New racer looking for advice

Started by JKBRacing, November 16, 2015, 03:44:47 PM

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ducatista01

Not sure your level of mechanical skills and such but if you want to stick with Ducati you could always buy a Ducati SS chassis and bolt all the monster stuff on that chassis. 

Or buy a SS complete bike.

SV could be a slightly easier route (since they are popular at the track) unless you have someone to help you out already running a Ducati.

JKBRacing

Well I found an SV650 Track bike really cheap, really looks like a rag (Chuckles). It has been sitting for 4 years. Going through it will give me a chance to get really familiar with it. Sounds scary I know but actually after talking to the owner and finding out that her raced it with stock air box and a filter and that they would run the tank and carbs dry after every race weekend (likely it was stored dry) I felt like it might be OK. Plugs looked as though they were burning good the last time it ran. Haven't had a chance to start working on it yet. I put some fuel in it and got it to start but only on the back cylinder. Likely fueling issue or stuck valve on the front cylinder. No smoking or knocking. Has a Ohlins Rear shock and Racetech springs in the front. The rear shock spring is to light for my weight. I'm about 175-180 and my gear is about 19-20 lbs. Will re-spring it. I have see some forums post talk poorly of Ohlins. Is there something that should be done with them to bring them up to snuff?  Should I go with Ohlins recommendation for the rear spring rate and Race tech for the front or have Race Tech spring in front a rear (better Spring rate match?)? The bike also has a total loss ignition. I'm not sure how I feel about that especially today with the ultra light batteries on the market, but it is what it is and I think I will just run it for my first year at least. I will need to replace the battery which it has a 5 Amp/hr battery. Anyone know how long that will last? How often do you have to charge them during a practice day or track day. About how may hours or minutes if continuous use should I get? Would it be advisable to get a couple of batteries? What manufacture should I look for? Sorry I'm so long winded thanks for your time in response.

bruce71198

If the shock spring is to light chances are the fork springs are too. Ohlins is a fine shock for what your doing . If that bikes been sitting for 4 years i would recommend having the shock serviced as you don't know the last time it was done and it probably, at least, has lost its charge. While your at it drop the forks off too, they will need refreshing as well. Clean out the carbs and fuel tank, refresh all the fluids, service the wheel bearings, steering head bearings and suspension pivot points, new tires and chain, throw in a new battery and go racing.

Woofentino Pugrossi

Where you located since you said youre going to be running midwest?
Rob
CCS MW#14 EX, ASRA #141
CCSForums Cornerworking and Classifieds Mod

Capitalview

Ask your SV questions at TWF forum.  Zoran knows SV stuff inside and out.


I ran a total loss system on my SV.  I plugged my battery into a trickle charger after every session.  I was running a Shoria.  It worked great!  Just kept the pig tail for the charger easily accessible. 


One thing you can do for the Ohlins shock is to get a longer body for it.  TSE put the longer body on mine.  That way I could get to the desired 13.75"-14" length.


The SV is an awesome bike and great class to run in.  You can also check out SVRider for more info about the SV and any parts you might need.

JKBRacing

Quote from: Woofentino Pugrossi on December 18, 2015, 08:29:58 PM
Where you located since you said youre going to be running midwest?
I am northeast Illinois /Wisconsin border in Antioch IL.

JKBRacing

Quote from: bruce71198 on December 17, 2015, 03:56:19 PM
If the shock spring is to light chances are the fork springs are too. Ohlins is a fine shock for what your doing . If that bikes been sitting for 4 years i would recommend having the shock serviced as you don't know the last time it was done and it probably, at least, has lost its charge. While your at it drop the forks off too, they will need refreshing as well. Clean out the carbs and fuel tank, refresh all the fluids, service the wheel bearings, steering head bearings and suspension pivot points, new tires and chain, throw in a new battery and go racing.
Went thought the front forks,  brake calipers, master cylinder, and steering stem last week replaced forks with fresh oil I think it is too light 5wt. But that is what I had on hand and I wanted to check to see if it had gold valves which it does with yellow emulator springs. I am thinking that I will get it running with about a half tank of fuel in and weight the bike then go to race tech for the correct springs. At that time I will send the rear chock for service.
Thanks for the response.

JKBRacing

Quote from: Capitalview on December 19, 2015, 09:56:15 PM
Ask your SV questions at TWF forum.  Zoran knows SV stuff inside and out.


I ran a total loss system on my SV.  I plugged my battery into a trickle charger after every session.  I was running a Shoria.  It worked great!  Just kept the pig tail for the charger easily accessible. 


One thing you can do for the Ohlins shock is to get a longer body for it.  TSE put the longer body on mine.  That way I could get to the desired 13.75"-14" length.


