Hi all, I wanted to make a thread for my bike, where hopefully people can give suggestions and feedback as I slowly improve it for the track. I've had it for about 7 months now and it's just an incredible bike, I love it. It's my second bike but I only started riding last September; I know people will come at me with pitchforks for pretty much starting on a litre bike, but it was a too good of an opportunity to pass up and I've always wanted this bike. Started out as a street bike but took it to the track this April and I've done 5 days on track since then; it's super addictive. It was pretty much stock at first but I've changed a few necessary things since then. How it started: All it had was a LeoVince titanium can. Then took it to the track for the first time and removed all the unnecessary things like rear plate, passenger footpegs, mirrors and turn signals. I also put some slicks on it (here come the pitch forks) as a friend gave them to me for free, a few R&G protectors, and most importantly steel braided front brake lines. Swapped the battery for a Lithium unit which weighs 3kg less! Its a little 1.6Ah unit with just 160CCA but has never failed me. not sure why these pics dont work: First track day on it in April: I then realised the front M/C is shit and I think it had something wrong with it. At full brake the lever would touch my fingers at full out position. So I swapped it for a Brembo PR 18/19 I had, which immediately solved my problems. Its such a huge difference over the original. Feels amazing! Second and third day, also in April, at Franciacorta: A very experienced friend of mine help me setup and soften the bike. Set the correct preload for my weight and then correct damping. His motto is; "as soft as it can be, as hard as it needs to be". I then fixed the bodywork up a bit as it's practically falling off. Did Flapper Delete mod. You can see the relatively bad condition the bodywork is in. The entire bike is held together with tape. The 4th day on track at Anneau du Rhin in May: Starting to get really comfortable with the bike, its very smooth and easy to ride. Never any hesitation from the grip. Started out with a 200/60 rear but its just way too big for this bike. The 180/60 feels a lot better. Wonder what peoples opinion is on this? Then finally, my 5th and 6th day at Bresse in France this month (June): Switch to TRW carbon pads. Once warn they seriously bike; they also give a slightly firmer feel which I prefer. Would recommend, and I will buy again. It's a seriously good bike with feels easy and forgiving to ride, and despite all the complaints I've heard I really like the suspension as stock and do think it performs very well for the average rider. I've played about with a few Ohlins sets for other bikes at work and they often feel terrible. The OE CBR forks have felt better than any Ohlins set I've come across so far. I can't really say much about the rear shock as it feels fine for me, but maybe a good rider could feel the difference. Does changing the rear shock really make such a difference? Mods so far: Chassis: – R&G front axle protector – R&G swing-arm bobbins Braking System: – Brembo PR 18/19 front master cylinder – TRW CRQ Hyper-Carbon front brake pads – Motacc SS braided front brake lines Intake – Flapper valve mod Exhaust: – LeoVince SBK Titanium silencer Electronics: – Shido LTX4L-BS Let me know your thoughts, criticisms etc.. all is welcome!
Update. Switched to some front race fairings as my original ones were falling apart and was also able to remove the following parts: – Headlights – Flasher for the indicators – Horn – Front small position light The most amazing thing is the simplicity of the whole system now. What was 9 pieces is now just 2 easily removable fairings, plus I was able to reduce the weight by 7kg. Now at 200kg fully fuelled: Front: 104.0 kg Rear: 96.0 kg 52.0% front weight percentage Also I went to Magny Cours. Incredible track! Managed a 1:58.415 which means I could qualify for the 500 Mile endurance race next year.
That's a great write up. Sounds like you're a real fast learner. Took me 2 years before I bought my first Blade, then another 2 years before I took it to the track.
Nice read. Want to do a similar thing probably starting next year. Struggling with the bigger bikes now so will probably take a step back onto a 600. Good stuff and great pics.
I too have the same model for the track and also love it! Had mine a little longer than you though, I've had it from new and it still goes well 45,000 miles later! Would definitely recommend fitting a slipper clutch. Gives much more control under heavy braking.
