Brake pad for track days question

[rubber side down]

All this talk about boiling fluid and temp of fluid, has me wondering if im doing something wrong. Mine doesn't go fast enough, quick enough to even get brake fade, I mean its a 250 not a 1000.

This is my second year doing track days on the wee little ninja. I flushed the original fluid with new and went to the track with stock lines and pads. The bike only had 4k miles.

It seems just sitting up, getting out from behind the almost fairing it has and closing the throttle does a pretty good amount of slowing then give a touch of brake and toss it into the corner.

[Trailerboy531]

If you're using your 250 brakes enough to boil your fluid you're messing up. Period.

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by csmith12

^^^ dayyyyuuuummm!!! They are proud of that stuff right?!?!?!?!

Makes me ashamed to say I use NAPA DOT 4. lol

Lemme ask... is there really a difference in brake feel based on a change in fluid? I have tried a few different brands over the years, seems to make no difference to me?!?!?!

I don't know about differences, but did you know that when you ride with Tony's Track Days you automatically get a racer discount on Motul products? And it's one heck of a discount.

End of last season I took full advantage of that... probably going to do it again this year.

http://www.tonystrackdays.com/catego...tomer-deal.htm

Should help to offset the cost of riding at Palmer in August just a bit, no?

[csmith12]

Lol, yea and the 82 cents I found under my couch and the 29 cents I found in the drier. Yep, it all is going in the "Palmer Jar".

hahahahahahah

[adouglas]

Isn't this you?

Might want to up your game on the messaging front....

[csmith12]

^^^ bwahahahahhahahahah

That is so me, the hat says it all!

[accumack]

The Motorex I got has a 509f boiling point. The Motul they had was something like 506f.

[crazymadbastard]

Originally Posted by csmith12

+1 on the front steel line. The extra feel is worth it's weight in gold.

sell you one for 1/2 its weight in gold!

[Mike K]

Brake fluid arrived yesterday. Waiting patiently for the pads and braided line...waiting...

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Lol, yea and the 82 cents I found under my couch and the 29 cents I found in the drier. Yep, it all is going in the "Palmer Jar".

hahahahahahah

I'm starting to think I need to invest in a couch that always gives me money like yours does

Originally Posted by adouglas

That hat is so much better than some of the stuff they try to pass off at my local hat stores

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by Sirref

That hat is so much better than some of the stuff they try to pass off at my local hat stores

The problem is that it was originally white.

[Sirref]

[csmith12]

[Fishbine]

Man, Cal Crutchlow has really let himself go

[Mike K]

Oh yeah! The parts were sitting on the front step when I got home from work this evening. Guess what I'm doing tomorrow...

[Mike K]

Turns out that I ordered the rear hose instead of the front so I only did the pad install after first giving the front caliper a good cleaning. I did go ahead and order the correct front braided line and figured I'd get new rear EBC pads too.

Another question: Which fuses to pull for the track? I'd like to disable the blinkers, horn and headlight. The wiki http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/How_to_check_the_fuses details what each fuse controls. Looks like #1, #2, #5 and #6. Anyone know if I'm right?

Thanks

[Floki]

The new gen has a fuse diagram on the fuse box. I don't know about the pre-gen.

[Mike K]

I'll have to check it tomorrow. I don't recall either.

The lowered risers should arrive tomorrow.

[Sirref]

I would rather remove all of those then just pull the plugs on the headlight and tail light, no need to mess with fuses. They unplug and clip right back in when you're done

[choneofakind]

^^ werd. Just pull all of the ones that the bike doesn't need to run. No worries about the horn or headlight or anything then.

Seems cool to me how the whole bike runs on 3 fuses, including the dummy warning lights seems like *just maybe* the bike was meant to be run on track haha

[Mike K]

I'm here. Just finished the first classroom session. About to get suited up. Fingers crossed.

[csmith12]

Gir r done! Wish I was there to watch.

