Kiwi Biker forums - Blogs - scuzeme https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/blog.php/19558-scuzeme Kiwi Biker - New Zealand motorcycle community en Sun, 17 May 2026 04:52:42 GMT vBulletin 20 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/images/BP-Brown/misc/rss.jpg Kiwi Biker forums - Blogs - scuzeme https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/blog.php/19558-scuzeme Birth of an R6 Superstock #4 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1785-Birth-of-an-R6-Superstock-4 Wed, 27 Oct 2010 22:58:12 GMT Shit, August since my last blog but trying to settle into a new place and racing the last couple of rounds of the VMCC winter series has left me a little preoccupied, but I’m relieved to say that I have completed the build of my 2010 R6 into a racing machine. The goal is to race the Yamaha at the... Shit, August since my last blog but trying to settle into a new place and racing the last couple of rounds of the VMCC winter series has left me a little preoccupied, but I’m relieved to say that I have completed the build of my 2010 R6 into a racing machine.
The goal is to race the Yamaha at the 2011 nationals in the super stock class but I do have some club races coming up and have brought the bike up to a competitive specification by completing the following:
Full Graves’s titanium exhaust (stock headers to be installed for nationals competition), Power Commander V, Woodcraft handlebars, Full race fairings, Galfer braided brake lines, Scintered brake pads, Driven 520 conversion kit, Stomp tank grips, Dunlop GP211’s, Spectro platimum 4 fully synthetic oil
When you see the Super stock rules the bike is not compliant but I will make the modifications needed at Nationals time, at the moment I need to make the bike as competitive as I can for the Tri series and club racing where I will be competing with super sport spec bikes.
Chris Osborne was kind enough to dyno the bike and dial in the power commander for maximum HP throughout the rev range. Without giving exact figures the power commander give me close to a 5hp increase over and above the 2 to 3hp increase from the Graves exhaust system that’s 7 to 8hp above stock from bolt on parts! To say I’m happy with the hp output is an understatement I am confident that my R6 will be more than competitive against any other stock manufacturers machine and I think it would even be competitive in a super stock class.
The only thing left to do is some modifications to the front and rear suspension but this will need to be done during real time testing in conjunction with careful scrutiny of the new super stock rules.
Taking the bike out for a test after making the above modifications she was responsive and determined from about 4k rpm coming on song at 10k rpm unleashing gobs of power to redline at 16k rpm. The power commander has really smoothed out the power curve and I feel a real confidence about the power delivery and I think the Dyno Jet auto tuner which can tune “on the fly” or give you a comparison map based on data logging during your runs as an option over the stock map will also help when racing at different tracks at different elevations.
Budget? To get the bike to the current standard including two sets of fully painted race fairings and a brand new set of Dunlops...about $5000 add another $1500 for suspension modifications and sign writing, you be the judge in regards to whether its worth it.
I will continue to blog about my progress with the bike in regards to racing, please feel free to comment or if you are intending to put a bike together im happy to give advice based on my experience, Cheers and thanks for reading my blog.

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I have recevied a number of parts from overseas for the new bike during the long wait including, braided lines, Driven drive and final gears, Power commander 5 and auto tuner, i also have a full Graves titainium exhaust (but will only be able to use the carbon muffler at the nationals), KnN air filter and finally my fairings have arrived.
The next step is strip the new bike down, fit the fairings to make sure they sit properly and then get them off to the painter for a nice Yamaha 2 tone special finish, which will match me new Celtic leathers (i know rather squidy but need to look the part to represent Yamaha NZ). I have spoken with an exhaust specialist who will make up the new mid pipe to go between the header and end can.
We are allowed to make some changes to the suspension and im lucky i have atleast another spare stock suspension so i will need to send both rear shocks and the front forks to Robert Taylor who will be using my bike as a platform to optimise the stock Yamaha suspension for the Nationals.

Shit loads to do but i have relaxed my time line for a Tri series debut (i hope), at this stage the projected budget without including the cost of the bike or the new leathers is approximately $3500 and i estimate atleast another $1500 - $2000 if i include rear sets scintered brake pads frame protectors and suspension costs. I would sumise (at this stage) that the difference between setting up a Nationals competition 600 supersport bike against the costs of setting up a Superstock bike is about $10k less for the Superstock bike this is my opinion based on my own observations as ive been working through the process.

Hopefully my next blog will include some pictures :) ]]> scuzeme https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1672-Birth-of-an-R6-Super-Stock-3 Birth of an R6 Super Stock #2 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1557-Birth-of-an-R6-Super-Stock-2 Thu, 20 May 2010 08:15:59 GMT The Bike Arrives...
Picked up the bike rego'd and warranted from the boys at TSS Red Baron and wondered why i didnt get the white one HAHA, seriously the blue one looked cool so we got it in the van and i took it home.
In the mean time i had checked out the MNZ rules in regards to Super Stock setup and made a list of the changes i could do, they included the following:
Race fairing allowed,
Aftermaket rear sets allowed,
Braided brakelines allowed,
Removal of catalytic converter,
Installation of Mid pipe,
Introduction of aftermarket muffler,
Revalving of the front fork cartridges,
Introduction of aftermarket rear shock.

