Neonmarine's Training Bike

[neonmarine]

Hey guys,

I've been lurking around here awhile, gaining some insight on the RC390. Finally pulled the trigger on a salvaged title 2017 machine earlier this year and have been waiting to start getting it track prepped for the 2019 season. It had a minor lowside with only 193 miles on the clock, so it's not a bad place to start a trackbike build.

So far, I've been getting all the suspension setup from @formula390 but keeping this as budget minded as possible. So I ordered the R6 conversion shock, stock fork preload adjusters, and new fork springs for my weight. Next I knew that the levers would be a possible thing that could break during a wreck and could end a trackday. TYGA folding levers where installed again from Formula390.

 

[neonmarine]

Started doing some track necessary mods like a Power Commander V, for the use of it's Quick Shifter. Yes I'm going to use the stock rearsets until, it's 100% necessary to upgrade. Also pulled off the airbox lid...

 

[neonmarine]

Here's where we're at right now...

 

[Formula390]

The stock rearsets are going to BADLY drag while cornering. You might be able to hang off enough to still keep the bike -=SOMEWHAT=- more upright to get additional cornering clearance, but it's going to be a challenge to be sure. The "Ready To Race" seems to have been forgotten when it came to the footpeg positioning, unfortunately.

 

[neonmarine]

I suspected this, either way, I’ll rock the stockers until there’s no peg left hahaha

 

[Formula390]

I suspected this, either way, I’ll rock the stockers until there’s no peg left hahaha

I've beveled the edge of the toe of many a race boot doing just that as well! When you are ready, I'm here. I also stock a full supply of spares for the rearsets... You know, just in case.

 

[neonmarine]

R6 shock swap complete from Formula390!

 

[neonmarine]

Started drilling for the HotBodies seat...not impressed with this piece. Fortunely I'll be able to compare this company vs TYGA USA products. Formula390 is sending me a nose fairing and belly pan (needed for advance group STT). I'll be reusing the wrecked stock side fairings to keep the cost down.

 

[Falkon45]

Very nice.

 

[Formula390]

R6 shock swap complete from Formula390!

Looking good!

Started drilling for the HotBodies seat...not impressed with this piece. Fortunely I'll be able to compare this company vs TYGA USA products. Formula390 is sending me a nose fairing and belly pan (needed for advance group STT). I'll be reusing the wrecked stock side fairings to keep the cost down.

The HotBodies pieces have had a pretty regular review of being poor quality unfortunately. That they also don't come pre-drilled is frustrating considering most of the bolt hole locations are reliably in the same locations. This isn't always the case, as I've seen some of the hand drilled locations be off by as much as a quarter inch. It's also common for folks to see that when Ramesh drilled the holes, they would all point to a single spot about where they were standing. {facepalm} I've had some customers call me when going to put the bodywork on that they holes didn't line up. I'd have them check their stock bodywork, and sure enough, the stock bodywork had the holes wallowed out to get the line up. {shrug} Bodywork is a tricky balance between strength and lightness. If you want it very strong, it's heavy. If it's light, it can be brittle. Tyga does an incredibly good job with trying to straddle this, and with kevlar backing to the stress points also adds a good feature of strength with lightness. We also try to make sure to give a little more allowance for some of the holes where the positiong might be a little more... irregular.

You're making great progress on your build. Keep us all update!

 

[neonmarine]

Did the ABS delete with the (re)use of the factory Stainless Steel line from the caliper to the ABS pump. Looks weird, but functions and that's all that matters at this point.

Also removed the factory keys to keep things simply with the Woodcraft keyless harness. More to follow soon.

 

[Formula390]

Did the ABS delete with the (re)use of the factory Stainless Steel line from the caliper to the ABS pump. Looks weird, but functions and that's all that matters at this point.

Also removed the factory keys to keep things simply with the Woodcraft keyless harness. More to follow soon.

{sideways look} Really?! And you still have full lock to lock bar turn with no problem with the re-use of the factory lines? Not saying that isn't possible, but that is... weird... yeah... let's use that word.

Did you actually delete the ABS and remove it, or just bypass the lines? You'll need to flash the ECU with the cup bike map to get it to not complain at you if you removed it. I actually LIKE the ABS. Hell for that matter I treat it like a toy! (well OK, the WHOLE BIKE is a toy but!) where on the road to the ranch here, I've got a blind downhill decreasing radius off camber turn. I can throw it into that turn (private road) at a good clip, grab a FULL handful of brake, and no drama. The bike just drops anchor. No skittering of the wheel. No slide. No lock. It just... WORKS! I giggle like a little schoolgirl every time I do it... mostly because I know, I KNOW!!! that if I did that say, on my Gixxer or RG500 or Blackbird or whatever else, it'd end up either in the guardrail or stuck in a tree. LOL I frequently have to remind myself when I'm coming in hard on the Gixxer 1000 that I DON'T have ABS when I go into that turn.

