Road bikes Only TD 3 October

[Dark Angel]

.

I'll be on me new track bike if I can find a "fatty size" set o' leathers!

[Oldbull]

When did you get that you sneaky bugga

Still be away on our Jolls mate so wont be able to make it .. have a great time and get some pics


Edit : good price for Donni as well

[Dark Angel]

...Ay, Pal...

Sold Suzi750 last month (had it almost ten years to the day ) and got "Thor-One" yesterday after sum serious lookin’.

Passed on this… (too much TD action, methought)...



…for this…



06 R1 3 owners less than 20K on the clock verified HPI clear.

Fully adjustable suspension; bars; levers; rear sets.



New-ish tyres, chain ‘n’ sprockets - generally, very well looked-after...

Test ride – rides like a dream - – ride home.

Lookin' fer bits (Ohlins rear shock) ‘n’ wanna learn to ride it so sortin’ sum TD’s.

End of season mad prices – check ‘em out.



also lookin’ for leathers etc. so’s I can crash “safely” – luvvin’ it…!!

Geddin mithered – “OO, let’s go to Angelsey – you do a TD an’ we can stay for a long weekend…!”

My life is… and always has been…. HELL!

[Dark Angel]

Leathers R US...!!



Only ordered 'em yesterday and they're here...!

Perfect - and the kit's not bad, either...



Just need boots an' a trackday to scuff 'em on. nar .... ...

[jono49]

That whalebone corset works a treat DA knocked 3 clem off ya straight away

[Oldbull]

do they do any with a bay window in pal

Gimme a link

[Dark Angel]

That whalebone corset works a treat DA knocked 3 clem off ya straight away

Aye... Thus spake the high queen o' fookin' fashion...

do they do any with a bay window in pal

Showed 'em yer pic 'n' they can do one for you, pal...
...but not for that coont, Jono - (their words, not mine - they must know 'im or summat )

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/381597021044? ... EBIDX%3AIT

Most other retailers are wantin' 399 - hence Nobbly Nick...

Up to chest size 50 available...
Hurry while stocks last!!!

[Dark Angel]

Doin' Oulton TD today...



Might do Anglesey tomoz...

[T.Murphy aka Tim]

Fekk me that R1 is as fast as fook

Ya look a reet coont in them thar leather one piece kekks.

[Dark Angel]

Mebbe - but THAR lucks a coont no madder WOT thert wearin'.

[T.Murphy aka Tim]

Mebbe - but THAR lucks a coont no madder WOT thert wearin'.

Yeabutt, at least I know I lucks a reet coont all the time.

[Dark Angel]

Luckin' atyer avatar, I doubt that, sunshine... who photo-chopped yer stabilisers?

[T.Murphy aka Tim]

Luckin' atyer avatar, I doubt that, sunshine... who photo-chopped yer stabilisers?

"sunshine"? Fookin "sunshine"? Ark at owd fookin granddad.....( and stop bein' a biatch....them stabilisers are clear plastic moosh. )

[Dark Angel]

.
...Gerr-tcha fookin' lunatic!!!

[T.Murphy aka Tim]

Well then?

[Dark Angel]

...Well, then...

The weather forecast was perfect – and I’d spent some considerable time making adjustments to my recently acquired 2006 Yamaha YZF R1 5VY – in blue, of course.
I’d also been out on the bike several times during the week or so after I’d bought it, and I’d been surprised by the amount of space – the roominess – of what I’d expected
to be a cramped, awkward and uncomfortable machine focused, as it was, pretty much for racing purposes.

The bike came fitted with adjustable clip-ons and, on my first ride after my purchase, heading homeward I knew immediately that I’d have to make some changes. I felt as if
I was sitting on a tourer; “The riding position on my Blackbird’s sportier than this!” I thought, somewhere along the way. My feet were in the wrong place, too; and the gear
lever was too high above the footrest, making it tricky to change up the box smoothly.

