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/128364
" , '(Above) The front end was revalved by Race Tech, and what a difference it made. The chatter I suffered from early on is completely gone now. raced in over a year I was booted back to the Novice class. After starting from 21 st on the grid in my first race back, I worked my way to the from and finished second after leading three laps. The bike still needed some suspension tuning, but 1proved to myself that the bike was capable of winning. The next momh I started on the from row and qUickly got into the lead, and once again led most of the laps only to succumb to a pass on the last lap and finish second again. Like the saying goes, third time's a charm. My third race, I was determined to prove that my bike could win. Once again, I had a front row grid position and quickly got imo the lead, pulling out to almost a four-second lead with two laps to go. 1 almost threw away another chance at victory by going into cruise control mode a little early and letting the guy in second get by me on the last lap. After a couple of aggressive moves among lappers on the final lap, I took the checkered flag first, proving that the 3-year-old bike could be competitive. There are a few parts in the parts list that could easily be eliminated to further reduce the overall cost and still have the bike perform exactly the same. However, I would highly recommend items like the Sharkskinz bodywork and the suspension modifications. Of course the tires are mandatory if you plan to race, and there are great DOT race tires from Bridgestone, Dunlop, Michelin and Pirelli in the same price range. If you buy a clean bike, consider selling your stock bodywork; if it's in excellent condition, you can probably get as much as $1000 to put toward other parts for your bike. If you are a true beginner, 30 (Left) 50 far, I've been able to show a lot of my competitors this - the back of the 5harkskinz bodywork - and let them suck on fumes from the Yosh exhaust. don't even think about wasting money on fancy wheels, suspension and paim jobs. Take my advice: The bike is going to go down evemually, and it will most likely happen when you're a novice. There are a lot of great bikes out there that are raceworthy; not only are any of the modern 600s a great choice, but bikes like the Suzuki SV650, Aprilia R5250 and the Suzuki GSX-R750 are all great bikes to get started on. The idea is to start somewhere, have fun, and then if you get more serious, you can fine-tune the bike to your eN specifications. PA R T S SUPPLIER LIST Molly Designs www.mollydesigns.com 949/722-0122 Pirelli www.us.pirelli.com Sharkskinz www.sharkskinz.com 772/388-9621 Yoshimura LIS T Paint by Molly Designs Pirelli Super Corsa 120/70ZR 17 front tire Pirelli Super Corsa 180/55ZR 17 rear tire Sharkskinz one-piece upper fairing (part #4068) Sharkskinz one-piece lower fairing (part #4069) www.yoshimura-rd.com $1500 $249 $348 $349 $236 909/628-4722 Scotts Performance Products WW'IN.scottsperformance.com 818/248-6747 Race Tech www.racetech.com Sharksklnz solo tail piece (part #4105) Sharksklnz under-seat support (part #4074) GYT-R carbon fiber front fender (part #GYR-58E 12-00-CF) GYT-R billet aluminum rear sets (part #GYR-5MT27-00-AL) GYT-R billet aluminum oil pump cover (part #GYR-5MT27-16-AL) $221 $68 $241.95 $349.95 $124.95 Yoshimura RS-3 oval full race exhaust w/carbon silencer (part # 1361 053) Scotts Performance Products triple clamp/steering damper kit Race Tech Fork Gold Valve Kit (part #FMGV 52040) $972.40 $550 $159.99 www.zerogravity-racing.com Race Tech Fork Rebound Gold Valve Kit (part #FRGV501) Race Tech .85 kg springs (part #FRSP 53625085) $159.99 $109.99 WW'W.construetorsrg.com Zero Gravity windscreen SR Series (part #20 577) CRG brake lever CRG clutch lever Dyno Jet jet kit (part #4163) Ferodo SinterGrip brake pads fEBRUARY 9,2005 • CYCLE NEWS $74.95 $99.50 $99.50 $125.89 $28.99 951/279-6655 GYT-R www.yamaha-motor.com/accessories Zero Gravity 800/345-9791 Constructers Racers Group 8311763-7811 Dyno Jet www.dynojet.com 800/992-3525 Ferodo www.ferodo.co.uk