Nice write up, looks like the bike is coming together nicely.... look comfortable on it for sure. I think you'll find the end of the limit of the stock suspension as you push on a bit or race as you'll be more aggressive with the power and it'll start eating tyres. That was the biggest thing for me when I started.... but then when I changed I noticed how much more plush it was and could cope more with what you was asking for it, under brake, holding a line and on power etc. Stock is good, ohlins is 100% better. Maybe you've tried ohlins set up a bit firm for your liking? Oh and get some rearsets, save you a fortune on toe sliders
Yeah, I'll see how it goes and most likely look at upgrading the rear shock first. The forks seem to perform very well but the rear can seem loose during weight transfer. If i'm accelerating out of a corner and shift there is a lot of movement and sliding which i would like to get under control. What shock do you recommend? Yes, rearsets I need to get! Wanna try GP shift as well as the normal shift seems odd for the track. Such a huge body movement just to shift gear, and I'm a big lad, and getting my toe under the shifter while tucking is near impossible.
That would be nice, just have to justify the cost over other parts atm. But rev-matching and using the engine braking has been good so far.
You'll be surprised how much smoother it is going hard into a bend. One less thing to think about and more time to concentrate on the job in hand.
Cant go wrong with ohlins ttx.... But does sound like you'll benefit from an upgrade after all Front will feel fine until you change the rear lol. But that's exactly what I done with my blade, upgraded as I went. Once you switch to race patten you will never go back. Especially with a quick shifter
Interesting! I'll have a look around for something. Any other good brands that dont come with such a price tag? Yeah quick shifter would be amazing, i can upset the bike a lot when shifting normally.
They are all similar priced, k tech comparable to ohlins in price. Had maxton on my zx10r which was awesome and slightly better value for money. Went with mupo on the Ducati and that's really impressive stuff and amazing service. For your bike I'd go ohlins though, very easy to set up, everyone knows it, and good re sale. Should get plenty good second hand stuff too. But factor in service and maybe re spring. So not always the saving you think
I'll probably start looking for an Ohlins to change it this winter. --- Another weekend on track, but there were no major updates on the bikes other than a Lightech fuel filler and oil filler cap. No more key to refill and now i can lock wire my oil fill. It was also my first time in the rain on track and using riding on rain tires. They're Dunlop KR series 125/80 front and 190/55 rear. Was very interesting riding in the rain and an awesome experience. With the right tyres you shouldn't shy away from a rainy weekend, still a lot of fun to be had. 17 seconds slower in the rain on rain tyres compared to my PB on slicks in the dry. Video: Luckily it dried up on the Sunday and was able to have a nice warm and dry day on track. Best moment of the weekend is I was finally able to put my elbow down! I know its a stupid achievement but ive been striving to do it since I started riding. Took me 1 year, almost to the day. More photos: Our group:
Hi all, its been a while since my last update but i've been quite busy. At the end of last year I did a Time Attack event at Franciacorta. Didnt do amazingly but qualified for the expert class: Then for winter break I prepared by bike for Endurance Racing. I've added front and rear lights and safety locked every opening as required by organizations. I've been testing the lights at various track days to ensure that they are reliable and that my new mounting structure lasts: New racing rear bodywork and remove the flapper and solenoid: Put in a new BMC race air filter, did a 525 conversion with higher ratio which is now perfect for most of the tracks i visit. New look for the season: Testing out those lights and track days!!: Loved ruining my new suit.
Thanks guys! I went to Anneau du Rhin over the weekend for 2 days on track. Its a very nice track and quite close to those living in Switzerland. The endurance lights are holding up nicely and i'm more confident they will be reliable during a race. Heres the video from the weekend too:
Thank you all. It's quite incredible what the stock CBR can do. Suspension is completely stock and I haven't serviced it yet, but this winter I will give it a bit of a refresh and see if it's worth buying an aftermarket rear shock, but till now I've had no issues. The stock Showa forks feel smoother and plusher than some Ohlins I've worked with. Minor damping and preload tweaks to make it a bit more stable for my weight (but no spring change front or rear) and I've never really had any big moments. At Anneau du Rhin I had my first front end moment, but I managed to save it with my arm. Otherwise the Pirellis have incredible grip and will likely not switch to another brand. The engine is the only thing which lacks a bit against the modern machines, otherwise it has no issues keeping up.
