wannabe
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Posts: 1931
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posted September 08, 2006 10:20 PM
TFA West goes to Bonneville - The full story
OK, kids. I just got back from one of the best week's of my entire life. I just wanted to throw up a couple of quick pictures tonight before I went to bed. I promise to post up all the nitty gritty details this weekend after I tear my bike apart and clean all the salt off of her.
In the meantime, enjoy this pics:
This is my fat butt when I first pulled the bike out of the trailer on Saturday. The event didn't officially start until Sunday, but I wanted to get there early to set up the pit and take some pics.
I was lucky enough to catch this picture at dawn the next morning:
This is the 'long-story short' picture. As I said, I'll post all the details later. Right now, I'm going to bed.
  
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osti33
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posted September 08, 2006 10:24 PM
Awesome!! Can't wait to here the rest of the story!
Great pics!!
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wannabe
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posted September 08, 2006 11:32 PM
Thanks, Osti. I'll try to post the rest of the pics and details as soon as I can. But, first, I've got a full tear-down and cleaning to do.
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entropy
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posted September 09, 2006 01:04 AM
WHOA!!!!
come one wannabe, git outa bed and tell us the story! Way coool!!!!
 !!!!
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entropy
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posted September 09, 2006 01:04 AM
WHOA!!!!
come one wannabe, git outa bed and tell us the story! Way coool!!!!
!!!!
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psycho1122
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posted September 09, 2006 05:32 AM
Cool Stuff! Nice A.M. Pic!
Please allow me to "throw in" a couple questions.......
I'm interested in bike set up.......
Did you SEAL Up the Ram-Air completely before you went?
How was the salt: wet, ok, on the dry side?
Did you obtain "Density Altitude" info?
Look forward to your post!!
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You say PSYCHO like it's a BAD thing!!
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wannabe
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Posts: 1931
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posted September 09, 2006 06:17 AM
 Edited By: wannabe on 9 Sep 2006 09:31
Well, I guess after a week of getting up before dawn to get onto the salt in time for a good run while the air was still good kinda sticks to you. I ended up waking up at 6am for no apparent reason. I don't want to wake up my neighbors with my activity, so I figured I'd start adding some more details. First, the bike mods:
Bike: 2001 Kawasaki ZX-12
Full Acra race system
Power Commander with stock Acra map
stock air filters
Speedo Healer set for 17-46 gearing
Bear velocity stacks
Forks lowered 1.5" through the triples
Rear lowered to middle hole on dog bones
stock front and rear Dunlops
Mirrors removed and replaced with blocks
Home-built air shifter
LNR 2-step rev limiter & engine kill
single front rotor
engine kill lanyard
FSD undertail
FSD front fender (I wish I had the stocker still)
turn signals removed
I honestly didn't do much to prep the bike for the salt. Most of the mods were already there for dragracing. I pretty much just slapped the stock swingarm back on, lowered the bike, and took off for the salt.
It turned out that I was so happy that I left the air shifter on the bike. It made everything soooooo much easier, and it gave me one less thing to think about while I made the pass. When you see them on TV, you don't appreciate how many things there are to think about while you're out there.
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wannabe
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posted September 09, 2006 06:21 AM
Edited By: wannabe on 9 Sep 2006 07:43
I was kicking myself about it afterward, but I didn't log any weather data after each run. But, all of the salt veterans were saying that the salt conditions were the best that they had been in over 20 years. I was surprized to find that I had no traction problems after I got out of first gear.
First Pass Setup:
Gearing: 18-46
Tire Pressures: 32 rear - 34 front
I know that the pressures are kinda low, but it was my first time ever on the salt, and I wanted to have all the traction that I could get.
The mind-set for the first run was a mad combination of emotions for me. My stomach was in knots with a combination of discomfort, excitement, fear, and dread. Here are a small list of things that I heard or read that added to my mindset:
1. All the salt-guru's kept saying that the existing salt conditions were the best that they had been in over 20 years. This is supposed to mean that there was going to be a butt-load of traction out on the course. I was used to a nice flat VHT-prepped dragstrip surface, so I was not putting too much stock in this comment. I was still expecting to spin the tires all the way through 6th gear. I was told that I could see wheel spin at the tach.
2. I read a story about a guy who rode his busa from Los Angeles to Bonneville then decided to make some passes. He ended up skulking back home because he could only manage a 150-mph pass on a bike that supposedly could go 200 mph according to all the magazine articles. I knew enough not to believe that magazine articles, but I knew that there was a possibility that I was not going to break 150 mph on the first pass. So, I tried to keep my expectations low.
3. Per Doug's advice, I spoke to Wiltz Wagner who knows the salt better than almost anyone out there. I told him that I didn't know what to expect. He told me that the first time out, 130mph was a very good run. So, this was about what I was expecting.
