Serious Twistees engine scrapeing
 

Hey folks, about two weeks ago one of my riding buddies wanted to test he's new CBR1000RR track bike. So, several of us took a nice ride to a tourist detination called Copacabana. On the straights all the superbikes had me redlining to keep up but on the twistees I managed to keep up in front not with out major effort and concentration. Anyway on one of the curves I was leaned over knee down and riding like a mad man, I suddenly I felt a light clunk and a scrape and to my surprise not only was my puck down but also my engine cylinder head guard. I can tell you the rear wheel was planted and I did not feel it was loosing traction. I was absolutly focused on not chopping the throttle or else I would have slid. Superbikes had me pushing my limits, here is a picture....
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1341099973.jpg

What...? HOLY CRAP you are my new hero.

I had my R1200S to track and not even close.

I am going go to garage and use some sand paper to scuff mine to look like that to look cool now.

Mike http://forums.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/clap.gif

I would like to say that I was trying to do that but truth is I had six bikes chasing my ass and all I was doing was trying to get away. Sand paper won't work that plastic is has as rock. ;)

I've often wondered if the the foot peg grinders would touch before the valve cover guards. Did the foot peg grinders touch down first?

Good question....the R12S has very long feelers. Like several inches long. I am thinking the pegs are moved up and they needed to be that long.

Mike

Good work making those superbikes chase you down!

I guess have no center stand. Had not dragged the cylinder cover but my center stand on the R1100S hit a few times and scared the crap out of me.

My foot pegs did not touch before the guards. Else I would have felt them and picked up the bike.

So I guess my question is why did BMW even put the foot peg feelers on if the valve cover touches first? Just something I wondered when I first bought my R11s.

Well, those guards ARE pretty thick, my bet is the feelers would touch before the VC would, sans guards.

I'll take a close up pick of the right peg and we will see what happened.

Could also be how the rider has the suspension set up and how far on the tank he was riding. I would assume if the rear was at the top of preload (max) and the front was on the lower side the inclination of the suspended chassis could alter what parts drag first.

I know that on the track at road Atlanta I easily drug my peg feelers in turn 7 and that while riding riding on the dragon a few days later they did not touch. I was almost certain that in some of the heavily cambered switch backs I was going to catch a jug and go cartwheeling off into a ditch but the cylinders didn't make contact.

+1 to kpolito - also, the shorter final drive link from the GS (if mounted) would have the same effect.

Edit: Its a good thing that your bike stayed planted - in my experience, just a tad more lean or a bump in the bitumen will have you spearing off into the vegetables.

Time to start moving your butt off the seat and positioning your upper body to the inside of your turn. When I started roadracing I was quickly mashing my foot between the engine and pavement. It's a dangerous thing. Once I learned how to hang off safely nothing touched the ground unless I was crashing :-). You are obviously right at the limit with your current riding technique.

N.

I agree with Noblehops, a little hanging off will keep your bike more upright preventing or at least limiting ground parts & boots. People trying to chase me down comment on the fact I'm not extremely laid over but they can't catch or pass me in the corners.

listen to these guys. they know stuff.
if it's scraping, it's not good. you should be "butt in the breeze" as much as possible to keep the bike as vertical as possible. you're nothing more than a corner monkey counter weight.

usually most street bikes are configured so that the peg balls hit first. if you install accessories, like suspension, different valve covers, engine guards or move the footpegs, other parts can touch tarmac before the peg balls. my cf valve covers are both scraped and are first to drag in the asphalt because i'm running rearsets. when i had the stock pegs, the peg balls hit first and were ground off in just a few hours.

I've scraped stuff on all my bikes, even the Harley pegs. Not recently though. As the others have said, it's more proper riding technique, not because the bike was pushed to it's limit.

I have to agree with you all, hanging of more would have avoided the VC scrape. I do hang of enough to get the knee down but on my S1000RR. so...note to self, next time I take the big bike out racing I need to lock the knee n hang my butt.

