POST CLASSIC - 1989 Kawasaki ZXR750 H1
Yep, I converted my newly acquired ZXR750 to a part time postie race bike! (see attached photo that I took on friday)
What should have been a straight forward enough job was any thing but! Being an old bike, it pulled what I came to term "surprises" on me at seemingly every turn. I wont go into detail, but suffice to say It took 2 all nighters (this msg is sponsored by the energy drink "V") and only 4 combined hours sleep for the other 2 nights during the 4 day conversion process.
I felt behind the eight ball a bit not having been on a race track since early January, (reading all those taupo and puke race reports, bastards!) so I decided to rock up to the practice day on the Friday. I'd just unloaded the bikes and news came through that a car had just dropped oil around 80% of the track and as it was raining, was already 3 meters wide. They then closed the track for the day.
I'd not had a chance to even try my "guessed" jetting settings I had chosen. Great. I felt sorry for poos and othe rKB friend with him as they had ridden and driven up!
It was pissing down at home on the Saturday, so no jetting tryout on the local road either, better and better, not
After a positively luxurious 5 hours sleep, (I finished grooving the 9's intermediate tyres just before midnight Saturday night) I turn up at the track in 2nd position behind pole sitter Brent Finlay! It was about ten to seven. While sitting there waiting for the gates to open I find myself thinking "great, my build up to this consists of a Kiwi Biker road ride about 6 weeks ago, a couple of advanced road rider training sessions for some KB'ers and a bash at Taupo on the ZX9R early last January. So not the best preperation! "
I got out in the all in scrub session and the bike ran like a pig as soon as it hit the main jets, just the sort of stuff I wanted to iron out on the Friday Grrrr. So I do a plug chop and pull into the pits. I only have 2 races before mine to get it sorted, and they are only 6 lap races! I whip the tail section, seats and tank off and find number 3 spark plug is black. I suspected the vacuum seal. I remember a trick Richard taught me about sealing them with vasiline. I did not have any, so ... (close your eyes Richard) used some chain lube hehehe)
I just got her together before qualifying, straight away it was heaps better, the motor was hauling arse!
The track was real dirty from Fridays Oil spill mop up. The sweeper resembled a berm in places!!! It turns out I qualified on pole, so cool
RACE 1: I got a really crap start. My clutch on the bike at present is very marginal, it was telling me "abuse me and pay the price"
I was about 6th or 7th into the 1st corner. As soon as we hit the straights, the bike seemed to be losing power. I battled my way through to third and thats where I finished, I rode a lot harder than qualifying but was only 1 second a lap faster. hmmmm
Race 2: It had started to rain, I only had 3 races to swap to wet tyres, it was kind off on and off showers with patches of sun, in other words typical bloody winter Manfield! I went with a full wet frount and a intermediate rear I had finished grooving up that morning. (an old slick from the 9)
I only just made it out, with no warm up lap and I was starting on stone cold tyres!
I got away with loads of wheel spin, was about 6th into the 1st corner and got passed by a few people.
I started to get feeling from the tyres after a few laps and the intermediate rear was actually working quite well!
What a pity the motor wasn't!
You know something is up when you have to pass 400's under brakes and not so much under power lol.
I started to haul in the riders in front and worked myself into 2nd place and held that till the finish, the bike now sounding and going much worse.
Rain stopped play so there was no race three.
I did find out why the motor was running so badly. I took out the air filter and it had ripped right down the middle and the disintegrating foam rubber had been sucked into the carbs!
All considering I thought it was a OK debut on the 750. I'm looking forward to getting a new air filter, and finally getting the 17 year old shock rebuilt for the 1st time in it's life! I'm guessing there will be 2 seconds a lap right there.
A special thanks goes to Hewitt Motorcycles in Dannevirke. Matt, Aaron and Dave really came through for me, even when suppliers seemed to be stuffing up at every turn! I also got phone support/therapy sessions from Richard in Australia!
Current Position in Post Classic Senior Championship: 1ST
FORMULA ONE: Kawasaki 1998 ZX9R C1
In contrast to the 750, Richard has left me an incredible just add gas and ride package!
Qualifying: Straight away I felt real weird on it, just after stepping off the 750, the seat height is a lot taller, it is lighter and the bars are splayed really wide like a supermoto bike in an effort to give me as much leverage as possible to combat my fellow competitors late model hyper bikes.