4. The record in my class (MPS-P 1350 - Modified Partial Streamlining - Production motor 1350cc) was only around 164 mph. I thought that this would be a good goal before the end of the week, but I was not expecting to get there in the first pass.
5. I couldn't help thinking that I didn't want to go down and mess up the course for everyone else. There was no fear of hurting myself. The only fear was of messing up the course.
So, all of these things were going through my mind as I went up to the line and waited for them to give me the green flag....
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wannabe
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Posts: 1931
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posted September 09, 2006 06:24 AM
The staging area to get in line for a run was right in the middle of the 5-mile course. So, when they waved me off to ride to the starting area, I had to still ride 2.5 miles to get there. I cruised there at around 60-mph and practiced my tuck on the way.
A bit of background: They were running a long course (11-miles long) and a short course (5-miles long). You had to run a minimum of 175 mph on the short course in order to qualify to run on the long course. Both courses were layed out on the same stretch. The short course just started on Mile 3 of the long course.
I was waved to the start of Mile 3 and waited for them to give me the green flag. I was told that the timed mile went from Mile 5 to Mile 6 and that there would be 2 green flags (later, I found out that they were DARK green.... almost black) to indicate the start and the finish of the timed mile with two red flags in between indicating the start and finish of the timed kilometer for the international sanctioning organization (FIM). And, there were a gazillion little red flags every quarter mile in between.
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wannabe
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Posts: 1931
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posted September 09, 2006 06:33 AM
So, now I'm at the line idling my motor waiting for the starter to give me the green flag. I'm trying to be as calm as I can be, but it's not working. So, to get my head in the game I go through the pre-run checklist:
kill lanyard connected - check
air shifter on - check
kickstand up & secured with wire - check
clean out motor - check
1st gear - check
I see the waving green flag and gingerly take off. I try to gradually give the bike as much gas as I can without spinning the rear wheel. (No such luck) I get a little too excited with the throttle. The rear wheel spins, and my tach quickly heads towards the limiter.
I immediately hit the button and shift into the next gear to bring the revs down. This does the trick and I start accelerating hard. I go through the gears and hit my 11,500-ish rpm shift points all the while trying to go as straight as I can and maintain the best possible tuck. I can't believe how many things there are to do:
1. Hit my shift points.
2. Head down
3. Ass up.
4. Elbows in
5. Knees in
6. Feet in.
7. Keep the bike straight (this is a lot harder than it sounds)
8. Watch the flags.
9. Watch the tach for any signs of traction loss.
10. Remember what gear you're in.
Unfortunately, I didn't quite do everyting on the list. I missed the 2-3 shift and bumped into the limiter. Also, I ended up trying to shift from 6th to the non-existing 7th gear when I lost track of where I was in my gearbox. Hitting the shift button while I was in 6th gear made the bike hesitate enough for me to smack face-first into the windshield. (oops....)
I see the Mile 4 flag and think "Man, I am so not used to being in a tuck and full throttle for this long."
I pass a bunch of red flags and black flags. I am somewhat disoriented. They told me that the timing flags were green. I just passed the pits, and I didn't see any green flags. I only saw what I though were black ones. I was thinking "Was that it? Did I pass them yet? Fuck it. It's a long course. I'll keep it pinned just in case."
The next thing I know. I see a flag that says Mile 7. "Oh shit!" Time to get off the gas.....but not too fast. Don't get up too early and get blown off the bike. Don't use the front brakes. (I have to admit that not getting up immediately was so hard to do after years of bracket racing. My natural instinct was to chop the throttle and get up immediately to scrub speed after the 1000-foot if the guy in the other lane isn't there. I really had to consciously tell myself not to do this.)
I ended up slowing down in time to turn off at Mile 8. I rode back the 3 miles to the pits to find out how I did.
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wannabe
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Posts: 1931
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posted September 09, 2006 06:51 AM
So, I get back to the pits and start talking to the two other newbies on their Hayabusas. We pitted next to each other, and got along great. There was no trash talking like there was at the dragstrip. We were all there to see what our bikes would do. Little did I know that I would be giving them advice as the week went on. I didn't think that I knew much, but I guess I knew more than they did. I actually learned a couple thing about controlling the bike at full throttle with the couple hundred dragstrip passes.
They ran before I did and both got their results. They both only ran about 155 mph and were shattered with their performance. Their expectations were much higher than mine. On the way to pick up my slip, one of their pit crew guys told me that he heard the announcer say that I went 165 mph.
So, I expected 165 when I got to the time slip. 165 was still a lot higher than I expected to go, and it was still above the record in the class. I picked up the slip, looked down and saw:
K: 183.018
M: 182.899
Holy shit! My first run ever on the salt resulted in me breaking AMA the record in my class by almost 20 mph!!!
