SUZUKI GSX-R 1000

Eight weeks ago I sat slumped over in a hospital bed, keeled over in pain with an eight-inch incision in my abdomen. Life sucked. Not only was I in agony from having two feet of my intestines removed due to an obscure digestive tract infection, I was also utterly depressed because racing the Laguna Seca round of AMA Superbike on our project MotoUSA Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 – something we had planned for months – was now surely out of the question. There was no way I could go from laid up after a major surgery to racing Superbike with the best riders in the county in less than six weeks time. Or could I?

Road to Recovery...

The finished product, our MotoUSA project Yoshimura Suzuki ready to hit the track and go after professional racing glory for a very affordable price.

The realistic chances of it happening were slim to none, at
best, but at least I had a goal and reason to try and get well quickly. I’m pretty sure I heard my surgeon say that I “should theoretically be healed by then,” in regards to the AMA race, so down the hammer went.

For the next month I pushed with every bit of strength I had, and some I didn’t even know existed. The first two weeks were really rough, but once I was able to get up and start moving around my relatively-youthful (28 years old isn’t a kid but I’m not ‘old’ yet either) healing capabilities kicked into overdrive and almost overnight I was back to a somewhat normal life. But I was very weak; dropping down to under 120 lbs. Thankfully my girlfriend put the kitchen at our place on overdrive in an effort to fatten me up in as healthy of a way as possible. And it worked...

Now it was time to see if I could ride. A mere four weeks post surgery we headed out to Willow Springs for a hot day of testing with the Yosh team in the high desert. The final verdict: I could go fast, but only for three laps. This meant I had a week and a half to build my endurance from three laps to 23 laps. Talk about under the gun!

Another day of riding on a Suzuki 600 at Buttonwillow in the heat helped to up my endurance quite a bit and before I knew it we were driving up to Laguna Seca, ready to give this major undertaking a go. Even though I had no clue how I was going to do it, so many people had put so much time and effort into this that I had to at least give it a shot. What’s

Some of the updates for the third and final stage of the project Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 included an Ohlins 30mm cartridge fork kit and TTX rear shock.

the worst that can happen, right? Okay, let’s not go there. Anyhow, fingers crossed.

Spinnin' Wrenches...

Since our last installment (Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 Stage 2) Yoshimura’s David Tsai and crew hopped up the ride with full Ohlins suspension – 30mm fork cartridge kit and TTX rear shock – as well as customized the wiring harness to allow the use of new switch assemblies on each clip-on. These made controlling both fuel and traction control maps on the fly much easier and eliminates any unnecessary street functions (headlights, turn signals, etc). An adjustable, shorter-turn Motion Pro throttle assembly was put in place to try and force me to open the gas quicker, while we also reprogrammed the EM-Pro ECU’s traction control settings. We had found the ‘B’ mode to be the best in Stage 2, so we calibrated ‘A’ and ‘C’ to be much closer to that, making for smaller adjustments between the three, aiming to find an ideal setting for Laguna.

New rear-sets were installed, which featured larger heal guards as well as flat pegs with a bit more grip to them. These allowed for more feel and control. I’ve always been a very picky rider when it comes to hand and feet controls (just ask my crew…). If things aren’t just right I tend to focus a lot of my mental effort on it while riding, when I shouldn’t be. This is why it’s always paramount for me to get things just right. These new rear-sets allowed that to happen. Nothing was gained in terms of weight or performance with them; it was 100% rider preference. But in a game that is at least 80% mental, rider preference is paramount.

Brakes have continually been an issue for us on the GSX-R and after testing several set-ups at Willow we ended up reverting back to the stock rotors with Vesrah pads. This proved to be the best solution when it came to power and initial bite, though we weren’t able to do long runs due to my health so we really weren’t sure how they would last. A remote adjuster for the front lever was installed in case I did experience fade, which would come in extremely handy later on. Galfer pads and wave rotor were left in place out back, though we got rid of the steel-braided line we had put on in Stage 2 in favor of going back to the stock rubber unit. This was to reduce stopping power some as the steel-braided set-up was too powerful for my personal preference. I like to be able to stand on the pedal with some force and not worry about the back tire locking up too quickly.

The engine was freshened up to make sure everything was within spec and running in proper order, and in the process Yosh revitalized an additional two ponies from it – always a nice surprise – which put us approaching the 185 hp mark at the rear wheel; only a few down on the factory bikes of Tommy Hayden and Blake Young. Power wise I would have no

I also shaved some weight and received a couple new 'upgrades' so to speak for this final installment, though mine weren't the kinds that enhance performance – quite the opposite actually.

excuses. So with a freshened-up engine and all-new suspension and what we hoped was a better brake set-up, it was time to go racing!

Makin' it Happen...

Due to the MotoGP schedule playing first string and the AMA being the B-team, everything has to be done on the FIM and Dorna’s schedule. For this reason we had to wait until 4:10 p.m. on Friday before ever seeing the track. That meant sitting around for hours, then a manic 50 minutes of practice at the very end of the day. This would be followed by first qualifying Saturday morning, with second qualifying taking place later Saturday afternoon. A short warm-up was given to us Sunday morning and then we would end the event as the final race of the weekend. One practice, two qualifying sessions, a Sunday-morning warm-up and then the race – that was all the time on track that we got. Wham, bam, thank you ma’am. Without question the most limited professional race weekend I’ve even taken part in. Needless to say, we didn’t have much time to get things dialed in.

