Ducati Sporting Club UK > DesmoDue Race Series > DesmoDue - General Questions and Chat > Castle Report - from the back :(

[phoenix n max]

Not a good weekend for me result wise but was good to see so many folks turn out for another fantastic day of racing in the Desmo Series.

I have to say the quality of competition in the series is excellent - big up to the guys for making it what it is thus far.

My day didn't start too well and i'm never ever going to change geometry on my bike then go out and try and race it
especially on a bumpy circuit like Castle.

So a few laps into practice and I quickly realise that i've turned Max into something possessed by the devil and despite cranking the steering damper up it made no difference so I came in.
Race 1 start from the back of the grid and by halfway round lap one i'm thinking this really isn't very nice at all. To make matters worse i'm just about to apply the power on a fast right and the bike coughs and splutters then picks up again coupled with the crap handling i'm allover the track - I persevered but it was plain there was something wrong so 2 laps and I pull in.

The crew set to work and off comes the carbs to find more sand in there than Weston beach ( no idea where all that came from) and whilst their all discussing sticky slides and buggered diaphrgams i'm sat thinking thats it for me today.
However lots of dirty hands and cleaner later the bikes back in one piece but not altogether running like it should.

The ride height adjusters are removed and the forks pushed back up through the yolks to put my handling probs right but the bike is now running too fast on idle and then very very slowly dropping the revs back down to normal but no time left so I line up last with the group for Race 2.

I get a good start and there's about 3-4 I could have taken but because I wasn't sure if the handling was ok I backed off for the first bend and lost the ground I made up but by turn 2 I realised i'd got my old Max back, no headshaking, no slapping - Phewww!

However - whilst I didn't have the cutting out problem I also had no power so I quickly lost the back of the pack but decided to continue to finish anyway.

I did a total of 15 laps I think on a circuit I'd never seen but after race 2 apart from being last I felt much better and would certainly go back to Castle to learn the circuit better.

Huge thanks go to Crust who turned up to watch but spent 4 hours stripping my carbs.

Many thanks to my crew for the effort they put in and to Graeme for all the work he put in last week running around getting parts.

Hopefully we will all be fixed by Snett and at least i'll have time to learn the track this time.

Max and me will be back

[ericthered40]

I was well chuffed when you made it to the chequered flag in that second race.
I saw you sitting on your bike and wished you luck just before you went off to the holding area.
You’re a star

[domski]

Lin, did you drop the forks through the yokes AND fit the ride height adjusters?

We run the forks level with the top yoke, and use the ride height adjusters in the rear and it's perfect.

I have no steering damper (don't need one) and didn't find Castle Combe bumpy at all (like people were saying). The bike handled perfect

Hope you can sort it out

[Edited on 5-6-2005 by domskidue]

[phoenix n max]

Originally posted by ericthered40
I was well chuffed when you made it to the chequered flag in that second race.
I saw you sitting on your bike and wished you luck just before you went off to the holding area.
You’re a star

Aww thanks
Have to say I was very disappointed early on but very pleased when I finished and the handling had improved. More carb cleaning today as we found so much sticky sandy type stuff on the slides but it's all clean now and they move freely so onward to Mallory thursday and hopefully all will be well.

Dom - yep forks were level with top of yokes - I had 18 mill to play with on the front and then fitted the adjusters which took it up slightly more than the front. I frankly couldn't ride it like that - it wouldn't have taken much for it to have spat me off and i've never felt a bike handle so badly so i've no idea what happened there. Took them off and dropped the forks through and hey presto back to sweet handling Max.

I dare say that someone with more experience than I wouldn't have had a problem and ridden it through but it destroyed my confidence in Max and i'm not at a level where I can deal with those issues just yet. Maybe next year eh

[skidlids]

Just wondering Lin how the length of your Ohlins shock compares to the standard one if it is already longer then the rear ride height adjusters may have been a little bit to much and maybe just a couple of extra threads showing on the standard setup rose joints may have been all that was required.
I found my SS with its slightly longer Hagon shock and Ohlins fork springs dealt better with the bumps than any other bike I have ridden at Combe I even got away with leaving the damper on the minimum setting.
Hope your trackday goes well and Max delivers the performance you expect of him.

Kev

[phoenix n max]

You may be right Kev. I've just a little thread showing now on the rose joints and the handling is back to how it was.
Carbs have gone back together now and the excessive wayward idle and surge and not shutting off has now ceased too and we appear to be back to normal.
I'll find out around Gerrards

[TP]

Originally posted by phoenix n max
You may be right Kev. I've just a little thread showing now on the rose joints and the handling is back to how it was.
Carbs have gone back together now and the excessive wayward idle and surge and not shutting off has now ceased too and we appear to be back to normal.
I'll find out around Gerrards

I'll see you there, be good to see Max feeling better

I'll be experimenting with my forks, adding clip-ons and moving my rearsets around at Mallory this Thursday hopefully trying to find a few things that work.

[phoenix n max]

Moved the bars forward and set the rearsets back as far as they went and it's made a huge difference TP . I can now get off the bike in corners. Funny how the smallest of adjustments can make such a big difference.
It's all a learning curve I guess
See you Thursday