So – all adjustments made and as many checks done as I could think of, I laid out my gear for the morrow (no – really; I was so excited that I pre-packed my rucksack with the
spanners I needed for mirror removal/gear lever/chain adjustment (just in case); spare clear visor in case it rained; soapy wipe cloth in case it didn’t and the bugs were out;
knee sliders (in case I dared to go “fast” – “this ain’t no 15-year-old K1 750 GSXR (bless ‘er!)”; and winter gloves in case it was cold. In the pockets in my spankin’ new leathers
I stashed my downloaded and completed registration form; licence; insurance/MOT docs; birth certificate; marriage certificate; passport; medical history including blood type
(of course); employment history; life history – everything. I remember thinking that if I actually managed to get into my leathers I’d look like Humpty Dumpty!

I live just forty minutes from Oulton Park. It’s about two years since I’ve done a trackday and, consequently, about two years since I’ve used the motorway from here to there at
a departure time of 7:30 in the morning (sigh!). The 15-minute briefing’s scheduled for 0815, so I plan to arrive with 5 minutes in which to register – into the briefing – out of the
briefing – down to noise testing – into a garage – mirrors an’ stuff off – sighting laps – GO!

I ride into the circuit at eight-thirty, having fought my crawling, cursing way through the bastid, 50 mile-an-hour speed limit-stifled traffic jamway of fookin’ road works that’s
laughingly referred to as a “motorway”. Folk are streaming out of Chequers Bar, the eats place at Oulton where the briefing was delivered, and heading down to the pits to get
their shit sorted. A few glance in my direction and I’m glad of the dark visor I’m wearing – but some will note the bike; the leathers; the skid lid – and you can bet your bottom
dollar that I’ll still get some stick from some coont, somewhere, later in the day. I grit my teeth and bide my time till the organisers can be arsed to speak to someone who can’t
be arsed to be on time. They make me feel even more pathetic than I do already by being polite, professional, pleasant and brilliantly helpful. Bastards!

I booked late, so I’m in novices. Inters and Fast groups are fully-booked so I’ll have to be careful not to embarrass myself by a) falling off; b) causing someone else to fall off; or
c) leaving myself open to accusations of riding like a twat. I garage up with a group of lads who’ve vanned it up from Cornwall and who plan to drive down to Anglesey for tomorrow’s
speed fest. Bastards! I knew I’d be too knackered to go so I hadn’t booked it but, out of spite, I’d booked for Oulton again next week (in the fast group – yay!). The thought of it
evened things up a little so I set to, getting ready for the good bits.

The bike has twin, underseat cans, from which the baffles had been “professionally removed”. On the overrun from a high-rev down-change it burbles, pops and farts like nothing I’ve
heard of mine and I love it to fookin’ bits! My main worry was that the bike was too loud to pass the 102DB noise test, so I’d put in a last-minute fleabay order for some DB-Killers that
were never going to arrive in time - and never did. All trackday organisers are absolute fanatics when it comes noise test compliance these days – they have to be – and I was truly
brickin’ it as I sat, engine running to keep the cans warm, in the queue that led to the dreaded microphone!

Sailed through, pal. Always knew it would! That’s what I’d like to say – but, boy was I relieved!

Now, all I had to be nervous about was riding the thing – and there begins the tale. Riding my old 750 for ten years had taught me a million things that would bear positively upon my
first track experience with my R1, but the R1 overcame immediately the overpowering urge to go “fast”.

That might sound odd – it is odd – but the Yamaha is so blessed in terms of GO power; STOP power; agility; responsiveness; and the incredible amount of pure feedback from throttle
to front to rear wheels; it’s not a bike I need to push – it’s a bike I need to learn. The old Suzuki was clapped-out and I never realised, never understood how hard a life I’d given us
both until the R1 came along, quite literally, to free my mind from the frustration caused by knowing that I could go faster – should be going faster – and now I know I can. Knowing
you’ve got the power clears your mind so that you can think of more important things – like how and when to use it. What a fookin’ luxury that was for me!

The sighting laps slow by, then we get the green flag and I roll on the throttle. The bike surges and all my expectations are blown away as my spankin’ new leathers slide my butt to
the distant comfort of the padding on the racing hump that I’d fitted just yesterday. The move to the rear of the bike takes me by surprise – this didn’t happen with my road gear on
– but this tiny incident makes the bike a complete stranger again and I’m back at school. It doesn’t take long to get myself sorted, but suddenly the thought of being in with the novices
is comforting – they’re slow and all over the place and I’m safe, slow and careful too; learning to ride my bike.