Friday practice was rough – to say the least. With the bike still set-up for Willow Springs – low in the back, high in the front and soft all around – we basically used the first practice to realize that Laguna is: A, tight and technical and B, not a thing like Willow! Problem was that I wasn’t aware of the Willow set-up still being on the bike, so I spent the entire session fighting this pig of a motorcycle, thinking it was my own physical weakness following surgery that was the limiting factor. I had assumed they put in a baseline Laguna set-up using some of the loads of data from one of their

Muscling a liter-bike around Laguna Seca isn't an easy task – especially a Superbike. Even more so a Superbike with a bit of a set-up issue. I found this out very quickly in first practice.

other riders from years past – something to get us in the ballpark. But you know what they say about assuming; I should have asked. After the session my arms were trembling and I seriously doubted that doing five laps was even possible, let alone 23. I could barely open a bottle of water and it took me 30 minutes to get out of my gear.

Thankfully after a meeting with David and a few of the other Yosh crew members we realized that the Willow setting was still in place and we immediately knew there was a major problem. Adding a large amount of rear pre-load and jacking up the ride height were the name of the game for Saturday, as well as turning fork pre-load in two turns to keep it from bottoming under braking with the additional weight we would be putting on the front end. Despite the radical changes I still went to bed very unsure. Was it really the bike or was I just that weak? Would a simple set-up change make that big of a difference? First qualifying on Saturday morning would quickly give us an answer.

A rough and tumble night in bed (not in a good way, either) set things up for what could have been a terrible Saturday. Was I going to be able to ride 23 laps? Was I going to go fast enough to make the grid? The 107% cut-off for Superbike is far tougher than most think and quite a bit harder than the 110% used in the support races. With the front runners doing 1:24s, to qualify a sub-1:30 would be needed. To put that in perspective, the front runners in the Daytona SportBike race only do 1:28s. On a track like Laguna where the big bikes don’t gain much of an advantage on the 600s, doing a 1:29 isn’t easy. Trust me!

First session on Friday I felt like I was giving it 110% and my best was a 1:32-something. Yikes. I knew I had more in the tank, though, as I’ve been around Laguna on a 600 in the past doing low 29s and even a few high 28s. I had originally set my sights on some 27s, or even a couple 26s, coming into the weekend, but with the limited set-up time and our rough start, just getting into the field and running some consistent 28s would make the weekend a success at this point.

Racing in front of the world at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca: Priceless.

Qualifying Time...

Saturday’s first qualifying was the real moment of truth. My first laps out of the pits quickly showed us how far off the previous set-up had been: 1:30.5, 1:30.1, 1:29.6... Nearly three seconds disappeared right away, all with a great deal more ease. I proceeded to stay out for an additional five laps, all in the 1:29s, barely breaking a sweat. The changes were night and day different – all of the sudden this was starting to look possible. We made a couple more suspension changes, dropping another tenth without pushing very hard. Little did I know it, but I was actually starting to have fun. And typically with fun comes speed.

The pace really picked up the next stint out when Ben Bostrom gave me a great tow. As I exited Turn 2 on my second lap I saw Ben coming out of the pits. I had already messed that lap up going over the crest of Turn 1, so instead of possibly getting in his way I slowed down and let him past. He wasn’t quite up to speed yet so I tucked in behind, actually closing back up on his rear tire. After a couple corners of him glancing back at me glued to his Pat Clark Yamaha’s exhaust, he took a long look over his shoulder and motioned with his head to tuck in and follow. And when Ben Bostrom offers you a lap at speed to follow, in qualifying nonetheless, you damn well better take it. Not sure how many people he’d do that for, though it doesn’t hurt he’s a close friend and wasn’t exactly worried about me knocking him off of pole position.

Hey Ben, thanks for that tow in qualifying!

For the rest of his warm-up lap I stayed glued to his rear Dunlop slick as he was just getting up to speed. But coming out of the final corner I could visually see his body position get more aggressive and his head tuck tightly under the windscreen. I did the same. Time to see how we stacked up to one of the world’s best around his home track; this should be no sweat.

He gapped me ever so slightly over the top of Turn 1, though the gap then surprisingly stayed almost exactly the same though the infield and up to Turn 5. In fact, by the halfway point of the lap he had only gained a three or four bike-length advantage. But this was the best lap I had done all weekend – by a long margin – and I wasn’t letting up.

This was shaping up to be a blistering lap; by my standards especially. My brain and body were on the ragged edged, yet the bike was still very composed and in-line, which made things much easier. He did pull me by a few tenths going through Turn 6 and on the run up to the Corkscrew. I followed that up by making a small mistake coming down Rainey Curve, running a bit wide mid-corner due to my heightened pace, losing a couple additional bike-lengths. But coming out of Turn 10 and into the final corner I realized that he had only pulled me by roughly two seconds over the course of the entire lap, maybe even less. I stayed far closer to him than I had expected. Now all I had to do was nail the last corner and get a good drive onto the front straight and a promising grid position was right there for the taking.

Much of our practice and qualifying time was spent fixing shifting gremlins, which kept us from really getting the bike's set-up dialed in. Thankfully after our major change Friday evening it was relatively close.

Too bad entering the final corner, while trying to downshift into first gear, the Suzuki slipped into a false neutral! Quickly pulling the clutch in and hammering on both brakes, it was everything I could do to keep it on track. Scary – oh yeah. Dangerous – a bit. Pissed off – like you wouldn’t believe! Angrily I continued on, trying to ride away the rage. Problem was, it happened the next two laps in succession, causing real reason of concern. I pulled in and we parked it for the session. We had another round of qualifying in the afternoon, giving us a few hours to try and fix it. Oh yeah, my combined best time from the session, using the first three splits from that lap and my best final split from an earlier lap – 1:27.94! Son of a… Luckily another session in the afternoon gave us time to work on a cure.