Had to wait 2 days before the weather was good enough to take the new R6 out for a spin and to be honest i wasnt looking forward to riding on the road having sold my 1098s a while ago as i had decided to give up road riding for track racing.
I had spoken to a few people about running the bike in and had various responses from ride it like you stole it to be a nanna for the first 1000kmh, the best advice i think i received was from Andrew Lawrence who said for the first 500 kmh do not use more than half throttle, rev it but only half throttle and do not load the engine too much.
Style wise there is not too much difference from the 09 model really just a longer muffler for better low end and mid range response.
Warming the bike up and hoping on i did a quick 50kms on the motorway using only half of the quarter throttle and taking the bike up to no more than 9000rpm.
The Bridge Stones are good tires but i did have a moment going round a roundabout i think it was a combination of new tires and a greasy road but the back did lose grip and started to come round to meet the front i just relaxed and the bike seemed to sort itself out, mental note to take it easy on the corners for this first ride.
The R6 was in a word smooth, very smooth actually, throttle response was instant and fluid and the engine wanted to take control and start breathing fire from about 8000rpm.
Front brakes felt a little spongy but i think that was just first ride settling in. As far as stability...the bike did not feel settled but i think its just a matter of dialing the suspension in and putting some nice Dunlop hoops on when the time comes.
Steering seemed so light compared to the 06 i mean really light, ergonomics are what im used to the seat still feels like a wooden plank but im ok with that because im not going to be doing too many long range runs or sight seeing tours on her :)

Im hoping i can put 500kms or more on the trip meter by the end of the weekend, i still havent ordered anything for the bike but theres still 3 weeks before round 2 so i have a little tine to get "Super stocked" up.
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]]> scuzeme https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1557-Birth-of-an-R6-Super-Stock-2 Birth of and R6 Superstock #1 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1556-Birth-of-and-R6-Superstock-1 Thu, 20 May 2010 03:56:05 GMT Most of you will know i had a season ending crash at Taupo last December, when i say season ending i was out of racing for 3 months on Doctors orders and missed the Tri Series, Taupo Endurance, PMCC and NZ Nationals. After alot of talking and thinking i decided that i would make the next NZ... Most of you will know i had a season ending crash at Taupo last December, when i say season ending i was out of racing for 3 months on Doctors orders and missed the Tri Series, Taupo Endurance, PMCC and NZ Nationals.
After alot of talking and thinking i decided that i would make the next NZ Nationals my ultimate goal and use the year to build up my race craft, riding skills and general fitness.
The biggest decision was do i compete in Super Sport or try the new Super Stock class, the new class meant getting a stock bike or in other words a new bike.
I know there was alot of speculation about what i was going to get to the point that atleast one time a complete stranger came up to me to ask what i was replacing my current R6 with.
Heres the inside story, i was going to get a brand new Honda at a racers deal price, the CBR 600 is an awesome bike that handles like a dream and seems so easy to ride but i was a little concerned at its lack of ponies, i had made some enquiries about getting a Kawasaki at the same time and liked the ZX6 for two reasons, reason 1 30mm front forks, reason 2 117hp!
After some discussions it seemed as though i would be able to get a racers deal on the new Kwaka but needed a dealership to buy the bike through that would be willing to pass on the savings from Kawasaki NZ.
On the day that i was going to see the guys at Motorad i decided out of courtesy to go see TSS Red Baron to tell them what i was doing, Stew and the crew at TSS has been very supportive looking after me and my bike needs for the last year or so. On talking to Stew he asked me if i would want to stay on a Yamaha and i said yes if the deal was competitive with what Honda or Kawasaki was offering.
Within 15 minutes i was presented with an awesome deal that allowed me to stay on the latest R6 which has always been known as a racers bike straight out of the crate with top end no other manufacturer can equal!
At this stage the bike was ordered and on its way from Yamaha NZ in the mean time i started looking at the new super stock rules to see what you could and couldnt do to the bike.

My next blog: the bike arrives..... ]]> scuzeme https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1556-Birth-of-and-R6-Superstock-1 Confessions of a 40 year old racer No# 8 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1153-Confessions-of-a-40-year-old-racer-No-8 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:57:58 GMT Well there you have it, my very first race series completed, heaps of thrills and a few spills but no broken bones thank God. This series has been a steep learning curve and an expensive one, all in all ive thoroughly enjoyed my time out there and cant wait for the next meeting on the race... Well there you have it, my very first race series completed, heaps of thrills and a few spills but no broken bones thank God.
This series has been a steep learning curve and an expensive one, all in all ive thoroughly enjoyed my time out there and cant wait for the next meeting on the race calender.
Its so seriously addictive once you get out there and start carving it up, and it becomes more so once you start out performing your rivals and friends and getting some good placings.
I have met people from a broad spectrum of life that come together over a single minded passion having fun but not without the odd drama that comes with adrenalin and av gas fuelled competition.
Some racers will just rock on up to the meetings and have a determined plonk other racers will use each meeting as another move in a very prolonged chess game, its all very fun to watch from in amongst it all.

Finally ive started to make some significant improvements especially in the last 2 rounds of the winter series and true to my individual form ive always been a slow starter. Sometimes its been frustrating watching my fellow competitors just seem to fly ahead and seamlessly melt lap times while I struggled to knock out an extra tenth of a second but like growing a beard sometimes it’s a matter of waiting.
I know im gunna get faster, it may not happen as fast as its happening to the next guy but its gunna happen.