Needless to say, I was absolutely stoked. Then, dread crossed my mind as I thought about having to tear down my motor so that they could verify its displacement. I was thinking that now I had to get serious and make the up and back passes to make everything official. I was trying to decide whether or not it was worth dropping the motor just to get my name in the record books. I was actually happy to find out that another guy in my class ran 206 mph 5-minutes later on a very modified busa that was bored out to 1349cc. I knew that there was no way for me to get there, so the pressure of the record was off. From here on out, it was just for fun.
At least I can tell everyone that I had the record for 5 minutes. 
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wannabe
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Posts: 1931
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posted September 09, 2006 06:55 AM
OK, how's that for a quick taste. I've got a bunch more passes to describe later along with a bunch more pictures and stories of stuff that happened while I was there. But, now, I have to unpack.
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oldkawboy
Needs a job
Posts: 2125
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posted September 09, 2006 09:07 AM
Great job Wannabe!!!!
Glad things went well for you, you strolled on that 12 for sure. Thanks for posting already, it was good to read about your experience.
Congratulations on the record & I'm glad you're home safe and sound. Now get to cleaning that bike! :-)
Dan
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GUNNER
Needs a life
Posts: 5778
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posted September 09, 2006 09:29 AM
Edited By: GUNNER on 9 Sep 2006 10:37
Nice job Sir! I don't think after looking at those pictures I could ever stand to see salt all piled up on my 12 like that  What condition is the paint in after the clean up?
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fish_antlers
Administrator
The Truth is Out There
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posted September 09, 2006 09:54 AM
Wow! very very cool! 
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What business is it of yours where I'm from, Friendo?
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wannabe
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Posts: 1931
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posted September 09, 2006 11:00 AM
Gunner, some of the paint is worn away....especially on the leading edges of the front of the bike by the forks. I guess that part of the bike was being sand blasted the whole time.
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wannabe
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Posts: 1931
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posted September 09, 2006 11:02 AM
I decided to take a little break from the tear down and cleaning. Let me go ahead and add another couple of stories:
For the second pass, I swapped the gearing and went 1 tooth down in the rear because I was just about topped out in the revs going trough the traps.
I also made sure to count my gears this time. It was a clean pass, and it produced these numbers:
K: 185.640
M: 185.519
I was going to get back in line, but there was some not so happy weather coming in from the West. I remembered Doug telling me that the weather came in fast on the salt. So, I did the smart thing and packed up my gear into the trailer.
It was a good thing that I did because the weather came in hard and fast. 45+ mph winds came in and kicked up a salt storm. I helped a couple people try to pack up their stuff to keep it from blowing away. It literally hurt to stand outside my truck with the wind blowing the salt like it did!
Here's a pic that I took from my truck as everyone was making a mad dash to get off the salt before the weather got worse.
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wannabe
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Posts: 1931
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posted September 09, 2006 11:06 AM
I have to admit that after the first run, I was more than happy. I went much faster than I expected. After the second run, things started to change. I was just short of 300 kph (186.411 mph). I wanted to be able to go back to work and tell all my Japanese friends that I went over 300 kph. I guess that this is how the sickness begins.
The next day, I went another tooth down in the rear just to see if I could get a better drive through the traps. I waited in line for 8 hours and finally got up to the starting line late in the afternoon. While I was there, the same weather patterns from the day before started to build. The wind started kicking up to the point where I flat refused to make a run because I didn't think that it was safe. It's scary enough running at 180+ mph without the wind blowing you around.
Luckily, the control people agreed. The workers took down our numbers and promised that we would be the first to run the next day. That was cool, but here I was sitting at the start line almost 3 miles away from my pit looking at another wind storm building up behind me. I remembered that my tarp and my EZ UP were not secured to anything. I hauled ass back to my pit, parked my bike, and just started literally throwing things into my trailer. My helmet bag ended up blowing away. It's probably somewhere in Salt Lake City by now.
With a little help, I got all my gear in my trailer before the worst of the wind came in again. I sat in my truck for a few minutes trying to get my heart to settle back down from the mad rush to save my stuff from the wind storm.
I would have to wait another day to try to go over 300 kph....
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wannabe
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Posts: 1931
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posted September 09, 2006 11:10 AM
Edited By: wannabe on 9 Sep 2006 12:15
The next morning, I was ready to go. I had the right gearing, and some good thick morning air for my motor. The pucker factor was kinda high on this pass. For some reason, I started drifting toward the right side of the course towards the flags. I kept debating between correcting and scrubbing speed or just riding it through. Lucky for me, the drift wasn't too bad, and I didn't need to correct my direction until I passed the traps. But, that was the first time that things were not 100% smooth.
I picked up my slip and saw:
K: 187.348
M: 187.234
Yeah, baby!! That's over 300 kph!
I was happy. I got my goal, and the rest of the week would just be play time for me.
