Attention connecticut riders

[adouglas]

Schedule is posted at the TTD website. Sunday there is no on-track activity til noon... but they run sessions late to compensate (same amount of track time). The bonus is that you get a track walk in the morning.

Heads-up.. the front straight points west. Glare wasn't that big a deal, just so you know.

[backinthesaddleagain]

^^thanks. Yeah I was at a local mx in ct a couple Sundays ago and they let them run earlier now. Maybe 11:00 but later than other places. At least they have tracks it ct - road and mx.

[backinthesaddleagain]

I see he runs it like his ny days. Four groups and lunch break vs nh where it's three groups and track doesn't stop for lunch. You eat with your group.

[Ducati999]

#1: Found the problem with the 999s clutch. Totally my fault (Duc ran awesome and I was the slow piece). I removed the light weight clutch basket and installed a stock steel basket just before the track day. I wanted the heavier basket for smoother throttle and less engine braking at the track. I ran out of loc tite and time so I torqued the large nut that holds the clutch hub but skipped the loc tite and the nut loosened up during my final run! Lesson learned, I was unable to down shift from fourth (125-130mph) at the end of the front straight for turn 1. Could have been really bad but I made it thru! No real damage other than the clutch cover (I have 4) and the little cups that hold down the springs for the clutch scraped against the cover so the cups and the bolts thru the cups are worn (slightly) and should be replaces (I also have many of these parts). I am so lucky to have two Ducs and all the clutch parts are inter changeable. I am also lucky I did not crash, Stupid first time track rider mistake!

#2: My wife and I would like to formally thank Andrew, Chris and Jade for making our first trip to the track more fun than we could have ever hoped for! Your advice, support and fellowship (could not think of a more appropriate word) made us all feel welcome and made the entire trip much, much more enjoyable. THANK YOU ALL! My father was especially impressed with how neighborly and helpful the three of you (and everyone else we met) were and he was surprised we had just formally met the day before. I have to mention Chris' daughter Jade, She was an absolute joy and was a lovely, happy little woman who added hours of entertainment with her boundless energy and picture taking. We were also very glad to meet Jay and his group and they were just as nice and friendly as everyone else and I wish we had more time to get to talk. We will be at the next session of TTD@ Thompson but will just be watching and not riding. Hope to see many of you there again.

#3: We had several friends and family visit us while at the track, since we live so close. Everyone was very friendly to them and more then one has expressed interest in coming back for future trips. My wife is planning on doing a track day next year and we should all begin planning (if you are interested in doing this together again) for next year. My father was so impressed with the environment and energy he is considering coming with us! We are in for next year (cant do another day this year) so lets get our ducks (pun) in a row and make this happen again!

PS: My wife said you guys can come shower at our house next time if you want!

[adouglas]

Thanks, Ant!

I'll be doing one more track day this year because I've got a use-it-or-lose-it half day credit from Tony. I'm looking at my schedule and I *might* be able to do the August one. If I do you're more than welcome to hang out at my pit.

Videos are starting to pop up. The only one I've found from our group is Jay's.... and wouldn't have found that without the direct link. I'm searching on "Thompson track day" and Jay's vid has the default file name.

[Bigballsofpaint]

i have about 4 more, that was just my "best" one since it was the last session and i was starting to feel really comfy. Ill post the rest of them tonight.

Sorry i wasnt around to chat more Ant, i didnt want to leave the lady stranded too much since she took the day off work to come watch and we had the dogs and all. She said shes much more comfortable with me going to track days now (but not racing, since Chris said thats when you crash lol), and she will prob go to all of the future ones now. Next time ill just call one of you before i get to the track and find out where you are pitted and join you all.

[csmith12]

Anyone remember the website of the photo guy there? I wanna see if he got me lifting the rear into turn 1. /crosses fingers

[Bigballsofpaint]

As of this morning his pics were still not up. Its otmpix.com BTW @csmith12 , where are YOUR pics Im sure my gf would love to see the many pics of the dogs since they are her babies.

[csmith12]

Oh couple of other things;

You guys don't owe me any thanks. Your smiles, success, enjoyment and good company were all I needed, it was my pleasure.