Have you noticed that many racers do have a natural skill and they take to the track like a duck takes to water and they can ride the shit out of any piece of shit and make it work for them.
Then there’s guys like me that have a reasonable machine but no “off the bat natural talent”, guys like me have to use their brain, and maybe that’s the problem, we think too much instead of feeling it! I have learnt a hell of a lot this year, some of it has been good advice, some of it has been hit and miss but most of it has been just getting out on the track and doing it.

Racing aside the thing I think ive most enjoyed about the winter series is meeting people, being helped by people and helping people when I could.
I can honestly say that I haven’t met one person that I didn’t like this year in the scene, some of the top racers I have found a little stand offish but they must get sick of the noobs asking dumb questions and sniffing around their pits all the time.
I just want to say thanks again to everyone that gave me advice or lent a tool or a tyre or changed a tyre for me over the winter series its made me want to do the same for others, I understand what its like to start doing something being completely clueless standing around scratching your head LOL.

This is my last blog as a 40 year old racer because im now 1 year older.
All the best to all you racers for the future and see you out there for some exiting Christmas racing and up and coming events in the new year.

Cheers and peace out. ]]> scuzeme https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1153-Confessions-of-a-40-year-old-racer-No-8 Confessions of a 40 year old racer No#7 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1098-Confessions-of-a-40-year-old-racer-No-7 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 01:06:06 GMT Well another installment of my observations and experiences at club level racing hope you aint getting too bored with my ramblings. For those of you who don’t know VMCC Round 5 ended in a big “off” for me and although I walked away the same cannot be said for the Yamakazi which suffered quite... Well another installment of my observations and experiences at club level racing hope you aint getting too bored with my ramblings.
For those of you who don’t know VMCC Round 5 ended in a big “off” for me and although I walked away the same cannot be said for the Yamakazi which suffered quite substantial damage.
I remember when I started racing I was battling to get down under 1:22’s at Manfeild and now im knocking on the door of 1:13’s which brings me to this months observation: If your gunna get faster you better get smarter” that’s right, seriously speeding round a race track will inevitably thin out the gene pool if you don’t learn from your mistakes and assimilate vital knowledge and adapt your machine to the forces working for and against you when your racing.
How do I convey this? how I might explain and confer what happens as you get quicker? Ill ask you to picture a pyramid, the height of the pyramid donates speed, the width of the pyramid donates margin for error, so at the base of the pyramid at slower speeds you have quite a wide margin for error but as you get quicker that margin for error rapidly narrows.
All racers notice that as they get more track time, their lap times come down in quite good chunks, maybe they can make 1 or 2 second jumps, but you soon find out that these chunks get smaller and smaller the faster you go until your talking 10ths of a second.
A rider finds as he gets nearer the sharp end its not only about his ability and having no fear attitude, the fact is at some point if you want to get faster your going to need mechanical advice and componantry that will assist and enhance your natural or learned ability so that you can go faster.
Like I have touched on before you will at some stage hit a wall or platau then something will “click” in your head or you will adjust something on your machine like the suspension, tyre choice, clip on angle and be able to eek out another wafer thin slice off your best time.
Although I have not reached this pinnacle in my racing I can see where its going, there is a point where you will need to spend the big money on the bling stuff just to get a small edge on your competitors at the sharp end, you will need to get expert advice on set up, you will need to have some high end “stuff” to help make you go faster.
The more you head up the pyramid the less choices you have and the more precise and accurate you will need to be in everything from riding position to the engine components your using.
Having an ability and enhancing that ability with a high end machine is only one half of the coin, to go faster still and to go faster consistently requires both metal and physical toughness, at this point in my racing im finding the last races of the day the most gruelling you have to be 100% focussed on every part of the track and have a conditioned body that can hold its own in the latter parts of a race meeting, for a 40 year old this means exercise, eating properly and heaps of sleep Hmmmmm now where getting really serious.
The other point i want to touch on in regards to going faster and something that i experienced on a personal level in my last race is this well known saying "the faster you go the bigger the mess", i was saying to someone the other day that everytime i started feeling sorry for my self in regards to the condition of my race bike after the crash i immediately was reminded that i walked away injury free.
You can write off a bike, but if you write off your body your gunna wake up dead one day or in a wheel chair so i really have no reason to start sulking infact i should be celebrating i got off as lightly as i did.

The champions of our sport have the unique ability to ride at the top of the pyramid and regularly ride outside the margin for error and for their shear skill still hold it together. Its one thing to watch Craig, Hayden or Andrew from the side lines but to see what these guys are doing right infront of you would make you shake your head and blink your eyes in disbelief! these guys truly are natural talents combined with expertise and go fast technology but they too are striving to get ever faster and ever higher on the pyramid of speed, they are playing for higher stakes and i take my hat off to them.

Cheers and see you at round 6 (some feed back on these blogs would be great if you have the time or the inclination) ]]> scuzeme https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1098-Confessions-of-a-40-year-old-racer-No-7 Redline Track day with Fred Merkel Tuition Taupo September 17th https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1093-Redline-Track-day-with-Fred-Merkel-Tuition-Taupo-September-17th Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:46:19 GMT I had heard about a new “Open Track Day” format being launched by Redline Trackdays some time ago and decided that I would make some enquiries so I might experience how this new format was different to the standard type of track days. At this point let me just say that I do race and have been... I had heard about a new “Open Track Day” format being launched by Redline Trackdays some time ago and decided that I would make some enquiries so I might experience how this new format was different to the standard type of track days.

