never been repainted - WRONG. It has been, and the paint doesn't match. At least it was cheap ($275 vs $1900 new) and I can just have it repainted with the rest of the bodywork. The radiator replacement went better, just hope it doesn't leak. Some of the pieces I've bought don't fit for whatever reason so I need to buy different ones. Others are crappy quality, same outcome. The bodywork has been on order for about a month and still no ETA. It is the later model style, with fewer scoops and vents so hopefully it'll look nice. Finally got the wheels off to get the tires remounted, with luck that will go well... Took them to ANT who do a great job of mounting/remounting but they normally just deal with car tires and so have no easy way of balancing the bike stuff. They're going to try a few things... and so on. In the process of playing Dr. Frankenstein I'm trying to upgrade a few bits, like the air filters:

These are a much nicer setup than the troublesome OEM filters in the ducts. Also ordered a set of carbon intake ducts. Two weeks ago. Tried calling today, 5 times. Finally got to talk to someone who at least could look at my order. No, it hasn't been processed yet and he'd have to check if the parts are actually available. Maybe get back to me tomorrow. WTF?! In the meantime, Humpty is looking rather bare, suspended from the lift...

Even in this photo you can see that the tank paint doesn't match. And yes, that's David's Triumph in the background, also being resurrected from his crash at Thunderhill last summer. Sure hope it doesn't take me THAT long ;) I did get my new leathers yesterday and they fit quite well. So at least there's that. I'll probably run the PS at the Motocorsa event on June 5. After that, Humpty will get the track duty most of the time.

08/03/06 Now that the 900 has had its trackday for the year and is back in the livingroom, the 748 is getting much needed attention to hopefully get it back out on the racetrack soon. The bodywork is all here and is getting painted so in the meantime I've decided to assemble all the replacement parts that I bought over the last couple of months. Wherever practical I'm taking the opportunity to upgrade, an example being the brake and clutch levers (left is original, right is new):

The hand controls are now functional again, with all the damaged parts replaced. Tires are on, wheels mounted, new radiator installed and filled with distilled water (still need to add Waterwetter). Hopefully the bodywork will be done before too long. I got the panels from Sharkskinz and they do seem to be of excellent quality and well finished. We'll see how it all fits together, maybe as soon as next week.

And yes, that's David's Triumph still sitting there, untouched since May... At least I haven't neglected my Humpty-Dumpty AS bad :)

08/05/06 Picked up the bodywork. As always, Europa did a great job on the paint. They did forget to drill it though, but as it turned out it's just as well. First thing was to remount the battery (using what is essentially a super zip tie), put together the gas tank (fuel pump is internal to it) and try to fire the beast up. No problems.

Encouraged by the ease with which the first steps went I moved on to the bodywork. First setback was dropping the tailsection when trying to mount the seat and taillight. Ugh. A bit of a scratch, not a huge deal but a bummer on brand-new paint. Then a bunch of drilling, enlarging holes, etc. The quick fastener anchors that were mounted to the nose piece were the wrong kind (and two of them didn't line up with side panel holes) so I drilled out the rivets and installed different anchors. Then I realized that I'm missing some fasteners and of course by then it was too late to run to the dealer, so I might not be able to finish the bike in time for the trackday Monday. Oh well, if that's the case the 900 will get another turn. Overall, the new bodywork looks much cleaner than the original panels because this is the later 998 style without all the scoops and vents. Also the tailsection is now single-seat - I never carry passengers on this bike. I like the changes. The lower pic is old style.

08/06/06 Sometimes it's good when friends procrastinate on rebuilding their bikes. In this case, David's Triumph served as a donor of some quick-release fasteners so I was able to finish mounting the fairing. A bit of drilling, just a little cursing (can't have a vehicle project without it) and the bike was whole again. Not a day too soon, either - next trackday is tomorrow.

A quick run on my twisty road revealed no untoward behavior so we're all set, Humpty-Dumpty is officially back together and ready to party. I shall endeavor to keep this beast looking shiny and clean. In the meantime, my efforts must have inspired David into action since he picked up the Triumph today and rode it away sans bodywork, presumably with the intent of finishing the rebuild and getting it back out on the track. Hopefully sooner rather than later :)