I have to admit, I've never quite understood why so many racers ditch the ABS. I get that the initial lever pull is longer, but (for me at least) I've got the same amount of feel after the initial pull. But I've also never been one that even wanted to stand it on the front wheel with 2 fingers of light pull. I've been told I have an... odd... hand position for braking. I keep my thumb and pointer wrapped around the throttle, so I can still blip the throttle while downshifting or have my throttle at the RPMs I want when I let the clutch out. I then use my three outer fingers for braking. Everyone else I know wants to break with their pointer and middle finger. I just can't stand that style tho. There's no throttle control (by me at least) when using that style of grip/brake combo.

As for that keyless harness, yeah... that's a badass mod! It not only makes electronics simpler, but if you combine it with a keyless gascap you don't have to EVER worry about "WTFF is that damn KEY?!?!!!!" in the pits!

 

[neonmarine]

To answer your question regarding the brake line, yes the stock CALIPER to ABS PUMP line will work at the MC with no restrictions. It just has that 90 degree bend that looks wrong.

As for the "why": ABS is a really important safety system for the street and I would 100% use it in that environment. However, on a racetrack, pushing the limits, it does not work well. The main reason is that the ABS ECU simply cannot react fast enough to be UN-intrusive. Therefore, it must be proactive in its application. That's why it works the way it does for you in that specific situation described above. Basically, the ABS pump is holding back a percentage of the actual lever pressure the pilot is imputing in order to be ahead of the game when it's time to intervene. Example, the pilot asks for 50% brake pressure, but the pump only allows the rotor to receive 38%. This leads to a problem when on the track, trying to use the brakes properly when entering a corner. Due to the forces that are necessary to ensure proper tire grip, pilots need to able to threshold brake while at very high lean angles and speeds. Since the ABS ECU was programmed for street applications, it could intervene at the wrong time and unload the front causing a loss of traction. With the modern slicks as good as they are, we can brake so much harder on the edge of the tire, then what's possible on a conventional street tire.

Another problem with this proactive intervention system of the factory ABS, is that your braking distances are increased. Not really a good thing for setting a fast lap. The system is intended to keep people from crashing in a panic situation. While it can be very fun to "stab and grab" with all the electronic aids of today, I refuse to let these systems be part of my training. I want to be the best pilot I can be. Once I get to the level where having electronics, I want them to ENHANCE my riding and do the work for me.

Therefore, to really push the limits of the bike, tires and pilot, I feel it is necessary to remove the front ABS function at the bare minimum. I am keeping the rear ABS, because I only use the rear brake for running off or in emergencies. (aka what the system was designed for)

I hope this doesn't come across as a negative for everyone's inner hooligan, I just wanted to be clear on the "why" behind my personal opinion of removing the ABS.

 

[Formula390]

I hope this doesn't come across as a negative for everyone's inner hooligan, I just wanted to be clear on the "why" behind my personal opinion of removing the ABS.

Not at all. I think most of us here have pretty thick skins anyway tho. LOL Your reasoning is clearly thought out and I can see why you are making the choice to delete for the front. I also don't have personal experience with running the RC with slicks on the track... so I can see your point there as well. Oddly enough, I think for the rear is the spot that I, personally, would want the ABS removed. This is because MY riding style has never really used the rear brake at all, pretty much ever, except for those "Shit!" off track (or road) excursions where on a non-ABS equipped bike, the front is the deadly wheel so you just have the rear for braking... or... worst case... jam the rear, throw the bars to full lock, and kick the bike away as you go down... as the tire wall continues to get bigger and Bigger and BIGGER in your field of view, and you REALLY do NOT want to RIDE the bike into the tire wall or some other barrier. I can think of two occasions where I had to jam the rear and throw the bike away so we both hit the tire wall individually. The first one was a rain race where I was passing in T1 at Portland Intl on the outside. A novice spooked himself and stood it up, which forced me off the pavement and onto the wet grass. Every attempt at turning, or braking, was pretty much useless. There's a lot of runoff there at PIR, but not THAT much. About 30' before I hit the tirewall, I threw it away. I don't know if I would have been able to do that with ABS. Of course, with ABS I may have ALSO been able to have gotten the bike turned. Dunno. That singular race incident drove a few key points home with me. The #1 being... NEVER PASS A NOVICE ON THE -=OUTSIDE=- IN A WET RACE!!!! LOL

 

[neonmarine]

Got some more goodies in the mail yesterday...replacement parts really. KTM "race" pegs ( looses the rubber on the peg is what I needed). As well as LH stock bar to replace the bent on. Renthal 32mm grips are on the way and I should be up and running pretty soon.

 

[neonmarine]

After digging around and getting opinions from everyone, I settled on the Yoshimura R-77 Race. Love the style, the sound and the fact that it clears my R6 shock!

 

[neonmarine]

[video=youtube_share;0IW4POfB5Vk]https://youtu.be/0IW4POfB5Vk[/video]

 

[neonmarine]

So I tried using the Formula390 fork tool to swap springs...seems like these aren’t strong enough to bust the seal on the loctite. Yes I used a torch....

 

[CDN Duke]

Should be fine with heat but yeah, they're on there good.

 

[neonmarine]

It’s just bending, so no matter how much force I put in it, the power gets wasted, instead of working the cap loose. Also the pin holes are starting to “egg hole”. So I stopped and will have Livengood Motorsports take care of this.