Hey all, I don't post around here much but I thought I would show my build.
Me and a buddy on a 600 at Blackhawk Farms. Bike was about 1/2 done at this point, no race fairings yet.
Link to original page on YouTube.
K-Tech cartridges, fully adjustable - No skimping in the one place where I want the absolute best I can get. I was going to cheap out and get Racetech emulators, but decided against them due to their limited adjustments. These carts are an expensive option but well worth it. I also considered Bitubo and Traxxion cartridge kits. I don't have personal experience with these, so I listened to the experience of a few others and made a choice. There is literally nobody in the world who has tried 2 different sets of cartridges and offered a comparison, so I had to obtain individual reviews and read between the lines. This isn't like supersports where everyone knows what the good stuff is. Installed by Velocity Calibrations, located in St. Louis MO and servicing many Midwest racetracks. BTW, for those considering a DIY install of these carts, there is a machining operation on the fork lowers.
Ohlins KA841 rear shock - Riders Discount gave me a great price on this, and I liked the custom mounting included for the remote reservior that is made just for the 300. I had a GSXR 600 shock to use but opted for this Ohlins because I wanted a good, proven (and fresh) option with no cutting, machining and other hack jobs to make a shock fit that wasn't meant for the bike.
Springs - Both suspension options are sprung to my weight. I'm a big dude. 5'-11" and 210 lbs. My instructions to Velocity Calibrations in selecting my spring rate beyond my weight and the fact I am racing, was that I am a beast on the brakes. When I'm on the brakes, pretty much 100% of the weight is on my front wheel.
Galfer SST brake lines - Cheap and easy improvement in braking feel. And thankfully, I didn't have ABS on my bike. The Ninja's ABS doesn't work well at the track because of it's early interference, it's a pain to bleed, and braking feel suffers. So the Galfer line is a simple straight single line.
Vesrah VD 250 RJL pads - The highest friction option for the 300. The majority of pad options for the 300 are meant for commuters, not racers. The Vesrah come the closest to a racing pad in my opinion. Since I'm not doing a caliper/master upgrade, I need the best pad I can get for racing. OEM brakes are seriously weak. These help a lot. EBC Extreme Pro pads work great on my 675R, However their linear friction curve with low initial bite isn't what the Ninja 300 needs. And the 300 definitely doesn't need the plain HH pads, which are total crap. EBC GP pads would have been great, but not available for the 300.
Woodcraft clip-ons - They seem to be built better than some of the cheaper brands, so I didn't want to skimp here. These are needed to put me into more of a racing rider position and to allow easier access to the damping adjustments on the forks. I also needed the 10mm spacer kit to allow the bars to get into a more suitable angle. (rather than grind the top triple clamp) I zip tied the brake line out of the way and it just barely clears the instrument panel.
Yoshimura Rearset brackets - These relocate the factory footpegs about 2" back and 2" higher. The 300 Ninja has a serious lean angle limitation. Something has to be done. I liked the factory footpegs as they are legit sportbike pegs. (not like the rubber coated crap of the previous generation) I also wanted to retain the spring loaded folding of the factory pegs. I've seen too many rigid pegs start a bike rolling. (this is up for furious debate - I recognize some love rigid rearset footpegs) Note that my suspension is set up tall, which also helps with lean angle.
MotoFairings Inc race bodywork - These are about the same quality as Hotbodies. In other words, not that great and you need to be ready for some elbow grease to make them fit and work. They are less than half the price of Sharkskinz, a fair trade off. If you are the kind of person who has a fit if something doesn't bolt right up with no effort, these fairings are not for you.
Dunlop Unbeaten 02 tires - Best value in sticky race tires. 150/60 and 110/70 sizes. It was either these or Pirelli Supercorsas, but 150 and 110 Pirelli tires are always expensive and special order. I bought these Unbeatens just before the Alpha 13's came out.
