I Caught a Bug

The mod bug.

Part of the reason I chose the 2002 Yamaha R1 I replaced the Aprilia with was due to its incredibly light weight, along with the following high-performance upgrades it already came with:

Graves Yamaha Titanium Full Exhaust System
- Velocity Stacks
- Smog Block Offs
- Slide Stops
- Radiator Guard
Brembo Radial Pump 19x20 Race Master Cylinder
Sato Type II Adjustable Rearsets
Front and Rear Steel Braided Brake Lines
Scott's Steering Damper
Engine Case Covers
Etc.


Spring cleaning and detailing.

I've never been much of a rider to invest in aftermarket/upgrade parts for a bike; I tend to simply just buy a new bike before I even have to replace a part, but the fact is that my R1 came with very respectable and totally functional upgrades that were not only useful in the track, but were also substantial for everyday use. And as I've pointed out, you cannot ignore how light the bike is. Honda's redesigned 2008 CBR1000 (or Fireblade) is highly regarded for its light weight, practically rivaling 600cc machines. But believe it or not, the 2002 R1 is lighter than the 2008 CBR1000. As far as power, sure the CBR would trump it nowadays, but that does not mean that this generation R1 is lacking. It simply means that the CBR has even more power than what you already don't need (not to knock it).

In any case, since getting the R1, I've always felt like I ought to finish with someone has started before me. I actually liked the idea of re-tooling this seven year old bike to rival, if not trump, today's modern machines without having to break the bank whatsoever. The beauty of owning an older bike is that specific parts made for it back when it was new in 2002, could be found today at bargain prices.

So now I've started a new chapter in my moto-life. Whilst I promised to try and moderate my track days this year, and stop the revolving door for motorcycles in my garage, I think that attempting to focus on this newfound project is going to be a very fun, if not the least bit interesting road for me to go down on.

I've already started the domino effect with the following:



17" Marchesini Forged Aluminum Wheels


Supersprox Stealth Sprocket
and RK X-ring chain kit
(effectively 2 teeth down in
the back for taller gears
perfect for the street)


Vortex Billet Aluminum Upper Clamp


Rizoma Sportsline Billet Aluminum Grips +
Rizoma Billet Aluminum Bar Ends

Tech Speck Gripster Tank Grips

Black OEM Replacement Clutch Lever

I've currently lined up a Superbike-Style Swingarm project with my moto shop, which basically entails a purchase of a used 2002/2003 R1 swingarm, which we'll then weld with aluminum pieces to create a nigh-monobloc look like those found in WSBK/MotoGP bikes, then powdercoated to match my current frame. Kind of like the one pictured below (from Harris Performance), except it won't cost me between $4k and $5k to acquire.


WSB style Swingarm for an '02 R1

Exciting times.

And Here We Go

Started off this year's track season on the 26th, a day before my birthday, in an all-out style by having a personal "open" trackday in Thunderhill, my favorite track.

I thought I'd be a little rusty coming off of the off-season, but damn did it feel good to not only get back in the groove, but hammer it even further than I did when I closed out last season. If the coming track days this season (I've already got 3 days locked) compares to the opener, then it'll be an even better season.







Even my R1 got to come out and run laps on a real track, which was bitter-sweet. Sweet that I finally got to run it hard like it ought to be, but bitter cause it made me realize how much I DON'T want to ride it on the track unless I have to. Jumping from the R6 to the R1, you immediately notice the difference between the two, and have to be mindful of switching your riding style to compensate. I'm thoroughly convinced that the R1 to me is better suited for my purposes in the street, which is funny because I've been convinced that there's nothing better for the track than the R6 (which I think is horrible for the street).







This season the goal is to go even faster that my elbows would be dragging too!

(Just kidding.)

(I think.)

Easy Come, Easy Go

Sold the dirtbike earlier this week.


As soon as I bought it over three weeks ago, I got home and posted ads for both the R1 and the R6 to sell to move one of them out of my garage (because I'm nuts about having more than two bikes at a time), and whichever one would sell first, goes. Unfortunately, while both got a lot of inquiries, neither one was sold sooner than I had hoped to keep me from going insane, so I ended up posting the dirt bike for sale too just like the other two. An hour after I posted, I got a call for it. Then the guy came by the night after and picked it up.