At this point let me just say that I do race and have been competing for about one year at club level starting in Clubmans and now competing in F2 and F1 races on my R6.

After Googling “Redline Trackday” I was pleasantly surprised to see a very professional website set up in an easy access format which explained that the Open Track Format meant exactly that! No groups, No time limit, No restrictions on passing and a chance to practice your race starts! Sounded like a racers track day dream. There was also an opportunity to get some tuition from 2 time World Superbike Champion and 3 x AMA Champion Freddy Merkel, I decided that it would be a great idea to get up to Taupo check out the new format first hand and get some training from a racing legend all in the one day.

I arrived at the Taupo Track in the morning with the sky promising a mostly fine day and got about setting up my bike in a garage of my choosing (the trackday fee includes your garage), it was nice to find myself setting up next to Tony Reece 2005 NZ SBK Champ! and some other very talented riders.

I found the Track day organizers to be friendly and approachable and the paddock was given plenty of time to sign in and get set up between 8am when the gates opened and 10am when we could go out and have a play right after the riders briefing.

I had seen Mr Merkel on a number of occasions in the pit areas during the VMCC Winter series but I was a little nervous about meeting him and being under his watchful and experienced eye, I need not have worried, after being introduced to Fred by Darrin Madgewick the Trackday organizer I felt immediately at ease by Fred’s relaxed and friendly manner, this guy is very down to earth and after a chat with me and the other two riders about what we wanted to get out of the days tuition, it was easy to see that Fred would quickly ascertain our individual skill levels and tailor the tuition to suit each of us.

Basically Fred’s approach was to take point duty and slowly familiarize us with the line he would then get us to take the lead one at a time, follow round behind us and come into the pit area for a debrief.

It was good to see that Fred recognized straightaway that he had three riders of very different skill levels and decided to split us up for a more one on one type tuition to give us all the most out of our time with him.

When it came to my turn Fred made it clear that it wasn’t about needing or trying to impress him (as if any of us could!) his words were “im looking for the smart rider not the fast rider”, we head out onto the track, Fred in front, and over the course of a few laps slowly pick up a moderate pace Fred rides the line he wants you to take and after every section looks back and does one of two things that made me chuckle to my self Fred turns around and gives me the Merkel Thumbs up which brings an instant grin or he turns around looks at you and turns back to continue through the next section my interpretation if he did this was “nope not quite right lets try it again”.

Coming down the back straight after more than a few laps and some consistent Merkel Thumbs up Fred waves me on to lead, I don’t know if it was just me but I immediately want to impress and pick up my pace and then I find myself looking back! “Why the heck am I doing this”, I ask myself, I can almost see Fred rolling his eyes Hahahaaaa. I slowly button off and try and concentrate on my line gradually getting faster, every so often Fred overtakes me under braking and holds my hand through the correct line then he waves me forward again.

My time with Fred consisted of this leading, showing the line, then me following until we were getting up to what was for me a fairly good pace.

After every session we would head back into the pit for a debrief, Fred was generous with affirmations that made my chest expand and had a non critical way of correcting which kept my feet firmly on the ground.

The format of the Redline Trackday allows you almost nonstop riding and I saw later from my onboard cam footage that it was easy to go out and ride hard out for 30 to 45 minutes at a time, by 2pm I was absolutely knackered and had to politely decline my turn with Fred in other words I got way more tuition than I expected and a lot more than I could handle, this is a testament to Fred’s conditioning as he who was out there all day.

For anyone contemplating this type of tuition let me just say, on the day, I knocked close to a whole second off my fastest race pace even though it seemed I was going slower!

Fred Merkel is a true gentlemen with a true passion for the track, its not hard to see why he has such huge respect from those that know him, this is the best training/tuition available and you can gain so much even if your not a racer.

I would encourage any one to get along to these “Open Track Days” especially if you are looking at competitive racing or just like riding fast with other fast riders, who knows you may even get to rub shoulders with Fred Merkel as he goes past! J

Thank you Redline Trackdays for a fantastic format and thank you Mr Merkel for making your knowledge and experience available to others that share the same passion. ]]> scuzeme https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1093-Redline-Track-day-with-Fred-Merkel-Tuition-Taupo-September-17th Confessions of a 40 year old racer No#6 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1043-Confessions-of-a-40-year-old-racer-No-6 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:33:47 GMT Well we now are looking back at round 4 of the 09 VMCC Winter Series, and the up and coming round 5 will mark 1 year of racing for Team Ginger Nuts, its gone extremely quick. I must give the big ups to Russell and Sue as they were instrumental in getting me on the starters grid at round 5 last... Well we now are looking back at round 4 of the 09 VMCC Winter Series, and the up and coming round 5 will mark 1 year of racing for Team Ginger Nuts, its gone extremely quick.
I must give the big ups to Russell and Sue as they were instrumental in getting me on the starters grid at round 5 last year, what a fantastic day coming away with the Clubmans B ribbon for the days racing an the biggest grin you have ever seen only to crash out and brake my arm at Round 6!
Almost a year on and I feel im only just now beginning to understand how to interperete my bike, my head and actually start strategizing my races.
Its taken this long for me to realize that its not all about being the fastest or the most skilled rider out there, you cannot rely on skill alone to win races there are many other contributing factors including a smart head, let me share my “Racers Epiphany” with you;

QUALIFYING is just as important as the race.
Ive recognized the importance of qualifying well in this last round, in past races I haven’t gone all out to get good grid position, but the fact is much of the days racing is determined by where you qualify, trying to pass bikes in front chews up your lap times and allows the guys a couple of bikes ahead to pull away out of striking distance quickly.
A good grid position tied to a great start can make your job a hell of a lot easier by the time the dust settles out of turn one, there’s nothing more frustrating than knowing your quicker than the guy two bikes infront when the guy one bike infront of you keeps blocking your lines.