We continued to struggle a bit with brake fade as well, so in between sessions they re-bled the front lines and changed one of the inner shift mechanism bolts, which they thought could be causing the false neutral problem. Some additional suspension changes -- adding pre-load in the front to combat bottoming under hard braking and giving it a couple millimeters of additional ride height to quicken the steering up further -- were also implemented for the afternoon qualifying session, which would be our final shot at improving our grid position.

Final qualifying started off well. We went out and by the end of the first six-lap run were at a 1:29.2, without a tow of any kind. The suspension changes helped so we bolted on a new rear slick and set out for a quick time. After a couple warm-up laps in the low 29s, Jason Pridmore came by, passing me going up the hill over Turn 1. Perfect for a tow. So I tucked in and away we went. He gained slightly in the back section where I continued to struggle a bit, but I stayed right on him. It was shaping up to be a good one when it dropped into another false neutral going into Turn 11. Not again!

I stayed out to see what would happen and it continued, this time off and on, for the rest of my stint. I did eight or nine laps and of those it dropped into neutral going into the final corner four more times. Not conducive to doing a fast lap. At that point I knew using first gear was out of the question, so I tired running second out of the final corner for a handful of laps, though it would bog heavily and the drive onto the straight was sacrificed enough that I wasn’t able to improve my time. Not to mention it hit another neutral going into second gear for Turn 5, so we knew it was getting worse. A 1:29.2 ended up being our best lap of the day; not what we were hoping for. At least we were in the field by a healthy margin, ending up 20th on the grid – outside of row five.

But our big problem remained the transmission. If it were to keep falling into false neutrals the bike wouldn’t only be hard to ride, it could be quite dangerous. Last thing we wanted turn this project into was a rolling cannonball, which is what it effectively would be if we were to hit a false neutral in the opening couple laps when the pack was still closely knit. So the boys went back to work trying to find a cure, while I tried to get some rest. At least we had a morning warm-up to find out if we had the problem fixed and it was safe enough to race. Wait, never mind…

We thought we had everything fixed Saturday night and were ready to test it out Sunday morning; until fog caused the session to be cancelled, leaving us with only a very short 10-minute warm-up immediately before the race. Not only did it have us guessing going into the race, but it was very taxing, both mentally and physically.

Dense fog pushed the schedule back and as we approached MotoGP’s practice it was announced our warm-up would be scrapped. They said they would try and give us a couple minutes right before the race, but not to hold our breaths and to plan on just lining up at 3:45 p.m. to race. One of Hayden’s crew members came over to lend a hand and noticed our shift linkage was at a bit of a strange angle, so he gave them an updated upper arm linkage assembly, to give it a more positive angle. I had been fighting against the grain to a degree to get it to shift, something they had issues with last year, which can be hard on the transmission. Our solution no doubt fixed the sifting action, but had any permanent internal transmission damage been done? We no longer had a morning warm-up to find out.

The Race...
As it turns out they were able to give us a quick 10-minute warm-up right before our race. We literally went out for a practice, rolled onto pit lane for five minutes to change the rear tire, then right back out to line up for the race. The bike definitely shifted better during the warm-up, but I could still feel quite a bit of play in the lever when shifting. And I only got three laps, so making a definitive decision was tough. To race or not to race? ‘We’re here and it worked for those three laps, so let’s give it a shot!’ I thought to myself as they make the two-minute call to grid. I figured if it started acting up I would call it a day. But we had come this far and worked so hard and to not even start due to what may or may not go wrong would have been heartbreaking. Off to the starting grid we went. No time to think, just race!

It was then that I realized just how many people were there. They said something like 50,000 that day, but it looked like triple that as I rolled around on the parade lap. Up until this point I had been so focused on track that I hadn’t taken a

Eight weeks ago, laid up in a hospital bed, I never would have thought our Laguna Seca project bike race could have happened. As it turns out we were able to pull it off, just barely, and what an amazing experience it was!

second to look around. Utterly unreal! But as quick as that thought entered my mind it was gone. Down snapped the helmet visor. I didn’t have time to lollygag around. It was time to go racing.

I had told myself to take it easy on the first lap and feel out the transmission. That idea lasted about half the warm-up lap before it was relegated to the sensible half of my brain, the half that I then shut off. Don’t worry; I turned it back on – just not for another 50 minutes or so. Let’s be honest, it’s just not very conducive to 23 laps of bar-to-bar racing.

We all lined up, the marshals walked off and the red starting-light lit up. In roughly eight to 10 seconds the light would go out and a wild pack of 26 Superbikes, making over 5000 horsepower, would jockey for the same 40-foot-wide piece of asphalt in Turn 2 (Turn 1 is basically a wide open kink over the crest of the hill on the front straight – not much of a corner). The start of a Superbike race, especially when the grid is full, is closest thing to controlled explosion on two wheels one could ever experience. But as the engine revs built up and I hunkered down, ready to attack the split-second that light went out, everything got strangely silent. This weird sense of calm came over me, almost as if everything was in slow-motion. So slow, in fact, I thought I botched the start. That was until I realized I had just motored past my entire row and half of the one in front of me. And I hadn’t even shifted into second gear.