[cbinker]

Originally Posted by rubber side down

All this talk about boiling fluid and temp of fluid, has me wondering if im doing something wrong. Mine doesn't go fast enough, quick enough to even get brake fade, I mean its a 250 not a 1000.

This is my second year doing track days on the wee little ninja. I flushed the original fluid with new and went to the track with stock lines and pads. The bike only had 4k miles.

It seems just sitting up, getting out from behind the almost fairing it has and closing the throttle does a pretty good amount of slowing then give a touch of brake and toss it into the corner.

are you keeping up with Drew? if not then you aren't going fast enough.

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by Mike K

I'm here. Just finished the first classroom session. About to get suited up. Fingers crossed.

update?

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Gir r done! Wish I was there to watch.

It was AWESOME! Great group of guys. The guys pitted around me were friendly and helpful. A few of them watched me out on track and gave some great feedback. Mark (the coach) was just hands down the friendliest and most helpful guy around. He wasn't even my coach but numerous times he sought me out and gave me some invaluable observations and tips.

The Ninjette got a lot of attention for a couple of reasons. I was the only one on a 250 and it's apparently as loud as f**k! I knew that it was sort of loud but at bunch of guys came over to see what I was riding. They said that they always knew where I was on the track.

It was a great day spoiled only by an incident in the third session. I overcooked it going into a turn an was way off line. I went down hard but luckily it was in the grass. I'm pretty sore now, actually it hurts like hell now, but I got up after figuring out which way was up, picked up the bike with my good arm, (hurt my right shoulder) and tried to get her started. No good. The bowls must have drained when she was on her side. The front brake lever was broken too. I had the to suffer the ignominy of having my trusty steed wheeled onto the truck by track officials and me loaded (I walked actually) into the ambulance. Long story short-- strained shoulder, small abrasion to my right forearm, small bruise on my forehead and seriously damaged pride.

I fixed the brake lever, went back through tech and ran three or four more sessions. By the end I had to use my left hand to lift my right hand onto the throttle. In all of those sessions I worked on nothing but getting the line right, hitting entry, apex and exit and being smooth. I did almost every lap in 4th or 5th gear, only used the brakes when coming up on someone in the turns. Passed a few guys, got passed by almost everyone but had a blast. The two hour ride home was painful and slow and work today sucked I was so sore.

Can't wait for the next track day.

Mike

[Sirref]

so pretty much you had almost the exact same start to track riding that I did, heal up man that grass is harder than it looks

what exhaust do you have on the bike? I had a two bros on my 250 (and may have a yoshi on it soon)

[Mike K]

It has a Muzzy. It's louder than my 750 which has a Two Brothers slip-on.

It was just an awesome experience. I'm not really so interested in street riding now. Lol. All talk of getting your knee down street riding just seems silly and dangerous now. I am eager to get the 750 registered so that I can get a few hundred miles on her to familiarize myself with all of the differences and there are a lot. My Ninja is now a dedicated track bike. I'm stripping her down to only what's needed to track her. I might change the gearing to give me a little more top end speed. I have Woodcraft clip-ons and lowered risers for her. I think that I'm going to put on the lowered risers first. The Pirelli's are nice and never once gave me cause to doubt them. I'll load pics later.

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Gir r done! Wish I was there to watch.

I did brotha! I did.

I want to thank all of you guys for the advice and information here in the days leading up to this.

[Mike K]

Some pics:

[Sirref]

not bad for a first track day, remember the head leads so put your head in the direction you want to go and let your body follow it

I spy mark in the first pic That dude can match almost anyone's track day pace and analyze your riding while he does so

[Mike K]

I can't say enough good things about Mark. Like I said, he wasn't even my coach and he gave me more feedback by far, very, very far than anyone else. Pretty much after I went down the coaches from my group had no more input. If it wasn't for Mark and one of the more experienced guys that was pitted next to me (I didn't know it but each followed me for a few laps) I would have been on my own. I took everything that Mark told me and incorporated it each time I went out. My biggest lesson was exactly what you said-- look through the turn, head up, connect the dots further out.

My Ninja turned its 10,000th mile on the track by the way!