PSYCHING out the competition really works.
Call it fun, jibbing or ribbing, intimidation or just plain bullying, playing with your competitors head does have an effect.
Coming round the left hand sweeper back onto the short track in qualifying J Galway cut up through the inside of me where there was no room it scared that shyte out of me.
Another rider came up beside me on the dummy grid leaned over me and did this really strange laugh lol almost like a taunt it weirded me out haha.
I myself started to give one of my racer mates the fingers each time I got infront of him all in good fun and we had a laugh but it must have been frustrating, psyching none the less.

RACE LINE offensive and defensive
When your in front you decide the line, so you can take the fastest line or block a good line or slow down to upset the tailing riders rhythm in the corner, the key is to keep your nose in front, the nose has the right of way, you can even stop faster riders from getting infront of you when you own the race line.
More experienced riders will know how to get round you just ask J Galway but the less experienced riders which may be faster will be held up to their detriment and your advantage.

One things for sure the faster you go the higher the stakes and the less margin for error. You have a long time to think when going round the left hand extension on the Manfeild long track, can I go a little faster? can I lean a little further? yes you can until your front wheel tucks 

Finally let me reiterate that’s this is my racing diary made up of my experiences and observations, the way I see it may not necessarily be the way it actually is so don’t be too hard on the old fella.

Cheers No# 75 ]]> scuzeme https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1043-Confessions-of-a-40-year-old-racer-No-6 Confessions of a 40 year old racer #5 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1006-Confessions-of-a-40-year-old-racer-5 Wed, 05 Aug 2009 22:46:52 GMT VMCC ROUND 4 Well another round behind us, VMCC Round 3 to be precise and it just seems to be a never ending money eating business this racing lark, ya might as well be stuffing $50’s into a meat grinder especially if your crasher from way back lol. If you want to be semi competitive a good... VMCC ROUND 4
Well another round behind us, VMCC Round 3 to be precise and it just seems to be a never ending money eating business this racing lark, ya might as well be stuffing $50’s into a meat grinder especially if your crasher from way back lol.
If you want to be semi competitive a good second hand last years nationals machine might set you back around 12K to 15k then there’s the spares like levers, clipons, rims fairings, rear sets another 3k, then there’s support gear like leathers, helmet, boots and gloves back protector stands, tyre warmers, tools, engine liquids, 3k to lets say 5k then there’s individual meeting costs like race fees, fuel, tires, transport, accommodation, meals lets say another 500 to 1.5k depending if your using new tires every round and depending on where the round is. Many do it for much less and some spend a lot more but you could easily and I say easily spend 30k which includes your bike in one race season, even with my machine and spares and tools and safety gear left out of the equation im still spending between $600 to $1200 per meeting depending on location a duration.
Interestingly money can buy you speed but not skill hehe and I see many guys going out investing in the latest suspension set up TTx this and TTx that expert technical analysis between races, rejet, diaphragm, spring size, rebound, tyre pressure, fuel weight blah blah blah all good then Craig Sheriffs goes out there on a stock Honda SBK and demolishes the field he’s not the only one that’s been out there stock machine carving it up there are a few others doing very well this winter series on stock set ups.
There are things we can do to make our bikes faster the cheapest thing would be for A LOT of us to go on a diet Hahhaa at club level you could invest big $$$ on ramping up the horse power.
My Yamaha is particularly fast all my ground is made up on the straights at the mo which I lose just as quickly round the corners, this is where suspension comes in, but what does high spec suspension really do for us? Well to put it simply and without getting too technical it does two things 1. It extends the boundaries of your bikes handling capabilities 2. It causes the bike to be more forgiving when you upset or extend its handling capabilities.
So this is where we reach a conundrum a paradox a catch 22 situation because we have a lot of people out there my self included that aren’t really pushing the envelope when it comes to handling but we have the bling suspension and we would probably go no slower on a stock setup but we think that because we have the Ohlin’s, WP etc that it will make us faster! Then we have the true experts who can go out there on stock suspension and still beat a very good rider on bling suspension.
An expensive high tech front and back end set up can make you brake later, carry more corner speed and lean angle and allow you to get the drive earlier but what a waste of money if your skill level isn’t up to the mark.
There certainly is a huge lack of knowledge and ignorance out there and when you can’t see the enemy the best option for a lot of us is the expensive scatter shot. By this is mean you may be having problems with a handing issue and because your stupid, impatient or just plain retarded you’ve decided to get the latest $2500.00 TTx shock that will “solve or your problems” that’s an expensive scatter shot! Have you set stock suspension you have? Hows your front and rear sag? What about your bikes general bike geometry? Hell why don’t you check your tyre pressures dude or maybe even look at your riding posture.
If you can get the fundamentals right, even general bike maintenance, you may be able to get more out of your machine without spending the $$ therefore making your racing season cheaper.