Everything then came rushing back into real-time speed as we accelerated over the hill, now stuck directly in the middle of the nearly 30-rider grid, jostling for position with guys on either bar-end. I’ve got to admit, the rush was so intense that I broke sooner than I should have into Turn 2 and dropped back a couple spots as the field bent around the corner in a single-file line – well, for the most part. Eric Bostrom had run wide and nearly gone off track, slotting back in directly in front of me. That was a close call! Everyone thankfully made it though unscathed – if only just. But then that’s what racing is all about. He who rides closes to the ragged edged for the longest typically finishes the highest up the order. If they have competitive equipment, that is.

In the heat of battle with local NorCal fast-guy Hawk Mazzotta at the beginning of the race.

And competitive equipment is exactly what we had. While we struggled some with outright brake power and fading in practice, they held solid for the race. Could have still used a bit more power, but considering it was stock calipers and rotors, they did well. As for the engine, we were right on point. When following Bostrom his Yamaha maybe had a bit of bottom-end on us, but up top I would actually pull some of the gap back. Same was true for other factory and factory-supported Suzukis I got behind. If there was one area I definitely didn’t need improvement it was power – and to say that in a class like Superbike is pretty impressive. Especially considering you can lease that same engine for $1500 a weekend. That’s a steal for any privateer looking to make a showing in Superbike.

Chassis-wise the Ohlins suspension and Dunlop slick tire combination made for some of the biggest lean-angles I’ve ever had the pleasure of exploiting from a 1000cc production-based motorcycle. Considering the suspension outers have to remain OE and the frames are totally stock, to be able to achieve those levels of corner speed was enough that it took awhile to get my head around. Don’t get me wrong – 1000s are still all about slamming on the binders, throwing it on its side, and then picking it up as fast as possible to try and get the throttle open quickly as you can. Easier said than done, though, especially on a 185-horsepower literbike.

That was exactly what I was attempting to do better than those around me as we engaged in wheel-to-wheel battle at the tail end of the top-15. Brian Parriott on an Aprilia RSV4R and Suzuki-mounted riders Chris Siebenhaar and Skip Salenius and myself were quickly part of our own fast-paced, tire-spinning race within a race. I had a feeling this would be the case before we even started as we all had qualified within a couple tenths of each other. And that’s exactly how things panned out from Lap 3 onward as we got into the meat of the race. And it was a blast.

Big thanks to the MotoUSA Yoshimura Suzuki team (from left): Voice of reason/girlfriend/umbrella girl Angela Guerrero; mechanic Kenny Ito; rider/author Atlas; mechanic/truck driver Kory Ellis; and team leader/mechanic/do-it-all guy David Tsai.

For one of the first times in my racing career I actually found myself smiling instead of riding in anger. I knew we had 23 laps of this and if I didn’t make it fun then it would drag on forever. This went on for a handful laps, a massive smile plastered across my face around every corner and down each straight. That is until Parriott passed me back. The red mist came flooding back and the typical racing anger returned. Rather quickly. Brian then got around Skip as well and set off after Chris at the front of our tightly-knit pack. I was now at the back of the group and started to formulate a plan. No one was getting away and I realized that I could easily sit at the back without pounding on my tires very hard.

It was actually quite easy to keep the consistent pace of 28s and 29s that we were doing. This when I told myself that as long as no one at the front of the pack started to get away, that I would hang tight until the last five laps. Brain and Chris were swapping position and making some small mistakes and I could tell they were pushing hard. I had a perfect plan of attack. The problem with perfect plans is that they never turn out perfectly. Most of the time, in fact, they don’t really turn out at all. And this was exactly what happened on Lap 14.

The shifting gremlins returned. I hit a few more false neutrals going into the final corner, causing me to lose touch with the pack. I eventually had to just stop using first gear again to bring it home. At that point it became a game of survival. Go fast enough to maintain my top-20 position but don’t push too hard and risk crashing. Besides a small moment in Turn 5 when I about Pedrosa-ed it, that plan worked out and we brought it home 19th.

Do I think a top-15 would have been possible had things gone a bit smoother? Sure. But that’s all part of the game. We had pulled it off. We put it in the show and finished in a respectable position in my first career Superbike race on a very affordable, production-based Suzuki, all six weeks-and-one-day after major surgery. And to do it in front of 55,000 fans was an experience I will never forget. In fact, it’s an experience I’m already trying to find a way to replicate again next year. Only this time I might skip the whole having my intestines removed part. Despite the weight advantage, I wouldn’t recommend it. 

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KAWASAKI ZX-6 R

Looking to take your riding skill set to the next level? Racing with WSMC is an excellent option.

For the final phase of our 2009 Kawasaki ZX-6R Project Bike we returned to the the racetrack, this time at The Fastest Road in the West aka the 2.5-mile Big Track at Willow Springs International Raceway. The occasion was the third round of the Willow Springs Motorcycle Club (WSMC) road racing series. After all, what better way to evaluate the track worthiness of our project bike than to race it?

Performance Upgrades Recap

In Phase 1 of our review we hit our 2009 Supersport Shootout VII winner with a LeoVince SBK Factory Race Exhaust System and paired it with Dynojet’s Power Commander 5 with Auto Tune functionality. Not only did this combo give us almost 10% more engine power it shed nearly 20-pounds.

Phase 2 consisted of transforming it into a full-on track bike by fitting Hot Bodies Racing bodywork sprayed by Southern Oregon’s Cutting Edge Illusions and a Zero Gravity Double Bubble windshield. Next we enlisted the help of the beyond talented guys at Catalyst Reaction Suspension Tuning. There Dave Moss and Co. re-valved the OE Showa shock. They also filled the fork and shock with heavier weight suspension fluid and adjusted the preload and clickers for optimum suspension performance on the racetrack.