Tune for VP fuels MR12 - This fuel is oxygenated. The single biggest performance boost. It's basically free horsepower, and on a racing 300 that's priceless. But damn, the stuff is $30 a gallon, and it's harsh to the fuel system. It has to be drained after running it. I will only run this stuff for race day and go back to 91 octane pump gas for track days.
Full floating rotor (EBC MD4166XC) - Stock rotor has a tendency of warping and is very heavy. The EBC is lighter and the German rolled SST alloy has a higher coefficient of friction.
Yoshimura full exhaust (SST version) - Best value for a full exhaust system, and Rider's discount once again set me up well. I could save maybe a pound with the carbon fiber version, but I want a system that doesn't shred when it touches asphalt. If I crash in a race, running a steel canister, there is a chance I can pick up my bike and keep going if nothing else is too damaged. I am being realistic about racing... I WILL crash, I have in the past and I will again, it's just a matter of when and how.
Power Commander - I hate these but for me it's a necessary evil. I would have preferred to use Flash-Tune and go without the Power Commander, but for some reason they got real expensive and limited. Last time I used them it was $100 for a flash and unlimited re-flashes. Now it's $250 for a single flash and it costs extra for a re-flash. Not to mention, while Flash-tune does good work for normal tunes with 91 octane gas, I don't really trust them to give me a proper flash with race fuel. And given the fact that most local tuners are completely clueless to direct ECU flashing and only know how to tune with a Power Commander, I guess that is the way I have to go. Not really happy about it. Direct flashing ECU's should be the future, and power commanders need to fade away. Oh, and I'll have 2 tunes, one for pump 91 octane and the other for race gas. With that I'll need a Power Commander anyway, since the OEM ECU can't store an alternative map.
The little stuff - Yoshimura exhaust bracket because the rear footpegs have the weight of a boat anchor. All Balls tapered steering head bearings since the OEM bearings went to hell within 1 day at the track. Switch added to flip maps for pump 91 octane to MR12. Lever protectors in case of a little bumpity bump in the corners. Race number decals from a local vinyl supplier. Evil eyes off ebay. Mirror block off plates, Motul RBF600 brake fluid, Swingarm spools, yadda yadda.
Possible Future work:
Dunlop Alpha 13's when my Unbeaten 02s are done - These are the spec tires for the MotoAmerica RC cup. The RC390 has the same size rims as the Ninja 300, and the 110/70 150/60 combo fits perfectly. Awesome race tires I hear.
High flow air filter - I think I have to maintain the factory airbox for one of the classes I may be racing in. So all I can do is put in the best filter I can. The K&N isn't enough of an improvement over stock, so I want a BMC race filter. I will have to do another dyno run though.
This bike is meant for CCS Ultralight Thunderbike, GT Ultralight, and 500SS here in the Midwest. ULTB and GTUL have a 300 cc cap, so no RC390s or R3s allowed. But it is relatively open to modifications. 500SS is a class made for the CBR500, but nobody races those because they are turds. Class is loaded with RC390s, Ninja 300s and maybe a couple R3s. It has supersport rules, and the key there is no modded airbox.
It was a tough decision for me to include 500SS in my race agenda, because of the airbox limitations. But if I only race ULTB and GTUL, then I can add pod filters and get 3-4 more horsepower. I may just decided to cut out 500SS yet but I am going to try a couple to see how it goes against RC390s.
When I bought it, the bike had a light downer on the left side which saved me a few hundred bucks, but it's still kind of a pricey build. Could have gotten a race prepped middleweight for the money I dumped into it, but that's not what I wanted. There is a certain amount of fun on this build that I don't get on my 675R. I feel like it's making me a better rider, and ultralight racing isn't quite the meat grinder that middleweight is. Still some of the guys racing ultralight are frigging serious, with builds well into the 5 digit price range. It will be a fun year, if I don't crash out and get all busted up like previous years on my 675. It hasn't been easy for me, I have a total of 3 titanium plates and 50 screws in me right now.
I think what I'm looking forward to most is not burning up a $400 set of Pirelli race tires in 2 days like I do on my 675. The 300 sips MR12 race gas lightly also. With that stuff, miles per gallon counts.