Hi everyone and thanks for the advice that a number of you have already shared. Thing is....i ended up not getting the bike i thought. Behold the bike i am actually getting (should arrive Friday). I was buying a bike from a mate that had been tracked extensively and had some mods on it already to be more track friendly. This bike, to my knowledge has not been on the track. But then neither have i. So, fire away with your advice in terms of what you would recommend i do to the bike before taking it to Almeria, Spain at the end of April. Trying to find some advice from someone who said something about needing to change the 3rd gear wheel as they were notorious .... but i will keep looking for that. Seriously, any advice will be very gratefully received. mike
For the track I would say get suitable brake pads, brake fluid, tyres and an oil service (in that order of priority) if it hasn't already been done. Depending on the group you're in then it may be worth getting the suspension setup.
The rear brake hose is fitted incorrectly. It should not have the top clip on the swing arm, it should gently loop over so it doesn't kink when the suspension compresses. A 55 profile rear tyre. Michelin power GP or similar would be good, no need for race rubber and messing about with warmers for novice group. Vesrah RJL are great brake pads for road & track, and they last ages. The 3rd gear thing is just a ghost story, I've never seen one do it. Was it mapped for that exhaust? it won't pass noise testing at UK tracks.
Road tyres will be fine then as long as they've got enough tread. Buz makes a good point about the exhaust. Might be worth looking for a baffle or taking a spare can with the bike. You don't want to go all that way for it to fail noise testing.
My first trackday I used the original Honda OEM pads and at the end of the day (novice group) my brakes were badly faded. Before the next trackday I changed to SBS race sintered (RST) after seeing a few recommendations on this site. Night and day difference. After a full day in Inters, no fade. So I’ve bought some SBS pads for my 748 too.
I’ve just changed my S22s for…. new S22s After two trackdays there’s still plenty of tread left, but I’m worried the heat cycles may have hurt them. Wondering about getting some warmers that can do 50-60c as well as the usual 80-90 that slicks use, just to keep the tyres from cycling between sessions. Can be obtained fairly cheap.
Thanks for the info Buzz, will look at the brake hose and pads. I am told there is no noise limits at Almeria but i will look for a new can just in case.
The rear brake hose looks to be the same routing as was on my 2014 and is on my 2016 EDIT - I consider myself educated see @buz post below
As for the 3rd gear input/output cogs, i destroyed mine on my 2011 blade..... i replaced them with Nova Racing cogs. Yes you are right with them being a soft spot with the blade gearbox. i raced mine for a season after the upgrade and no issues...... if you have fitted a QS then i recommend it! or if you have the know how or spare time then do it.
On the contrary, I have seen many 3rd gears fail, including my own, so it is not a ghost story at all. It is usually hard track riding / racing that leads to the 3rd gear failures so a few novice group trackdays shouldn't be a concern. The problem is, if it fails under full throttle, it shatters and pieces of it fly off inside the engine causing catastrophic damage and often punch a hole in the upper engine casing as well. Furthermore replacing the gear involves splitting the engine apart, it is not as easy as pulling the cassette-type transmission of the older pre-2008 models. Regardless, upgrading to the nova 3rd gear is highly advisable for serious track riding.
