Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128323
The most telling sign that this bike only likes to go straight is the fact that it's slammed down low. pension, throttle position braking pressure, lap times, wheel speed, and rpm, while mapping the course to identify exactly where the bike and rider are doing what. The team knows precisely when and how much Hacking is opening the throttle and exactly where he's applying how much braking. Science doesn't res ect secrets. load adjusted by a T-handle. Two turns equal about Imm at the spring. Mechanics don't tend to like shocks with knobs because then the rider can get his fingers on it and screw everything up good. Rear ride height is adjustable by shock rod length achieved through a turnbuckle on the lower ey'e,which is not to be confused because tracks are generally best attacked with a bike set up equally at each end . That's because if it's tight and bumpy going in, it's tight and bumpy coming out . And if it's a 120 mph sweeper for the front, it is for the rear, too . But we already knew Jamie was unique. What else can you say about a Brit with a Southern accent? That's the altered mechanical advantage of the swingarm. Like this year, when the team is working with a carry-over unit, they show up at each tack with the bike dressed in last year's settings. Crew chief Myers mentioned that once a rider is happy with a bike's settings, few alterations are needed between tracks. But that also depends on the rider. Hacking rarely fidgets with his settings, while teammate Damon Buckmaster fine-tunes his machine. Myers said, "Jamie goes to the bike; Damon brings the bike to him." Hacking's rear sets are by Graves Motorsports and custom built to his size. The team uses adjustable grid plates at first, and after his preferred foot placement is established, they send the plates in for Graves to machine nonadjustable lightweight pegs. The bodywork is by Sharksklnz, and it's glass because the rules don't allow carbon fiber. It also features a catch pan to hold oil in case of catastrophic case failure. There is no weight rule in Supersport road racing because the rules in other ways define weight. Teams can remove as many parts as possible and lighten some others, and that's about it. The frame sliders are GYT-R. Weird for a racebike , Hacking's R6 uses Supersport Yamaha R6: Road Racing and Drag Racing By PETER Hacking's machine has an adjustaQJe GYT-R clutch lever, but the brake lever. is by Valta, an Italian company. It featu remote adjustor located on the op bar for obvious reasons, and the leve up in event of a tip-over; C9Qlest about the braking system is an in-line disconnect that allows replace clappers or master cylinder wit 0 bleed the system . The team purn chased it from the Goodridge catalog, and it's manufactured by Stalby and costs please sit down - $400 smackeroons! Ouch . Other modifications of the brakes include competition lines and racing pads. The rotors and calipers are stock, as the rules require . The front ride height on Hacking's R6 was raised, even though it looks as if it's been lowered . That's due to Hacking's preferring the Graves Motorsports clip-ens down low, so they're relocated from above the triple clamp to below. The steering damper is by Ohhns and is mounted directly to a Graves upper mount that was custom made to the team's specifications. Rules allow changing the fork internals, so the team did. The team can also continually fine tune the damping by changing shims, and the spring rate can like-wise be altered for different tracks and conditions . The rear shock is an Ohlfns unit with pre- JONES PHOTOS BY HENNY RAy ABRAMS AND M IKE EMERY