For Phase 3 we changed the final drive gearing with a pair of Sunstar sprockets spun on a RK chain. The bike was geared down for quicker acceleration which is ideal for smaller racetracks like Pahrump and the Streets at Willow Springs. We also mounted a set of Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa DOT-label racing tires so we had the grip to rip around the aforementioned racetracks.

Personalization of hand and foot controls was up next in Phase 4. We acquired handlebars, levers, and rearsets from Vortex Racing which allowed customization of the riding position to individual preferences. The front brake set-up was also massaged by adding a pair of Braking brake discs with matching pads and Goodridge stainless-steel brake lines.

Off to the Races

Whether you’re an experienced road racing bounty hunter or a rookie looking to experience the high-speed thrill of motorcycle road racing, WSMC is an excellent organization to do it with. WSMC runs exclusively at Willow Springs International Raceway located in Southern California’s high desert. The 11-race season begins in January with races held each month until the season finale in November. There are a multitude of classes for all types and sizes of motorcycles—ranging from obscure vintage machines all the way up to modern superbikes.

(Above) For the final phase of our 2009 Kawasaki ZX-6R Project Bike we brought it to Willows Springs to race with WSMC. (Below) Regardless of the type of bike you ride there is a class for you to compete in at WSMC.

Having already removed all street equipment and fitted Hot Bodies racing bodywork with mandatory fluid-catching belly pan per WSMC rules in Phase 2, our bike was almost race-ready. The only other modifications necessary was the replacement of the engine’s coolant with straight water and safety wiring a few key components including the axle nuts, fork pinch and brake caliper bolts, oil/coolant hoses and drain plugs. Lastly we fitted my ‘379’ competition number on the front and rear bodywork.

With our ZX-6R now legal for competition we made three last adjustments before hitting the racetrack. First, we replaced the Vortex shorty-style handlebar levers for standard Kawasaki pieces due to personal preference. Next the final drive gearing was modified by swapping out the 45-tooth rear sprocket installed in Phase III for a smaller 41-tooth sprocket. This compromises acceleration for higher top speed which is necessary due to nearly constant triple-digit speed demands of the Big Track.

We also visited the guys at CT Racing, Pirelli’s official track vendor, where they mounted a set of Pirelli Diablo Superbike racing slicks in sizes 120/70-17 for the front wheel ($190) and 190/60-17 for the rear rim ($245). The reason slicks were selected as opposed to DOTs was purely an economic one as slicks have a tendency to last longer than a treaded tire, thereby reducing the cost of racing. I was also anxious to try out the rear tire, as it is all-new construction said to blow the doors off competition in terms of outright grip and wear.

Considering the limited amount of time spent aboard our Kawasaki Project Bike around Big Willow, I opted to arrive a day early to participate in Friday’s TrackDaz trackday. The fee to ride is only $125 and it’s a great opportunity to receive extra seat time in preparation for Sunday’s races. Like always everyone got plenty of track time and the day went off without any problems, despite the occasional crash and associated clean-up.

For the weekend I was fortunate to have the uber talented hands of former AMA Superbike factory wrench Joey Lombardo at my disposal. Joey has worked with some of road racings past and present heavy hitters including Miguel Duhamel and the brothers Hayden. Since, he has joined Kawasaki’s Tech Services department, the dedicated guys and gals who are in charge of making sure all of its press motorcycles are in perfect mechanical shape whenever guys like me need to use them for a review. And for this weekend, he’d be at my disposal meaning that all I had to do is race, just like a factory rider. Jeez, does it get any better than this? 

(Above) When the Pirelli Diablo Superbike slicks are brand new, even the Kawasaki’s 110-plus horsepower engine doesn’t have enough power to get the rear tire to break traction. The rear tire has that much grip!  (Middle) Fast guy Curtis Adams gives Adam some tips in between practice Saturday at Willow Springs. (Below) Grip, grip, and more grip. Without question Pirelli’s freshly redesigned rear tire delivers the most amount of outright grip I’ve ever experienced.

First thing Saturday morning I hit the registration office to make sure my racing license was in order and to sign-up for Saturday’s practice and Sunday’s races. I chose to race in Formula 2, 600 Mod Prod, and 650 Superbike—all classes which allow you to run non-DOT tires. All said and done it cost $120 for the competition license (valid thru the last race of the season), $80 for all-day Saturday practice, $180 for the three races, and $10 for the starting practice in which riders line up on the grid for a mock start upon the conclusion of Saturday practice. After that I got my tech slip and it was off to tech inspection.

Before riding on track, WSMC requires you take your racebike through tech inspection to ensure that it’s safe to ride. Before inspection you are to remove the bike’s belly pan so the inspector can better see if everything is in order. If you’ve done all the work properly and your bike is clean and in good mechanical order, tech is an absolutely painless exercise, if you haven’t, well, consider yourself warned…

Saturday practice is split into groups based by lap time. Since I haven’t been able to lap below the 1:30 mark consistently I was relegated to practice in the ‘B’ group. For the most part practice went well, however it seems that the vast majority of racers are shoehorned into this group which makes it hard to get any clean laps making it feel like ‘passing practice.’ Nonetheless any practice is good practice and I was able to get more comfortable on the bike and work on specific sections of the track that always give my brain trouble i.e. Turns 1, 8, and 9.

In between practices I was able to consult with local fast guy Curtis Adams. He gave me a few key tips in regards to where you need to slow down in order to set-up in preparation of rocketing through some of the key fast sections of the track. Willow is definitely a tricky, ‘locals only’ track so it helps to get some insight from a guy like Adams who really knows a thing or two about riding a bike competitively here.

