Credit when credit is due....

[Super Dave]

OK, so my R6 has been down for some time.  

The cases were busted, so I quickly put in an order for new cases from my wonderful Yamaha dealer...Sportsmans Park in Delavan, WI

http://www,sportsmanspark.net

Got the cases and dropped them off at 4&6 with the offending X-motor...so I though.  Even though I could see the trans bearing, they thought they could repair it.  And they did!  Cool, I can return the cases, there will be a charge from Yamaha, but at least it's less cost.

So, Kevin Hanson drops off the motor to me.  The cases were welded, then the engine had to be disassembled to replace the bearings that were going to be trashed in the process.  We used some different bearings that are now available from my friend Eric at Woodcraft...http://www.woodcraft-cfm.com/

So, I came back from Brainerd, tired, and started to put my bike together.  Got it to the point to fire it up.  It's running on three cylinders.  Turn it off, check everything, three cylinders.  Change some things around.  Three cylinders.  New fuel, different plugs.  Three cylinders.  Go to bed, get up and try again.  Still three.

So, I call Jim at 4&6.  Might have left him a message, but he called back.  We talked.  Any common ideas.  Checked this, checked that.  Finally, "Dave, can you bring it down?"  "Yeah, I'll load it up."  I wanted to leave that day, but it didn't look like it was going to happen.  I just wanted to ride my bike.

So, I drive down, and, according to Murphy's Law, my bus siezes a couple of idlers it blows my serpentine belt.  Call my fellow VRS Instructor, Monte Nichols, who works for Ford, and he directs me to the right place.  They have service open until midnight.  I call 4&6 and tell them about my plight.  Jim give me his cell number.  He'll be there late, but he's got a family (maybe even soccer practice?) too.  Late, it's done, I call but I only leave a message.  I camp out in front of 4&6 in Skokie for the night.

Oh, I saw "Bruce Almighty" that night...didn't have much to do... ;D

Ed shows up first, I get the bike in, we go through it like clock work trying to come up with an answer.  Nothing.  Jim comes in, Shawn too.  Nothing really telling.  Jim turns to me, "Take the motor out, Dave."  I really didn't want to hear it;  I wanted to sleep.  But hey, he knows.  Drop the motor out, put in on a cart (gurney?) and take it to Ed.  Ed pops it open and starts looking.  Again nothing telling.  Jim talks about lunch.  I'm up for some socialization, so we go with Jim and his son, three customers, and Shawn.  Was a nice time to get away.  

We arrive back at the shop, two blocks away, and there's the motor all together and on the cart again.  I run to talk to Ed.  He found a bent valve.  Nothing much, might not be it, but it was something.  Ed had the valve for an '03 Yamaha R6 right there and replaced it.  

We hung the motor in the frame and I left.  Outstanding!

I got up at 5AM Friday, races started at MAM on Friday so I wasn't making that, but if I was going to race, I wanted to race my bike.  I had it running and assembled at around 9AM.  I was ready.

With no sleep in a long time, I drove 500 miles to my Dad's in Omaha to sleep four hours before going to the track.  Ended the weekend by leading some races, trying to get a win.  The bike works great.  I've got a little work to do on my suspension set up, but everything is at least in the ball park.  Considering what I had to go through, I'm happy it went as well as it did..

 My thanks goes out to my friends at 4&6

http://4and6.com

Jim, Ed, & Shawn

[MELK-MAN]

is this the 2003 r6? this is a bike im considering for next year. overall do you like it? the motor i understand is great but how about "feel" and overall handleing.

[Super Dave]

Yeah, an '03 R6.  Feels good.  Don't have enough experience on it yet, but considering that I'm not comfortable or completely set up, I will go faster on it.

Power?  I think it's really good.  JJ, my friend borrowed it for an amateur race and won his second time out on it.  I'm still running a stock head pipe...LOL!

The chassis of R6's are always really cool....long swingarm and a nice amount of weight on the front...it's just a neat package.  I think they smoothed out the rougher nervous tendancies of the previous models.  

4&6 Computracked it...never did it before, but I will definitely do it again.  Saves time and wasted efforts so I can get down to some business.  It's just plain cool...

[tigerblade]

I still think you'll run faster with a windscreen.   ;) ;D

[Super Dave]

Shhhh...

That's my secret... 8)

[Burt Munro]

Dave,

I think I saw 2 yellow plates take their windscreens  off on Sunday......  Something about hearing Super Dave talk about dropping the core temperature of the rider 10 degrees by doing this!?!?

Rick

[Super Dave]

Shh...

more secrets.... 8)