There was a make-up date last week (6/30) but I missed it due to work/family issues. Rats!

Here's my report for this week:

Got soaked heading up to the track last night. Got there around 6:30, hoping to make a handful of passes to help establish my dial-in but because of weather concerns, racing started EARLY. I made one preliminary pass, cut a new "personal best" light (0.024) and had the bike pop out of gear going into 2nd. Ended up with 12:94/108.39.

Figured that with the cooler temps things would be fast... so I set it at 12:26.

Went up to the line for the first round of elminations... dumped the clutch at around 6 grand, gave her a happy, honking fistful of throttle and proceeded to ride out a wild, fishtailing start! Unbeknownst to me, track conditions were VERY uneven - the left lane was so sticky threads of VHT pulled away from the soles of my feet... but NOT SO on the right! After violently snapping back into shape, I finally achieved FORWARD motion, running a dismal 13:227/109.660.

I immediately went back to the staging area to make some more time runs. The right lane sucked for me the rest of the night but I managed some halfway-acceptable times in the left lane. And I do mean "halfway" - best was a 12:539/109.66. Best 60' was 2.158, on the first lap of the evening.

I asked John what I should have done when the bike started getting out of shape... I guess the key is to stay steady on the throttle while finessing the back brake until things straighten out. We'll try that the next time.

Which will be next Wednesday, July 14!

Hope to see at least one other 'Rod out there!

I have only had that happen twice - my typical response is to get scared.....:) I had one swing almost 45 degrees..... after that always burn out - except the on time that cause the second break lose - you know if you are too far sideways that highside problem can occur - all I can say is old days dirtbike experience seems to provide some survival instints that work. 30 lbs tire pressure - good burn out - is all I know for preventing problems... KSP

LOL - the guy staging behind me was fully expecting to see me go over the bars! As the ass end swung from "6:00" to "5:00" and then "8:00", all I could think was, "I am NOT going to DROP this BIKE!"...

Was pretty mad at myself for allowing the situation to rattle me and screw up the rest of my runs. Oh well - it's a new week!!!

I am SO ready to get back out there! Is it Wednesday yet?

Kim - As a progress report on the chain setup that I installed last week = best 60 is currently at 1.67 - major improvement from 28 tooth that was a major improvement from 30 tooth (best around 1.9x but often over 2.x) - I wish that I would have done it a long time ago - consistency has also improved - getting deadly accurate. BTW - I had a rice rocket at a track in Nov and threw it into one of those fish tail events at 65MPH when I power shifted into 2nd (Fullthrottle fan the clutch shift). That scared the me. Next run I had an 805 light as I repeated :soft shift into second" as the lights dropped. Lost the race of course but I soft shifted nicely - and then power shifted into 3rd @ 100MPH - and broke her loose - holy ..... was very happy to put it on the trailer and take her home for the a long winter nap (and me and bike still in one piece). That experience has given me the ability at least at the only test and tune that I have run it this year to make a mid eleven bike with 150 RWHP - you want to talk bad 60s - equalyy bad 330 as my right hand refused to peg it in first - first pass @ 11.96 128MPH...... and that is why I race a VRod and not a rice rocket:) KSP

Also - the first race that I broke it lose bad - the guy I was racing was on a CBR 924 - he red lights - stands it up and passes me on one wheel before the eigth - and rides it all the way through the traps - @118MPH a bike and a half in front of me. BTW - I never recovered my ET on that night as my left hand went into the safety mode - (Subconscious - you won't do that again thing" and I almost gave up racing - went out and won the next event - went 17 wins out of 21 elliminations through the end of that year...... Hope you get the same effect.
KSP

OY! Those stories are prolly why I'm reeeely not in a hurry to bring the TLR up there - at least not without a stout wheelie bar.

Here's hoping that my hands have short memories... Now THAT would be a HAPPY ENDING!