Even after two full days of ripping around Willow, the Pirelli slicks we ran were still in decent shape (we did flip the rear tire at the end of the first day due to the enormous amount of heat generated in Turn 8 and 9). There wasn’t any unusual wear or tearing of any kind which signals that the suspension was adjusted properly and working optimally. Again, this is due to the diligent work put in by Catalyst Reaction Suspension Tuning.

Race Day

On race day each group gets two quick practice sessions. After practice concludes there is a mandatory riders meeting then it’s time to race. In between practice and the races, my man Joey fitted a fresh set of Pirelli slicks then checked over the bike making sure everything was good to go. With the tire warmers plugged-in and the bike fueled up, it was now time to hurry up and wait… 

Part of the racing game involves waiting. Here Waheed waits it out the best way he knows how using a Bridgestone tire as a pillow.

One of the cool and not so cool things about WSMC is its exorbitant number of racing classes. While this is great for the sport by allowing everyone a class to compete in, it also makes for really long days with in excess of 16 race starts all happening in one day! Luckily, my races were clumped together towards the end of the day so at least I wouldn’t have to race, then wait, then race again. I always hate that.

At the beginning of the day I wasn’t at all nervous but as I prepared to suit up in preparation for my 8-lap races, the pre-race butterflies started to come. It’s the exact feeling I get prior to the start of any type of competition I’ve been in whether it be on a dirt bike, pedal bike, or a simple foot race in grade school. And contrary to most I actually totally live for that quasi ‘oh my God, I’m going to die’ feeling as it makes me feel alive.

A few seconds after the announcer blasts “final call Formula 2,” Joey peels off the tire warmers. Just to be sure I touch them before putting on my gloves, and yes, they’re piping hot. After scrubbing in the tires and getting them fully up to temperature on the warm-up lap it was now time for business.

The starting grid is arranged based on points stemming from each racer’s results that season. Being that I had never raced with WSMC and had zero points I was relegated to the back. Throughout the weekend Joey had given me all kinds of useful nuggets of race craft. One tip that I found especially funny and that I hoped to put to use was during the start when he recommended getting to the side immediately and driving around everyone from the outside. When the green flag dropped I got a decent jump but for some reason I prematurely up-shifted into second gear so the effects of my handy clutch work was negated.

(Above) Waheed battles with the 741 machine of Sander Donkers in Formula 2. (Middle) Waheed attempts to serve it up CT Racing-style at WSMC. (Below) Team Hewitt’s Stephen Hewitt closes in on Waheed in the Formula 2 race.

Having not experienced the chaos that is Turn 1 of a motorcycle road race in nearly a decade I was tentative and nearly dead last as all 11 of us poured into the first corner. I made a pass at the exit of Turn 1 then another as we funneled into Turn 2 and right then I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

The six guys in front of me had their bikes leaned over so far that I thought they were going to slide out and crash. In fact I was right behind one of them and I specifically remember thinking that if that guy crashed I would run right over him. In fact, I assumed that I had the bike so far leaned over that it was going to slide out from underneath me. But it didn’t—not even close—a testament to the insane Velcro-like grip afforded by Pirelli’s Diablo Superbike slicks.

Recognizing that I’m a pretty conservative braker, I made sure to stay on the inside to prevent being passed as we made our way into Turn 3. Without a doubt I’m way more comfortable through slower speed sections of the track than faster ones. For some reason I can’t get the same feeling from the bike. That being said, the part of Big Willow that I feel most comfortable through is Turn 3, 4, and 5. Everywhere else—well, let’s just say I could use some help.

Like Adams advised, I tried my best to not rush Turn 6 in order to get a good drive through the back straightaway that leads into Turn 8 and 9. Here you can really feel the extra and longer top end pull afforded by the LeoVince pipe. I do my best to hold the throttle pinned for as long as I can before my brain finally makes me back out a bit as I enter Turn 8.

I’m full tuck as I motor through this tricky high speed turn trying my best to look ahead while staying glued to the tail sections of guys ahead. As I grab two downshifts and lay the bike onto its side into Turn 9, I’m again partially stunned by the ridiculous lean angle that all of us are achieving. I mean we’ve got the bikes so far leaned over that it’s hard to know where the horizon is! Again, I’m in absolute awe by how much grip the tires have. You can literally mash the bike on its side, pin the throttle and the tires have so much grip that the bike just hooks up and turns—adhered to the ground like you were physically connected to a set of rails.

I follow the pack through Turn 9 carrying more speed than I ever have and simultaneously hitting the apex perfectly before drifting the bike wide to the other end of the track on exit. As we motor down the front straightaway, I’m able to make another pass this time by using the draft. I notice that the bikes further ahead were now pulling a gap which perhaps may be attributed to the fact that the classes I’m running give more leeway in terms of engine modifications and that I’m running a bone stock engine aside from the pipe.

Racing Motorcycle-USA’s 2009 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R Project Bike at Willow Springs.

Full tuck again, I pop my body up from the still-air cocoon afforded by the Zero Gravity raised Double Bubble Windscreen which is a absolute necessity for taller than average pilots. I’m on the front brakes—fast and hard before letting them go and dipping into Turn 1 again. By now I’m pretty much running by myself. I see some bikes ahead and initially it’s hard to determine if they are the leaders or simply other races from the 1st wave start before us. Turns out they’re lappers.

Into Turn 2 again I try to maintain decent speed but it is way more difficult when you don’t have a carrot in front of you. I try and remain focused hitting my mental reference points I had established earlier in practice. The only problem was I was lapping much faster than I had in practice so some of the points I had made were no longer applicable because of the extra speed I was carrying.

