Phil911
S.U.P.E.R.B !!!!!!
Thanks for these nice pics !!!
Phil911
heizer300
Year, the bike is nice too! But I like the background too! Where do you live?
heizer300
bmitch996
Heizer300,
I live in Santa Cruz, California. The body of water in the background is Monterey Bay. If it were clearer you could see across to Monterey right about where Laguna Seca is located.
griff851
Really really nice job there. How does it run?
bmitch996
Griff,
It runs really good now with all the things I did to it, much improved. I did a track day March 7, and I was really happy with the way it went.
griff851
Glad to hear it. Its just amazing how much better performance you get with just a bit of mucking around. Once again thats a really nice looking bike you have there. Good luck on the weekend!
What tyres are you using?
Griff
bmitch996
Griff,
I'm running Bridgestone 002's for the track days and Bridgstone slicks for the races. Soft front and medium rear, 190 on the rear.
heizer300
bmitch996 wroteHeizer300,
I live in Santa Cruz, California. The body of water in the background is Monterey Bay. If it were clearer you could see across to Monterey right about where Laguna Seca is located.
Once I lived in the US. It was in Boca Raton, Fl. but California is the place to prefer, I think ! Nice area.
...
scottieducati
Do you have any particular reason for going with a 190 rear? I would imagine you'd want to make it turn as quick as possible, not slow turn-in down...
PS: kick ASS bike there mate ;-)
bmitch996 wroteGriff,
I'm running Bridgestone 002's for the track days and Bridgstone slicks for the races. Soft front and medium rear, 190 on the rear.
Vitho
Congratulations with the bike
What a nice result, I hope my bike will look as great as this when its finished ....
(I'll take some shots as it progresses and post them together)
Thumbs up, with the racing
bmitch996
Scottie,
I like the taller profile of the 190/55 rear, it gives a little more ground clearance with the belly pan fitted, and a bigger contact patch when leaned over, lastly that's what I run on my other race bike 916sps. So I'm just comfortable with it.
brad black
one of our customers races on bridgestone slicks, as they sponsor bears out here, and i think he runs a 190/67 or something like that. has a very tall sidewall.
bmitch996
First Race Report
Well the first AFM race weekend has come and gone. I did my first Super Dinosaur(bikes 12 years old or older) race on the 851. Although my result was not what I had hoped, I came away feeling optimistic about the next race.
Buttonwillow Raceway is an old and bumpy racetrack located in California's central valley about 40 miles northwest of Bakersfield. Basically in the middle of nowhere, just off interstate 5, opposite the John Deere dealership with nothing else in site for miles.
Saturday practice went without incident, the bike was running well, but my lap times were well off what I was doing on my 916sps a year ago.
Sunday I'm in race 6 just after lunch. Thirteen people had pre-entered the race, only 10 were on the posted grid at the lunch break. I was on the second row, outside. I don't know if all 10 racers lined up on the grid, but the guy on the first row one position to the right of me just sat there when the green flag dropped, he didn't go? Weird. In the end eight of us finished the race and guess what I was #8🙁 . I still came away feeling good about the next race as my fastest lap in the race was 9 seconds faster than my best practice lap. Also my fastest race lap was 2-3 seconds a lap faster the the two people that finished just in front of me. So I know I can do better and now I know how hard I can really ride the 851 after having done my first race on it.
The next two races are at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma California, a track I know very well.
One thing for sure the 851 was the hit of the paddock, the most unique best looking bike out there.
Stay tuned.........
griff851
Great to hear the results of the weekend. The good thing about coming 8th out of 8, is there is plenty of room for improvement. 😁
What other machines were you up against?
Griff
bmitch996
Griff,
Definitely room for improvement! The guy who won was on a 91 Honda 600, then there were 5 Yamaha 750's late 80's early 90's vintage, and another 96 Honda 600 or 750vfr.
I did a track day today on the track that we race on next. hopefully I can pick up a couple of positions next round.
B
Ken L
Anything new on the race bike front?
bmitch996
New Sharkskinz bodywork, much lighter than what I had on before.
Race 2 was last weekend, I'll be posting a race report soon.
bmitch996
AFM Round 2, Infineon Raceway
Race weekend #2 was last weekend at Infineon Raceway located in Sonoma the heart of northern California's wine country. If you're not familiar with it, it's a wonderful track of 2.6 miles and 11+ turns with lots of elevation changes, a real roller coaster.