A two sides of the coin footnote:
VMCC Round 1- Slone Frost approached me after a practice session and talked to me about my riding position being too rigid, seems I was moving my upper body around but my arse was too planted on the seat, he told me to push my knee forward into the corner I was turning into and that this would help my lower body position.
I had been fighting with my bike for weeks it just didn’t want to turn in and every race was a physical battle, after putting his advice into practice the handling issue was 75% solved and I got a 2 second drop in lap times across the board.

VMCC Round 2 - Robert Taylor and Dennis spent 5 minutes in my pit discussing my bikes issues which included still fighting the front end a little a lack of confidence in the rear powering out of hairpin and tight corners after a few measurements and a couple of suspension adjustments I felt the that front end struggle was another 10% better and the rear was atleast 50% better this dropped me another second which put me in the 15’s around Manfield!

Please try the low tech options before you spend money on the high-tech options you may find out that you can go surprisingly faster for surprisingly less in the rounds ahead.
Sure a mod here and a mod there my give a rider a fraction of a second but who is the rider? it may give Hayden, Craig or Andrew 500ths of a second but these guys are at the top of there games, ive seen Hayden Fitzgerlad come through the 90 Degree corner at the far end of the long track at Manfield carrying so much speed that the whole bike is drifting out towards grass edge at the last millisecond he pops a wheelie so the front tyre rides across the air above the grass while he uses the rear to steer himself back onto the track! Truly the best bike handling ive ever seen in the flesh.
Dont be fooled by the tech talk, before you go and lavish out on some bike bling ask your self these questions:

1# Am i applying good bike racing fundamentals to my racing.
2# Have i done everything i can to maximize my bikes current setup.
3# Does my bike riding ability go beyond my bikes set up.
4# Have my laptimes stagnated or reached a plateau.

Cheers ]]> scuzeme https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/1006-Confessions-of-a-40-year-old-racer-5 Confessions of a 40 year old racer No#4 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/946-Confessions-of-a-40-year-old-racer-No-4 Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:18:43 GMT Pondering the scraps and leftovers of VMCC Winter Series Round 2 Manfield Long Track, I was left feeling somewhat empty and disappointed with my performance. I find race meets to be an emotional roller coaster for myself and most of my racing acquaintances for instance, do you remember the face of... Pondering the scraps and leftovers of VMCC Winter Series Round 2 Manfield Long Track, I was left feeling somewhat empty and disappointed with my performance.
I find race meets to be an emotional roller coaster for myself and most of my racing acquaintances for instance, do you remember the face of the guy that was faster than you the first time you bested him, do you remember how it felt when someone that was slower than you all of a sudden passes you and pulls away and there’s not a thing you can do to catch them.
I have finished a race feeling dejected riding into the pit area, stationing my bike and then crawling off to a dark corner to sulk, hahaha, and then in the very next race coming into pit lane with a grin wider than my helmet visor and strutting round all fired up dishing out my bragging rights to the vanquished (as humbly as I could of course).

Like most people that compete there is an inherent desire to “do well”, the motivations for wanting to “do well” are as many and varied as the different types of people that take up our sport.
Like I touched on in an earlier Blog we may want to do well prove the size of our gonadual stones haha but I think there are other deeper reasons for why we push ourselves to “do well”.
I think having “balls the size of Texas” is a contributing factor to how well you can do out there but I think that this really doesn’t come into play until the last 5% or even less, and it doesn’t mean a thing if you have the balls to brake later than the other guy and crash out!
Being the analytical always thinker that I am, I refuse to accept that someone is faster than me because they have a higher fear threshold (bigger balls than me) and instead have adopted the analytical view that there must be “other reasons” why they are faster, I think I know some of the reasons, more road/tracktime experience, better fitness, better perception, better equipment and setup or just plain old competitive aggression or maybe they just have a greater motivation to do well for some other reason that we can never understand or fathom.

Hmm back to motivations….my observation lately is that those of a similar skill, posting similar times and dicing closely in the races, generally gravitate towards one another and naturally you get these little cliques (im definitely not using this word in a bad sense), cliques that formulate in every class and around varying lap times.
There is social order in everything we establish and do, it has always been and will always be this way, even the rebels, rogues and loners deep down want to be accepted, want to be part of something and we constantly are looking at improving our place in the pecking order.
So maybe that’s one of my motivations, “to improve my place in the social pecking order” shit I hope im not that shallow….NAH I just wanna impress the girls! :Punk:

Cheers and see you at round 3 :done: ]]> scuzeme https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/946-Confessions-of-a-40-year-old-racer-No-4 Confessions of a 40 year old racer No#3 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/880-Confessions-of-a-40-year-old-racer-No-3 Tue, 02 Jun 2009 01:26:16 GMT Welcome to the third installment of my thoughts and experiences in the club level racing scene in New Zealand.

I wanna touch on "helpfulness to the helpless" which sometimes makes the helpless much more helpless, but thanks for your helpfulness anyway even though it didnt benefit me, infact i am now more confused then ever.

The first thing you wanna do when you get into this sport is “Learn” and it seems that every meeting i go to there is something new to “Learn”, im not talking about being given "The Learn" on the track, in other words having your arse thoroughly beaten by a good 5 to 10 seconds or more, im talking about...well you know spring rate, rebound damping, compression damping, tyres, tyre pressure, bike geometry, all the good stuff that completely fries your brain because your too dumb to understand it.

