New racer, have some questions, please help?

[tigertim20]

Hi. A friend and I have decided we will give bucket racing a go fo shits and giggles, however we have a few questions.
we have had a look through the rules, and havent found anything that blatantly answeres a few specific questions, so if you guys who already do this could advise, thatd be a great help. ok
1) restrictions on frame. can I use any frame I want, and can I modify the frame at will, and can I custom build a frame?

2) are leathers compulsory, or is cordura acceptable. Does it HAVE to be a one piece suit, or is two piece zipped together sufficient

3) I know this is a weird question, but can you shorten your forks, ie, cut them a bit shorter, dont ask why, its just a question we came up with!!

4) what are the limitations with tyre, are slicks allowed? or just normal road tyres

[hmurphy]

Hey, good on you for wanting to give it a go! Best thing you can do is head down to the track and watch a few races, meet people and see what it's all about. They will be more than happy to help out.

To answer some of your questions...:

1: Most frames are acceptable as far as I know. I have personally seen a fair amount of variety with frames, and I have seen a 125gp frame being used. So I would say it's fair to assume you can use whatever you think would suit you best.

2: I wouldn't recommend cordura for racing. Try and at least borrow some leathers. They aren't expensive and will do a MUCH better job of saving your skin. Also, 1 crash would see your cordura gear ready for the bin in even the smallest of slides. Invest in leathers! I used to use a 2 piece leather suit that zipped together and that's appropriate.

3: Yes I have seen this done. However it might not be all that necessary. Just feed your forks up through the triple tree a bit more. This will alter your rake though and will make turning into corners a bit quicker. However, it's the quickest way to do the job and a lot of people have done it. This is how mine is done.

4: SLICKS! Most people that I race with use 125gp slicks and they are awesome! They aren't necessary though if you just want to give it a go. Just make sure you have tires that are in good condition. When you start getting competitive then slicks are the best way to go. They mop up rider errors really well haha (I should know!).

Hope this helps, I'm no expert though so someone will surely be able to help you more than me.

[Yow Ling]

frames open
wheels and tyres open
engines must be derived from non competition bikes
there are engine capacity rules
suspension open, you can cut down the forks if you want
Leathers are manditory, 2 peice are ok

Start simple, borrow a bike or get a FXR, building a bike is a big project that may cause you to forget why you are doing this

[Henk]

Hamish and Yow Ling have covered off your questions nicely. The only thing I would add since you were asking about leathers is that you will also need a back protector on the safety gear front.

[Bert]

Henk is right about the extra safety gear.

it might also be useful to have a look at the following:

http://www.bucketracing.co.nz/rules.php?pg=rules
and
http://www.fxr150.co.nz/discussion/

both are great sites and offer lots of information to get you started. Also troll through this forum, there are lots of "I'm starting off" & "I need help" threads.

[Henk]

I'd also second YL idea on buy or borrow a bike.
I know at Mt Welly people thinking about having a go can usually have a go at the end of the day on a boriwed bike to see if it's really what they want to do.
Building from scratch is a major effort. An FXR is a super easy build.
Step one take stuff off.
Step two sky is the limit.

Wedging a donor engine into a frame is not a small undertaking and you may be sick ofthe whole process by the time you get it finished.

[tigertim20]

I'd also second YL idea on buy or borrow a bike.
I know at Mt Welly people thinking about having a go can usually have a go at the end of the day on a boriwed bike to see if it's really what they want to do.
Building from scratch is a major effort. An FXR is a super easy build.
Step one take stuff off.
Step two sky is the limit.

Wedging a donor engine into a frame is not a small undertaking and you may be sick ofthe whole process by the time you get it finished.

building is no issue, i own an engineering company :yes:

thanks for all th insight so far people!

[Skunk]

building is no issue, i own an engineering company :yes:

In that case I want to see pictures.

Of the bike.

[gatch]

building is no issue, i own an engineering company :yes:

Bastard !

I work for one and don't get alot of spare time to work on my project..