I was knackered by the end of the day, as expected; and delighted with the progress I’d made. All I have to do now is to explore the tremendous braking potential of the bike; understand
how to lock-in to the bike properly for braking/cornering; work to reach my optimum corner speed; learn to be more aggressive with the throttle on corner exit; learn to keep balls to tank
or it’ll wheelie virtually any where from first to fifth gear dependent on angle of attack/track elevations etc; learn new ref. points for braking/cornering. One thing I did learn is that the
white dash light that flickered every now and then when I got a bit giddy on the straights is the rev. limiter!

That was an accidental find, too. I couldn’t find my proper seat position on the bike, so if I got careless I’d end up sliding to the back – which in turn changed my foot position in relation
to the gear lever – which caused fluffed or missed gear changes; and that’s definitely no fun if you’re heading into Shell hairpin, Foulstons or Hissy’s chicane after coming down from hilltop.

Anyway – it was a brilliant day – both in terms of the weather and in terms of learning opportunities. I didn’t have my lap timer with me but I know I’ve lapped faster than I’ve ever done
around there, simply because I’m on a better bike. I can’t wait for next week to continue learning how to be a better rider.

Oulton Park.gif (5.21 KiB) Viewed 3258 times

[Oldbull]

Hehe nice one pal and nice write up... Leaving yourself a whole 45 minutes to get there Surprised the cans made the noise test if theyve had the guts removed tho..mite pay to give Nige a bell to see what hes got ...

What day you booking next week then mate ??

[Dark Angel]

Gladya liked it, pal.

I'm back there next Wensdi.

Gorralorra thinkin' to do before then...

...Arrrrr... I'll be settin' off sevenish, this time...

[bluegas]

An interesting insight into a trackday, really enjoyed that. You're a braver man than me, I'd be terrified . Looking forward to the next instalment That R1 looks the part, very nice indeed.

[Dark Angel]

Cheers, John - thanks for your appreciation.

I don't think you'd be "terrified" - but I guess you'd be about as nervous as I and thousands of others were,
the first time we sat waiting to go out onto a racetrack!

The nerves diminish - but they never disappear...

OH! - The Agony and the Ecstasy of it all!!

[T.Murphy aka Tim]

Great stuff Mister DA. Enjoyed that, although like Bluegas says....I too aint got the balls. Must tag along sometime......just for s gander of course.

[Dark Angel]

...Well... Yer know where I'll be on Wensdi...



...Two years off-track an' I'm a reet Billy-no-mates, nar, so a smilin' face ud be ...

...even yourn...

[Coggy]

I'd love to come and watch

But you seem to have 4 poorly fingers now?

And I need more notice

[Dark Angel]

...You need more notice...?

...I'll tek no notice, yacoont...!

[Dark Angel]

It’s a week after my R1 debut at Oulton Park and here I am, on time and safely included for the morning briefing. After the shambolic outward journey
to the track last week I’d made better preparations this time, arising earlier and better prepared for the soon to be endured motorway misery. Just before
stepping out I decided to fit a clear visor as, even though it was only minutes from the designated “sunrise” time, it was a bit too dark to ride in full safety
with my dark-tinted summer visor.

It was just as well that I was early out of bed as the clear visor I selected wouldn’t close, even though it snapped on to the Arai with neither hesitation nor
resistance, it was obvious that the bugger wouldn’t shut, so, after a very brief struggle, I reverted to the “tinter”, left the house and went to the bike. Then
I went back to the house for the bike keys and the glove that I’d left on the table, all the while reminding myself to remain calm and unexcited: I had plenty
to work on today and I needed to keep a clear head.

After the first Oulton stint I’d re-adjusted the clip-ons, brake, clutch and gear levers and I felt more comfortable and confident now as I made my way through
the traffic on a journey that was, thankfully, uneventful. As I reached the last mile of or so before turning off for the track I had a couple of bikes in tow – not
unusual, of course on a trackday morning – but when I parked up I was pleased to see an ex-partner in crime grinning his way towards me after I’d removed my
helmet – he was on the GSXR 1000 that had followed me in. We’d done a few days together in the distant past and, with greetings duly exchanged, we agreed to
get some laps in, later in the day.