As with all confused noobster types we ask questions most of them are dumb questions and some times the questions we ask are not even the right questions but if we are lucky the dumb question we asked may just steer us along the path to ultimately asking the right question.
Asking the right question can be a major helpfulness to the helpless, putting forth the right question and receiving the right answer for you is sometimes a minor miracle bestowed from above in the form of some type of devine intervention.

There are a lot of people who have a lot to say and there are a lot less people out there that wont say much, in either group you will be lucky to find a few that really know what they are actually talking about.
Yes if your lucky you may find the right person who can give you the right advice, but if your really lucky (and buy them a latte’) they may give you the time to listen to your question and if your really really super lucky (or they think you’re a nice person) they may even decide to give you and your machine the time required to give you the right answer…are you following?

Just listening to any old advice from any old body can be confusing and dangerous in the extreme, just because someones fast or seems to know what they are talking about does not necessarily mean just that, in fact you can be blindingly fast and still know nothing…accept how to go fast.
Even the most helpful can sometimes lead us astray that we become even more helpless than we already were..was..were.

Heres my advice:
Ask yourself the question first and if you can answer it that’s a good start don’t bother anyone else cause they usually too busy anyway.
Ask the same question many times to many people youl be amazed at how many different answers you get (yeeeeeep helpfulness).
If the person replies with an answer don’t listen to them (helplessness dished by the helpfulnesses to the helpless)
If the person replies to your question with a question chances are they know their stuff and will lead you along a line of enquiry to get the actual right question out of you. Listen to THAT person! because they will probably have the right answer!

Cheers see you at round #2 where I will still be asking heaps of questions remember to answer me with a question. ]]> scuzeme https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/880-Confessions-of-a-40-year-old-racer-No-3 Confessions of a 40 year old racer No#2 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/806-Confessions-of-a-40-year-old-racer-No-2 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 03:37:31 GMT Well the VMCC Winter Series is about to start and this will be my first full series bar crashing and burning somewhere along the way which is.....always a possibility. On the subject of crashing on the track I have a relatively small catalogue of crashing to date, consisting of an over run and... Well the VMCC Winter Series is about to start and this will be my first full series bar crashing and burning somewhere along the way which is.....always a possibility.
On the subject of crashing on the track I have a relatively small catalogue of crashing to date, consisting of an over run and dumping into the gravel pit at Dunlop corner Manfield on my very first track day (this was because what was on the Speedo seemed a hell of a lot more interesting right up to the point where I ran off the track: Dumb arse) , a low side at turn 2 Taupo (cold tyres right out of the pit area: Dumb arse), a low side turn 1 Manfield followed by a low side on the hairpin at Manfield the very next day resulting in an arm brake (trying to lean it like the 125GP boys: Dumb arse ).
On each of these occasions I was always more worried about how my bike was and the cost to fix it before I even considered if I was still in one piece (its funny the things that go through your head in the time it takes for you to become disconnected from your bike at speed and standing up beside the track with your head hanging lowwwwww).
For me crashing the last few times has been just a basic lack of skill coupled with a complete lack of knowledge in regards to the machine and a few bad habits to boot, but it does seem as though its a little bit of a game of Russian Roulette at times - you take a corner same line same speed as the time before then before you know it your rolling/skidding/sliding across the track either following the trajectory of your bike or being chased by it!
Being a great rider gives you little immunity to crashing, if your pushing harder to get better in order to go faster then your always gunna be riding the razor blade.
Man those low sides and, God forbid, high sides just seem to come from no where at times.
I think it takes a really disciplined rider to develop their skills and gain ascendant knowledge of their machine and how it performs under many track and race day variables to lessen the chances of coming off and getting a slap up side the head by the black stuff.
The racer personality type is that of a risk taker and risk takers sometimes bite off my than they can chew, there will always be crashing just ask the Moto GP riders, these guys are the best in the world with the best equipment and support money can buy.
My hope for the winter series is that you and I crash less while trying to defy the laws of physics, my hope is that when the roulette wheel is given a spin and the marble lands on your number that you walk away from it a little wiser and not too much poorer.
If you’re a racer then you’re also a crasher so get used to it! ]]> scuzeme https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/806-Confessions-of-a-40-year-old-racer-No-2 Confessions of a 40 year old racer https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/777-Confessions-of-a-40-year-old-racer Sun, 12 Apr 2009 21:29:42 GMT Ok so ive had a go at this blog stuff/thing and given you all a piece of my mind not in the "im pissed off and angry" type of way but literally a piece of my mind which is a little scary because i am a little fucked in the head at times, 40 years of being a ginger and some of us get a slight inferiority complex hahaaaa anyway im putting myself out there.
My last blog as you know touched on a few things, envy, timing, the recipe for greatness and coming into the racing scene at "half past lunch" time in life terms and im happy that there were no negative comments, well no comments at all actually
My blog from now on is titled "Confessions of a 40 year old racer" and i will be recording a blog diary of my ongoing racing season the good the bad and the ugly.

Hold onto your hats you may be in for a rough ride.