I was racing solo, or so I thought, passing the occasional lapper as I motored through Turn 8/9 again. Without being able to chase anyone I instantly reverted back to my kooky line through the last turn which no doubt cost me seconds. Yes, the line I take by myself is that messed up!

My speed decreases as the checkered flag draws closer. With only a lap to go some of the other riders I had passed earlier in the race had caught up and eventually passed me like I was standing still. I would go on to finish 8th in Formula 2 and 650 Superbike out of a field of 11 riders and dead last in the last race of the day, 600 Mod Prod. I was bummed because some of the guys I had passed initially before being re-passed late in the race finished as high as 4th so I know that if I could have run with them or even beat them if I just would have remained focused and manned-up through the faster sections of the track.

After competing in his first-ever WSMC race weekend, Waheed officially has been bitten by the road racing bug.

Nonetheless, at the end of the day I was pretty happy with how the weekend went. I got my lap time down to a 1:27—a new personal best. And the cool part was I did it easily without so much as a slide or any sketchy or uncomfortable maneuver. I picked up some more speedy lines courtesy of the faster riders I was following during my races and have a better appreciation for what it takes to be successful at racing. I was also educated on just how far racing tire technology has advanced due to the jaw-dropping performance of Pirelli’s Diablo Superbike slicks and how just a few modifications to your standard street bike can make it fit for racetrack duty. Most importantly, I’ve been bitten by the racing bug and can’t wait to return to WSMC with this ZX-6R just so I can do it all again. 

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2010 Yamaha YZF-R1 Project Bike Part 2

In the first installment of the 2010 Yamaha YZF-R1 Project Bike Review we increased the overall comfort and thrill factor of the R1 when riding it on the street. For the next phase we wanted to improve the performance of the motorcycle around the racetrack. To do this, we had RG3 Suspension modify the fork and shock, had JETT Tuning re-flash the ECU and fitted a set of Michelin Power One 2CT tires. Visually we cleaned up the back of the bike by fitting a fender eliminator kit from Graves Motorsports.

CHASSIS - RG3 SUSPENSION

While the R1 suspension works well at a moderate street pace, when loaded with extra cargo during the course of a multi-day canyon-strafing touring adventure, or when spinning laps at an elevated pace around the racetrack, a fast rider will soon discover the limitations of the stock set-up. The biggest problem is the uneven poise of the chassis during hard acceleration and braking. To try and remedy this we enlisted the assistance of RG3 Suspension.
  

Added road holding grip was a clear benefit of the combination of Michelin tire and RG3 Suspension upgrades.

In the realm of dirt bikes, RG3 is a staple brand renowned for its suspension tuning expertise. Now it is applying its technical know-how to the sportbike world. They began by disassembling the fork and shock. First, heavier duty 1.0 kg/mm springs replaced the 0.92 kg/mm stockers inside the fork. (Pricing detail is provided on the sidebar - Ed.)This was designed to better balance the attitude of the bike during hard braking and corner entry. The stock valves remained but the shim configuration was altered for more progressive action. Out back the 10.0 kg/mm rear shock spring was retained but the internal valving stack was also reconfigured. Both the fork and shock were refilled with fresh Maxima suspension fluids and the nitrogen in the shock body was recharged. Turnaround time was quick with RG3 having the work completed within three business days of us delivering it to its Southern California workshop.

Upon swinging a leg over our RG3-tuned R1 it was immediately apparent how much taller the bike felt which can be attributed to the stiffer fork springs that actually raise the front end slightly. While it couldn’t have changed more than a couple of millimeters it felt like a big increase while riding. Despite the change steering effort felt similar to the stock set-up.

You could feel how much more taut both ends were after RG3 laid hands on them though. When ridden aggressively on the street the pitch of the bike remained even and the rear end wouldn’t “back in” during corner entry as regularly as it does in stock trim. Despite the improvement, damping was a bit too firm for everyday commuting-style road use so we backed off the preload on both ends which increased overall ride suppleness but it was never the same plush level as stock.

To discover how the suspension performed at the racetrack we visited Thunderhill Raceway during a Pacific Track Time trackday event. Right away we could tell that the fork didn’t have enough damping. The front end would still dive quickly and aggressively shift weight forward which in turn made the rear end of the bike unstable during corner entry. We attempted to fix the problem by adding more preload and compression damping but maxed out the adjustment range. Conversely we were pleased with the way the shock worked with it resisting the urge to squat 

Deran from RG3 works on the R1’s Soqi shock absorber. We found out getting our R1 suspension set-up just right, is no easy task.

excessively during full throttle acceleration off corners. Initially we did notice that it had a tendency to pack over bumps in certain corners but after speeding up the rebound it was far more compliant. It also delivered consistent and fade-free performance throughout 20-minute sessions on the track.

One of the big pluses of RG3 is that if you’re not completely satisfied with the way the suspension works you can bring the bike back to them and they’ll get it right. Based on our feedback they again disassembled the fork and went with a more firm damping set-up. While it continued to work fine on the street at the racetrack it still proved to be too soft.

While initial damping force seemed to be adequate the fork would pass right through the mid-stroke when loaded heavily. We once again returned the fork back to RG3 for another update. This time it increased initial damping to such a level that it didn’t allow the fork to track over bumps when leaned over in a corner. However the pitch control during max braking seemed to be sorted. Given one more try we believe RG3 could have gotten the fork dialed in but we ran out of time and were forced to return the bike to Yamaha. We do plan on revisiting the project with the information we gained when we get an ’11 R1.