I also let Jade know what you all said, which brought a smile to her face that melted my heart. She is such the little helper with an awesome attitude. I hope I have taught her well. She was somewhat bummed out that she couldn't ride her little 4wheeler but she made the best of it anyway. As you can see in the pic, she isn't always happy at the track, but she helps me keep the mood upbeat in the pits when others are around.



@adouglas - Your progress in 2 days was outstanding! Especially, in the key areas that will help you in your everyday riding. Trust in the brakes, trail braking and confidence in your abilities are directly useable on the street. Although, careful with that trail braking on the street. You know it's more of an "oh crap, I overcooked this a bit, but I can trail a little to scrub off more speed" vs. bitin' it.

@Ducati999 - When you changed bikes the second day, it kinda reset your progress a bit. No biggy though, you left shiny side up and happy you got to explore the abilities of your duc a bit. Leaving the track with good memories, happy and healthy is what it's all about. From what I seen in the turns I could get to, your adjustment in throttle control between your two bikes was spot on. You rode well and well within your abilities. Keeping calm in spite of a bike that had a problem is a great skill you need on the street. You proved to yourself that you can overcome it and keep it in control despite an upcoming turn. Well done.... well done... Tell your dad I said "Hi!" and there was the other 250 rider that was 84yrs young out there mixing it up. And don't forget... get those flippers up!!! (no toe scraping) And.... I will be taking you up on the shower offer for the next trip.

@Bigballsofpaint - Very nice riding overall. From what I seen, just keep doing what you're doing and you will be in the know very soon, but don't bite off more than you can chew and you won't run off the track 2 times in one day. Chase fast, don't let your skills chase your pace. Basically... if your missing shifts, it means your marker is off and you need a bit more time to set up the turn. Sure, no one is perfect, most everyone missed a shift or two at some point. After a track day or two, you will learn that one gear off just gives you a crap exit drive. But... you did the right thing by using the run off (what little you had lol) instead of just crashing when you felt the need. Also, your bike seems to be well setup/baselined as it's very close to mine. So my advice to you is, before you make a bunch of changes to the bike, let your abilities catch up to what your bike can do. With Thompson's layout, stock gearing is just about perfect. Your shift points will change as you get faster. But, hey.... try a 15t. Maybe it will be better. Never know until you try right? Just bring the tools to swap back if you don't like it. I enjoyed your company, a nice conversation with your pit mates and my daughter just loved your dogs. I hope you enjoy the pics Jade got of you and they help you in the future. It was a great time and again, great riding your first time out.

@me - The drive home was killer... 13 and some change hours after a day of riding. Nearly 26h total. Honestly though, it was worth every minute. I would gladly do it again as long as I can afford it. The gas $$ really hurt though. My record remains in tact, 28 new riders helped with their first track day and no crashes. This is a credit to THEIR riding and honestly, little to do with me. Like I posted before, I have damaged my bike more during transport than while on the track.

My casualties (there is always something);
Broken license plate light on trailer;
Scratches on the front fairing from a rubbing 4wheeler in the trailer.
One sore neck from a forgotten pillow.
I forgot my toolbox. But between the guys, we had tools covered.
$2 hunnit dollars for a membership fee that I didn't budget.

@ttd - Thank you for hosting a well run and fun track day. I was interesting, the track was super fun and you and your staff obviously got this track stuff down. I was kinda iffy about the passing rules at first, but that was unwarranted as it worked out quite well. I felt safe the entire time. Seeing you walk around the paddock, talking and working with riders is a great asset to your org. You will have my recommendation going forward to my riding friends. I look forward to riding with your group again.

Great weekend + Mon gents... let's do it again soon.

[Bigballsofpaint]

Thanks Chris, it means a lot! I think most of the missing shifts is because i havent been on the bike for 6 months, coupled with the fact that i raised the pegs, had to change the shift lever angle and never using the race boots before. The downshift when i first went off the track, was all mental. I had a brainfart and that turn one was tricky for me. The other time i actually just missed the shift twice, you can see and hear it in the video. I wasnt able to get my boot under the lever enough i guess.

Next time your around ill make sure to sign up for the whole weekend, and im going to try to go to Beaver in 2 or 3 years. (Id like to try NYST next year, and maybe loudon)

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by Bigballsofpaint

As of this morning his pics were still not up. Its otmpix.com BTW @csmith12 , where are YOUR pics Im sure my gf would love to see the many pics of the dogs since they are her babies.

