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I know, I know: 
icsstfu: BUT - - -
Yesterday I attended my first ever track day on a moto, with US Desmo (Ducati club, obviously) at Carolina Motorsports Park - 2.2 mile/14 corners clockwise.
Started out in the Intermediate group, because I didn't want to hold anybody up, and I really had no idea what to expect. I have raced this course in my shifter kart, so I was familiar with the layout. One of my buddies was also in the middle group with me, on his 900 Supersport. We started off with a few sighting laps to heat up the tires, then began to up the pace. Soon enough, I was climbing all over him coming out of the corners, so I opened it up and gapped him hard down the back straight. A few laps later, I had done the same thing to EVERYBODY on the track, and people were starting to hold me up thru the corners.
After lunch, I was able to move up to the Advanced group, with some trepidation. I thought that it'd be harder to keep up with some of the "fast guys" and I would end up holding people up thru the corners. NOT SO. There were only three bikes there faster than Speedy, and only two of those in a straight line. All day long, only three guys out of 80 riders were able to outbrake me into Turn 11 at the end of the backstraight, and then pull me through the corners - they were on a 999 and a 1098, and the third guy flat-out FLYING on a 748. He couldn't drop the Speed Triple down the straights, but he was willing (able) to go much deeper into the hard corners.
I had two moments: I BLEW turn 8, which had a 6th gear downhill entry, before dropping to fourth under heavy braking into a slightly uphill & banked right-hander...I was trying to hang on to those two liter-class Ducs, and they went in so hard I was halfway thru before I realized I couldn't realistically pull it off. I just stood it up & rode straight out thru the grass, kept it upright, and came back on the track a hundred yards further on.
The second moment was a fourth gear tank-slapper caused by my overzealous throttle in an attempt to pass an Aprilia RSV between turns 3 and 4, both left-handers. It was the last session, and my buddy on his R1100S Beemer was just in front of this guy. I came out of three hoping to get a good drive and outbrake him into four, so as soon as I was thru the apex I jumped on the throttle - only to feel the rear tire break loose in a major way! I backed out of it a bit, and she quickly came back in, but not before the bars whacked left and right hard enough to slow me down through the next series - a long, long, three-apex right hander through 5-6-7. I finally got past the RSV going into turn 8 under braking.
WHAT A DAY!!! I have never had so much fun doing anything on any kind of motor vehicle. Broke in my knee sliders on both sides, and became convinced that this bike is everything I'll ever need in a motorcycle. It blew my mind with its motor and handling prowess all day long. The torque was laying down ******* in two or three places just about every lap, and even with stock suspension, I never felt unsettled at any point. And by the end of each session, I'm sure there were a few Duc owners that wondered what the hell just went by them at that speed!
So Devi - I think the 20102 Arrow tune modified 2 is the ticket for my setup. I may want more, but I sure don't need it...
I'll get pics up as soon as the photographer posts them!
icsstfu: BUT - - -Yesterday I attended my first ever track day on a moto, with US Desmo (Ducati club, obviously) at Carolina Motorsports Park - 2.2 mile/14 corners clockwise.
Started out in the Intermediate group, because I didn't want to hold anybody up, and I really had no idea what to expect. I have raced this course in my shifter kart, so I was familiar with the layout. One of my buddies was also in the middle group with me, on his 900 Supersport. We started off with a few sighting laps to heat up the tires, then began to up the pace. Soon enough, I was climbing all over him coming out of the corners, so I opened it up and gapped him hard down the back straight. A few laps later, I had done the same thing to EVERYBODY on the track, and people were starting to hold me up thru the corners.
After lunch, I was able to move up to the Advanced group, with some trepidation. I thought that it'd be harder to keep up with some of the "fast guys" and I would end up holding people up thru the corners. NOT SO. There were only three bikes there faster than Speedy, and only two of those in a straight line. All day long, only three guys out of 80 riders were able to outbrake me into Turn 11 at the end of the backstraight, and then pull me through the corners - they were on a 999 and a 1098, and the third guy flat-out FLYING on a 748. He couldn't drop the Speed Triple down the straights, but he was willing (able) to go much deeper into the hard corners.
I had two moments: I BLEW turn 8, which had a 6th gear downhill entry, before dropping to fourth under heavy braking into a slightly uphill & banked right-hander...I was trying to hang on to those two liter-class Ducs, and they went in so hard I was halfway thru before I realized I couldn't realistically pull it off. I just stood it up & rode straight out thru the grass, kept it upright, and came back on the track a hundred yards further on.
The second moment was a fourth gear tank-slapper caused by my overzealous throttle in an attempt to pass an Aprilia RSV between turns 3 and 4, both left-handers. It was the last session, and my buddy on his R1100S Beemer was just in front of this guy. I came out of three hoping to get a good drive and outbrake him into four, so as soon as I was thru the apex I jumped on the throttle - only to feel the rear tire break loose in a major way! I backed out of it a bit, and she quickly came back in, but not before the bars whacked left and right hard enough to slow me down through the next series - a long, long, three-apex right hander through 5-6-7. I finally got past the RSV going into turn 8 under braking.
WHAT A DAY!!! I have never had so much fun doing anything on any kind of motor vehicle. Broke in my knee sliders on both sides, and became convinced that this bike is everything I'll ever need in a motorcycle. It blew my mind with its motor and handling prowess all day long. The torque was laying down ******* in two or three places just about every lap, and even with stock suspension, I never felt unsettled at any point. And by the end of each session, I'm sure there were a few Duc owners that wondered what the hell just went by them at that speed!
So Devi - I think the 20102 Arrow tune modified 2 is the ticket for my setup. I may want more, but I sure don't need it...
I'll get pics up as soon as the photographer posts them!
