Race Starts
 

How is it done on a Duke??

On my last (Jap) bike i could happily fly off the lights with the throttle pinned, but on the Duke it just doesn't happen. Its so bad push bikes can sometimes beat me :(

I remember seeing Weeksy at Mallory and the biggest problem he had was the start, this seems to be similar with other Dukes I have seen at club races.

So just how do you do it?

havnt got a clue......which may well put me at a disadvantage as im meant to be racing one this year:puzzled:

When I want to make a searing getaway (well, as searing as an ST2 can muster), it just gets brutal.

Basically, I just lift the revs to about 5-6K (where the old dear is at her torque-iest) and wind the throttle right open from there. What makes it brutal is torturing the poor old clutch by slipping the living daylights out of it so that the revs stay up there and don't bog down.

Murder on clutches, but on a race bike you're probably no worried about how long a clutch pack lasts, as long as it see's you to the end of the race.

Race!!! - its gotta last the season and beyond!!!!:puzzled::puzzled:

I think have a problem getting it past the 'dead' spot on the revs. Unless its up at 5 or 6 its just feeble and hardly pulls unless i dump the clutch which isn't fun really.

Happy to slip the clutch and it does seem more comfortable with the new slave. Maybe its just a fear thing and i should just open it up more?

Be angry Lily, very angry :devil:

hmm, i am not very good at 'Angry' Tony, I am more your 'yeah whatever' kind of girl... :D

I just don't want to look a complete prat and stall it!!

My starts last season were about 50-50 in terms of good and marginal. Never done one on a stock 748 which I think is what your on, right? On mine, I bring the revs to about 8000 RPM when the red lights come on. When the lights go out, at the same time feed the clutch out and pin the throttle. When I get it right, I usually make up at least 5-6 places. Once, I made it all the way to 2nd from 12th! Didn't last long, mind.:lol: When it doesn't work so well, I loose maybe a place or two. Clutch wear seems OK.

Best advice is to find a piece of private straight road on your vast estate :D and practise a few.

Are you coming racing then?

its a 748r at the moment felix, but could progress to a 998s depending on a few things....

just thoughts for now, all depends on finances and how things go when i get on track really..... who knows :D

As the advert goes:
Listen to the voices, they're all out to get you. The mini on your right wants to beat you to the next turn, wind the throttle on...NOT TOO MUCH....now a bit more, and a bit more, now loads of throttle and slip that clutch GO!GO!GO!GO!GO!GO!GO!
Whoops, they were still on red.:lol:

If your bike is on standard gearing you have to murder the clutch for a good launch.

In clubby racing the start is absolutely vital. Like Felix says, practice makes perfect, its far easier to overtake from the start in a short race than do or die stuff in the corners.

You can sometimes feel by the seat of the pants when you have made the perfect launch, even with no other bikes around, front wheel just hovering over the ground.


Too much sky is not good!!


Ray.

Lily, just thank your lucky stars you a riding a nice torquey Duke and not a stroker-getting a 250GP bike off the line is bloody hard and to quote Jules BRUTAL............Basically rev to about 11,000, get clutch to bite point, when light goes out give it full gas and slip the clutch-the aim is to keep the revs at about 12,000 and the front wheel in some proximity to the ground. Get it wrong and it will either bog or flip and you will find yourself lying flat on your back with 100kg's of angry two stroke lying on you and pouring avgas all over you-not nice!

John

What you need is a Bostrum to get past that dead spot:lol:

what a great idea, I wonder why i never thought about buying a Bostrom..... don't suppose you know anyone NICE that would be selling one??

Lil, who mentioned buying one, the word GIFT springs to mind.

Time to change my phone number/address just before all the canvassers calls & hate mail, or should that be hate male:devil:

If you don't like gifts and prefer to be an independant lady you can always buy my SPS, lets say for £10k and i'll bung JPM an envelope with £2k in it ( to treat you of course, not for any 999 bling bits)

[Edited on 4-2-2005 by BDG]

flippin eck!!!

10k!!!

hmmm.....

i still reckon you need a track bike....something like a nice 748r would be good... have you ever considered part ex?

Phone number/address? that'll be the least of your worries, you'll have to rellocate the business and change the numbers, name..... I did warn you!!! LOL!!!
:frog::frog:

Err didn't i mention the £2k sweetner for 999 bling bits if she bought the SPS

Still leaves me with the Bostrom....

Which isn't necessarily a bad thing! OK I'll play ball! ;)