Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

I \ ,,---_ ... ~~~' ~------- -------- A race-winning ride for under 10K Bv BLAKE CONNER back in the 70s) of Molly Designs laid on the IIedy.wor1c had ~ to '- 1IPflIled. ~1 kMwthatl IlllllIIed . . . _ IIrious work done to till frontend pllCl1ltllM dill C8IIIIId me tocnsh. be a shakedown test to see what type of modifications needed to be done to the bike to make it competitive. The bike's biggest deficiency was the front fork; the second problem was that I didn't realize this until man and machine were cartwheeling through the air at the exit of turn two. What a sad sight it was: All of those countless hours spent drilling nuts and bolts and prepping the bike only to see it smoldering in the gravel. To make a long story short, I raced the bike with borrowed parts the follOWing day, running as high as second before running off the track and scoring a DNF. However. there were positive things to come out of the practice crash. First was that the beautiful custom paint job that Molly Sanders (he's the guy that designed the bumble bee. Kenny Roberts scheme I'U be honest: The bike took me time to aet put back together; by the time It was, I was afraid to ride it, or should I say that Molly _ afraid that I would ruin his be8utifuI paint job. The paint has received more _ntlon than a stripper at a bachelor party. Every time I roll it out of the truck, people ask who painted it. The tech Inspector at Willow Springs has tried to blackmail me for three straight race meetings; every time I line up at tech, he threatens to not pass my bike unless I hand over the bodywork. It's the nicest looking vehicle I've ever owned. To keep things simple, the modifications to the bike are minimal. The motor is stock, except for a Dyno Jet jet kit and a Yoshimura RS3 oval full race exhaust system with a carbon fiber canister. It even has a stock air filter in it. The Dyno Jet kit was added after I raced it the first time and discovered that there was a huge hole in the midrange, right where I needed to rev the bike to launch it off the starting line. The Dyno Jet kit solved all of my problems, but I still wish the bike was a 2003 or newer model with fuel injection. The improvements that helped the lIIke's rIdeablllty the most were the modifIcatlons to the for1c that Race Tech carried OUt. In stock form, the for1c was entirely too soft, and I was running out of room to make adjustments. AltAr adding the Gold VaIYe kits, heavier new springs (0.85 kg) and setting the oil levels to the optimal level and weight, the fork improved dramatically. I no longer need to worry about the front end chattering, even in Willow Springs' fast tum eight. Now, I need to taekIe the stock rear shock. Another key ingredient to maintaining stability at speed was the addition of the Scotts steering damper and triple clamp. The R6 wanted to shake its head going over Willow's off-camber turn six rise, which is a key point on the track in that it gives you a good drive into the ultrafast tum eight. I've found the Scotts stabilizer to be a piece of cake to set up and am really happy with the range of adjustability, and no more slappers. Continuing on the theme of handling, I decided that I would use Pirelli's excellent Super Corsa race tires on the R6. I've been very impressed with not only their level of grip, but their durability, as well. I came up with a routine with the Super Corsa tires. I practice on my race tires from the previous race weekend and then throw on a fresh set for race day. This has worked very well because the tires stay consistent until they are completely shagged. The tires slide very consistently and offer plenty of grip for Willow's fast corners. The final performance-oriented modification is the use of Ferodo SinterGrip brake pads. One of the next things that I need to add to the bike is a set of braided stainless-steel brake lines, which I've ignored up until this point because Willow Springs doesn't really have too many hard braking zones. The rest of the modifications were done for comfort, crash protection or cosmetle reasons. The first would be the use of Sharkskinz bodywork, and lowe that company an extra thank you for sending me a second set after I crashed on that first weekend at Willow, literally destroying every single fairing piece on the bike. I've used Sharkskinz in the past and have been very impressed with its fit and finish, in addition to its durability. Next up was a Zero GraVity windscreen, which is much lighter than stock and doesn't have that thick trailing edge that can sometimes distort the view. I also added a pair of rear sets from Yamaha's GYT-R catalog, their carbon fiber front fender and a billet aluminum oil pump cover. The final additions are the very trick CRG adjustable levers, which I have fallen in love with. Not only are they very easy to adjust, they just feel right in your hands as well. Once the bike was completed I took it back to Willow Springs to compete in the monthly WSMC events. Having not road CYCLE NEWS • FEBRUARY 9,2005 29

• Cover