Just before the briefing another familiar face approached, all smiles and handshakes and I was “Billy-no-mates” no more as, relaxed and happy, I made my way
to noise testing before finding a place in a garage. No noise problem, but this time I remembered to ask: “What’s it putting out?” “A hundred and one” came the
reply, but as he pressed the noise test sticker onto the nose of the bike his raised eyebrows warned me that I was very close to the 102DB limit – I’ll be carrying
the DB killers with me from now on!

I got myself garaged and set about removing the mirrors (I hate folding them back – makes the bike look like a terrified rabbit), taping up the brake light (so
rude not to do so, in my book!) and generally settling myself down for the morning sessions. The weather was good and the temperature was on the rise, but
I could see there were a few signs of dampness on the main straight, so a steady hand would be required in the early morning, at least. I checked the bike one
more time, then waited for the call for the fast group, which came soon enough.

Sitting in the line as the marshal approaches, checking stickers and wristbands, I’ve got my glove unfastened to display mine and he glances and nods his
approval – then stands in front of the bike, pen poised to validate the stickers on the screen – but he looks puzzled. “Where’s your date sticker?” “What? What?”
I say. Taken completely by surprise, I’m lost for words! “Your date sticker. Sorry mate – I can’t let you out without a date sticker.” And then I remember:
I’d signed on, got my wristbands, picked up my licence and fast group sticker – which I must have dropped when I was swanning about doing my “meet and greet”
with my old acquaintances. Bollocks!

I’m furious with myself as, while riders flow out onto the track, I leave the pit lane, turning to ride through the nearest garage and into a fiery world of rage,
fuelled by my own stupidity. “You’ve done so many trackdays it should be second nature to you by now… What the hell are you like…?” and so on as I search for
an official who can get me a replacement sticker – but everyone’s busy.

Thoroughly disgusted with myself I ride back to my garage to check my backpack. As I dismount I unzip my spanking new leathers to check my pockets. Out of
habit I put my right hand in first – nothing there – then I remember there are two internal pockets in my spanking new leathers. I search with my left hand and the
sticker’s in there, no doubt thrust away unknowingly as I was shaking hands with my friends – what a dolt!

I manage to get three laps in the first session and the gear changing is fine, so I know I can start to concentrate now on my riding. During the second and third
sessions I recalibrate braking points and corner entry and start to get comfortable. I pass a few riders, but I’m also passed several times by those on dedicated,
track-tuned machines because they’re much harder on the gas than me on corner exit - so I work on this during the last session of the morning. I don’t try to stay
with them – that would be asking too much – but I’m pleased to note that I can match some of them on braking and my corner speed is sometimes a little better
than theirs. Still – getting out of the corner needs more work.

In the afternoon I get a session in with my pal. We’ve not seen each other for a couple of years, during which time he’s been on his GSXR 1000 and, while we’re all
smiley-miley and luvved-up as we chat before our session, the old rivalry simmers quietly under the surface. We’re released onto the track and I’m suddenly very high
on adrenaline – oh, dear – here we go again! Leaving pit lane the excitement subsides and my concentration kicks in. We’re both on road bikes and I used to have the
edge on him, but…

Back in the garage I’m grinning to myself as I discard my sweaty helmet and unzip the top of my leathers to let a bit of air in – it’s been a good session and I’ve learnt
more about the bike because I was riding more aggressively and getting higher-grade feedback from tyres and track as a result. The quiet, concentrated work I’d done
in the morning had paid off and, even more importantly, he hadn’t passed me. Fookin’ ace!

He joins me in the garage a few minutes later and his words are music to my ears: “There was no way I could pass you! In some places I was closing you down a tiny bit,
but then you’d pull it back somewhere else.” Then, the icing on the cake: “Just take it easy on those tyres, though. I thought they were 2CT’s but they’re not, are they?”
(The bike came with Michelin Pilot Roads.) “Well” I said, “I never got any warnings – everything felt fine.” “Maybe – but you were leaving black lines coming out of the
corners, you won’t get a warning with those things on it!”

I kid ye not, I was totally made up! In fact, I was so made up that when I got home I agreed with Lorraine that a long weekend in Anglesey is definitely the way to go –

- so we’ll be there, 21-24 October.

Hope the weather holds!