I went back to my pit and did some more tweaking. Since I was still running the stock Acra map for sea level, I figured that I was running kinda rich, since the flats are at over 4000 feet over sea level. So, I decided to make the next pass without the exhaust pipe. (Plus, I just love riding around with a loud bike.)
Normally, I like to be methodical about things and only make one change at a time. I figured that I would make one pass without the pipe on the short course then the next one would be on the long course.
While I was in line on the short course, a couple guys in the long course line looked bummed. They were told by the workers that they weren't going to send anyone down to the long course start until they had three people in the long course line. I decided to do them a favor and hop in that line with them. I more than qualified for the long course, so they let us go.
It was a looooonnng ride out to Mile 0, where the start for the long course was. I was glad that I had the extra gas in my tank.
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wannabe
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Posts: 1931
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posted September 09, 2006 11:11 AM
I can honestly say that I was starting to feel somewhat comfortable on the short course. The long course, one the other hand, scared the living shit out of me. The start for the short course was on Mile 3. This time, I was going to get a 3-mile run up to where I was starting before.
I figured that I would get on it and just not tuck all the way until I got to a little past mile 2. I still got to 6th gear before I got to Mile 3. So, I used the two miles before the timing mile to just play with my tuck position.
You wouldn't think that you would have time to do this at 180+ mph, but I started moving around on the bike to find the sweet spot where the tach started moving up. I tried any combination of pushing my head down, lifting my butt, moving back on the bike, etc.
Doing that produced:
K: 189.961
M: 189.986
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flyboy
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Posts: 1536
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posted September 09, 2006 11:16 AM
Wannabe,
Great writing. I was there too on a red 14. You had great numbers. My best pass was 195.5 mph and had a 194.7 average in the MPS-1650cc class.
It's a great trip isn't it?
____________
'There's more living in five minutes flat-out on a bike than some men have in an entire life'.
"The World's Fastest Indian"
One fast red ZX-14,
Three World and four National Land Speed Records,
One faster red and white Cessna Turbo 210
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wannabe
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posted September 09, 2006 11:17 AM
This is where the Bonnville sickness really started to hit high gear. I was already well above my first goal of just going fast enough to qualify for the long course. (175 mph.) After that, I achieved my secondary goal of going over 300 kph. (186.411 mph).
But, now, I was 0.014 mph away from breaking 190 mph. I wanted it bad!
All of a sudden, I understood why people were obsessed with the salt. This was my first time there. I went quite a bit faster than I ever expected to go. But, now that I was just short of 190mph, everything that I had done up to that point just didn't seem good enough for me. I was getting greedy.
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wannabe
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Posts: 1931
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posted September 09, 2006 11:20 AM
Flyboy,
It was great to see you out there! You really rocked on that 14!!! I remember being in line at Mile 3, and everyone there was amazed that you did 195 on the short course.
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flyboy
Pro
Posts: 1536
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posted September 09, 2006 11:21 AM
Edited By: flyboy on 9 Sep 2006 12:30
Wannabe,
Great writing. I was there too on a red 14. You had great numbers. My best pass was 195.5 mph and had a 194.7 average in the MPS-1650cc class on a stock engine.
It's a great trip isn't it?
____________
'There's more living in five minutes flat-out on a bike than some men have in an entire life'.
"The World's Fastest Indian"
One fast red ZX-14,
Three World and four National Land Speed Records,
One faster red and white Cessna Turbo 210
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wannabe
Pro
Posts: 1931
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posted September 09, 2006 12:00 PM
The next pass I went back to the short course to see if I could at least match the 189 mph pass that I did on the long course. So far, all the short-course numbers showed that I was still accelerating going into the mile. I knew this because the Kilometer and mile numbers were over a tenth of a mph off. If I were at full speed, the numbers would be really close like they were on the long course run.
This run is where the Salt Bear said hello. The guys that were working at Mile 3 kept talking to me at the line. I didn't get a chance to do my pre-run checklist. It wasn't their fault. I should have taken a breath and ran through the checklist before going. I saw the waving green and just took off. Now that I knew that I was still accelerating through the mile, I wanted to go hard right off the line.
I did just that and accelerated hard. I see the tach going up and hit the air shifter right at my shift point. Nothing happened, and I bounced off the limiter. I hit the button again. Again nothing. I hit the button a couple more times all the while riding on the limiter. Then it dawned on me that I forgot to turn the air shifter on. I clicked on the toggle switch, put my head down, and just gunned it. I still managed to pull these numbers:
K: 185.804
M: 185.777
I was still accelerating. I was convinced that I would have been much closer to 190 had I not forgotten to turn on the air shifter.
After that run, I decided to call it a day. The little voice was telling me that it was time to stop and take a breath. Bad things have always happened to me when I ignored that little voice and said, "One more run won't hurt."
It always did.
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