Ducati Sporting Club UK > DesmoDue Race Series > DesmoDue - General Questions and Chat > late notice panic questions

[steeevvvooo]

Do I need the following to race. If the answers are in the regs then apologies, but I'm not at home and they are playing on my mind!!

1) Can I have a non-mainentance-free battery? I.e. One that is not sealed for life? I've fitted one today, but then realised there is an overflow and it might leak if I crash

2) Do I need a rear brake (I don't use one when on track really)? Looks like the master is broken from the slow speed off at Oulton.

3) Do I need to have a rev counter to race (I know I SHOULD have one to watch revs)? I can have one fitted to noise test hanging loose, but I've broke the bracket so can't fix it to the yoke at the moment.

Sorry for the stupid questions, but I have seriously limited time before Brands and would rather spend time and money on stuff like a good service if the above bits are not necessities to meet regs.

[848spence]

Originally Posted by steeevvvooo

Do I need the following to race. If the answers are in the regs then apologies, but I'm not at home and they are playing on my mind!!

1) Can I have a non-mainentance-free battery? I.e. One that is not sealed for life? I've fitted one today, but then realised there is an overflow and it might leak if I crash

2) Do I need a rear brake (I don't use one when on track really)? Looks like the master is broken from the slow speed off at Oulton.

3) Do I need to have a rev counter to race (I know I SHOULD have one to watch revs)? I can have one fitted to noise test hanging loose, but I've broke the bracket so can't fix it to the yoke at the moment.

Sorry for the stupid questions, but I have seriously limited time before Brands and would rather spend time and money on stuff like a good service if the above bits are not necessities to meet regs.

Quick answers
1) doesnt matter
2) It has to work to meet ACU regs
3) Would have to read ACU regs

[steeevvvooo]

Cheers. Thought that might be the case. Looks like I snapped the plunger off the rear master cyclinder but should be an easy replacement job. Recon I'll try and get a bracket made for the speedo anyway just in case, but wasn't sure.

[skidlids]

1) Battery Breather / Overflow pipe should go to your catch tank/Bottle

2) Rear Brake needs to be working, I bet you will use it if your front brake fails

3) Its not a requirement to have a Rev counter, but without one it will make noise testing awkward and will be hard to tell if your bike meets the ACU legal noise limit

[Jolley]

Originally Posted by skidlids

2) Rear Brake needs to be working, I bet you will use it if your front brake fails

I didn't!... Didn't even enter my head! I just threw it into the corner and prayed! To my mind the rear brake doesn't even exist.

[skidlids]

Originally Posted by Jolley

I didn't!... Didn't even enter my head! I just threw it into the corner and prayed! To my mind the rear brake doesn't even exist.

And when there is a bike right in front of you hard on the brakes at the end of a fast straight, would you just run into it, or try and scrub some speed off with the back brake

Having been in that position I know what I did and although I never use the back brake under normal race or road conditions on that occasion I did and it slowed me enough for the two bikes in front to tip in the corner and for me to carry straight on. At the end of the straight we were probaly around 130 to 140 mph

[Jolley]

Kev, it may come naturally to a lot of long term bikers... But when my front calipers had been put together the wrong way at my shakedown before last season and I flew into the hairpin at Brands, the rear brake didn't enter my head or any reflex at all. Unfortunately, if there had been another bike there and I couldn't have steered around it, I would have collected them. I've only had a licence a couple of years, and have never used the rear brake... It seriously is as though it isn't there. In those situations you don't know how you'll behave, but I know even when a possible trip to the gravel on a pristine bike were possible, my brain wouldn't let me access any knowledge of a rear brake (and if I had found it, in this case it could have ended worse).

[steeevvvooo]

ok, I'll buy a new master cylinder. The rev counter was just a dodgy connection so think I've fixed that, and will run the breather for the battering in with the fuel breather pipes

Now need...

- number boards (seems these are available in the paddock from searching old posts?). Seems the ACU regs are pretty specific so not sure I want to risk ordering some online in case they're not right?

- Couple of bolts and clips

- seal the exhausts better where the link pipes meet the collectors

- oil and filter change

- Dog tags

Still feel like there's lots to do, and will probably need to take time off work to get it all done as I'm at a wedding all next weekend

[kenoir]

Come on Ron..... Hill starts? LOL

[bradders]

Originally Posted by kenoir

Come on Ron..... Hill starts? LOL

you mean from the gravel at Paddock Hill?!

Steve - number boards all you need is some sticky white vinyl sheet cheap of ebay, and if you get a couple of black sheets you can do your own numbers whatever size you need. Have a look around; I'd suggest most probably don't conform to regs entirely