Thanks yo! Pics are uploading, 333 of them. They should be done later today as me webs in the backwoods of KY is the slooooowwwwww....

Here is the link. http://s1127.photobucket.com/user/cs...?sort=3&page=1 Keep hitting refresh until there are 333 uploaded.

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Oh couple of other things;

You guys don't owe me any thanks. Your smiles, success, enjoyment and good company were all I needed, it was my pleasure.

If there were ever a candidate for a ninjette MOTY, it would be this guy


I know the 5-6 won't be my first track day, but I'm still a complete novice at track so I could use the pointers that you have to offer

Also it's great to read that everyone had a great time, I'd be down for heading up sometime next season if it weren't for the apparent $200 membership fee so much.

[Bigballsofpaint]

Its actually 500 for a membership, its gives you 100 off every trackday for the year. I think hes refferring to having to pay the non member price of like 270 instead of 170 for members. Maybe if im a good boy ill get a membership for X-mas one of these years.

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by Bigballsofpaint

Its actually 500 for a membership, its gives you 100 off every trackday for the year. I think hes refferring to having to pay the non member price of like 270 instead of 170 for members. Maybe if im a good boy ill get a membership for X-mas one of these years.

that'd make a pretty good x-mas gift

Personally I like the idea of travelling to different tracks and riding as many as I can so that wouldn't really work for me unless it was my home track (aka. shortest drive to a track) shenny.

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by Bigballsofpaint

Thanks Chris, it means a lot! I think most of the missing shifts is because i havent been on the bike for 6 months, coupled with the fact that i raised the pegs, had to change the shift lever angle and never using the race boots before. The downshift when i first went off the track, was all mental. I had a brainfart and that turn one was tricky for me. The other time i actually just missed the shift twice, you can see and hear it in the video. I wasnt able to get my boot under the lever enough i guess.

Next time your around ill make sure to sign up for the whole weekend, and im going to try to go to Beaver in 2 or 3 years. (Id like to try NYST next year, and maybe loudon)

I am at Beaver 3-4 times per season. Your welcome to come pit with me anytime. And adjust dat shift lever!!!!

Originally Posted by Bigballsofpaint

Its actually 500 for a membership, its gives you 100 off every trackday for the year. I think hes refferring to having to pay the non member price of like 270 instead of 170 for members. Maybe if im a good boy ill get a membership for X-mas one of these years.

^^^ yep this. I am not used to membership fees around my parts. It wasn't really a big deal, just something I didn't budget for.

[Bigballsofpaint]

Originally Posted by csmith12

I am at Beaver 3-4 times per season. Your welcome to come pit with me anytime. And adjust dat shift lever!!!!

I DID adjust the shift lever, if i go any farther up i have to lift my entire leg to shift, and if i go another knotch down then i cant downshift haha. I may look into buying real rearsets, since this is just adjusters with the stock stuff. I just need to get used to it, the limited mobility with the race boots doesnt help, but obviously its like that for a reason.

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by Sirref

If there were ever a candidate for a ninjette MOTY, it would be this guy

Woid!

If you buy a membership early, it's 400. At least it was last year.... You get a deep discount if you're a member. IIRC the break-even point is four track days. Plus you get a discount on tires from MTAG if you're a member, something like 15% off of prices that are already comparable to online, with free mounting at the track.

[Sirref]

sounds a lot like the local memberships but those are designed for full seasons worth of track days

[adouglas]

???? That's what Tony's is. You buy a membership and it gives you a member discount on every track day you do, all year long. Ride more than four and you've offset the cost of the membership.

BTW, Chris, the pics are outstanding! Refresh... refresh... refresh....

[adouglas]

Jay's sharp 250 and pit crew

[adouglas]

Quality time with my bike

[adouglas]

Chris looking racy

[adouglas]

Go Ant!

[Sirref]

sorry I wasn't quite clear as it is a bit different, the vip membership options you can buy here go by a set amount of track days
5, 9, 12, etc. So it's not a membership where you sign up then you get whatever days you want afterwards it's more like a package deal for a track season. Regular membership is required to sign up but that's only $25/year

[ttd]

Thanks all for coming out... glad it sounds like you all had fun.