I came down hard on my R1100S valve cover, going up hill through one of this road's most excellent turns. What you don't see is the steep incline at each apex which makes touching down just that much easier.

Sweet! I have scrapes on my HP2S valve cover protectors....but I bought an ex-BMWCanada race bike. Personally I don't get close.

Lucky you, having the plastic thingies on... I didn't and that put a permanent mark on the valve cover of my 12S... while it made me sad for a few moments, it was suggested that I should wear it as a badge of honor... and I did. Asking N8 whether he'll scratch his covers while racing, his answer was "Does a Bear crap in the woods"? That made me laugh and the pain was gone.

Now try to do the same thing on the GS... :D

Took me 4 years of riding GS's to finally do it a few weeks ago... and it happens right on the edge of tire grip.

Congrats, it's a very small club, though.

I assume he has a short tq arm or taller rear spring.

My stock 04' R11S drags peg feelers before the cylinder head. (on the track)



If you're pushing that hard on the street......tsk tsk.

No No No, not on the street. This is a country road far away from any city street
with very few cars on route.

Rique- "on the street" means on public roads, aka "anything that is not a dedicated track". also known as "a track with absolutely no safe runoff areas, possibly with light poles, trees, guard rails, animals, big drops off the side of the road thru rocks while you play pinball, etc"
really not the place to be playing Rique Racer.

+1 per BF1100's advice - potential for oncoming traffic wandering off line or doing U-turns, rocks/dirt/sand/oil - makes me shudder to think of all the little things that can make it end badly.

practice what you preach ! SmileWavy There is a group of Harley riders still looking for you. ;)


We all play to some extent, some just a little more than others.

you only got the 2nd hand story. ask Dee or RB- they'll tell you I was extremely polite in my exuberience.

I'm glad you made it. Leaned further than this pic on the road makes me feel so scary....

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1341346725.jpg

Great action shot Poldar - I am assuming that is you?

Race regulations here require guards for crank cases (or on the valve cover in my case). I made some from heavy gauge sheet metal and found that, while robust, don't slide well and act like a bit of an anchor.

I'm trying to think up something to act like a curb feeler - a knee puck with a bit of give in the mount, to present some degree of warning that I'm close to touch down.

Not me. Copy and paste one. Hmm, you make me plan my own action shot.

If the cover touches, don't you loose your tire friction?

When they were running the boxercup series at Daytona every rider coming into turn 1 was dragging the left cylinder for the entire corner coming off the infield. It started slowly one then another by mid race they were all dragging hard in the corner without losing it. You could hear it in he stands as they blew by.

It was just a couple out for a romantic ride. Although I think I would rather fight the dude and the girl??? Too much BC for me to mess with.

I did not and did not feel that was inminent however the scratch did make me pick the bike up a tad. Looking at my rear tire the lean was well over the edge. There was these little hairs beyond the elephants feet :D

My pals were like wow...dude...respect.

I think that the 'states is beckoning me for a biking holiday, when I see some of the roads you have over there.

Corner surfing on the valve covers is a regular thing for our own Dr. Curve as I recall !

Never seen Jim with knee pucks out street riding and don't recall seeing any valve cover grinding on two of his bikes. But, that don't mean it ain't so. PFFOG now, is a different story. He's not opposed to taking a few mm off the pegs. RIQUE, take the advice, move off the seat. Because grinding a valve cover means you're only a heartbeat away from an ugly lowside as the front wheel gets less weight on the contact patch.

Depends on how hard you touch... if you just softly put them down (which you should, if at all) then there is no issue at all. If you go down a little harder and you lose the rear, it jumps and slides a bit...

If you lose the front, YOU slide as well...

Agree with Ralf, if you touch hard you are dangerously loosing control and traction. On the other hand when I gave it a touch I was opening the throttle on a turn and the bike although leaned extreamly was well planted and very slowly touched the Valve Guard.