The SV is an awesome bike and great class to run in.  You can also check out SVRider for more info about the SV and any parts you might need.
Hey thanks for your input I believe I was just reading a post of yours on SVRider last night abou total loss ignition nag the shoria battery shoria says they do not recommend it but you say you had no prob. Might have to do with not completely draining the battery. Your post was inspiring I already have one sharia battery and was wondering if I would need a second for doing track days? Do you use the Shoria charger as well? How long does it take to recharge?
I will look into TSE to service my shock. I feel as though I have pretty high standards for how I expect the bike to handle. Knowing this I will spend the money and get the suspension tip top.

Capitalview

Not sure how long it takes to recharge the battery.  I used a anti gravity charger, which is similar to the Shoria.  I want to get the Shoria charger though.  I did have two batteries so I could swap quickly too.

I know Zoran runs the Shoria and has been doing so for awhile without any problem.

JKBRacing

Good deal I already have the battery I purchased for my Monster. I do need to pick up a charger though.

"One thing you can do for the Ohlins shock is to get a longer body for it.  TSE put the longer body on mine.  That way I could get to the desired 13.75"-14" length."
[/size]
[/size]Is that with stock fork tubes? The stock Ohlins is 12 inches, that's a big difference.  did you notice a big difference with the longer shock. I called TSE today sounds like about 500.00 to lengthen the body and refresh the shock. Will look into it after the new year.
[/size]
[/size]What should I do for race fairings? The prior owner threw in some race fairings that are pretty rough and I don't know for sure if they wer originally made for an sv650 The guy said people put anything on them is that true? Seems like it would be challenging to keep it from looking cobbled together. Would it be realistic to just watch eBay for some used painted sharkskinz and do I have more options than just sv650 fairings?
[/size]Thanks for your time.

Farmboy

#34
Aw man. I can't believe I never saw this, I haven't been on here in ages. I have spoken to Bruce, though... 8)

To the OP, it sounds like you found an SV, so you're probably good. If you need pro help on the suspension (no matter your budget, prioritize suspension setup first and foremost), there are some excellent guys right in our neck of the woods. Otherwise, go race, learn, and have a blast. The SV is among the most versatile and capable bikes you will find at the track, and will teach you more than most bikes as well.

If you ever decide to track your monster, I can assure you it is a very capable championship-level bike with not too many mods. Of course, more mods are always better - after suspension, wheels are the next best option (the stockers are HEAVY) - but the basic geometry is very good, very classic Ducati, which is to say rock solid stable, albeit requiring dedicated input. Chassis strength and stability is excellent, especially considering the relatively modest power output. Don't forget, the early Monster frames are essentially 851 chassis with slight tweaks, so they are born of racing intent, unlike the same-era SS bikes. I have personally found reliability to be rock solid as well, as the motor in my '96, which was my first track bike ever, and which has literally thousands of track miles from RA to Daytona and most points in between, still has the stock bottom end and transmission in as-yet never split cases. I did some light top end mods when I first got it, and have done pistons and valves once more since then, but it didn't even need the pistons. Other than that, new cam belts and plugs each spring and it's good to go.

No doubt, if you've already purchased a track-prepped SV, it will be both cheaper and more capable than your M until you invest some serious money in the Duc. The Duc, though, is an excellent and unique candidate for the class. That uniqueness, plus the relatively prodigious torque as compared to the SV, really make for a fun ride. I'll most likely have a couple of my bikes out this year, so I'll probably see you at some point. Actually, I'll definitely be at the track whether I have the bikes with me or not, but I'd prefer the former. If you ever want to chat about the Duc, or if you'd like a heads up on suspension guys, feel free to email me at berard12@comcast.net Who knows when I'll check back in here again?
Jim Berard CCS MW#904

Farmboy

Quote from: ducatista01 on November 23, 2015, 11:32:11 AM
As far as racing an older gen monster it can be done...  Anything can be raced.  I could be wrong but I would say an SV is a much better platform chassis wise.  I have never personally raced an SV though.  You are spot on about the Monster rear weight bias.  I own a S4rs with full Ohlins set up by a race tuner for me and had an S2r 1000.  I have spent countless hours and tons of money trying to get my monsters to handle like my superbikes (748, 848).

The problem is if you raise the rear and lower the front enough to get more weight on the nose then you loose all the trail and the bike is unstable and nervous.  I was planing to put my RS on a Scheibner chassis machine and try to figure out if adjustable triple clamps or something like that would get the geometry more inline with a true race bike.  I got busy last year and never did it since its just my street bike. 

The SxR frames were heavily based on the ST chassis and do indeed have a pronounced rearward weight bias, and are very heavy as well. They can be ridden pretty hard, but they're also pretty hairy. Swingarm flex ultimately becomes an issue as well...

The older M chassis, with the dual sided alloy swing arm/hoop design, still has a slight rearward bias, but it's not nearly as bad as the newer Monsters, and is a fair amount lighter and handles much better than the newer bikes too.
Jim Berard CCS MW#904