Another thing I notice is how much dirtier the track is on the 170 hp ZX9R than the 100 hp 750. (err make todays 750 about 70 hp at best!)
It just spun up the back wheel so fast it was freaking me. where i had given it "heaps" on the 750, the 9 was spinning the tyre at less than 1/4 throttle.
I get stuck in traffic and slowly are coming to grips with the bike. I just get past the traffic and was busy putting down a "hot Lap" I got the dreaded blubble, blubber bluble, damn! I pulled into pit lane and quickly realized I had turned the fuel tap onto "on" and not "reserve" position like I thought!
I quiclky turned the tap on and shot back to the track, then got one more complete lap with traffic stopping any chance of said hot lap.
Franky, I never got that comfortable with the 9 and felt I had ridden like a Nana. Imagine my surprise to find I'd made it to 6th on the grid just a little over a second behind pole. A second row start!
I'd noticed the brakes were not that hot and looking at them in the pits I saw the right hand fork seal was a gonna. I cleaned it up as best I could and decided to just factor in some safety area under brakes, ride for points and keep an eye on things on a corner by corner basis!
Race 1: It started to just spit a little on the dummy grid. I prayed since I was on slicks! I got a pretty good start, for sure I could have holeshotted but got pinched out by two bikes in front and had to back off. Came into turn one in 4th, and made that 3rd before the left hander in the esses. Coming out the hairpin, 2nd place got thrown out of his seat, so took a easy scalp there. I started to pressure 1st place and mad e pass. Up till then I'd been able to gauge how wet the track was by looking for the tell tale trails the people in front start to leave when the moisture starts to build up. The moisture level varied from corner to corner, so that made for some fun.
If course once I was in frount I had to constantly feel and monitor traction. When the track is like that, once the rear lets go, the water droplets join up and it can get past the point of no return in a blink of an eye! I managed to pull a gap and hold it. The fork seal issue made it self known so i was pretty conservitive on the down graded brakes. I took it real easy on the last lap to make sure I "bought her home". It's the old cliche, to finish first, first you must finish!
I raced into the pits knowing I only had 3 shortened races to change the tyres. I had just got it done (thanks to a KB'er who took the rear wheel off for me) just as i was ready to roll out (5 tyres changes for this day!) they called the meeting off. In prior years, they would not have called the meeting off, I guess after last years tragedy safety is right at the top of the list. Though I was disapointed not to go out, I understand and respect the decision to call the meeting off.
Current Position in Superbike Championship: 1ST
I'd like to thank Richard Leong (Dickytoo) We are a small team that runs on pure passion, because it sure ain't money! We do not run on a shoe string budget, we run on a smell of a shoe string budget!
I've not had a new set of tyres on the bike for 4 years now, I cannot even remember what they feel like. So it's all on 2nd hand tyres (the poor old 750 gets hand me downs off hand me downs lol). It has taken Richard 5 years of HARD work to turn the bike from a disaster into a race winner (time frame due to lack of $$$ on my part)
Richard owns the bike and the van I use to transport it. I could simply not do it without you bro.
I reflect with some irony that I win it's first race after you have moved to Aussie!
Anyways. I dedicate this win to you bro, I really missed you today, even more as a friend than as a bloody good mechanic and....tyre changer!
A special thanks to BMW (Bloody Mad Woman) with her assistance in the pits today, your help was totally invaluable!
So all in all, A bloody awesome day at the office, I've come away with the lead in both championships.
Sure, I know next month will be a lot tougher, but the ZX9R is going pretty well, (this year we replaced the 7 race season old pistons!) so I do not plan to make it easy for the hordes of up and coming new riders.
I know this has been a long winded race report, it has been a hell of a week and I just wanted to get that lot of my chest!
I had a dude that works in the bike shop I support and he told me on friday, "This project (750) is doomed, why don't you call the Weekend off"
Quite often for me, the sweetest fruit of all is found upon conquering adversity. I call it "creating your own reality"
Cheers
Sugilite
PS: I'm going to sleep now, I may be some time!
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Originally Posted by Crasherfromwayback
. hopefully, i can arrange a trip back sometime soon.
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