Ladys in the Racing Scene
Ok im gunna cut right to the chase....men whether your a politically correct wanker or not we all cave men at the end of the day and cave men like to beat their man breasts, prove the size of their bollocks to the cave lassy's by competing against the other cavemen to bring home the biggest piece of proverbial mammoth bacon we can get our flint headed spears on.
My point is we all wanna show each other whose the man out there, we all wanna impress our wives, girlfriends and the ladies in general.
In general terms this racing thing has nothing to to do with the size of our bollocks and everything to do with making our bollocks seem a hell of a lot bigger than they really are...you know im right even if you dont have the bollocks to admit it.

Instant bollock deflating moment No#1:
Uggo the cave man has been out all day in the hot savanah heat whacking the head of a rather large prehistoric wooly mammoth finally beating said wooly mammoth into submission cutting a chuck of rump steak out of said woolly mammoth recovering the 3 foot long tusks to take home for bragging rights.
Uggo meets Blurgo on th way home who also bagged himself a wooly mammoth that day, Blurgos tusks are only 2 foot long, Uggo is feeling good under the weight of his expanding gonadual stones.
Uggo makes his way back to the cave village only to be confronted by a rather dishy cave women carrying a couple of 4 foot tasks across her shoulders, upon seeing this and comparing tusk sizes Uggos bollocks head north leaving two nostril shaped holes in the scrotal area you get the picture.

Instant bollock deflating moment No#2:
You are a racer or atleast one in our own head mate at the latest track day.
There you are on your 2009 CBR1000rr doing 1:35 laps round Manfeild, you da man hahaaahaa
Heading round the fast sweeper just before splash you see out of the corner of your peripheral another bike pulling alongside you and overtaking you on the inside as you enter splash.
A red haze forms around the sides of your vision for just a moment as the Gixer600k7 accelerates out of splash towards the hairpin.
All off a sudden you recognise the unmistakable form of a women infront of you and your heart skips a little faster the red mist now clouds your vision fully.
Slowly but ever increasingly she pulls away againing time and space on the first 3rd of every straight and in every entry and exit of evey corner.
You fell your heart sink and a sense of hopelessness drapes over you as the bike infront gets further and further away.
The chequered flag comes out and you pull into the pits, the girl that just kicked your arse pulls her helment off and as if it isnt enough that she has superior skills shes also drop gead gorgeous hahaahahaaaaaa.

Let me just say out loud what the inner caveman in each of us guys screams from within...
WE HATE BEING BEATEN BY GIRLS!

There ive said it, i know its true, the rest of you guys know is true and THEY KNOW ITS TRUE so stop pretending that your happy about it.
In all fairness if having girls on the track compels me to work harder to get better to go faster all power to them.

Cheers and peace out. ]]> scuzeme https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/777-Confessions-of-a-40-year-old-racer Its awesome when the planets align https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/730-Its-awesome-when-the-planets-align Fri, 27 Mar 2009 09:28:57 GMT I just wanted to touch on the club racing scene from my limited perspective in the very short time ive been involved. Just let me start by saying im an older rider by many racers point of view and considered still a young one by a few others, at 40 years of age married with three kids ill let you... I just wanted to touch on the club racing scene from my limited perspective in the very short time ive been involved.
Just let me start by saying im an older rider by many racers point of view and considered still a young one by a few others, at 40 years of age married with three kids ill let you form your own conclusion.

I really hate driving down the road only to have some beautiful red Porsce Carrera pull up next to me with a geriatric Abe Simpson type charactor sitting behind the steering wheel, i mean what is the guys problm, did his 100 year old wife just die and hes collected the life insurnace and is splurging out on his third midlife crisis? i think to myself what a waste of a great piece of machinery it should be me driving that. Then i pause and look within myself and think, it may have been his life long dream to own a car like that, he may have worked his arse off for many years to have the priviledge to drive that Porsce.

The truth is ,it is a rare thing when an individual can in some definitive way utilize some natural talent mixed with the vitality, beauty and passion of youth and also have the material means available to gather round them the technology machinery and external expertise that would allow them to rise out of the masses and become what we would call extrordinary, a freak, a universal Champion.

Its such a pity that there is an amazing mass of young talent out there in the racing scene that will probably miss the train in regards to meshing natural talent with the superior technological means to be able to nuture that seed of greatness.

Im sure some of those guys and girls would look at people like me and think look at Homer Simpson in his nice shiny leathers on that tricked out bike what a waste.
Well the great thing about passion is you can have it at 20 and it can still be there at 40 at 60 and even at 80!
Im sure youll still be able to kick my arse on that old VFR400 anyway!

Back to the racing scene, i just want to encourage anyone at any age or disposition that there is a place for you, i was considering racing but thinking i was just being stupid cause i was 39, when a chat with a 60+ guy at the top of the Rimatakas one Sunday afternoon conviced me that if he could do it at that time in his life, then i could, and i tell you what, im glad i did.

Ok some of us didnt focus the strength of our youth on the passion we have now but i know now that what i did focus on 20 years back has allowed me to be where im at today, the important thing is the passion for speed and competition is still alive in me so im gunna go for it and i encourage you young or old to do it to.

I dont look at the old codger in the red carrera quite the same way anymore instead of bagging him rolling my eyes and shaking my head i might give him a cheeky grin and the big thumbs up next time he pulls up beside me.

Cheers and Peace out. ]]> scuzeme https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/730-Its-awesome-when-the-planets-align