So now things are back to "normal," with just the R6 and the R1 in my garage. The other upside is I have a trackday on the 26th, so my off-season insanity should subside by then as riding season is upon us again.

But I did so like that dirt bike, and I did so like dirt biking. It's good to know that dirt biking a cheaper form of motorsport than road bikes, cause I take consolation in the fact that I can always turn around and pick up a dirt bike when I want (and if I have room for a 2nd bike, or no longer crazy about having a 3rd one). That's why I still have all the dirt gear I bought, cause I KNOW I'm coming back to it.

In the meantime, I can't wait to be riding the track again, and I'm also moving along with my plans to finish what somebody started with the mods on my R1...

...which is why a Vortex Billet Aluminum Upper Clamp and a set of 17" Marchesini Forged Aluminum Wheels are currently on the way.

I Do Have a Dirty Mind...

So I bought a dirt bike.



I did a lot of track days last season, which isn't a complaint in itself other than the fact that it was expensive. Yes, I can afford it, but I could also afford a BMW of my liking but I don't go out and buy one. There has to be a bit of practicality even in one's passion (I think). So this season, I really want to moderate the number of track days that I do, but I know that the only way I can do it is if I have something to hold me over in between.

So I bought a dirt bike.

It's an overall cheaper motorcycling hobby than track days (pay $5 - $7 for a whole day in dirt parks vs. $180 - $300 a day in racetracks), and despite a different kind of fun, the fun factor is immense. I also love how you can drop the bike and just pick it right up and keep riding. You try doing that on a street bike.

There is a problem though.

I now have three bikes (again) in my garage, and the last time I had this many bikes, I went crazy and downsized (let's just say I really like space in the garage). So I've put the R6 up for sale, and if it sells, then my R1 will do street and track duty. However, with the economy right now, it's understandably taking time to sell the R6, yet I'm still going crazy trying to clear the garage of one bike. More and more I'm finding myself wanting to put the WR250F for sale too, and whichever sells first between that and the R6 gets the axe. But I haven't. yet.

I'm trying to control myself, but we'll see how long I can hold my craziness back.

Intermission

Go Pro

Just a few more weeks. Just a few more until the 2009 season for track days start.

Until then, I decided to do a test run of my new camera rig that Belle got me for Christmas to replace my long and outdated "set up" (if you can call a digicam and a bicycle clamp mount a set up). It's the GoPro Motorsports Hero Wide camera, which I chose over other options for its versatility in mounting options, and especially because of the wide angle lens. I decided to give it a go on the street with the R1, even though it's mainly for the track and my R6.

Two thumbs up!

Five Dollars and Sixty Nine Cents

That's all it cost me to do over 100 miles of scenic and twisty riding to have fun with my newly acquired point-and-shoot digicam.

I recently picked up a Fujifilm S2000HD as an upgrade from my eons old Sony S40 for taking snapshots (still using the latter to shoot video). I'm not really aspiring to be a photographer per se, but for the same price that I paid for my S40 years ago, I got the S2000HD packed with a 15x optical zoom (!), 10 megapixel resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio shooting, and HD video recording feature. The selling points for me really were the immense optical zoom and the 16:9 aspect ratio, only because depth of field totally rocks and I think life is better viewed in widescreen.

I've been using the camera a lot lately, just to get used to it and see what possibilities I can come up with, and so far, it's been well worth the money. Today I took it to one of my usual solo riding routes (up Highway 9, Four Corners, north on Skyline/Highway 35, Alices, then down Highway 84 to the Pacific Coast) that I haven't done since I had the Aprilia. I thought with the winter sun being out today, it was too nice of a day to be cooked up in the house.

Good call on that one, as if today was going to be the last nicely weathered weekend for the year, it was not a bad season-ending ride. Got to even hang out with the infamous Gary J(aehne) up in the Four Corners parking lot to talk a little bit of moto-shop. Gary J is a man that any respectable motorcyclist has heard of; he's the only man up in the California hills on a 250cc motorcycle that you should not be ashamed of to get passed by. A true rider-over-machine practitioner. Then, at the last stop before heading home, I got to meet a gentleman who's spent a considerable amount of time, and probably money, restoring a '64 Thunderbird back to a pretty respectable state.

Like I said, a good time spent on just $5.69.