Mr Fro

The Snetterton novice session on Monday was my first day on my cheap as chips track bike – obviously I gave it a good old going over before hand and have been using it on the road for a couple of months to make sure it wouldn’t disintegrate the second it rolled out of the paddock! Firstly, the psychological advantage of having a track bike is amazing – knowing that if I stuffed it then my pride and joy was safe and sound gave me that extra chunk of confidence to push way harder than I did on my ZX6r. I chopped a whopping 14 seconds off my lap time compared to the 6 even though the ZXR750 is slower, heavier and physically bigger with no swanky suspension like the 6 has. I learned many things this time round: Tyre pressures being key, as is having quality tyres in the first place. I fiddled with my pressures a bit but ended up using 31psi front and rear which was what I felt worked best for me rather than what some geezer reckoned was best for all tyres on every bike for every rider... Having examined the tyres afterwards, I think I could probably drop the front pressure a bit as I was starting to get a few cold tears so that’s something for next time. I also learned that it’s not a great idea to use DOT 4 brake fluid as the lever was getting really quite close to the bar by the end of each session – I’ll definitely be changing to DOT 5.1 for the next run! I was also a bit sceptical about my fork damping as I’d rebuilt them fairly recently using the OEM weight oil and had to have the adjuster turned all the way in to stop it feeling like a barge so I’ll change the oil out for something a bit heavier too. It’s a silly thing but I think I could do with quickening the throttle a bit as the ¼ turn I have is too much range of motion for track use in my opinion and probably made it look like I was trying to take off I was flapping my arm about so much! Finally, I’m considering a new sprocket set to bring the gearing down a bit further as I only just touched 6th on the straights – I’m in two minds about this though as I don’t want to make the gearing too short and the front wheel was already off the ground a smidge out of some of the corners. Overall it was a great day and the weather was fantastic. I felt so much more relaxed than on my last track day which meant I enjoyed it even more – continually overtaking the shiny new bikes just added to my massive grin! But my supremo top tip of the day is... Take a kettle and a brew kit so you can have a cuppa between sessions – also, everyone will want to be your friend. Cheers, Fro

Good point!

Just dug out my black with white viper stripe KBC that I've had since 2004. There's not much in the way of marks on it - certainly no worse than my 5 year old shiny Shoei! My only gripe about it is that no matter how I clean it, the white bit always looks grubby. :-s

I disagree a little!! have a think how often your going to do the job if the tools cost way above what fitting will cost then make the decision based on if you will get the use out of the tools etc Me personally I would buy the tools and do it but thats me and in the past 3 months I have fitted 4 chain and sprocket sets and I will be splitting mine again in the winter you need to weigh up the cost of both first and do you think you will be able to do the job yourself? only you can answer that question but if you know your ring spanner from a socket I don't think you will have a problem Fair one on that, I like getting my ands dirty so it's my default position - especially if its something I'm going to be repeating every once in a while.

Definitely do it yourself and definitely buy yourself a quality tool! I've not heard of Gremlin before but it's in the right sort of price range. Personally, I like to feel a tool before I buy it (no jokes please) to get an idea of the quality. I guess you've always got a guarantee if it's not fit for purpose.

I really like the simplicity of the design too - definitely a tick in the "less is more" box!

First time I read this I saw "Not many wearing purple bell helmets". My eyes aren't what they used to be... Nice looking lid - I appreciate the review as I could do with a new one. Cheers Mr Tango!

Hmm. Great info TC! I echo what some people say here about IAM - I did the advanced driving course in Kent a good few years ago and found the instructors to be rather stuffy and rigid - I found it a chore going if I'm being honest but I was only 20ish at the time and needless to say I didn't keep it up. A couple of years later I did another another driving course with my previous job, I thought I'd piss through it because I had IAM already but I found it much more challenging and rewarding. It really was about driving to my capabilities/conditions/other road users etc but within the confines of my license rather than "bottom of the tyres of the car infront" stuff. I've often thought about doing an IAM rider or other bike course but I really wouldn't be interested unless it was FUN or if the instructor was less experienced or qualified than me. (Recommendations for Cambridge area anyone? )

Ha! Keep us posted on your project bud, sounds like a goodun!

They're constantly whinging about their inability to sort their bikes out, especially setting up carbs...

Yeah, a jewellery one will do the trick. I've got an industrial one in the lab if you can't find one. They're not that bad to set up, you just need to tune them up in a methodical manner - try this link: http://www.factorypro.com/tech/carbtun.html Have you been looking on zxforum? If so, stop. Stop now!

I like my chin so I think I'll stick the traditional style of lid.

Glad it's going well so far! Looks pretty tasty half faired too. You're brakes may well be shee-ite if your fork oil has dribbled down on to them. Maybe clean out the calipers and disks then bung some new pads on before you condem the 6 pots. There's a company in Wales that makes standard and race fairings for the 7 if you're looking for replacements... Deffo bin the old fuel and give the carbs a good clean after you've replaced the filter - if you've got access to a sonicator then it's well worth dunking the emulsion tubes and jets in there for a bit to get rid of the crud. Also, check THIS LINK for a few handy tech tips/bits and bobs.

They're the outside part of the link. If you can lay the old and new chains on a bench next to each other then you can push them together so the knuckles of one chain mates with the spacers of the other - then you can pinch them together and run your fingers all the way along the chains to the end, ensuring that the knuckles and spacers mate together all the way, then you will ensure you get the correct amount of links. This is the method I use as I usually get distracted or something and forget what number I'm on if I try counting them! However you do it, make sure you check and double check that you're chopping the chain to the right number of links before you take the plunge and start hacking it up!

+1 for both. A spacer is probably best if you ever want to take it apart again...

When are they resetting? If they do it at start up then you may have an iffy battery - it might also be a good idea to check your charging system.

Today I nominate myself. I got back from work last night around 6:30 and thought I'd swap out the kinked fuel line on the 7. While I was waiting for the fuel to drain I started changing the front pads. Then while the tank was off I thought it'd be a good idea to look at the plugs to check the new jetting. They looked blueish in the light of my head torch - intact everything had a blue hue as that was my only light source. One day I'll learn not to get carried away and remember that I don't have power in the garage.

Kinda depends where you buy it from, some come ready prepared and some need chopping. You might as well get yourself a quality chain tool as it's not difficult to do your own.

Fnar-fnar It's a bit of a treck for me but for that kind of service I reckon it's worth the milage.

Have you tried google...

I take it you mean the light that illuminates the clocks? Have you checked the bulb...

Oops, think I might be wrong old bean - clip-ons fix directly on to the fork tubes but I think you may have traditional handlebars. :-s What a silly old sod eh! You should be able to look down the top yoke and check to see if the bottom yoke and forks line up - it should be fairly obvious if they're on the wonk.

Nice one bud, better get some test rides booked!

I didn't realise they made a 4x4 version... Looks like a cracker - it'd be good to have a pacemaker for it!

Sounds about right, if you slacken the bolts on the clip-ons a bit then loosen the ones underneath the top yolks then you should be able to get them in to a better position. Just be sure they're equal both sides or you'll be all wonky on the bike!