ENGINE - JETT TUNING

With the ever increasing noise and emission ordinances in the U.S. sportbike manufacturers are being forced to de-tune its products to meet new legal initiatives. Since sportbikes are engineered for maximum performance on the racetrack worldwide, manufacturers are choosing to use electronics rather than traditional mechanical modifications to de-tune performance. Welcome to the digital world folks. Fortunately, JETT Tuning has managed to crack some of the code inside the black box. This has allowed them to alter certain parameters of the engine for added performance.

Check out the increased peak horsepower of our 2010 Yamaha YZF-R1 Project Bike before and after we had JETT Tuning ECU re-flash the ECU. Torque didn't change much.

The re-flash procedure costs $449 and is a fairly simple modification from the user stand point. It is important to note that it does void the manufacturer’s warranty. It can be removed within minutes with a basic set of tools by simply unplugging the ECU located underneath the left fairing. After shipping it off to JETT’s Camarillo, California shop it goes about the business of re-configuring the ECU. Total turnaround time from the day we shipped it to when it was returned was three business days. Installation was equally as easy and within a few minutes the bike is ready to ride. Next to race fuel, this is the simplest performance modification you can make, period.

Flip the key and the first thing you’ll notice is that the throttle drive mode now defaults to “A” mode, the most aggressive throttle setting. While some might like this setting, I prefer “B” mode regardless if I’m riding on the street or racetrack as it reduces throttle response and makes the bike easier to control when ridden aggressively. You can still switch between each of three throttle maps (A, B and Standard) with the handlebar mounted switch.

Fire up the engine and the bike idles at 1600 (+/- 1500) which is a few hundred rpm over stock. This is designed to reduce rear wheel chatter and ease the load on the slipper clutch during aggressive corner entry. It also makes the R1 sound even more bad-ass with our FMF Apex pipes.

At any rpm below 10k it feels like it runs identically as stock with no noticeable difference in power output or engine fueling. Get the motor spooling beyond that threshold and you’ll feel it pull with added urgency compared to stock. As rpm increase it continues to pump out more power enroute to its 162.04 horsepower peak (7.36 more than stock) at 12,500 revs. Power still falls off slightly as it closes in on the rev limiter 1000 rpm later but the engine is still pumping out added horses so it feels vastly improved over stock. Another feature we noticed was the reduced engine braking during deceleration which can be attributed to the fuel injectors continuing to feed the engine with a small amount of fuel during deceleration.

TIRES - MICHELIN POWER ONE 2CT
  

We replaced the OE-fitted Dunlop Qualifer D210 with a premium Michelin Pilot Power 2CT tire.

Next to the engine and suspension modifications we made, one of the biggest areas of improvement in terms of road performance is the fitment of more high-performance tires. While the standard Dunlop Qualifier D210s provides adequate grip on the street the tires wouldn’t be our first choice for hard core track use. Therefore we mounted up a set of Michelin Power One 2CT tires.

We chose to run the street/trackday version of the French rubber as tested in the Michelin Power One 2CT Tire Comparison Review. The tires can be differentiated from the road racing version we tested in the Michelin Power One Tire Review by looking at the tire’s sidewall and seeing a capital letter within a circle. If the circle is blank you know it’s the street tire, if there is a letter (A, B, C or V) then it is a race tire.

When the tires are fresh they serve up plenty of grip for trackday flogging. They also offer very quick heat up times and reduce the steering effort during corner entry as compared to the stock rubber without comprising straight-line stability. We did notice that the tires don’t offer a whole lot of mileage with the rear tire reaching its service limit in less than 900 miles. Granted half of the miles were accumulated during the course of multiple trackdays, yet still we expected the tires to last longer. We also noticed that the grip levels of the rear tire fell of dramatically as it reached the wear bars.

The Michelin Power One 2CT Tires are available from Motorcycle-Superstore.

AESTHETICS – GRAVES MOTORSPORTS & FMF 

The easy to install $59.99 Graves Motorsports R1 Fender Eliminator kit cleans up the rear end of the bike and makes it appear racier.

 
In my eyes the R1 is one of the best looking production sportbikes on the market today. Ditch the OE pipes for a set of   FMF Apex carbon fiber slip-on pipes and it looks even better. Still the absurdly large rear fender detracts from what could be an even better looking machine. Rather than haphazardly hack off the fender we purchased a proper fender eliminator kit from Graves Motorsports. The $59.99 kit consists of a new bracket that relocates the turn signals and license plate closer to the tail section. Installation is straightforward and can be accomplished in a few minutes by removing the stock set-up and attaching the turn signals and plate to the new bracket.

The FMF Apex slip-on pipes are available at Motorcycle-Superstore.

“B” mode continues to be our preferred drive mode on the R1 as it reduces the jerky throttle feel when twisted.

FINAL THOUGHTS
With some simple and affordable modifications the R1 proved to be a versatile sportbike both on the street and racetrack. With the addition of some GYTR accessories and luggage it became a much more comfortable street and touring ride during our road trip to the Laguna Seca MotoGP race. On the other end of the spectrum, by reworking the suspension components and fitting more sport-oriented Michelin tires it served up a higher level of performance during cornering on street and track. Sure, we never completely got the front end of the bike to work the way we wanted but we’re optimistic that we could get it set-up with more time. Perhaps our favorite mod in terms of performance however was the boost in engine performance courtesy of the JETT Tuning ECU re-flash. It increased drivability on the street and track not to mention the respectable boost it gave the engine at high rpm for those looking to get some more top end speed out of their R1. 

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