Serious Twistees engine scrapeing

[RIQUE]

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....

[R12SLuver]

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

[RIQUE]

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.

[Drews323i]

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?

[R12SLuver]

Originally Posted by Drews323i

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

[kpolito99]

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.

[RIQUE]

Originally Posted by Drews323i

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?

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

[Drews323i]

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.

[PFFOG]

Originally Posted by Drews323i

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.

[RIQUE]

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

[kpolito99]

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.

[twodear]

+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.

[Noblehops]

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.

[sgoodwin]

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.

[bradzdotcom]

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.

[ckcarr]

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.

[RIQUE]

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.

[SergioK]

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.

[LeftCoast Peter]

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

[signit98]

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...

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.