Here is a link to our Facebook Group which we encourage you to join.

It is where you'll find lots of great info... like the fact that the pictures are being posted by the Pro Photographer.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/tonystrackdays/

[csmith12]

Thanks Tony!

From the facebook link, here are the pro pics from day 1. http://photos.otmpix.com/p738568772

Hopefully day two comes soon.

[Bigballsofpaint]

the rest of my videos are up andy, i think theres 5 total

[adouglas]

Thanks, man.

It's true... you don't lean as far or hang off as much as you think you do.

The last couple of sessions of the second day I was focusing on body position... relaxing the inside arm, putting the outside elbow on the tank... that's when the last few mm of chicken strip finally went away.

[Bigballsofpaint]

Looking at pictures i thought the same thing, would have been nice to do a 2 day event, and next year i will because it wasnt until the last 2 sessions until i was getting comfortable with it. I remember thinking, wow im leaned over a ton, then look at my pictures and its a big realization that i have so much more to go. Hoping the photogropher got pics of my later sessions as well to see how or if i improved throughout the day.

[subxero]

Originally Posted by adouglas

Quality time with my bike

Wait!?.. so your face isn't actually a fist?

I find you much less intimidating now

[parox91]

Originally Posted by adouglas

I've decided I really want to do a track day next year, pending the payoff of my bike.

Let's try to get some peeps together and make it happen. Would be good to have some "known" people to hang with. Posting way early to plant the seed.

No date or location selected yet... just the intent to go do this.

It'll be with Tony's Track Days.

http://www.tonystrackdays.com/index.cfm

I know Jay (@bigballsofpaint) wants to do it.

Who else? @crazymadbastard? @parox91? @AZRider?

Cross-posting in the Rides section, but please put your responses here.

I haven't been on here in a while

Should've said this 8 months ago so hopefully I didn't miss it because I'd be down

edit: nvm, i'll catch the next one

[Bigballsofpaint]

Dont worry, it seems we all caught the track bug so there will surely be future dates.

[subxero]

@Bigballsofpaint How did those brakes treat you?

That is a Spawn stick on your bike correct? Pretty sweet

[Bigballsofpaint]

Yes sir it is, when i was asking my friends what to paint my track bike they joking said to do a whole spawn theme with the cape draping down the bike etc. Being a realist and this being a track bike, i wasnt going to go nuts on something that has a higher chance of being dropped, so i just bought some of those vinyl pieces . Im hoping if they end up going to the track at a later date they will add it to theirs as well. It was like 10 bucks on amazon for 2 of them, one reverse cut so they both "look" to the front. The plastidip on the tank rubbed off pretty bad on the sides, and the tail section. So at least i know im squeezing the tank to an extent and pushing to the rear of the bike. I will have to rattle can those for next time.

Brakes were great, still need to get my confidence in them though. I need to bleed the front more since its a bit squishy, but they were more than adequate in stopping the bike, extremely happy with the results, as well as doing the complete suspension of the bike. Everything feels really solid, next year i will bump the power up since my suspension and brakes are done.

[csmith12]

@adouglas - Someone needs a new avatar now And you get an achievement for your very complete and well thought out track day. I have been wanting to give this one out for a while but I was patient until your track day.

[backinthesaddleagain]

Originally Posted by parox91

I haven't been on here in a while

Should've said this 8 months ago so hopefully I didn't miss it because I'd be down

edit: nvm, i'll catch the next one

I am signed up for 8/18 and then the razees/ttd day in September. Come on out.

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by csmith12

@adouglas - Someone needs a new avatar now And you get an achievement for your very complete and well thought out track day. I have been wanting to give this one out for a while but I was patient until your track day.

Done and done! A badge of honor!

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by backinthesaddleagain

I am signed up for 8/18 and then the razees/ttd day in September. Come on out.

what group?

I'm trying for 8/18. Jury is still out.

Pitting with peeps is DEFINITELY the way to go!!!

[Sirref]

bwahahahahahaha well done on the new avatar @adouglas

[Bigballsofpaint]

i wonder if i can take another therapy day at work....i notice the razee day also has bikes we could try. I REALLY want a newer 636 for a dedicated track bike, and they have one to try, oh jeez