Got my CCS license number!!

This is great news, I found out what my rider number is and I can start getting the decals put on the number plates. 

And here's the best part - woot, it's a fibonacci sequence!!
NV358

Handy trick I just invented!

Hi Again, it's a rainy day in Boston so I thought I'd sit down and tell you what I've been up to today.

Getting Ready for Tech Inspection

I don't know if you folks work on your rides with a friend or if it's a hobby that you like to do alone.  Or if you're like me and most of your friends are older, married or just aren't just that into racing.

For me, I know that much of what I need to do at the track is going to be a solo flight.  I'm OK with this cause I'm going to meet a lot of great new people and over time think I'll have a ton of new friendships but that likely doesn't change the fact that when I'm getting busy unstrapping tire warmers, pulling stands getting suited up, all while everyone else will be doing the same thing too.

One of the things that I do a good bit of as I'm perfecting my little racer is remove and replace the lower race skin pan.  This is not really easy to do by yourself without stretching and scratching it.

Time to create a plan.  I started by thinking how my friends have helped me in the past as I'm trying to line the skins up and this is what I came up with.

I epoxied a small data cable wire wrap to the inside of the left upper race skin.  These ties are really handy because they have very strong Velcro and have clips for removing strain from cable ends.

Next I epoxied a small piece of Velcro to the battery holder so that the clip wouldn't be rattling while I fly down the track (or waddle down the track if you prefer)

After than, I place a soft blanket on the ground to prevent scratching and I clipped the Velcro to one of the quick connects on the lower pan.  This guides the left hand side of the pan into position very nicely as I pick it up from the right hand side.

In this pic, I've pulled the pan under the biked and attacked all of the quick connects on the right side.

Here's pic of what the actions on the right side of the bike did to the left.  As you can see the pan is perfectly lined up for assembling and it rolled directly into this position without any help or fussing. 

Next I just unclipped the Velcro and slipped it up onto the Velcro on the battery compartment cover.

Perfect!!  :)

Here a photo looking down inside the race skins to give an idea of how easy it is to access.

I have a ton of these Velcro ties btw if anyone wants them, just reach out to me.

 

Until next time, cheers from DZ Racer Chick!!

Not much free time lately

Work has been insanely busy as of late and I haven't been doing much for the bike other than peek at her from time to time.  I needed to take a break from work I decided to head out with a girlfriend to pamper myself for a couple of hours.

Walk on

Well amazing as it sounds I did a walk on out in LA last year for a pilot.  My scene was very small but I had so much fun.  Here's a screenshot I took from the video.

Great question from forum - advice always welcome!

Originally Posted by xxxxxxx

I do have a question. You put a ton of money into making the bike look good. Have you put anything into making it handle good?

Great question and one I'm certain that I'm just beginning to scratch the surface of. Here's what I've done so far and I'm uncertain exactly what the results will be until I actually get a chance to ride her again. For some, I may have approached things incorrectly.

I changed the rear set and went with fixed position foot pegs. I got Woodcrafts, I love the knurl and the grip on my boots. I've spent some time with the bike on the stands playing with the positions and practicing shifting my body from side to side with minimal pressure on the bars. I've moved them back and up just a tad which seems to help me stay closer to the rear of the seat.

In and along these lines I removed the stock Ducati power shifter switch and went with a solid shift linkage for now. I did this because I'm not really experienced enough yet to be full-on throttle up shifting and also the stock shift linkage feels a little sloppy under my toe. I also made the switch to GP style shift, I've always thought that it made more sense than standard. The stock power shift linkage offered less positive travel and although I could have gotten used to that, I felt it better to simplify and get more confident in developing smooth shift / clutch practices. Time will tell but just finding neutral is much more predicable without that little bit of slop.

I changed the brake pads to Galfers HH ceramics, I've no idea how this will work out yet but I read a couple of articles from riders (some I'm sure have Galfer contingencies) about these pads having very progressive grabbing action and being more resistant to transferring heat to the calipers because of the coatings on the metal plates. I'm not a super fast rider yet but I'm making good strides towards braking later and harder as I'm learning my lines and marks (Loudon) My guess is I'll be pretty slow out there and I'll focus on working towards getting smoother.

I added an adjustable height linkage on the rear and I've lowered the bike slightly (12 mm) although this was more of getting the height better for me than for suspension travel considerations. Before I take the bike out for practice I want to getting fully suited up and get the SAG adjusted. I'd love to know who you folks think the best place to take her is.

I have not played with anything in the front yet. I feel like I've made so many variable changes in other areas of the bike at this point that I'll need to start keeping a practice notebook. Because I don't really have a strong vocabulary yet for describing the deltas after changes I'll probably settle for noting the change and recording the old optometrist notions of 'Better or Worse' That definately has its limitations but hopfully both will improve.

I also plan to keep going to Penguin and asking stupid questions and watching you guys. I really could use a mentor too!

-dana

Beauty and Grace

All she needs is to be started and then sent out to have her dyno'd and of course my race numbers and sponser stickers!!

Before and After