This time I've entered three races Formula 40, Open Twins, and Super Dinosaur to get some additional seat time under race conditions. Formula 40 or as my girlfriend calls it "Crazy Old Man Race" is for racers over 40 years old, run whatever you brought. As of last January I would qualify for "Formula 50" but the class does not exist, at least not in AFM. Open twins is just what it says, the class is dominated by 1098's, 999's, 749's at least two 1098R's, and one BMW HP2 Sport ridden by Brian Parriott a factory rider for BMW. That leaves Super Dinosaur for bikes 12 years old or older.
Saturday morning I'm up at 6:30am and get through registration and tech quickly, I'm in practice group 2. The weather is nice, sunny and about 65-70 degrees when we first take to the track. The temp rises to the high 70's to low 80's during the hottest part of the day.
The first practice session is OK but my new leathers after three track days and the previous race weekend are still too tight in the thighs. This is becoming a major distraction, as I can't move or hang off the bike comfortably . After the first session I change into my old leathers. The new ones are back at Helimot for some alterations and will be ready for the next race. I get three more practice sessions in on Saturday. On Saturday after practice we have four races, Clubman(for novices) lightweight, middleweight, and heavyweight followed by Formula 40.
Grid positions in AFM are determined by points scored in the class from the previous season.
Formula 40 finally gets called I'm in position 41 of more than 50 racers on the grid. The green flag drops and I get a decent start but right in front of me it's mayhem. People are checking up, one guy is doing a rolling stoppie in front of me do avoid somebody else, "Crazy Old Man Race" as my girlfriend says. Remarkably we all get through turn 1 and we're racing. I lost some positions in the starting mayhem but make some back. By laps two and three I'm settling in a good pace and making some progress. At three and a half laps red flags everywhere and the race is called. The leader Ken Hill gets four full laps in and the win. I end up at 43 of 48 in the results, but over 50 started so the scoring is a bit messed up due to the early stoppage.
Sunday race #4 Open Twins
I'm not expecting much out of this race other than more race practice. My 851 is by far the oldest bike in the field and I'm the oldest racer as well. I'm in grid position 19 of 23 when the green flag drops. This race is pretty uneventful for me and when it is all over I'm 23rd of 23. Five of the top ten finishers had raced the AMA Formula Extreme race in Fontana, CA on Saturday and then driven up to Sonoma for the AFM races on Sunday. Brian Parriott is just back from the first round of the World Endurance Championship in Le Mans I believe? He finished second in AFM Open Twins on his BMW HP2 Sport. Fast company!
Race #8 Super Dinosaur
My last race of the weekend rolls around, 12 people had pre-entered the class but only nine make the grid in the end. I'm in position 8 on the second row outside, a good position for this track. Outside that is. The green flag drops and I get a decent start, up the hill and things start stack up into turn two and I get pushed back. Everyone settles into their groove and I do to. At the end of the eight laps I'm 7th out of 9. A little improvement over the first race but again I'm encouraged as my fastest lap is not that far off the winner's fastest.
I was loosing time off of two key corners due to the way I had the bike geared. On Wednesday I am going to the same track for a track day and will be trying some new gearing. I have been running 15/40 I'm going to try 15/42 on Wednesday.
Ken L, what did you run for gearing?
Next race is May 24-25 round 3.
A couple of photos from the Formula 40 race and the Super Dinosaur race.
Ken L
On shorter tracks, 14/41. Really made her rev out. Lifted the front end pretty easy in second, killer starts. Big tracks (Mosport), 15/38 (I think that's the std gearing she came with?). The lighter weight/more hp let her top out (still a conservative 9,500 redline) at a radar'd(?) 148mph on the uphill Andretti backstraight.
I finally (!) got the last details done on my baby, she's all set now except for insurance (up here, that's a big issue). She pulls harder than ever with the Carillo rods/lightened crank. Hopefully I can get a decent price on ins. and get her back on the road soon.
If you 'head east' for any racing, let me know and I'll try to head down for any support I can give you. We do have probably the second or third biggest Vintage race in North America at Mosport August 15-17. Around 250 entries, everything from 1930's Rudges, to early Gixxers and 851s. Great classic high speed track. Just in case.
bmitch996
Ken,
I was checking out the Mosport website and track map. It looks like a fast track.
Who knows a road trip would be fun. Although I think we're racing that same weekend.
Thanks for the feedback on gearing. I had a good track day on Wednesday. Unfortunately my new sprockets haven't arrived yet so I didn't get to make any changes. I'll have to wait for the race weekend.
Ciao
